Messi, Iniesta turn Barca gloom into party mood

WHEN Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta was serenaded off the pitch on Tuesday following a vintage display in a 3-0 win over Juventus that was only rivalled by Lionel Messi, it was easy to forget the gloom that had gripped the Nou Camp two weeks ago.

The club had been left red-faced by the failure to sign top targets Philippe Coutinho and Angel Di Maria when the transfer window shut and the squad looked weakened following the world record departure of Neymar to Paris St Germain. A resounding 5-1 aggregate Spanish Super Cup defeat by arch rivals Real Madrid added to the sense of despondency.

Tuesday’s stunning opening Group D display against last season’s Champions League finalists, however, showed that Barca are still in safe hands as long as the old guard of Messi and Iniesta remain at the club and are fit and firing.

Iniesta, 33, struggled for large parts of last season as injuries took their toll but he rolled back the years against Juve with a seamless display that recalled the days when Pep Guardiola was manager and Barca dominated in midfield.

The veteran ran the usually solid Italian champions ragged throughout the game and capped the display with a pinpoint pass to Messi for the Argentine’s second goal, Barca’s third, earning him a warm reception when he was substituted late on.

“It’s important to play a lot of minutes but the key is looking after yourself properly,” said Iniesta.

“When the team functions well we all play better. We struggled a bit at first as is normal in European games, but we just needed a bit of patience and then we began to control the game.”

The match began in a subdued atmosphere, while outside the Nou Camp opponents of the board campaigned for a motion of no confidence in president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

Once Iniesta and Messi had finished outclassing Juventus, however, there was a party mood inside the ground, with little signs of any rebellion. – Reuters