Barcelona Vs. FC Porto, 2011 UEFA Super Cup: Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas Win Trophy For Barca

While FC Porto ended the 2011 UEFA Super Cup with just nine men on the pitch, truth be told, the match was over before they saw the first of the two red cards. FC Barcelona didn’t even look like they were at their sharpest on Friday evening, but they were good enough to control possession for most of the game and soundly defeat Porto, winning by a margin of 2-0. Lionel Messi’s first half goal - gifted to him by Fredy Guarin - was a virtual dagger early on. Cesc Fabregas got the clincher as a substitute, but it didn’t do anything but make the scoreboard look better.

Messi assisted on Fabregas’ goal with a fantastic chip into the box, which the former Arsenal man controlled before scoring with his second touch. Fabregas will have to do quite a bit to work his way into more than a substitute and spot starter role, but his great finish might go a long way towards securing him some more playing time.

Porto have created a couple of half chances on the counter-attack, but for the most part it’s been a dull half of football. Barcelona are doing a good job of keeping the ball as always, but they haven’t been as ambitious with it as they usually are. Unsurprisingly, Porto aren’t doing an awesome job of winning it back.

Note: I started writing this post 20 minutes before Cesc came in with this exact headline and text. It was not altered at all. Just tooting my own horn a bit.

The goal came in the 39th minute when Guarin was attempting to win the ball in midfield and accidentally played the ball past his defense, right to Lionel Messi. Barca’s No. 10 rounded Helton and chipped the ball into the back of the net, giving Barca the lead.

This game is far from over, especially since both teams are loaded with a variety of options to change the game off the bench. Midfield playmakers Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantara are on the Barca bench, along with forward Alexis Sanchez. For Porto, tricky winger James Rodriguez might make an impact off the bench.

Incredibly, Guarin was the man who assisted Messi on his 39th minute goal, hitting what amounted to a perfect through ball while attempting to win a 50-50 challenge in midfield. Guarin’s ball completely eluded his defense and fell right to Messi, who would have been miles offside if it wasn’t a Porto player who gave him the ball. He rounded Helton and chipped the ball into the back of the net, finishing off a typical Leo Messi goal.

FC Barcelona Vs. FC Porto

Venue: Stade Louis II, Monte Carlo, Monaco

As I’m sure you were able to figure out, Barcelona’s bench will include the likes of Fabregas, Busquets, and Sanchez. This is mildly ridiculous. Of course, despite the fact that they cost a combined €55 million (not including escalators and future payments), Fabregas and Sanchez will probably spend a lot of time on the bench this season. Oh, and there’s also Thiago Alcantara. Who is awesome. And yet I forgot about him. Go away Fabregas, no one likes you.

FC Porto Lineup (4-3-3): Helton; Otamendi, Rolando, Sapunaru, Fucile; Guarín, Moutinho, Souza; C. Rodríguez, Kléber, Hulk

Porto and Barcelona are going to be very similar in formation, and while Porto should be playing an attacking game, they’ll probably be a bit less fluid than their opponents. Porto also have a very deep bench to draw from, so they’ll be able to change the game if things go south.

Porto might not be quite as lethal this year without Radamel Falcao, who was just sold to Atletico Madrid for an eye-popping €40 million, but they appear to have found themselves an adequate replacement. Instead of moving Hulk inside to center forward and finding a new alternative for the right side of their 4-3-3 formation, Brazilian striker Kleber has replaced Falcao. He hasn’t scored yet, but he netted an impressive 15 league goals in the Liga for Maritimo last season and should be an adequate replacement.

The most interesting battles could be in the center of midfield, where Barcelona usually control their opponents. Not only are Porto strong in the middle, they also have fantastic strength in depth and can show a number of different looks to the Blaugranas. Joao Moutinho, Fredy Guarin and Souza started Porto’s last league game and should at least provide an annoyance to Barcelona.