The Special One 3 - 1 Inter MIlan

Precision engineering. Thats' what it came down to in Inters emphatic win over Barca. If Mourinhos side were a car it wouild be a BMW, a Volkswagon or a Lexus. It wouldn't be the fastest or the most stylish but it would take its passengers through a blizzard or a drive across a the African continent without the slightest glitch. Ok. Maybe just one. The Barca blizzard proved too much for Inter in the 19th minute and Pedro capitalized on what was the only time that a Barca player was given space in the penalty area. From that point on Inter, preety much held the fortress as tight as a speedo. And it wasn't loing before the Inter machine, with its highly sophisticated scanners and probes, picked up an anomaly in the Barca back four. Maxwell for all his prowess going forward can harldy be relied upon to thrive in the opposite situations. For any other team he would be the 1st choice left sided midfielder. Given the options Barcelona have, he has been consigned to left back. Inter wasted no time in exploting that.

Right from the very first minute Eto signalled Inters intention when he beat Maxwell down the left side only to have pushed the ball a little too far away. And with that same feverish intention, Inter broke down Barcas faltering left flank and conjured a goal that that even the players of Barca would have been proud to score. Etos cross found Milito in the center and the Argentine forward had the composure to pick out Sneijder on his left for him to virtually pass the ball into the net. It was a goal of prefect simplicity and was executed with consummate ease. Mourinhos machine was had finally troubleshot itself and was a now in full gear. The loose nut had been tightened and inter was now ready to carry out phase 2 of Mourinhos grand plan. Get the 2nd goal. And that they did with ruthless efficiency. Straight from the kick off Inter seized the game and romped forward. Their efforts payed huge dividends as the already rattled Barca defence failed to deal with Milito and he didn't need a second invitation to knock the 2nd nail in their coffin. Allowed acres of space on the right, Milito calmly picked out Maicon who stretched out his right leg and toe poked the ball home.

 Inters third and decisive goal was another classic example of the killer insticnt that Mourinhos teams possess. AFter surviving another storm of attacks by Barca following their 2nd goal, Thiago Motta won a tackle, picked out Eto whose cross was met by what looked like a misdirected header from Sneijder that found Milito who had crept in at the far post to make it 3 -1. The Barca defenders had their hands raised at they thought Milito was offside and although they clearly had a case, the damage was done. Even if the goal had been ruled out, the psycological blow dealt by Inters incisiveness would have been almost too much for the Barca back four to handle. Guardiola, in recognition of his sides achilles heel, brought on Abidal, a player more capable of performing defensive duties than Maxwell. 

 Unsurprisingly, it was Ibrahimovic who was replaced with Maxwell moving up to the left side of midfield. Apart from his involvement in the Barca goal, he had looked listless and was a mere spectator against the rigorously disciplined pairing of Lucio and Walter Samuel. Like the great team that we all know they are, Barca seemed to find extra wind and went into top gear. By that time however Inter raised the frotress gates and was more than willing to repel the Barca onslaught from deep. Messi twisted, feigned and darted about only to find himself running into blue and black shirts. Xavi, the great midfield maestro whose passes roll like the bars off a Mozart symphony found himself picking out the wrong players time and again. Nonetheless Barca persevered and were almost rewarded in the dying minutes when Messi broke through on the right only to have the ball poked away from him. The stray ball, after being bounced from one shin pad to another rose just nicely for Pedro to unleash a bicycle kick that went straight into the safe arms of Julio Cesar. It was Barcas last salvo. Fort Inter had held out and did it exceptionally well. 

While Inters win had much to do with great tactical decisions and impeccable organization, one would also have to note that the players played out of their skins today. More than any of Barcas highly paid stars, the Nerazzuri commited themselves to ensuring that Barca could not get its usual game going. And to do that they ran about tirelessly, not backing away from a single tackle and maintaining a tremendous amount of concentration. So not only did Mourinho get it right on the tatical front but he seems to have a lifted his men to rise to the occasion against a Barca side that would have had most teams piss their shorts before the kickoff especial after their demolition of Arsenal and Real Madrid. Messi, 'The Flea' as he has been so fondly monikered by the press, was a cuaght in a jar with no where to fly and certainly no one to annoy.

having said all of that, it is game of two legs and the return at the Nou Camp would probably be an even more intriguing contest. Despite this setback, Barca have the away goal and would go through should they hit back twice without reply. Going by their record at home and the fact there will be  90000 fans roaring them on, they certainly look capable of stealing this tie and going all the way to a 2nd consecutive Champions League victory. But for now, they will have to be patient, lick their wounds and prepare for another encounter with the Magnificent Machine of Jose Mourinho.