Euro Bites: Copa del Rey special as Pique & Iniesta crash Banega’s farewell

Last night saw the curtain fall down on yet another domestic season in Spain. Barcelona won the battle after extra time to claim a double but were pushed all the way by a strong, determined Sevilla side who showed no signs of tiredness – despite playing midweek – until the final 15 minutes or so. Luis Enrique stuck two fingers up at his critics, some of which wanted him gone after a home loss to Valencia, but he responded with a perfect six wins out of six – scoring 26 goals and conceding none. Here are the winners and losers from an entertaining Copa del Rey final.

THE WINNERS

Pique showed why he is the best defender in the world right now

It isn’t often that you see defenders stealing the headlines but the performance from Gerard Pique last night was exceptional. I have no doubt at all that if the Spanish international wasn’t playing the result would’ve been completely different. And when Javier Mascherano was sent off after just 37 minutes, it forced Pique to do the work and running of two men – and he did.

Every time Sevilla poured forward and got into the box they were met by a block or tackle from the former Manchester United centre half, displaying an almost sixth sense when it came to reading what the attacker wanted to do. He wasn’t fooled by tricks or a burst of pace and in it was a performance the great Carles Puyol himself would’ve been proud of.

While it’s true he endured a rocky start to the 2014/15 season, he’s since performed consistently at a higher level than any other centre half in the world. His leadership qualities have improved and much like Puyol, he has a habit of making those alongside him look even better (apart from Javier Mascherano’s rugby-tackle on Kevin Gameiro). He deserves more credit than he currently receives.

Banega and Gameiro partnership just couldn’t find a way through

For large parts of the game it was Sevilla who penned back their more illustrious opponents and, has been the case all season, Ever Banega and Kevin Gameiro were the main instigators.

The Argentine playmaker’s swansong in a Sevilla shirt was everything we came to expect until he was sent off in injury time of the second half. You sensed the game had a special meaning to Banega as he tirelessly ran forward to create opportunitines for Gameiro and Vicente Iborra, then found himself blocking crosses and shots in his own penalty area. He left everything he had on that pitch and he’ll be sorely missed next season.

Gameiro has proven himself to be one of the best strikers in Europe this year but won’t be representing France at Euro 2016 due to the incredible talent pool – and Oliver Giroud - they have to chose from in his home country. He fought with Luis Suarez at various set pieces and was a constant thorn in the side of Barcelona’s defence with his lightning-quick acceleration that ending up catching Mascherano cold. The defender felt the need to drag him to the floor rather than let the Frenchman in one-on-one. Next time the two sides meet, he could be playing for Barcelona.

Iniesta rolls back the years while Messi provides yet more magic

In recent months there’s been talk of Andres Iniesta not being at the same level as we’ve become accustomed to. He’s lost his influence on the side, is no longer indispensable and has fitness concerns. Of course, like much of what is written on the best players these days, it’s exaggerated out of proportion as shock value sells better than glowing praise. While he may have lost a step or two, Iniesta is still one of the best midfielders in the world and is a true big game player.

At Barcelona he’s never really been allowed to shine due to the fact he’s constantly surrounded by greatness. From Puyol, to Xavi Hernandez, to Ronaldinho and now Messi there’s an argument that Iniesta’s achievements are overlooked. Yet while all of those mentioned have had quiet games in some of the most important matches in Barcelona’s history, the same cannot be said of Iniesta.

Last night he was simply majestic again. When his side needed someone to look to for inspiration he stands above the rest. Pique was a man mountain at the back but Iniesta was the director of the orchestra. With having to play most of the match with a man less, he took control of proceedings and it’s credit to him – and Busquets – that the midfield battle remained so competitive. He was a joy to watch.

Lionel Messi didn’t have the standard ‘Messi game’ but he still managed to make the difference between two well-matched sides. We saw a new side to Leo as he charged back to track a Grzegorz Krychowiak run all the way to the edge of his own box, even outmuscling the big Pole and winning possession back for Barcelona.

The diagonal pass he made for Jordi Alba to run onto and ultimately put Barcelona in the lead was something only he could produce. The pace and weight of the ball was perfect, as too was the finish from Alba. Sevilla themselves had defended bravely but they couldn’t stop Messi, but then not many can. He even slipped in Neymar for the second, beautifully timed to avoid the Brazilian being offside.

Honourable mentions: Luis Enrique – got it right by sacrificing Ivan Rakitic at half-time. Jeremy Mathieu was better equipped to deal with Gameiro than Busquets. Mariano – I felt he was one of the biggest threats to Barcelona until he was taken off. That change ended up destabilising Sevilla’s entire right-hand side, where Jordi Alba and Neymar both scored from later. Sergio Rico and Martin-Andre Ter Stegen – both goalkeepers were superb throughout, pulling off some sensational saves to keep their teams in the game.

THE LOSERS

Naïve Mascherano almost costs Barcelona dearly

It was shaping into a decent, even contest until Javier Mascherano decided to lose his bearings and ultimately earn himself a red card. I’m sure they spent a lot of time in training working on how to deal with the threat of Kevin Gameiro and that allowing him space to run into could prove costly. Confusion at a long ball left Mascherano wrong side of Gameiro and with only ter Stegen to beat, the Argentine defender thought it would be best to grab the striker’s shirt and haul him to the ground.

The standard protests with mouths wide open in disbelief and hands on head made no difference, as they shouldn’t, because it was the correct call to send him off. It was a poor, lazy challenge from the defender and he can have no one to blame but himself for getting caught out. Barcelona weathered the storm and after a tactical change ended up getting a foothold in the game, eventually winning. If they hadn’t then Mascherano wouldn’t have been Mr. Popular in Barcelona today.

After Wednesday’s heroics, Coke was a bit flat

It was a moment to remember for Coke last Wednesday as he scored two cracking goals to down Liverpool and earn Sevilla their third consecutive Europa League trophy. An unlikely hero, pushed further forward to allow Mariano to play at his favoured right back spot, deservedly earned plaudits for his all-action display in Basel. Last night, it didn’t quite have the same fizz.

The best chance of the first half fell to him but that midas touch in front of goal deserted him as he shanked the ball well wide. It appeared Sevilla had fallen onto something quiet promising with the Coke/Mariano partnership but the moment the latter was taken off, it all went wrong for the former. Coke struggled when he was pushed back into defence with Vitolo just ahead of him. Mariano had done a great job of shutting down Barcelona’s left-hand side but Coke, without the aid of a naturally defensive midfielder ahead of him, was simply overwhelmed.

Daniel Carrico essentially rage quit at 120′ mark

It’s been a frustrating season for Carrico as he’s been dealt some tough hands when it comes to injuries, but his frustration last night ruined any chance Sevilla had of forcing the game to go to penalties. The tackle on Messi was a strong one, too strong for the referee. Carrico does touch the ball, so I can understand his argument, but then his foot rolls over the top and catches the player. It’s a foul. The subsequent meltdown resulted in him being shown a second yellow for protesting too much. Not what his side needed and Barcelona, unlike Sevilla, took advantage of their numerical advantage to kill the game off.

Honourable mentions: Unai Emery – he got so much right against Liverpool but his offensive changes left his side exposed versus Barcelona. Banega – yes, I know, he’s in the winners’ section as well. His red card soured a very good performance. Not how he’d have liked to have said goodbye. Luis Suarez – not so much a loser because of his performance, wild arms and all, but in that his injury might rule out of chance of playing in the Copa America this summer. A big blow for Uruguay if that is the case.