Luis Enrique didn't say much about Lionel Messi in his post-match press conference, and neither was he asked to.
That might sound a little odd, seeing as he set up Luis Suarez for the opening goal and then scored the second himself, hitting a milestone in the process.
Messi 's strike, which proved to be the last kick of the game at the Camp Nou , sealing Barcelona's 2-0 victory over Valencia, was his 400th for the club in all official competitions.
It's an incredible number, reached in just 471 games, spanning one decade.
So having accomplished this feat, and aside from the fact that anything anyone says about Messi will always create headlines, why weren't we speaking about him?
Firstly, it's because Messi can't leave the house these days without bumping into a milestone or two. And secondly, it's because this game was not about Messi .
It was about Valencia, and their valiant efforts to earn victory, and as a result of that, Claudio Bravo.
Enrique said, after the game: "Valencia had their chances, mainly in the first half, but winning is based on efficiency and they missed their big chance with the penalty that Bravo stopped.
"These players are winners. That is why they play for Barca . Since the first day I have seen them all ready, looking good and ready to work and to win titles."
Enrique was right. The best chance Valencia had to get level was Dani Parejo's penalty, which Bravo kept out in the eighth minute.
The goalkeeper stood slightly off-centre in his goal before diving to his bottom right corner to comfortably keep out the Valencia midfielder's effort.
That wasn't the end of Bravo's work; merely the beginning.
He was called into action on various occasions, as Sofiane Feghouli , Paco Alcacer and Rodrigo danced around a surprisingly permissive Barcelona defence.
Adriano was almost invisible at left-back, while Jeremy Mathieu did his best alongside a shaken Gerard Pique, who never fully recovered from conceding that penalty.
In the second half, one save stood out, a fine reflex stop from a Rodrigo effort, but Barcelona regained control of the game and stifled Valencia's previously unchecked attack.
Bravo's saves redeemed him from last week, when his error allowed Sevilla a way back into the game at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan .
Ever Banega's piledriver slipped through Bravo's hands, but nothing looked like doing so here, with the Chilean recording his 18th clean sheet of the season in the league, more than any other.
When the end of season awards are being handed out, it's likely Bravo will be picking up the Zamora trophy, given to the best goalkeeper in La Liga.
This would be just reward for a player who has quietly, but confidently, stepped into some of football's biggest shoes, replacing Victor Valdes .
The former Barcelona stopper was one of the best in the business and a hero at the Camp Nou , but he hasn't been missed this season, with both Bravo and Marc-Andre ter Stegen impressing when called upon.
So when it comes to the history books, you'll open them and find Messi 's name written on every page—and rightly so. But if he carries on like this, you'll also find Bravo's name.
Scrawled in a small place down the page, perhaps, but still there.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1DwJriF
via IFTTT April 18, 2015 at 12:15PM
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