“It’s like watching the Barcelona of 2011" - Thierry Henry compares 3 stars to Messi, Iniesta and Ronaldinho after 4-0 win over Real Madrid
Theirry Henry has waxed lyrical about his former team Barcelona after they thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, October 26. The Frenchman likened the performance of Hansi Flick’s men to Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side from 2011. He also compared three La Blaugrana players - Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Pedri, to Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, and Andres Iniesta, respectively.
Before becoming a pundit, Henry played for the Catalan giants from 2007 to 2010. He made 121 appearances for Barca, scoring 49 goals and providing 27 assists.
Barcelona rolled back the years on Saturday and dominated Real Madrid for the entirety of the match. After a goalless first half, La Blaugrana ran riot in the second as they scored four goals without reply.
After the match, Henry was in awe of the performance by Hansi Flick’s men and compared them to the fearsome Barcelona team of 2011 under Pep Guardiola. He said (via Barca Universal):
"European teams fear Real Madrid, and Real Madrid fears Barça. Barcelona has become a team of settling scores. After Bayern, it was Real Madrid’s turn."
"Lamine Yamal plays like Messi, Raphinha like Ronaldinho, and Pedri like Iniesta. “It’s like watching the Barcelona of 2011. The team has returned to what it used to be. Nobody will be able to stop them. They will win everything, and any team that stands in their way will suffer the same fate."
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick says Real Madrid are one of the best teams in the world despite 4-0 thrashing
Hansi Flick was excited after his side thumped Real Madrid in El Clasico. Despite the heavy defeat, the German manager reckons that Los Blancos are one of the best teams in the world and dedicated his side’s victory to the fans. He said (via Eurosport):
"Today was a good step for us, we beat one of the best teams in the world. How am I living this moment? It's not about me. It's about the team, the fans and the club. We are all happy but now we are thinking about the fans because they deserve it."
"I always say that we want to improve, and today wasn’t easy, but we pushed through. We’re in a very good rhythm. At half-time, I told them it was important to keep up the pressure and have more ball control. We always play with our final four very high and in the situation with the goals because the referees don’t whistle it always looks dangerous, but it’s not dangerous. So, this is the point I don’t like so much.”
The Catalans currently sit at the summit of the LaLiga table with 30 points, while Real Madrid are in second place with 24 points. Barca have enjoyed an incredible start to their league campaign, having scored 37 goals and conceded just 10 in 11 matches so far.