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The last time Barcelona played in England, one year ago at Old Trafford, Gerard Pique was in the stands with the rest of the Manchester United reserves. Tomorrow night he will be marking Didier Drogba and holding together Barcelona's injury- and suspension-ravaged defence.
Sir Alex Ferguson allowed him to rejoin Barcelona in the summer for around £5m, unconvinced that he was ever going to be good enough to break up the Rio Ferdinand-Nemanja Vidic central defensive partnership.
But in an extraordinary first season, Pique has been a key member of Barcelona's charge towards the treble. Last Saturday, in the 6-2 win over Real Madrid, he was majestic again, controlling Madrid forwards Gonzalo Higuain and Raul without conceding a single foul.
He scored the sixth goal from an impossible angle – his second at the Bernabeu after he netted there for Spain two months ago – and, in the reams of praise since written by the Spanish and Catalan press, has been dubbed "Piquenbauer"... not bad for a Fergie reject.
"There are no regrets about my time at Manchester" he says. "It was there that they really turned me into a player. I had only ever lived with my parents in Barcelona. I had my friends from the school and the club. The change was very hard, but it was the making of me."
Pique displays all the traits of a player schooled in Barcelona's youth system. He strides out from the back to give Pep Guardiola's side another man in midfield, but it is the defensive skills he will have honed at United's Carrington training ground that Barcelona will need tomorrow night.
Towering over a diminutive midfield, unimposing full-backs and a shaky goalkeeper, Pique is Barcelona's best chance of effectively clearing corners and crosses.
Even with him and fellow international Carles Puyol in the side at the weekend, they were beaten by two headers, and after the game Guardiola admitted that Barcelona simply did not have the resources to deal with Chelsea's aerial threat.
Pique admits: "The worrying thing was that we conceded two goals from crosses at the weekend. On Wednesday against Chelsea it will be really difficult to defend all their players on set pieces."
With Puyol suspended and the Mexican captain Rafa Marquez out injured, Pique will be the lynchpin at the heart of a makeshift back-four. Guardiola has got all his decisions right this season but he could make his most important one when he decides on Pique's central defensive partner.
The Uruguayan Martin Caceres could come in, or either the full-back Eric Abidal or the holding midfielder Yaya Touré could switch positions.
If it were Abidal, the former Arsenal full-back Silvinho would come into the side. None of the options are ideal. Whoever is picked, it will be Pique's name that goes down first on the team sheet. Against Drogba and without Marquez and Puyol, he becomes every bit as important as Barcelona's front three of Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry – who sat out training yesterday but should be fine for the match after picking up a knock at the weekend – and Lionel Messi.
And should Barça go through and the other semi-final go Manchester United's way, there will be one more chance for Pique to measure up to Ferdinand and Vidic in the final.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/f...s-1679036.html
Sir Alex Ferguson allowed him to rejoin Barcelona in the summer for around £5m, unconvinced that he was ever going to be good enough to break up the Rio Ferdinand-Nemanja Vidic central defensive partnership.
But in an extraordinary first season, Pique has been a key member of Barcelona's charge towards the treble. Last Saturday, in the 6-2 win over Real Madrid, he was majestic again, controlling Madrid forwards Gonzalo Higuain and Raul without conceding a single foul.
He scored the sixth goal from an impossible angle – his second at the Bernabeu after he netted there for Spain two months ago – and, in the reams of praise since written by the Spanish and Catalan press, has been dubbed "Piquenbauer"... not bad for a Fergie reject.
"There are no regrets about my time at Manchester" he says. "It was there that they really turned me into a player. I had only ever lived with my parents in Barcelona. I had my friends from the school and the club. The change was very hard, but it was the making of me."
Pique displays all the traits of a player schooled in Barcelona's youth system. He strides out from the back to give Pep Guardiola's side another man in midfield, but it is the defensive skills he will have honed at United's Carrington training ground that Barcelona will need tomorrow night.
Towering over a diminutive midfield, unimposing full-backs and a shaky goalkeeper, Pique is Barcelona's best chance of effectively clearing corners and crosses.
Even with him and fellow international Carles Puyol in the side at the weekend, they were beaten by two headers, and after the game Guardiola admitted that Barcelona simply did not have the resources to deal with Chelsea's aerial threat.
Pique admits: "The worrying thing was that we conceded two goals from crosses at the weekend. On Wednesday against Chelsea it will be really difficult to defend all their players on set pieces."
With Puyol suspended and the Mexican captain Rafa Marquez out injured, Pique will be the lynchpin at the heart of a makeshift back-four. Guardiola has got all his decisions right this season but he could make his most important one when he decides on Pique's central defensive partner.
The Uruguayan Martin Caceres could come in, or either the full-back Eric Abidal or the holding midfielder Yaya Touré could switch positions.
If it were Abidal, the former Arsenal full-back Silvinho would come into the side. None of the options are ideal. Whoever is picked, it will be Pique's name that goes down first on the team sheet. Against Drogba and without Marquez and Puyol, he becomes every bit as important as Barcelona's front three of Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry – who sat out training yesterday but should be fine for the match after picking up a knock at the weekend – and Lionel Messi.
And should Barça go through and the other semi-final go Manchester United's way, there will be one more chance for Pique to measure up to Ferdinand and Vidic in the final.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/f...s-1679036.html
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