Barcelona were considered heavy favourites against Lyon before the match started, but the match did not justify this favouritism (actual chances 5-5, Lyon's were better). The media claim that Barcelona had 25 "final attempts", but those 20 that don't count as actual chances are only added as a means of communicational support for the more marketable of the two sides.
Theoretically, Lyon's formation was supposed to be a 4-2-4 with Depay, Traore, Terrier and Dembele all up front. In practice though it worked like a proper, counterattack-oriented 4-2-3-1, with all these four players providing a fair amount of defensive support to their teammates. Defensive tactics aren't a shame, they 're simply considered non-marketable, so they have measures taken against by FIFA's corruption system (UEFA is part of this system). Bruno Genesio did a fairly good job in this match.
What did Ernesto Valverde do? Nothing to be proud of, but due to a number of wrong positions it is a bit complicated, so we 'll separate it in parts:
1)Ter Stegen is more like a central midfielder than a goalkeeper.
2)The Pique-Lenglet duo is far too heavy for the centre of defence. Pique has the tactical behaviour of a striker. Also, rumours have it that Shakira plays better football than he does.
3)Semedo and Jordi Alba supposedly took side defender positions, but actually are not defenders. Rumours have it that Jessica Alba alone defends better than these two guys together.
4)Sergi Roberto and Rakitic are the "classic No10" sort of player. Nothing for defence, they just wait to get the ball ready so they can pass it to someone else. And then Busquets is a striker. Barcelona is stuck to a football that was played 100+ years ago and is utterly outdated.
5)Messi, Dembele and Suarez also did nothing for Barcelona's defence - not that I 'd expect them to. Barcelona's only real defence was the referee, as it always happens for marketable teams.
Supposing that Barcelona will play the same outdated football in the rematch and maybe push their lines even higher, an idea that could give Genesio the away goal he needs is to set up a 4-4-1-1 that can suddenly turn into a 4-2-4, just so that Lenglet won't be able to hold any sort of depth. We 'll see what is to happen, but if the image of this first-leg match passes on to the rematch Barcelona will not be the favourites.
I didn't watch Liverpool-Bayern Munich 0-0, but Fabinho and Matip must have made a laughable duo at the hosts' centre of defence. Fabinho is a central midfielder and Matip is not at all a football player. It doesn't honour Bayern to not score against a centre of defence with no central defenders, given how big promotion Germany's most famous team gets. Not that Niko Kovac set up a much better defence, using three wing attackers and the overweight Mats Hummels in the same line of four. And then "the UEFA Champions' League is the highest level of football"... Sorry, it isn't. The primary-school girlies of my neighbourhood play better than those overrated "superheroes". Most people trust what is most promoted, but promotion depends on what promoters want, not necessarily on quality.
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