Barcelona 2 - 1 Getafe

The startling discovery of Eric Abidal’s liver tumour and the scandalous doping allegations targeted at the Barcelona team were the focus of attention in a week were football took a backseat, while the sincerity of human affection shone on one hand, and mucky, unsporting, unfounded rumours fanned the flames of disrepute on the other.

Yes indeed, just as any good democratic election campaign enters its last leg and the respective parties work tirelessly to dig up dirt on their opponents in a final ditch attempt to engineer any valuable public discontent, and help them gain an upper hand.  Such has been the rumour mill which went into over-drive last week and in all fairness how much blame can be levelled at the accusers, in fact I would even go so far as to say I sympathies with them. Please allow me to explain... The insinuation that Barca and some other teams including Madrid have been taking performance enhancing drugs statistically has a leg to stand on. Just take a look at the performances of the other European teams leading in their respective leagues. Manchester UTD has 63 points from 30 games played, AC Milan has 62 from 30 games played, Lille has 55 from 28 played. So, it doesn't take a degree in applied mathematics to see that there is a clear correlation in respect to games played and points scored by these 3 league leaders. And then you have the anomaly the irregularity the discrepancy the divergence from this neat and tidy correlation.

First things first, it has to be recognised, (if only to make Barca’s achievements even more astonishing) that Real Madrid have been playing sensational football from the start of the 2009-2010 season right up till now and their points tally last season would have seen them finish some way ahead had they been in any of the above mentioned leagues. The only problem they have is that they play in the same league as Barcelona.

After finishing second on 96 points last season, an incredible 25 points ahead of third place Valencia Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini sighed, “people don’t realise how good a season we had. But to win this league you have to beat this Barcelona team at least once and drop virtually no points”. Which brings us back to the anomalous fact, even this season Madrid and Barca are setting themselves apart from the rest of Europe on 73 and 78 points from 29 games apiece. And the reason behind this stems from the football culture in Spain where characteristics like skill, technique, endurance is preferred over physical size, ruggedness and the long ball which ultimately gives rise to players who are able to defy the status quo and perform at a different level inevitably making them the target of malicious rumours.

After all the English game sold its soul to anyone who came along with a briefcase full of cash and the Italians have had their own internal problems which continue to cast a shadow over what was once the most exciting league in Europe. In conclusion, the sneaky hate mongers would be better advised to refrain from such talk which brings our beautiful game into disrepute, if they have evidence so present it and give credence to their allegation if not. Then please shut up!

Fortunately, there was a brighter side to the revelations from last week and that was the way in which people came together in support of Abidal. Madrid in particular should be commended for their show of solidarity as the squad paraded the pitch with t-shirts reading ‘Amino Abidal’ (courage Abidal). I shall refrain from wasting any time on expressing my opinions about the so called authorities which tried to ‘forbid’ the gesture. Let’s face it most of them have probably never kicked a ball in their lives.

This evening’s match was inevitably going to be dedicated to Abidal and it was evident by the numerous flags and banners covering the stadium in solidarity with the likeable Frenchman. Barca also had the consul general of Japan in attendance and his presence was marked by an impeccably observed minute of silence in respect of the victims of last week’s natural disaster. Most clubs are welcomed to observe such solemn occasions in the case of Barca however the world expects it.

5 points clear of Madrid, Barca were in a position to go 8 points clear before Atletico entertained their neighbors in the late kick off. And they started as well as they normally do at home despite the absence of Puyol, Maxwell and of course Abidal from the squad the back-line consisted of Pique and Milito in the middle with Adriano and Alves flying down the wings. And it wasn’t long before Alves sent the ball flying into the back of the net in typically Brazilian fashion to make up for his earlier yellow card. Messi had a chance with a smart overhead kick, only for Cordina to block with his body. But when the ball fell to Alves on the edge of the box a stunning half volley sent the ball screaming into the net with the keeper left bewildered after 16 minutes.

After the break through Barca began to take even more control of the game with Valdes merely a spectator, but for David Villa it wasn’t to be his night after some good chances went begging. Messi managed to skip past the Getafe defence and shoot across goal in what was another good chance. Getafe for their part tried to counter and Casquero brought a great save out of the ever alert Valdes, and as the 22^nd minute of the game drew in, a roar of cheers and applause echoed out of the Camp Nou for their number 22 – Abi.

The second half started well with no changes at half-time, Pep preferring to stick with his starting 11 and it wasn't long into the second half that Barca doubled their lead as Bojan marked his 100^th league appearance with a goal deflecting in off Cata Diaz, shortly after Guardiola opted to reinforce with midfield by bringing on Keita for Bojan.

With the 2 goal cushion Barca looked to be cruising but to Getafe’s credit they continued to push and finally pulled a goal back on the 87^thminute as Manu struck the ball in. Getafe then almost drew level in the final seconds but some good defending by the Barca back line brought an end to what was the last real attack of the game.

Finally, with Barca getting a favourable draw in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and 9 time European cup winning Madrid up against a Tottenham side on a maiden journey into Europe’s premier competition one would seriously consider putting the house on a Barca vs Madrid semi-final, that would mean 4 classico’s in just over a month.

Imagine that it would be like Christmas, Eid, New Years Eve and your birthday all rolled into one!

Barcelona 3 - 1 Arsenal

Ohhhh the sounds of silence...

“This is the best team of our generation”. These were the words of a dear friend this afternoon as the two of us engaged in a critique of yesterday’s game at the Camp Nou, who I hasten to add is an Arsenal fan. The fact is that the world is fast running out of superlatives to describe this particular collection of Barcelona players, and I emphasise the term ‘players’ because for all their achievements over the last two seasons and there have been an awful lot of them. The greatest and most commendable without a shadow of a doubt is not displayed in the illustrious trophy room in the Camp Nou, which for those who are unaware runs the entire length of the main stand. But more fittingly is displayed in the conduct and humility of each and every player who dons the claret and blue jersey. These are individuals who despite the media circus that follows the modern footballer, seem not consider themselves superstars let alone stars for that matter, but pure and simple 'jugadores' bound by their pledge to their faithful supporters, which according to facebook estimate over 10,000,000.

Rumour has it that in the youth teams at Barcelona, parents of young aspiring players are discouraged from criticising their performances and instead are encouraged to simply ask them “did you have fun”. And it is this very same mentality that has been drilled into each player, “go out enjoy yourselves, play the way you know and the result will take care of itself”, which results in the philosophy that is cemented in the Barcelona school of thought. A philosophy which is unmatched by any other top European team and which has shown time and time again to be the crucial difference on the pitch, no matter what the situation is never, never, never abandon your philosophy even it is in the 93^rd minute of a Champions League semi-final. Arsenal for their sins seemed to have abandoned it the moment Arshavin made the net ripple in North London.

The game started rather cagily and as per Guardiola’s pre match forecast it was to be concentrated in the midfield. Soon enough though, Barcelona was conducting the pace as Xavi and Iniesta enforced themselves on proceedings and had Arsenal on the back foot immediately. Busquets and Mascherano were also linking up well and finding plenty of space to make themselves available as the game moved from midfield and into the Arsenal half. The first real test for Szczesny came in the 18^th minute, from a Dani Alves freekick and despite a strong save, resulted in a finger injury forcing Wenger to make an early substitution as he brought on Almunia. The pace settled down somewhat and it looked as though Arsenal had weathered the early storm. And just as they felt they were finding some rhythm Barcelona’s little genius burst into life on the edge of the Arsenal area and was brought tumbling down by Djorou for what looked like a certain penalty only for the referee to waive play on.

Barcelona’s possession of the ball was as standard, giving nothing away and quickly winning the ball back when they did not have it. But despite their staggering dominance, they were lacking a spark in front of goal. Adriano came closest on 36 minutes after a good run, latching onto the ball and blasting it against Almunia’s near post with a thunderous left foot drive. It looked at this stage that we could go into half time goalless, but as half time crept in a clever ball from Iniesta found Messi who beat the offside and in a twinkle of an eye casually chipped the ball over the oncoming Almunia before blasting it into the net, 1-0 Barcelona game on. 

Emerging from halftime the equation now changed Arsenal had no choice but to take the game to Barcelona. The game opened up as Arsenal tried to push forward and regain the advantage and when a 53^rd minute corner from Nasri was misjudged by Busquets resulting in an own goal Arsenal had found an unlikely lifeline.

Up until this point the Gunners had not threatened Valdes all night but now found themselves with one foot back in the quarterfinals. But there was to be more drama, Van Persie continued to play on despite the referee blowing for offside and the no nonsense refree brandished a second yellow card to the Dutchman and gave him his marching orders but not without much protest from the player and the Arsenal dugout. It is quite usual for teams to play better when they are down to 10 men and the controversial nature of the dismissal should have warranted a rejuvenated Arsenal effort, but that was not to be the case and instead Arsenal simply capitulated.

Barcelona’s midfield had enjoyed astonishing possession of the ball up until this point in the game to the tune of 75%, so you can imagine what ensued now that they had the extra man. Arsenal had their Spanish substitute goalkeeper to thank for keeping them in the game for as long as he did.

Eventually, however Barcelona’s persistence converted itself into a goal. Iniesta, Villa and Xavi passed the ball exquisitely at close range and completed the move with a delightful finish as Xavi found the back of the net on the 69^th minute. The goal had been coming for some time.

As the score line stood we were going into extra time, but the Catalans wanted to send a message to Europe, and so they did when Pedro was brought down in the penalty area shortly after, up stepped Messi to score his eighth goal of the campaign and take his total in the champions league competition to an incredible 33 goals at the ripe old age of 23. Cue the celebrations? Not quite yet, Arsenal looked tired and drained but as the score line stood they only needed to score one more goal to go through on the away goal rule, and when substitute Bendtner found himself with only Valdes to beat on the 87^th minute the Camp Nou felt silent. But the Barcelona faithful were soon at ease as a perfectly timed tackle from Mascherano brought an end to venture. Cue celebrations? Oh yes!

Barcelona winger Dani Alves summed up the performance and the tie in his post match comments, “I didn’t think qualification was in danger. Before the break, we had the game under control. They wanted to defend the result. We have our philosophy and we’ll die with it”.

Long live the philosophy! And long live Barca!

Mallorca 0 - 3 Barcelona

It is surprising how quickly things change in football, not too long ago Barca were reeling from the uncustomary loss to Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League tie and closer to home the eternal rivals had closed the gap to 2 points.  But that was then, and now is now, with things looking a whole lot rosier.

The youth system at Barcelona is unquestionably the most sophisticated and successful in the world and has been the breeding ground for the majority of the thoroughbred professionals that now represent the first team. Please note at this point that the academy is called La Masia (The Farm). A glimpse into the Barca B squad gives an idea of the next generation of homegrown superstars shackled impatiently, waiting for that moment when they can grace the pitch of the Nou Camp and realize their dreams.

Before being appointed as Frank Rijkaard’s successor in a surprise move back in the 2008 Pep Guardiola was in charge of the Barca B team and his affinity with the young stars continues even as first team manager. In fact, one of the most successful policies of Guardiola’s tenure to date has been his willingness to integrate players from the 2 teams where possible by training together and giving opportunities to prove themselves. And as anticipated it has paid dividends, Pedro Rodriguez and Sergio Busquets both off the production line in recent years have gone on to not only cement themselves in the Barcelona first team but have also become indispensable for the Spanish national team. So staying true to his philosophy Guardiola maintained his policy and introduced another young starlet to the world last night in what turned out to be another 3 steps closer to league glory.

With Valdes,Puyol, Xavi, Alves and Jeffren out of the squad Guardiola was deprived of his starting 11 and had to make some changes, despite the remaining strength in depth of the squad Barca were not going to sit on their laurels. And there was this unnerving fact that Barca had never beaten a side coached by former dream team start and teammate of Guardiola, Michael Laudrup. So with the first choice out, in came Adriano, Abidal, Keita and Pinto following up from his brilliant performance against Athletic last week.

Mallorca opened the game in the ascendency with plenty of possession of the ball as Barca looked to gel and find some fluency, but were put under strong pressure and closed down well by their opponents. A swift move from Messi saw him go close on 30 mins only for his shoot to go wide. But it wasn’t long before Messi added daylight in the race for the pichichi. Seven minutes later a lobbed ball by Keita, who spotted Messi’s run, beat the off-side trap and left Messi only to beat Aouate which he did convincingly to take his league tally to 26 and 2 clear of Ronaldo.  1-0 up and it was the best start Guardiola could have hoped for as it clearly calmed the jitters of the Barca players. Barca came close to adding a second before the break but had to settle for 1-0 having suffered very little after the breakthrough.

Starting brightly and finding space the team was moving a lot more freely now and use the whole of the pitch to their advantage. A superb through ball from Busquets on the 57^th minute split the Mallorca defense and found Villa who dragged past the oncoming Aouate and cooly struck home to put the game to bed, the lack of attacking initiative from Mallorca suggested just that. Finally 11 minutes later Pedro cut in from the left and struck the ball from distance and rounded of an excellent evenings work with a wonderful strike. The result was a timely reminder of the quality in depth at Guardiola’s disposal all of which he will need as his team move toward the ‘business end’ of the season. The result also brought Barca in touching distance with yet another record as they look to surpass the 1979-80 Real Sociedad team by recording 20 games unbeaten on the road. They will have a chance to do just that against Valencia on Wednesday when they make the trip to the Mestalla.

So all in all it has been an encouraging week for the Blaugrana, just when many thought they would go through an inevitable bad patch they seem so far to have come out unscathed, of course the league is far from over but surely a wise man would put his money on the Barca, seeing as they are now 7 points clear again… Oh yes, of course I forgot to mention, Madrid dropped 2 more points yesterday.

Barcelona 2 - 1 Athletic Bilbao

“We need 12 points before Arsenal come” those were the words of Barcelona’s Brazilian wing back Maxwell in the post-match press conference before last night’s game against Athletic Bilbao. And what better occasion to do it, playing at home and on Pep Guardiola’s centenary game as Manager of the first team.

Barcelona have looked evidently shaken from the recent run of results the steam engine was slowing against Gijon and came to somewhat of an abrupt halt against Arsenal losing their first game in either the league or champions league since the start of September, and the recent run of results has led to a crisis of colossal proportion!

Looking back through history it is quite evident that on average each generation produces at least 1 individual or team that goes on to transcend its particular sport and places itself well and truly on the cusp of invincibility. Take Tiger Woods for example, every time he steps foot on a golf course he is expected to fire a round of 65, each time Ronnie O’Sullivan steps up to the snooker table with his usual swagger we are lost in a swirl of anticipation knowing full well that he is capable of scoring a 147 with one eye shut! And naturally, any future starlet is inevitably and perhaps unfairly compared with their illustrious predecessors. He’s the next Pele! He’s like a young Suger Ray! They say he could be as good as Lara if he remains focused. Could this Barca team be better than Cruyff’s dream team?

The problem with colossal expectation is that it leads inevitably to disappointment, so when Leo Messi the planets best footballer two years running fails to score in consecutive matches it is deemed well and truly red alert! This fact alone is testimony to the level of his ability which is undoubtedly way ahead of any other attacking minded player plying their trade in Europe’s top leagues just take a look at Wayne Rooney’s and Fernando Torres statistics this season for confirmation, both world class strikers.

So naturally, when the chips are down everyone looks toward the leading light for an answer and last night after some fumbling around in the dark, the Camp Nou faithful were able to return home with beaming smiles but a few sweaty brows mind you.

Guardiola and his team were clearly relieved to be playing at home having suffered on away trips over the last week, they were hoping for lady luck to shine down on them, and she did not disappoint. Barca started strongly maintaining possession albeit with an edginess in their fluidity, no doubt the loss in London still hovering over them. Their nerves were soon at some ease though, a diagonal ball from Xavi picked out the darting run of Dani Alves and the Brazilian laid the ball back for Villa to strike home his 16th league goal of the season. Replays however suggested that Alves may have been offside.

Guardiola wanted the two goal cushion and Barca continued to press forward in numbers and could have been pegged back. 10 minutes had not elapsed when Fernando Llorente beat Gerard Pique with a swift drag back before crossing for Markel Susaeta who headed just wide.

Barca continued to dominate possession but seemed wasteful at times. The passing success ratio looked as though it wasn’t going to be as impressive as normal. And with Madrid having cut the gap to two points with a 2-0 win over Levante, they would need to dig deep to restore the 5 point advantage. Despite some good opportunities to extend their lead including a delightful left foot strike from David Villa which struck the cross bar, Barca went into the break without the two goal cushion. Pinto it should be pointed out filling in for the injured Valdes was putting in a strong performance with some important saves including a shout for save of the season as he beat away Llorente’s close range header on 35 minutes.

  

Emerging for the second half unchanged things took a turn for the worse and must have had many fans thinking ‘oh, no’. A 50-50 challenge by the normally imperious Sergi Busquets inside the box lead to a penalty and Andoni Iraola stepped up to convert. With Madrid hot on their heels Barca could not afford to drop two points. So with time running out Guardiola committed more players up field still wary of Athletic on the counter. The Blaugrana were finding space time and time again but there seemed to be a lack of willingness to strike the ball from distance, or even close range at that. Dani Alves found himself in a good position on a number of occasions but decided to find a pass when a strike on goal looked the best option.

‘Brilliance’ is defined according to dictionary.com as ‘great brightness, excellence or distinction, conspicuous talent’. According to the FC Barcelona dictionary however, it is simply defined as ‘Messi’. And after the breathtaking individual run on the 58^th minute went unrewarded fate would soon balance things out. And so it unfolded, Xavi lifted the ball over the Athletic backline to find the run of Dani Alves who looked up and played the ball back across the area (for what seemed like the 10^th time of the night) and found Messi who had gotten goal side of his marker and gently sent the ball passed the helpless Iraizoz.

Crisis… what crisis?

Arsenal 2 - Barcelona 1

As a North Londoner I am smiling from ear to ear after the results from this week’s Champion league matches. As a Barca fan however I found myself waking up to the somewhat shock realization that we actually lost a game of football! Not the best start to a long weekend.

The last time these 2 teams met the result was devastating, Messi put in a performance of such authority and brilliance in the return leg at the Camp Nou that there was genuine talk of him being the best player to ever have walked onto a football pitch. Although Arsenal went on to lose the tie 3-6 on aggregate the result was by no means a ‘humiliation’ of the North Londoners but instead a ‘humbling’. Even Arsene Wenger as he watched the curtain come down on his European dream for another season couldn’t hold back the emotions of having watched a special display from a special player as he smiled and conceded that it had been a ‘memorable display’.

So one year on and much to Mr Wenger’s disappointment the Barcelona team who humbled his Arsenal outfit last season had not only gotten better but had ‘humiliated’ Jose Mourhinou in a 5-0 thrashing of Real Madrid and gone on to break a 50 year record which ironically had been set by Madrid so many years ago. So on paper it suffices to say that Arsenal had the football equivalent of Everest to conquer. Having said that, Barca had just witnessed the end to their winning run at the hands of Sporting a few days earlier dropping 2 points in the face of Madrid closing the gap to 5 points in la liga.

Prior to the game Guardiola decided to train in Barcelona ahead of the hotly anticipated clash and not take up the usual opportunity to train at the Emirates stadium as is customary in European competition, which raised a few eyebrows. But who are we to argue with Pep?

So the hour arrived and as the Arsenal faithful and the Catalans that made the journey over, hunkered down in their seats with excitement in the air and the teams emerged to commence proceedings. Both teams started strongly with Barcelona maintaining their trademark possession game and Arsenal working hard to break up the fluidity that was so crucial to their game. The first breakthrough came in the shape of a 26^th minute strike by David Villa who continues to prove a worthy replacement of former Barca star and natural born goal scorer Samuel Eto’o now at Inter Milan. Arsenal, were down but far from out as they continued to press and created some good chances through the half with Van Persie coming close on a number of occasions. Messi continued to cause a real problem for the Arsenal back line as he drove through and after a clever bit of play chipped the ball past Szczesny only for it to drift inches wide of the post. On the 37^th minute Messi went one better racing through and after a scuffle in the Arsenal area managed to get his head onto the ball to send it sailing into the net only for it to be signaled offside. Replays confirmed that he was in fact onside and with 2 away goals would have changed the face of the tie completely.

Arsenal came out in the second half with a renewed vigour knowing full well that they could well have been walking out to a score board reading 2 or 3 goals to Barcelona. The second half continued were the first had left off with a passing game from both sides so appealing on the eye and the best chance came along on the 68^th minute as Messi took advantage of some slack defensive play but fired into the side netting, most uncustomary of Maradonna’s heir. Arsenal driven on by their ever controversial Catalan captain continued to press forward true to their philosophy and clawed their way back into the game. Van Persie who was guilty of missing some good chances early on found himself on the end of a clever ball from Clichy and from a tight angle managed to fire past and beat Valdes at his near post. With 78 minutes gone on the clock we were in for an exciting finish. Wenger smelt blood and orchestrated the timely introduction of Arshavin the Arsenal players tails were up and Guardiola was looking unusually concerned no doubt Arsenal’s dramatic comeback last season still fresh in mind. Barca continued to press and Arsenal looked for the opportunities to counter with quick breaks. And with 7 minutes of normal time to play the Arsenal had done what so many had failed to do, Nasri rolled the ball across to Arshavin who struck the ball first time leaving Valdes to watch the ball fly passed him. Advantage Arsenal.

All in all it was an enthralling encounter which lived up to expectations and sets up the return leg perfectly. Celebrations in the Arsenal camp will be short lived in the knowledge that Barcelona in the Camp Nou is a completely different prospect as last season testifies. No doubt the conditions of the pitch will be prepared to suit the Barca game with plenty of water applied beforehand.

Finally, Arsenal should be saluted and tribute paid to them for their achievements, the team so regularly taunted by their domestic rivals with the title of Barca B can feel content that they no long have to live with that label. For now at least they can bask in the glory of being Barca B+ J

Sporting 1 - Barca 1

“We can lose or draw if that’s how it is. Insisting, insisting and insisting”. Those were the words of a somewhat disappointed Pep Guardiola after witnessing the conclusion of an extraordinary run of wins by his mesmerizing outfit.

It was never going to be an easy game for Barca after all there was a multitude of factors motivating Sporting. Primarily of course they are fighting in a relegation battle and the prospect of anything against arguably the best football team to have ever stepped onto a pitch (last week’s record breaking victory adds further weight to that statement) would be tantamount to giant killing and as well as the valuable points, provide a timely boost of confidence and injection of vigor to their campaign. Not to mention of course the fact that Sporting are a ‘Real’ club for those not overly familiar with this term it means just like Madrid they have a specific relationship with the ‘Royal’ family and with the humbling of Madrid at the hands of Barca still fresh in everyone’s mind there was the small matter of revenge and the restoration of regional and monarchial pride, not to mention of course they would have ‘one’ over their city rivals.

So everything was just right for the minnows to halt the steam train in its tracks. And with the mid-week internationals having affected virtually every single first team player shakeups to the starting lineup by Guardiola were inevitable and expected. Truth be told Barca never really found their normally unplayable rhythm throughout the game, the incredibly hostile atmosphere created by the Madrid based fans was clearly evident from the multitude of red and white scrunched up paper balls that littered the sideline and corner spots. “Give them a break!” I thought to myself, after all this group of players was largely responsible for ensuring that the achingly elusive Fifa World Cup Trophy finally found its way to sunny Spain.

With the absence of Sergi Busquets from the holding position which he has made his own over the last few seasons there was genuine concern considering the eerie statistic somewhere along the line of Barca never having lost a game in which he had started! So the sirens were well and truly on, and when Barral received a pass only 15 minutes in and found himself with a few yards on Pique, he skipped down the line and went on to score an excellent solo effort (although Pique should really have done better) it was clear that this was now going to be a case of ‘Parking the Bus’. After all, Sporting now found themselves in an enviable and quite rare position of leading against Barca which was clearly manifest across the face of their colorful manager Manuel ‘Manolo’ Preciado.

Nonetheless, the Blaugrana started to find some rhythm and began moving the ball around more smoothly, but it was clear that they were shaken and continued to be cautious of the counter attack. To Sporting’s credit it appeared that they were more successful than all other teams put together this season in forcing Barca to back track as Pique and Milito found themselves resorting to the relative safety of Valdes on a number of occasions.

There is one particular principle of the ‘Total Football’ philosophy which simply states the following, ‘as long as you have the ball your opponent cannot score’. This is a principle which has been honed by this Guardiola team and is reflected in the possession statistics which are regularly in the 70’s in % terms and the goals conceded stats which are equally impressive. So in the rare event that you do loose the ball, you do absolutely everything to win it back. Another area where the team has been very strong in recent seasons as 2 or 3 players swarm around the opposing player and win possession almost as soon as they’d lost it. This was the case in the 79^th minute as Messi wrestled with the Sporting back line and won possession before pushing through a perfectly timed through ball to Villa who left the stadium in sheer silence. Even old ‘Manolo’ had to come down to earth and pinch himself, I mean come on did he really expect three points from Barca?!

The front three continued to press with the arrival of both Pedro and Bojan bringing some fresh pace and Dani Alves continuing to cause a nuisance of himself down the right, there were a couple of late chances were the team could have grasped a late victory, but in all fairness taking into account the circumstances the result was a fair one and made for a thoroughly entertaining affair.

Ultimately, despite Guardiola’s disappointment at not taking three points, Barca remain 8 points clear at least until this evening, the potential banana skin post international break could have hurt a lot more and the pressure of maintaining the winning run has ended so all in all a good place to be heading into a Champions League clash mid week. And although they may have been rejoicing in El Molinon last night, the celebrations across town would have been a lot less muted after all Mr Mourinho will concede that this was not a case of Barca dropping two points but much more a case of Barca winning an important point as history shows time and time again that these results come May always make the difference.