Can anyone topple the mighty Barcelona?

As former England manager Terry Venables once famously said, “If history is going to repeat itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again.”

Indeed you get that sense of inevitability when it comes to next year's Champions' League campaign, with Barcelona seemingly on a different planet with their footballing prowess. The question people will be asking is, can anyone get close to the Catalan giants next season?

Judging by last season's Wembley final showdown with Manchester United, the signs look ominous for any potential challengers in the coming seasons, as they put on a master-class to see off the English Premier League champions.

In Lionel Messi, they have not only the best player in the world right now, but many would agree he's already the greatest player of all time, such are the talents he possesses. Add to that two of the world's best midfielders in Xavi and Iniesta, along with arguably the world's best central defender in Gerard Pique, and challenging teams are in big trouble.

A debate hotly discussed is, how many of the players from Barcelona's main challengers, would make it into the champions team? If you take their opponents in last year's final, Man United, only two players stand out that would have a chance in the Barcelona eleven, namely Nemanja Vidic and Wayne Rooney. Vidic for the ageing Carlos Puyol, and Wayne Rooney would surely be accommodated to play in attack. Apart from that, no-one else would really have a look in. The same goes for the rest of Europeans' biggest clubs; not many players would push any current Barcelona first-teamer onto the sub's bench.

The Spanish champions are looking to add Cesc Fabregas to make their squad even stronger than last season, but the midfielder is far from assured of a regular starting berth with them. To think that Arsenal, Fabregas' current club, play the best football in the English game, with Fabregas a captain and certain starter for them, but yet at Barcelona, he may genuinely not get a look in for the first few months of his potential time there. That is just how incredibly good this Barcelona team really is. They are almost unplayable when they're at their best, with their slick passing and ability to find the net. No matter how many you score against them, you always get the feeling they will outscore you with the attacking options at their disposal.

That's not to say they are unbeatable though. When teams get stuck into them, they're not particularly fond of a physical match up, they prefer to work the ball around, and make the opposition chase. Arsenal showed in the last 16 first leg against the Catalans last season, that hard work and a bit of physicality can reap reward, as they beat the Spanish side 2-1 on the night with two late goals after battling hard. It's worth noting that Barcelona turned that result on its head in the return leg at the Nou Camp, but for one game at least, the Gunners showed exactly how you should get stuck into Barcelona.

That said, It remains to be seen if the mighty Barca can continue to play to their outrageously brilliant best next season in Europe, but if they get anywhere near close, It doesn't appear that any team can get close enough to the Barcelona players to get physical, and it would seem that performance at the Emirates was a minor blip by an otherwise infallible footballing side.

The reality is, Barcelona will have to play very below par if any other team are going to have a sniff of glory this season.

Barca, we salute you.

Sean Monaghan



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Comments

[gary cairns]

i believe that what you are saying is true but quite clearly that in spanish country they believe in football and learning is a formality as in england kids under the age of 16 can only train for a hour and a half and the rest of day have to spend learning thats y barca are soo good and thats y english teams will always struggle to produce quality players the odd one every five years but its a good and well written piece and im impressed

[Jarlath Jackman]

Yeah i totally agree Sean, Barca are on a different level than any other team at the minute. Even their biggest rivals cannot match them, all be it they beat them in the Spanish cup final this year. But overall Barca are miles ahead. United made a big mistake in selling Pique.!!

[Liam]

I Agree, I Cant See Past Barcelona Winning Both La Liga & Champions League Unless Lionel Messi Is Sidelined With A Lengthy Injury.
Fabregas Will Be A Great Addition To There Squad, Making The Best Team In The World Even Better.

[lucciano]

Hi there,
been waiting on your 2nd post after the first hotly debated one regarding the race for the title.
Great read, love the way you touched on arsenals performance last year, it was truly Barcelonaesque in its own sense of the game. Easily the toughest game the Catalan's have had in the last few years in the champs league that day.
True what you say though, hats off to them, when they've been battered, they've come out fighting, sign of a quality side. Fully expect them to go far next year again, looks like its the English sides and Real Madrid who can only stop them, even with the latter putting up such a limp display of a challenge last season.
I honestly don't believe it would be a good career move for Fabregas should he go. Who's he going to keep out of the side? Iniesta, Xavi even Busquests the hard tackling midfield man? Id compare him joining to the career of Ibrahim Afellay when he joined Barcelona....one of the Netherlands most attractive footballers, but with little game time and no full opportunity to be consistent, lets just say his talents would be much more appreciated elsewhere. The same i believe, will be said of Fabregas if his transfer goes through.
Cracking article, looking forward to more of the same Sean!

[danmcc]

Personally i think Barcelona are untouchable and in my opinion, will be for the foreseeable future. As a Manchester Utd fan i sincerely hope that i am proven wrong. A well written article and i would absolutley agree that Messi, is without doubt, the best player the footballing world has seen so far.

[liamdoc]

Barcelona are the best eleven versus eleven team at the minute but if they suffer injuries, their team lacks depth and class. They need 2 world class players for all positions to be an unstoppable force in my opinion but the funds are unavailable. Real madrid are getting closer to them and will push them close in la liga. As for the champoins league i feel the pressure of consecutive titles will get to them and they will go out in the quarter finals or semi finals!! Great read and roll on the new season.

[William]

Great little read mate, Can't argue much, Except to say I read that Guardiola said that he would play a diamond Midfield to accommodate fabregas and just have a 3 man defence, which makes alot of sence considering Barca's defence and goalkeeper.

[Carl Woods]

Great read, although it pains me to say, Barcelona are a force to be reckoned with. I find it odd that a team can dominate Europe with a shockingly bad GK. I have to add they dont like it rough and seem to receive preferential treatment from FIFA.

I may sound like a bitter United fan but great article!

[CM]

Have to agree about the strength the Barcelona squad, but after a couple of games last year and even going back to Chelsea a few years ago i can't help but feel that Barcelona have always been dealt a favorable hand by the UEFA officials. Van Persie's red in the Nou Camp last year was definitely as he described it, 'a joke'. They are unquestionably an unbelievable team, so for a team to work so hard and get close to turning them over, only to be very harshly treated makes it rather disgusting to me.

Unbelievable side, but not unbeatable.
Great article man, definitely opened up a few sore wounds from earlier in the season. Looking forward to the next one!

[PM]

Your right Sean, No other team in the world has a look in with barca. Very good article and i am looking forward to more like this in the future.

[Deano1]

Barcelona are simply on another planet. The problem is that, regardless of opposition, be it the mighty Real Madrid or the reigning Premier League champs, every team Barca face revert straight to defence and attempt to prevent the ball from rippling the net at whichever end they have their back to. No team ever takes it to Barca and tries to play posession football and mimic the Catalan style of play. As you mentioned Sean, even Arsenal, who play undoubtedly the most attractive football in England spent the vast majority of the two legs letting Barca play their football. Teams work so hard to just survive, and often do so in vain. People try to look for flaws in their defence as a means of justifying mortality, but the truth is that they do not need to defend as they are, for 75% of most matches, the offending team. I fully agree Sean, Barcelona will not be touched for some time to come. And with the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Fabregas surely on their way the task is even greater. Excellent read and some very valid points. I would just like to see a team truly attack Barca and pack the midfield, though with the quality they have in the middle of the park it will most certainly be no mean feat.

[packiebonner]

Scunthorpe would put it to them, you want physicality look no further than david mirfin

[BA]

Great read Sean, reading it makes me more dubious of Alex Ferguson statement that he is spending no more money this summer. With the lack of quality in Utd's central Midfield the decision not to invest in one single player for that position just baffles me. Man Utd are arguably the second best team in the world and if their midfield cannot disrupt the metronomic passing of Xavi and Iniesta for more than 10 minutes then it says alot for the rest. In Utd's case, one player who can drive a wedge between the two conductors of what its surely an orchestra of footballing class could make a difference. But if not this season when will we see this player in Man Utd's "Roy Keane" role!
Look forward to your next article!