1) A frugal defence
With attacking talent of the caliber of Lionel Messi & Pedro combined with the mastery of Xavi, Barcelona’s miserliness is often overlooked. But Victor Valdes belatedly received Spanish recognition on the back of his third Zamora trophy during 2009/10, conceding just 24 goals, the lowest of any team in Europe’s major leagues, and he is emerging as one of the best goalkeepers around.
In front of him, the international pairing of Gerard Pique and Carlos Puyol are perhaps only rivaled by Inter duo Lucio and Walter Samuel in terms of experience and ability, and they will continue to provide accomplished cover to allow Daniel Alves and Maxwell to maraud forward from full-back.
2) La Roja backbone = Settled side
With attacking talent of the caliber of Lionel Messi & Pedro combined with the mastery of Xavi, Barcelona’s miserliness is often overlooked. But Victor Valdes belatedly received Spanish recognition on the back of his third Zamora trophy during 2009/10, conceding just 24 goals, the lowest of any team in Europe’s major leagues, and he is emerging as one of the best goalkeepers around.
In front of him, the international pairing of Gerard Pique and Carlos Puyol are perhaps only rivaled by Inter duo Lucio and Walter Samuel in terms of experience and ability, and they will continue to provide accomplished cover to allow Daniel Alves and Maxwell to maraud forward from full-back.
2) La Roja backbone = Settled side
Great teams are built on solid foundations, that once established are rarely tampered with, and become the backbone of the side upon which success depends. Barcelona’s spine has a distinctly Spanish flavor, running from Valdes, Pique, and Puyol, through Xavi and Iniesta, concluding with Pedro and Villa in attack. In the very heart of the Blaugrana lies the greatest La Furia Roja side in history, a team of World Cup winners, and their familiarity is a huge asset in the conflict with Real Madrid.
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| La Roja's triumph included a number of Barca regulars |
Guardiola’s side is unlikely to deviate for top-level matches such as the El Clasico double-header and Champions League nights, because he already knows his best XI, and consequently his players know exactly what to expect from him. Jose Mourinho, on the other hand, has yet to watch his side’s reaction to a competitive fixture, and, inevitably, it will take the former Chelsea and Inter coach time to assess his favored XI and therefore establish a settled side.
Mourinho is the master at motivating players to be the vessel through which his tactical nous can be transmitted, and given he will wish to exert his own indomitable influence on the manner of his team’s performances, there is work to be done at los Blancos to get things right. Guardiola will have no such concerns about his own charges.
3). David Villa
For many, Villa’s acquisition is the final piece of the Barcelona puzzle, one that should have arrived last season, and compared to the sacrifice and expenditure exhausted in order to capture the wrong man in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Villa will be nothing short of a revelation.
For one, he is a striker comfortable operating from a left-sided role - a position that Aliaksandr Hleb, and notably Thierry Henry toiled to perform - as highlighted in his glittering performances for Spain at World Cup 2010. He is a proven striker in La Liga over the past seven seasons with both Real Zaragoza and Valencia, and few would bet against him being equally as prolific in a team were opportunities on goal will be plentiful.
Crucially though, he barely feels like a new signing; Xavi and Andres Iniesta have been supplying him with assists for the past four years with the national team, to devastating effect, and that precognitive understanding will require no bedding-in period or cause for adjustment. Last season Lionel Messi became the overly dependent source of goals – Villa will pick up the slack that was never really compensated for upon Samuel Eto’o’s departure.
4). Extinguishing the Mourinho factor
Barcelona have won two consecutive league titles, and The Special One has answered the rivals' call. Real Madrid have suffered six second-round Champions League exits in a row, and who do they enlist? Mourinho, fresh from ending Inter’s 45-year wait to regain club football’s finest prize. The Portuguese has a formidable reputation, and represents a very clear and apparent threat to Barcelona’s domestic supremacy.
But his presence also becomes a source of inspiration for Pep Guardiola, to cut his teeth against a coach from the A grade. Furthermore, last season’s semi-final exit at the hands of Mourinho’s insatiable Nerazzurri remains a sore point for the Blaugrana faithful. His exuberant gesticulations of joy on the hallowed Camp Nou pitch still hurt. ‘The Translator’, as he is disrespectfully dubbed, had wrestled the Champions League from their grasp.
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