So here we go again, it's Champions' League Semi-Final week and once more Barcelona - the upstanding guardians of all that is noble in football - take on the combined might of the Premiership's nouveau riche - Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd. Can anybody seriously fail to go all gooey at the mention of the Catalan dreamboats? They certainly tick all the boxes. Mind-blowingly raunchy attacking football? Check. More big names than a Russian phonebook? Check. Socio-political credibility having been the primary outlet for Catlan anti-Franco sentiment for decades as well as letting UNICEF advertise free on their shirts for a year? Darn tooting. Bloody enormous stadium in a beautiful city? You get the picture...

Nevertheless, you might be forgiven for considering them just that little bit too picture-perfect. Surely there is some chink in their armour? Well, if anything then surely their record in the European Cup is the one blot on their otherwise pristine copybook. Two European Cups in the bag are not to be scorned, but a south-westerly glance towards their lavishly adorned rivals Real (they have 9 titles) is all it takes to send blood pressure skywards in Catalunya. What's more, a season that has promised so much for them hangs very much in the balance. With a 13 point lead in the league whittled away to a mere 4 and last year's bottled opportunity against Utd playing on their minds, Barca are carrying the weight of expectation not just for themselves but for all teams who aspire to the Catalan model. What a depressing eventuality it would be should a team with a strikeforce that has scored more than most other teams put together end the season potless. It would also seem crushingly unfair for a team that has its heart in the right place and its head screwed on, so for the sake of football purists everywhere – good luck Barca.  

MM

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