Barcelona 08/09 vs Man City 22/23

“I can’t do anything else to top this.”

That was Pep Guardiola’s response to finishing the European treble with Barcelona in 2009. Technically, Guardiola was right. In Spain, it’s unimaginable to win any greater than all three main trophies – La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League – in a single season.

He might not have been capable of prime it, however Guardiola may try to copy that success. It took 14 years, two job adjustments and all of his hair, however the son of a humble bricklayer returned to these rarified heights with Manchester City in 2023.

Only eight different people have ever led their membership to the European treble – Guardiola is the primary to perform the uncommon feat twice. But which triptych of triumph was higher?

While Guardiola’s Barcelona facet of 2008/09 boast a touch inferior league document in comparison with his City classic (gathering two fewer factors), they delivered extra emphatic outcomes whereas claiming the primary leg of their treble.

The Blaugrana not solely routed struggling groups however stamped their authority over the division’s elite, beating seven of the highest eight golf equipment by no less than a three-goal margin. Most impressively, Barcelona exerted their dominance on the street, infamously thumping Real Madrid 6-2 on the Santiago Bernabeu.

Conversely, Manchester City solely registered one win in opposition to the Premier League’s prime 9 away from house in 2022/23 – a 3-1 victory over Arsenal on the Emirates which may have simply swung both method.

Both Barcelona and City have been barely fortuitous of their respective Champions League finals. Sir Alex Ferguson maintains that his Manchester United facet “should have won that game” in Rome in opposition to Barcelona in 2009 whereas City relied upon Ederson’s brilliance (Romelu Lukaku’s misfortune) within the showpiece in opposition to Inter 14 years later.

However, City’s path to the ultimate was way more convincing than Barcelona’s. Guardiola’s newest iteration systematically dismantled RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich earlier than producing one of many defining performances of the trendy age, humiliating Real Madrid with a 4-0 thumping within the semi-final second leg.

Barcelona, by comparability, solely squeaked into the 2009 showpiece on away targets courtesy of a last-minute equaliser from Andres Iniesta within the semi-final in opposition to Chelsea. According to Didier Drogba, it was a ‘shame’.

After ending his enjoying profession in Europe, Guardiola lamented that the trendy sport had moved on.

“I think players like me have become extinct because the game has become more tactical and physical,” he sighed in 2004. “If I were a 20-year-old at Barcelona, I’d never make it.”

However, a handful of years later, Guardiola constructed Barcelona’s treble winners in his personal picture. All three midfielders – Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and Sergio Busquets – grew up idolising Guardiola from his enjoying days. The model of positional play which he carried out as supervisor shifted the stability from brawn to brains. The use of Lionel Messi as a false 9 in direction of the latter half of the season solely elevated Barcelona’s stranglehold of midfield.

However, there may be the actual chance that Guardiola wouldn’t be capable to slot into his treble-winning Manchester City staff.

When Barcelona lined up for the 2009 Champions League remaining in opposition to Manchester United, Guardiola solely fielded one pure centre-back. Against Inter 14 years later, he despatched out 4 from the primary whistle.

In Guardiola’s unending quest to completely remove the specter of counter-attacks, he got here up with a brand new innovation; forming a 3-2 trapezoid as the inspiration behind City’s fluid entrance 5, with John Stones moving into midfield alongside Rodri in entrance of a strong trio; Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake.

Rodri is the closest factor to Guardiola in City’s staff however he brings an additional layer of muscle and ahead menace to an altogether sturdier facet. Guardiola likes to joke about his feeble scoring document as a participant, boasting 12 targets in 384 appearances for Barcelona. Rodri has discovered the online 13 occasions within the final three seasons, together with the Champions League winner in opposition to Inter.

A 21-year-old Messi completed as Barcelona’s prime scorer in 2009 with 38 targets throughout all competitions regardless of ranging from the appropriate for a lot of the marketing campaign. Samuel Eto’o (36) and Thierry Henry (24) accomplished the first-choice entrance three which mixed for 100 targets that season.

While all three of Barcelona’s forwards broke the 25-goal barrier in 2008/09, Erling Haaland was the one Manchester City participant to realize that feat. Haaland completed his debut marketing campaign beneath Guardiola with a sickening 52 targets in 53 video games however Julian Alvarez was the one different City participant to attain greater than 15.

Guardiola was eager to emphasize that City have advanced to Haaland’s sport all through the season however the Nordic power-forward completed the marketing campaign within the midst of his longest aim drought (5 video games). Stepping up in his absence was the timeless determine of Ilkay Gundogan. City’s out-of-contract skipper scored an unrivalled six targets from May onwards, together with a pair of volleys to win the FA Cup remaining in opposition to Manchester United.

Barcelona’s captain Carles Puyol performed in each place throughout the backline – beginning the Champions League remaining at right-back – however was hampered by harm within the remaining months of the season, as was massive swathes of the staff’s defence.

No participant featured greater than Xavi, Guardiola’s most fervent disciple, in the course of the treble marketing campaign. The wily midfielder would captain Barcelona to a different triplet in 2015 however was nearer to his peak in 2009, laying on an unrivalled 31 assists throughout all competitions.

Both performed unbelievable soccer and should be a part of the “select group of mythical teams” which Guardiola described in 2009. While Barcelona boasted extra aptitude and freedom, they did not break into the imperious march in direction of all three titles which propelled City.

Anyway, neither facet was nearly as good because the 2010/11 Barcelona staff that Guardiola created – even when they did lose the Copa del Rey to Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid.

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