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Sports

Tuesday June 2, 2009

Guardiola’s Barcelona eclipse Cruyff’s dream team

MADRID: The 2008-09 season will live long in the memories of Barcelona fans as Pep Guardiola guided the club to a unique League, King’s Cup and Champions League treble in his debut season.

Barcelona had gone two years without a trophy but swept all before them to seal a historic treble that no Spanish team, not even the great Real Madrid, had previously managed.

With Spain’s Euro 2008 heroes Xavi and Andres Iniesta feeding the striking trio of Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry, Barcelona destroyed teams at home and abroad with a scintillating brand of football that harped back to Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream team’.

Every Barca side since has been measured against Cruyff’s great side, captained by Guardiola, that won four successive league titles between 1991 and 1994 along with the 1992 European Cup.

Kings of Europe: Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez and his team-mates are congratulated by Deportivo Coruna players before their Spanish League match on Sunday. — Reuters

However, Guardiola wrote his own history by guiding Barcelona to the treble, leaving Real Madrid and Manchester United in their wake.

“We have demonstrated that we are the best,” said Messi. “I’m also happy because everyone seems to enjoy our football, whether or not they are Barca fans.

“All over the world, I’ve heard people saying that they have been enchanted by us. This type of football deserves to be rewarded with titles.

“I think it will be very difficult for something like this (the treble) to be repeated.”

Real Madrid were humiliated 6-2 by Barcelona at their Santiago Bernabeu and the result summed up a nightmare season.

Starting off as double champions Real had high hopes of a third successive title and having an impact on Europe but from the get-go they were clinging to Barcelona’s coat-tails. Bernd Schuster, moaning about referees and injuries, was axed in December and Juande Ramos came in with the task of reeling in the leaders.

Ramos helped claw Real back into the title race but when it mattered most his team were outplayed with Barca running rings around them in that 6-2 win and they were hopelessly outclassed by Liverpool in the last 16 of the Champions League, losing 5-0 on aggregate.

With Barcelona playing sensational free flowing football, Real’s jeering fans wanted the same but instead they got a pragmatic approach.

Even Real’s players didn’t like what was on show with French winger Julien Faubert, on loan from West Ham, pictured sleeping on the Real substitutes bench in their 3-2 defeat by Villarreal.

From an early stage it was clear that it would be a two-horse race with the other big sides competing for the Champions League.

Sevilla’s approach, specialising in 1-0 wins, won points if few plaudits for coach Manolo Jimenez who guided the club into the top four and secured Champions League qualification to earn a new contract extension.

Atletico Madrid had another inconsistent season with their defence a shambles but their prolific forward line of Sergio “Kun” Aguero and Diego Forlan bailed them out, firing the club into fourth and a second successive season in the Champions League. — AFP

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