Barcelona are the Harlem globetrotters of the football world at the minute. The catalan giants swept Manchester United aside in the Champions League Final recently and look unstoppable. Lionel Messi has shown himself to be the most skillful player in the world. Xavi, Iniesta, Pique, Villa and Puyol are all spanish World Cup winners, European Championship winners, European Champions League champions, La Liga winners,the list seems endless. Pep Guardiola has proven himself to be a formidable Manager with tactical wisdom far exceeding his years.
With all these assets and credentials I cannot see anyone coming close. Across Europe, many football club managers are scratching their heads wondering how they will bridge the gap between themselves and Guardiola's dream team. Jose Mourinho, the most successful European Manager of recent years has been unable to find any answers to the brilliance of Real Madrid's arch rivals. Sir Alex Ferguson has bolstered his Manchester United squad with the likes of tricky winger Ashley Young and defensive prodigy Phil Jones. I still think The Red Devils will have to spend even more money, if they are to bridge the gap between themselves and Barcelona. Inter Milan have not been the same since Mourinho left, AC Milan have failed to regenerate an ageing squad and Chelsea are now embarking on a replacement programme, updating a squad with thirty something stars such as Drogba and Lampard, who are now in the same age bracket as their youthful new Manager! Andre Villas-Boas will be looking to make a speedy impact in Europe after winning the Europa League with Porto last season, but surely he will take time to adjust to the faster paced style of the Premier League.
Bayern Munich underperformed in the Champions League last season and are not considered good enough to be named in the same class as the current Champions League holders.
So who will step up to the plate? I think Arsene Wenger holds the answer to this question. If Arsenal sell Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona I think we may well witness years of Spanish domination in Europe. With the reigning Catalan record breakers offering £27million today, the future looks very one sided.
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