29.04.2010 14:32
Stats worthy of a champion
David Puig
Barça may have gone out in the semi finals of the Champions League, but in many ways, this year’s performance was even better than the year they won it.
Barça certainly went of the tournament with their heads held high and the statistics prove that
they are still one of the best sides in Europe.
66% possession
Barça are still the kings of ball possession. With an average of 66%, no team came close to
challenging them in this department, and they even managed to improve on last season’s
exceptional rating of 62%.
Only ten goals conceded
Barça also improved in defence. They let in ten goals, one less than a goal a game and a
better record than the thirteen they conceded last term.
Most shots on goals
Barça’s style is all about attacking, but where they have
disappointed this season is turning all the chances into goals. They scored twenty times in this
edition, but that was ten shy of last time round. That puts FCB fourth in the overall ranking, four
goals behind Manchester United, Arsenal and Bayern Munich, who are all tied. But Barça shot more
than anybody else, 89 times, which makes 7.42 attempts per game. Messi, with 29 xuts, and
Ibrahimovic with 20, had the most shots on target in this year’s competition.
Messi still impressing
Leo Messi was as effective in front of goal this season as he was in the treble winning
campaign. He scored 8 goals, the same as last year at this stage, although he added one more
against Manchester United in Rome to top the overall rankings. If Bayern striker Olic fails to
score at the Bernabéu, then Messi will be the goalscoring king of Europe once again.
Less draws and more defeats
The win-draw-lose balance for Barça was more or less identical this season to the last. Barça won
six games this year, compared to seven last time round. They drew one game less, four. But last
season, Barça won the title undefeated, while this time both Rubin Kazan at the Camp Nou and Inter
at the Giuseppe Meazza managed to get the better of Barça.