Barcelona: An Off-Night, or Is Pep Guardiola Missing a Few Pieces to the Puzzle?

Barcelona's 1-0 loss against Chelsea last night might have seemed surprising to those who aren't used to following the current La Liga champions, but there was something very familiar about their performance at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League.

Twenty-four shots on goal to Chelsea's four and comfortably over 70 percent of possession in both halves would normally equate to a comfortable Barcelona victory. This season, however, there have been games like this a little too often. It's something that does raise the question as to whether Pep Guardiola is missing a few important figures in his squad.

For much of the game, Barcelona were frustrating rather than frustrated. It would be difficult to completely praise Chelsea for their tactical genius, as Barcelona did hit the post twice during the game and, as mentioned, did manage to strike 24 times toward goal.

Rather, it was a risky effort from Chelsea that paid off due to Barcelona's failure to convert their chances.

Yes, Chelsea's defenders selflessly threw their bodies in front of shots and suffocated space around Barcelona's attackers, but it would be wrong to tell the story from simply that perspective.

Again, this was very much a game that we've been used to from Barcelona this season. Sevilla managed to shut out Barca in the Nou Camp through the performance of Javi Varas, Athletic Bilbao managed a 2-2 draw on the rain-soaked pitch of the Basque country, and Osasuna were clinical back in February in their 3-2 victory.

What those games as well as last night's highlighted was that a lack of a "Plan B" is finally catching up with Guardiola's team.

The presence of the powerful but enigmatic Zlatan Ibrahimovic was a different option through the middle from the "False 9" of Lionel Messi. Likewise, the absence of a genuine goalscorer in David Villa has been missed throughout the campaign, despite his goal draughts during his time at the Nou Camp.

It was a little frustrating to see a team like Barcelona have very little to call upon from the bench when they needed a goal. Pedro has not been the same player that scored so confidently in last year's Champions League final—he's managed only three league goals this season.

And when Isaac Cuenca was introduced with less than 10 minutes to play, there might have been a feeling that a player like Christian Tello would have done much more damage by stretching the Chelsea back line with his pace.

Despite the large fee paid for Alexis Sanchez in the summer, there are times when he just doesn't look like a Barcelona player. That's by no means a criticism of him, because his style has been very useful in the past. His aggression in Clasicos this season have caught Real Madrid off-guard, and his ability to substitute as the most advanced forward has allowed Messi to drop deeper and dictate.

But in games such as last night's against Chelsea, his natural game seems to conflict with Barcelona's patient buildup. Again, he's an excellent player to have where space will be open, but not where the penalty area is highly congested.

It's still a wonder that Barcelona opted to buy both Sanchez and Cesc Fabregas in the summer when another body in defence would have been preferred over one of them.

Fabregas started his career at the Nou Camp in outstanding fashion with a total of 15 goals thus far to complement his two trophies won this season already, but he had a noticeably difficult game last night.

He summed it up perfectly prior to the game when he said, "You can have all the possession and all the chances in the game, but then Drogba will go up the other end and score." Clearly, the frustrations of his time at Arsenal are still present.

His wrong-footed miss in the first half perhaps summed up why he's not been included in many of the recent starting lineups.

Naturally, there's been a lot of praise for Chelsea's victory last night. It would have been impossible to think of them achieving that scoreline a few months ago when Andre Villas-Boas was in charge.

But the frenzy surrounding them and this great chance of winning the Champions League now doesn't take into account the problems Barcelona have had this year in front of goal, and perhaps in defending their own as well.

It would be difficult to see anything other than a Barcelona victory next week despite their deficit, as Arsenal will be able to testify. But regardless of a possible and likely victory in the Champions League, it doesn't take away from the fact there are a few pieces missing, or lost, from this Barcelona side.