The Problem With Pep's Barcelona Is...

And so Barcelona picked their 93rd point of the season against mighty Tenerife, to register, yet again, a record-breaking achievement. This is hardly news when you take into account the opponent, although for awhile they seemed poised to hand over their last chance of silverware this season to their beloved rivals from the capital. The achievement, standing alone, feels grand. And it is grand indeed. But those who watched the game probably noticed a problem or two. Something that makes their ardent fans itch at nights. It's the little things that make the difference, and Pep was made aware of this in the harshest of ways against Inter in the Champions' league Semi-final. So, you might be asking, What are these problems you speak of?

Problem Number One: We Shall not Shoot!

It is amazing, and amusing, to watch Barcelona hold on to the ball as if there is no tomorrow. Teams got accustomed to the role of chasing shadows across the pitch when they play Barca, and yet it seems that this habit has developed into an addiction to the point that the Blaugranas have denounced any invitation for a long range effort. Refusing gifts time and time again. Against Inter Barca saw more than 70% of the ball, and literally set camp in Inter's half, and yet the highest number of shots from outside the box came from Messi (2), Xavi had one, and Ibra had ZERO! Later in the game, when Barca started panicking, Toure tried some, but I think he mistook the match for a rugby game, and was aiming at some invisible birds in the Camp Nou's sky. Today against Tenerife, it was clear again that Barca just don't think that way! This is a big problem, because they are bound to meet a team as disciplined as Inter, and they will find themselves playing squash with a brick wall while they try to pass their way around it.

Problem Number Two: We're Fast, we're Crafty... and we're short!

The youngsters in Barca have grown tremendously, and are slowly replacing Henry and Ibra. It is a promising thought. Just think of how many years Messi, Bojan & Pedro have in front of them, and we all know they haven't peaked yet. Still, there are voices in your head that keeps reminding you that if ever Alves got his cross right, Barca need a tower to meet it. Against most teams this is not a problem. Messi and Co are more than capable of putting them to the sword at one point during the game. But if you want to bag titles left, right and centre, you need to do it against the Elite. Especially when they are so scared of you to the point of playing with a 5-5-0 formation. Shamelessly I might add. In that aspect, the addition of Ibra proved meaningless, and Henry is continuing his long term paid leave. Bottom line, Ibra needs to get his act together, or maybe he should be shipped somewhere this time for a more mobile centre forward with a towering presence. He is so bad that nowadays I trust Pique more than him inside the penalty area. Until then, Messi will shoulder the huge responsibility of carrying the team when walls are hard to break.

Speaking of Messi, he didn't play particularly well today, which is a pretty bold statement considering he scored twice and provided an assist. Then again, you judge the guy by his own standards. He was clinical and a lethal finisher, but he didn't glide through them as he usually does.

Guardiola needs to win the remaining two games to clinch the title, but common sense says that they will be there if they beat Sevilla next week. However, if he is planning to stick around for one more year and have another go at the UCL & SPL, he needs to make some serious changes, because Barcelona are becoming increasingly and worryingly predictable.