Josep Guardiola's Barcelona on the Verge of Greatness but Must Remember the Past

It was the 18th of May, 1994 in the Olympic Stadium in Athens and Johan Cruyff's Dream Team were taking to the field ready to take on AC Milan in the Champions League final. The Dream Team were an exceptional side that had dominated in Spain since 1991 and had previously won Barcelona's first European Cup (later renamed to Champions League) Trophy in 1991.

It was this side under the management of Johan Cruyff that had perfected the now famous Tika-taka style. The team was made up of eight Spaniards and three foreigners. This suited UEFA regulations which ordered that a team could only field a maximum of three non-nationals in the UEFA Champions League.

The Spaniards were Andoni Zubizarreta—Barcelona's legendary keeper,—Sergi Barjuan and Albert Ferrer, two fantastically attacking and energetic fullbacks who were ahead of their time in that position. Miguel Angel Nadal was quite literally the rock at the centre of defence.

Captaining the side in midfield was the little magician Jose Mari Bakero, who always seemed to pop up and score vital goals in big games. Alongside Bakero was the quietly consistent Guillermo Amor with Txiki Begiristain on the wing.

The first foreigner was the Dutchman Ronald Koeman, Barcelona's world-class defender who started the play from the back and never panicked. His passing was second to none and his free kicks and long shots were deadly accurate.

He went on to become the top goal-scoring defender in the history of football with 193 goals in 533 matches and he scored 67 goals of those in 192 matches for Barcelona. He was a vital cog in this wonderful side.

The second foreigner was the Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov—a world-class forward/outside left who was almost as famous for his temper as he was for his footballing ability. He was once suspended for two months for stomping on a referee's foot.

Stoichkov was an amazing footballer—a lethal finisher and utterly dynamic. He was a driving force in the side. It seemed like he needed to play angry, on the edge and that he was always ready to explode into life. He was a truly exceptional footballer and a cult hero for the Catalans.

The third foreigner was the marvellous Brazilian Romario—a world-class finisher. He made goal scoring look easy. He will be remembered as one of the true greats in modern football alongside the likes of Zidane, Cruyff, Maradona, Pele and now Messi.

Romario was one of the cleverest players of all time and as cool as ice in and around the box. He made defenders shudder with fear and was lightning quick. He would go on to be a key player in the 1994 World Cup-winning Brazilian squad and he has allegedly scored over 1,000 career goals in all comps. A true footballing great.

Holding this fantastic side together was Josep Guardiola—a classy midfielder who quietly controlled the pace of the game and dictated the direction of the play.

He was the original Xavi and, just like Xavi, didn't want or need the spotlight or recognition for it. Guardiola just got on with the job. He was a tactician on the pitch. His passing ability was sensational and his reading of the game was a huge asset that would stand to him in management.

Barcelona were a fantastic side but knew that they had to win a Champions League for a second time in three years so that history would remember them correctly: as one of the greatest club sides of all time.

They were up against a considerably weakened AC Milan side. Legendary striker Marco Van Basten and the world's most expensive player at the time (£13 million), Gigi Lentini, were both out due to injury. Milan's world-class defender and legendary captain Franco Baresi was suspended as was Alessandro Costacurta, while Florin Raducioiu, Jean-Pierre Papin and Brian Laudrup were all ineligible due to UEFA's foreigner regulations.

It looked like there was only going to be one outcome. Barcelona were strong favourites and Milan would do well to come out of this game without getting a hiding. Barcelona supporters were supremely confident and unfortunately, so was the whole team.

What happened next was truly incredibly and will go down as one of the biggest upsets in a final ever.

AC Milan—as they always do in a European Cup/Champions League final—played in their all white away strip and totally dominated a shell-shocked Barcelona side that never turned up. By halftime Daniele Massaro had scored two without reply.

In the second half, it was more of the same with Dejan Savicevic adding a third and Marcel Desailly wrapping it up with a fantastic fourth goal. Milan had deservedly won 4-0 and it would be 12 years before Barcelona would manage to get to the final again.

It was one of the best performances in a European final ever and Barcelona had been utterly destroyed and humiliated. Instead of being remembered as one of the greatest club sides ever, they would be remembered for this game and Milan would get the recognition. So close but yet so so far and Guardiola knows it.

This year, Barcelona again have the chance to win their second Champions League trophy in only three seasons. This current crop also knows that if they win this game that they will go down in the annals of football as the greatest club side of all time—a label that they have already been given by some.

However, there is also a chance that Barcelona will again be overconfident going into this game, albeit for different reasons than in 1994.

Manchester United have also won their domestic league and are in their third final in four years but they are not considered a great side this season. They won a poor Premiership mainly thanks to the fact that no one else wanted to win it and as a result, it has made this Manchester United side seem less impressive.

Three seasons ago, an underestimated Barcelona dominated and dismantled a Manchester United side made up of mainly the same players. They have lost Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez since then, so if anything they are weaker, or so you would think.

But that would be foolish. This is a great United side and that's why they've been so consistent in the Champions League.

During this time, Barcelona have gotten stronger and continued to break record after record and are currently comprised of the world's three best players in Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, as well as the core of the current World Cup-winning squad.

Barcelona are understandably favourites—and that's where it could go wrong.

Guardiola needs to remind them of what happened in 1994. He needs to make sure that they do not think they have won before kickoff and get complacent or underestimate Manchester United. He needs to make sure that everyone is up for this game and that Barcelona defend from the front like they have been all season.

If Barcelona turn up and play their best, then no one can stop them and they will rightly be remembered as quite possibly the greatest club side of all time...

And Guardiola can finally erase the painful memory of 1994 from his mind.