Barcelona: Is Their 2009 Team Better Than Their Current One?

It's deja vu all over again. Just like two years ago, Barcelona and Manchester United are set to battle for the Champions League title on Saturday.

A second Champions title in three years to go along with three consecutive La Liga titles and a Copa Del Rey would continue fuel a conversation that gets louder every day—a discussion of where this Barcelona team ranks among the historical greats.

In my mind, they rank pretty highly, but I think it is overall too early to make a definitive judgment. Instead, let us entertain another question—how does this Barcelona team compare to the juggernaut from two years ago? 

Personnel Changes and Talent Fluctuation 

Gone are Yaya Toure, Samuel Eto'o, and Thierry Henry. They have been replaced with Sergi Busquets (moving from a part to  a full-time role), David Villa, and Pedro. How do the arrivals compare with the departed from a talent standpoint?

At the time of his departure to City, Toure was arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world. Today, it is Busquets who can lay claim to that title.

I would actually say Busquets, with his underrated, phenomenal technique and vision, fits Barcelona's scheme better than Toure did. Let's call this a mild upgrade. 

The 2008-2009 Thierry Henry was still a great player and a menace down the left wing. It wasn't until the following year that his form dropped and he was replaced by Pedro.

Pedro has been great ever since, providing both goal scoring and build-up. Still, I've always felt that he is the one player on Barca who truly reaps the rewards for having all-time great teammates. While he has blazing speed, good technique and finishing, he lacks the presence to truly intimidate the top fullbacks in the world like Henry once could.

Too often for a supposed world-class player, Pedro simply  disappears (see Copa del Rey final). Yet the Henry of 2009, while still great, was also not the Henry of 2004.  We'll call it even. 

Eto'o for Villa from a talent standpoint is about as close to even as it gets. You're trading one world class striker for another.

Of course, Villa has played much of the season on the left wing, not without his share of struggles, but the trade-off remains even. Maybe it even swings slightly to Villa's side if we consider that Eto'o and Guardiola did not get along. Villa may be a better clubhouse fit.

We can call the personnel swaps an even trade.

Apart from personnel changes, the big differences between the two seasons are the glut of injuries that Barca experienced this season (+1 for the 2008-2009 side), and Messi's increasing and historic dominance in his new role as a false 9 in the center of Barca's front three (+1  for this year's side). 

Achievements and Memories

In favor of the 2009 side, one major achievement stands out: the Copa del Rey. Angel di Maria's cross to Cristiano Ronaldo's head prevented Barca from lifting the Cup this year, so their trophy dividend is, even before the Champions final, guaranteed to be less than 2009's. 

In La Liga, the most triumphant achievements of both seasons were the thrashing of Real Madrid-- 6-2 two years ago, and 5-0 this past season. To me, the 5-0 was greater.

In the match-up two years ago, Real still looked like a team. They attacked Barca and threatened Valdez regularly. It was Xavi's brilliance on the counter-attack that led to repeat breakdowns in Real's defense and the wealth of goals.

In contrast, this year's display was absolute dominance, start to finish. Barca performed a concerto, and Real was nowhere to be seen. This year's 5-0 becomes even more remarkable when you consider how talented this Real side actually is-- the 2008-09 Madrid did not have the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Gonzalo Higuain, Xavi Alonso, and Angel Di Maria at its disposal, nor "The Special One" on its sidelines. 

The Champions League run of the 2009 side is actually eerily similar to the 2011 run. Both years, Barca blasted through to the semi-finals, then ran into some trouble. Both years, the referees helped the Blaugrana advance to the final.

For any Barcelona fan, beating Madrid is sweeter than beating Chelsea, even despite the controversy. Yet the draw at Stamford Bridge featured one of the most dramatic finishes in recent memory, thanks to Senor Iniesta's incredible strike. On the other hand, the victory at the Bernabeu featured a pretty nifty goal from that Messi kid.

All in all, we can call this close to even.  

The Overall Gut Feeling

 The one big advantage that the 2011 Barca has here is that it features two more homegrown players than the 2009 side did-- Pedro and Busquets. But those two have both been the centers of much negative attention recently, due to both their theatrical habits and a certain nasty verbal incident on Mr. Busquets's behalf.

My gut feeling is that this category actually gives 2009 Barca the edge. Perhaps success naturally breeds resentment, but this year's Barca has riled up the angst of fans around the world, partly due to refereeing issues, but particularly for the behavior of Busquets, Pedro, and Dani Alves.

As a Blaugrana supporter, I find this behavior to be beneath the team. These incidents and their fallout have left me with an ever-so-slightly bitter taste in my mouth. Maybe its true that the first love is always the greatest, but I don't think that, looking back, I will recall the same positive emotion toward this side as I have toward the 2008-2009 Barcelona.

Overall, I say the 2008-2009 Barcelona team is the greater of the two. That said, a historic and memorable thrashing of the loathsome United at Wembley would go a long way to changing my mind.

P.S.  Keys to the game-- Villa and Pedro will need to be at their absolute sharpest. Villa cannot afford to miss chances like he did against Real, and Pedro needs to do his best to draw Vidic and Ferdinand away from Messi.

On the defensive side, Dani Alves needs to be very careful in his runs forward.

My prediction: 3-1 Barca in a classic.