One defender, nine midfielders: Barça's thrilling formation

[many a good man]

It's football, but not as we know it. Barcelona's dismantling of Villarreal on Monday night was more than just another Nou Camp annihilation. It was proof that as a new season starts in Spain Pep Guardiola's side will not be content rewriting football's record books, they want to rewrite the game's textbooks too.

It is easy to scoff at the theory that we have never seen anything like this before. But when was the last time you saw a team win 5-0 playing without a centre-forward and fielding only one out-and-out defender?

You can also write off their weekly pummelling of all opponents as a consequence of their unfair economic advantage, but they finished Monday night's rout with nine homegrown players on the pitch. And as for the idea they are dominating weak opposition – they beat Manchester United, Real Madrid and Porto in their three previous victories.

That win over Sir Alex Ferguson's team at Wembley last May might have seemed like a summit. Johan Cruyff even mischievously suggested it could be Guardiola's last game. But for the Barça coach, the climb continues.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/one-defender-nine-midfielders-bar231as-thrilling-formation-2346397.html


Thrilling highlights of the match: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xks4zo_barcelona-villarreal-la-liga-09-08-2011-highlights_sport#from=embediframe