FCBARCELONA.CAT

29.04.2010 14:32

Stats worthy of a champion

David Puig

Barça may have gone out in the semi finals of the Champions League, but in many ways, this year’s performance was even better than the year they won it.

Barça certainly went of the tournament with their heads held high and the statistics prove that they are still one of the best sides in Europe.

66% possession

Barça are still the kings of ball possession. With an average of 66%, no team came close to challenging them in this department, and they even managed to improve on last season’s exceptional rating of 62%.

Only ten goals conceded

Barça also improved in defence. They let in ten goals, one less than a goal a game and a better record than the thirteen they conceded last term.

Most shots on goals

Barça’s style is all about attacking, but where they have disappointed this season is turning all the chances into goals. They scored twenty times in this edition, but that was ten shy of last time round. That puts FCB fourth in the overall ranking, four goals behind Manchester United, Arsenal and Bayern Munich, who are all tied. But Barça shot more than anybody else, 89 times, which makes 7.42 attempts per game. Messi, with 29 xuts, and Ibrahimovic with 20, had the most shots on target in this year’s competition.

Messi still impressing

Leo Messi was as effective in front of goal this season as he was in the treble winning campaign. He scored 8 goals, the same as last year at this stage, although he added one more against Manchester United in Rome to top the overall rankings. If Bayern striker Olic fails to score at the Bernabéu, then Messi will be the goalscoring king of Europe once again.