Under Pep Guardiola, Barcelona aimed to maintain their dominance following the historic 2008/09 treble. The squad, anchored by Lionel Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Samuel Eto’o, and Dani Alves, played possession-based, high-intensity tiki-taka football. Barça successfully defended their La Liga title, finishing 9 points ahead of Real Madrid, with Messi scoring 34 league goals. However, in cup competitions, they fell short: the Copa del Rey ended in a quarter-final exit to Sevilla, and they were eliminated in the Champions League semi-finals by Inter Milan. Despite these European disappointments, Barcelona’s domestic consistency and style solidified Guardiola’s team as one of football’s finest.
