Barcelona edge out AC Milan as the Champions League’s most successful team

ANALYSIS
By Kris Voakes
Barcelona are the most successful club in the modern era of the Champions League, according to a Goal study.

The world’s biggest football website collated the yearly records of every club ever to qualify for the European Cup under its new banner since 1992 and found that the Catalan outfit pip AC Milan to the title of the greatest team in the greatest club competition in the world.

TOP 20 | The Champions League's greatest clubs

Position		Club	Points
1		Barcelona	92
2		Milan	86
3		Real Madrid	85
4		Manchester United	83
5		Bayern Munich	82
6		Juventus	59
7		Chelsea	52
8		Porto	47
9		Arsenal	41
10		Inter	39
11		Ajax	37
12		Liverpool	36
13		Borussia Dortmund	34
14		Valencia	29
15		Lyon	28
16		Marseille	24
17		PSV Eindhoven	22
18		Dynamo Kiev	22
19		Monaco	21
20		Bayer Leverkusen	19

Using the Fibonacci points formula of ascending value, teams reaching the first stage of any one edition were given one point, those making the round of 16 gained two, quarter-finalists three, semi-finalists five, finalists earned eight and winners were allotted 13 points. And, over the course of the 21-year history of the new-style tournament, three-time winners Barca collected a total of 92 points compared to the Rossoneri’s 86.

Real Madrid come in just behind the pair with 85 points, meaning all of the podium positions are taken up by clubs with three Champions League wins to their name. Double winners Manchester United (1999 and 2008) and Bayern Munich (2001 and 2013) complete a star-studded top five, with sixth-placed Juventus a full 23 points behind the current holders, emphasising the superiority of the leading quintent.
Barcelona have been particularly boosted by their performances over the past six seasons in Europe, with their victories in 2009 and 2011 helping them to record 46 points since 2007. Their first 46 points took 15 years to achieve, during which time Milan had racked up 75 points. The Italian giants’ recent stuttering form on the continent has seen their lead evaporate since their most recent triumph in Athens six years ago.


While the likes of Ajax, Juve, Porto and Marseille may all have suffered somewhat in recent times, they remain in the top 20 thanks to their previous form in the Champions League. New superpowers, on the other hand, are nowhere to be seen. Paris Saint-Germain are placed 33rd with just one semi-final appearance in 1995 to their name, with fellow big-spenders Manchester City sitting joint-83rd having made it only as far as the group stage in their two efforts.

The Blaugrana’s presence at the top, together with Madrid’s placing of third, has tipped the scales towards Spain in the battle between the continent’s nations. Primera Liga clubs have tallied a combined 249 points since 1992, with even the likes of Mallorca, Real Betis and Real Sociedad having qualified for the event over the years.

Predictably, English clubs come in second with a total of 228 points, while Italy sits third in the rankings just 12 points further back. Bundesliga clubs are placed fourth, ahead of France in fifth. In Champions League history, a total of 152 clubs have made it past the qualifying stages, representing 38 different nations.

Plan B without Messi

The fears when Messi pulled up with a muscle injury to his right thigh on Saturday in Almería, and requested a substitution, all came true when it was confirmed that he will be out for two to three weeks. This forces Tata Martino to come up with a reliable solution for the Champions League match against Celtic.


The Barcelona manager is considering various possibilities, although the one which looks most likely is selecting Fàbregas as a false number 9, as he is the player who has played the greatest number of minutes in this position whenever Messi has not been available.

Alexis and Neymar also have their chances, but picking Fàbregas also solves the problem of the midfield, as he could be lined up alongside Xavi and Iniesta. Up to now Martino has been rotating them, but the Celtic game would be an ideal scenario to select them all.

Apart from the selection of Fábregas, Neymar's starting in Glasgow can be taken for granted. He warmed up in Almería but in the end did not play one single minute, so he will be called on to be the key player in attack at a ground where Barcelona lost last season. His skills will be very welcome against the rock-like Celtic defence.

Playing on the wing is bringing Neymar a lot of good results, as he has shown himself to be an excellent passer of the ball. Up to now, Tata has not yet tried out his Brazilian star in the middle, but it is an option he is seriously contemplating.

Barca tries to get Messi out of international duty

Confirmation of Messi's injury also set off alarm bells in Argentina. The countdown has commenced for the 2014 Brazil World Cup and with only 253 days until the tournament kicks off, any injury to the Argentina captain is a headache.


Now more than ever, Tata Martino's words are gaining strength. The Barça coach spoke about the need to rest Messi and his other players, irrespective of whether the Argentine always wants to play. "They signed me to make decisions and I’m going to continue making them for the good of my players", the coach had said after the game against Real Sociedad.

On Saturday, after Barcelona's win over Almería, trans-Atlantic communications started between the Argentine Football Federation's medical team and its counterpart in Barcelona. Alejandro Sabella received confirmation of the Argentine star's injury this very Sunday, after the pertinent medical examinations were completed.

Messi travelling to Argentina to undergo a check-up with the Argentine national team's doctors has not yet been ruled out. Sabella plans to contact Barcelona this very Monday to discuss what steps must be taken. Depending on how the injury progresses, they will decide whether Messi will travel, even if he cannot take part in the matches against Peru and Uruguay, or whether they will follow his recovery from afar.

Bartra has an axe to grind at Celtic Park

Bartra will continue to partner up with Piqué on Tuesday. Mascherano's injury and the youngster's good performances in the last two games (Real Sociedad and Almería) mean that he will remain in the starting eleven.

The central defender returns to a stadium which is already familiar to him. On 7th November last year, he played 70 minutes and returned home defeated (2-1) – the first game which he lost wearing the first team shirt.


He failed to win again in the Champions League – after the game in Glasgow, he played the full ties against PSG and Bayern. His side never managed more than a draw against the Frenchmen and lost both matches against the Germans. Nevertheless, the youngster's performances have been good and he has played in three games this year.

Martino announced his squad on Sunday, which includes 19 first-team players and two from the reserves: Patric and Sergi Gómez. They both played against Mallorca in the game which Barça B lost (0-1) at the Mini Estadi after a Casadesús goal.