Champions League: Mourinho masterminds Barcelona defeat (Highlights)

Inter Milan 3 - 1 Barcelona

(0-1) 19' Pedro, (1-1) 29' Sneijder, (2-1) 49' Maicon, (3-1) 60' Milito

They could well point to an arduous 14 hour bus journey. Or even an atrocious display of refereeing from Olegário Benquerença. But the brutal reality of tonights Champions League semi-final is that Barcelona were second best to an inspired Inter Milan. Jose Mourinho won the battle of the master tacticians as Inter maintained a suffocating intensity in midfield and defence that was simply too much for Barcelona. Ex-Madrid man Wesley Sneijder was irrepresible, with the Dutchman a constant thorn in Barcas side, operating just behind the two strikers. Diego Milito showed incredible strength and composure, holding the ball and laying it off to teammates as Inter broke out of defence every time Barca misplaced a pass. Mourinho employed a 4-3-1-2 set-up and with Pandev, Cambiasso and Thiago Motta immense in restricting Barca to sideways passes, and Maicon an everpresent threat down the right. Barca were made to look average.

Xavi and Messi never got into their stride, but they were never allowed to as they were swarmed out by a sea of black and blue. Sergio Busquets and Seydou Keita looked like a lost souls as they repeatedly gifted possession to the Nerazzurri. As for Zlatan Ibrahimovic; the big Swede was quite simply non-existant. Lionel Messi kept plugging away but he just couldn´t shake off his countryman, as 38 year old Javier Zanetti put in a gargantuan shift. Pedro had got Barca off to flying start as he slotted in following a surging run from Maxwell down the left. But for Barca the fun stopped right there. Ten minutes later Diego Milito, who had already missed a couple of sitters, sucked in the Barca defence helped the ball onto the unmarked Sneijder, who made no mistake from close range. Shortly after the break Maicon took advantage of yet another Milito lay-off to slot in.

Barca needed to react but they were let down by the linesman as Sneijders misplaced header fell invitingly across for Milito to nod in from an offside position. Payback time perhaps for all those favours that Barcelona received from Tom Henning Ovrebo that fateful night at Stamford Bridge, almost one year to the day. Dani Alves was shown a yellow card for diving when it appeared a stonewall penalty. Pique was flattened late on. Not a peep from the ref. Inter committed countless fouls as they sought to break up Barcas rhythm, but it was the reigning champions who were on the receiving end of five yellow cards. Barcelona pushed late on, in search of a potentially priceless second away goal, but Lucio and Julio Cesar deprived them of that luxury with some superb blocks in the closing moments.

Barcelonas dream final at the Bernabeu is now hanging by a thread. The defeat, and the manner in which they were thoroughly outclassed, will mean they leave the Italian capital with their tails firmly rooted between their legs, but there is still hope. They will only need to repeat their home match against Inter in the group stages to reach the final. Mourinhos gladiators are a completely different side to the one Barca faced in November, but with Barca backed by a vibrant home crowd, Inter will have to be at their very best to stem the Blaugrana tide once more. Camp Nou....Your team needs you.

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El Clasico: Barcelona and Messi show who's boss (Full Highlights)

Real Madrid 0 - 2 Barcelona
(0-1) 32' Messi, (0-2) 55' Pedro

Barcelona dealt a decisive blow in the title race, with a dominant display in the Bernabeu after Saturdays Clasico yielded a deserved 2-0 victory for 'Los Cules'. A match that was relatively lacking in quality but fraught with tension, two moments of sheer class from Xavi Hernandez set Messi and Pedro free, with both finishing emphatically past Iker Casillas. Cristiano Ronaldo produced a performance that was eerily similar to his showing for Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final against Barca. The first ten minutes he looked lively and dangerous, but when Xavi and Barca grabbed hold of the ball and refused to let it go, the Portuguese star faded dramatically. He is so intent on proving to the rest of the watching world that he is better than Leo Messi, that he forgets that football is essentially a team sport. His hissy fits and bouts of petulance do nothing for his manager or team.

It wasn't by any means a classic Barca performance, but it didn't need to be. Real Madrid were clueless in midfield and shaky at the back. Gonzalo Higuain did nothing to prove his doubters wrong, and Manuel Pellegrini only managed to draw more unnecessary criticism with substitutes that were more designed to please the upper echalons of Real Madrid than help the team itself. What Madrid lacked, Barca offered in abundance. Gerard Pique and Puyol were majestic in defence. Xavi and Busquets devine in midfield. And when the chances came their way, Messi and Pedro dispatched them clinically. Quite why Real Madrid started with Fernando Gago instead of Lass is a mystery. Gago was never going to contain Xavi, and this one tactical lapse proved crucial. Yet more than concentrate on tactical errors, the team, and more importantly Manuel Pellegrini, are handicapped by what happens behind the scenes. Real Madrid and all that surrounds the club needs to take a long hard look at itself. Headlines filled with arrogant statements of how they are going to win 3-0, or how Cristiano is going to prove he is better than Messi, need to stop. The club and press need to get off the managers back, and let him get on with his job. If Pellegrini doesnt survive the chop this summer, they need to give complete autonomy to whoever comes in. Florentino Perez and Jorge Valdano cannot be allowed to solely decide who is purchased. The writing was on the wall for Pellegrini before he even started. And with Marca on a mission to get rid of the Chilean, his future is bleak on the Bernabeu bench.

In the meantime what is evident is that Real Madrid are not in the same league as Barca. They may well be able to keep up with the Catalans whilst both are trawling their way across Spain against inferior opposition, but when they come face to face, there is only one winner right now. And as we enter the home straight in La Liga 2009/2010 there also only appears to be one winner. Pep Guardiola and his players have produced some spectacular football this year, led by the irrepresible Lionel Messi. Humble, honest, hard-working and truly world class sum up Messi and Barca. Qualities severely lacking at the Bernabeu.

Malaga 1 - 2 Sevilla

(1-0) 16' Caicedo, (1-1) 65' Cala, (1-2) 84' Lolo

Xerez 0 - 1 Getafe

(0-1) 60' Rafa

Villarreal 1 - 0 Sporting Gijon

(1-0) 16' Godin

Tenerife 0 - 0 Real Valladolid

Barcelona lose Xavi as injury crisis worsens

Barcelonas injury crisis took another hit this morning when it was confirmed that Xavi Hernandez has been struck by a muscle tear in his right leg, rendering Barcelonas midfield wizard out of action for two weeks. This means the brains behind Barcelona and Spains recent run of glory is out of the league ties against Racing Santander next weekend at the Camp Nou and away at Malaga the week after, as well as the Champions League clash next week against Stuttgart. A massive headache for Pep Guardiola who already has to contend with the absences of Eric Abidal, Dani Alves, Toure Yaya, Chygrynskiy and Seydou Keita, who was also injured against Atlético Madrid.

Pep quite rightly states that these things happen in football, and they will have to make do with the resources available, just as Real Madrid did when they lost Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Pepe and Ruud Van Nistlerooy for considerable periods of time. Barca will be boosted by the returns of Gerard Pique and Rafael Marquez at the back, so whilst the defence should now be in safe hands, it is now the midfield that will concern Guardiola. Xavi is an vital cog in the Barca machine, and without him that effortless link between defence and attack will be missing. The manager will surely stick with the 4-3-3 formation that has served them so well against Stuttgart, so whilst Lionel Messi and Pedro will be tasked with providing the width upfront, it is the central three that will be threadbare.

Sergio Busquets is available for that Champions League QF first-leg, but against Racing Santander he is suspended, leaving Barca short of that specialist defensive midfielder so important to their formation. Without him, Toure Yaya nor Seydou Keita, you have to think that against Santander, Pep might even have to switch to a 4-4-2, with Lionel Messi and Ibra upfront, and Thierry Henry, Andrés Iniesta, Pedro and Jeffren in the middle. A seriously attacking midfield quartet, but unless Guardiola wants to delve into the Barcelona B side, it's all he will have available. It's that or stick with the usual formation and push Pique or Marquez forward into midfield. Barcelona enter into a critical couple of weeks that will shape their season, with Real Madrid breathing down their necks at home and an important Champions League quarter-final to negotiate in Europe. They'll be glad they only drew Stuttgart and that Racing are suffering from an injury and suspension crisis of their own.