Barcelona are a special side and I think it will be hard to dethrone them over the coming years. They are just a superbly organised and coached club. Whatever they do in training is the key to their success and I think other sides in Europe would do well to have a look at exactly what they are doing. Their ability with the ball is phenomenal, they can maintain 80% possession throughout a game without any trouble at all, everyone in their squad from Messi to the substitute keeper is so comfortable with the ball and unflappable. Their back four can pass the ball and keep it better than most Premier League midfields can.
There also seems to be a real togetherness at Barca. The axis of Messi, Villa, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Pedro and Pique just seem devoid of ego to me and show a willingness to work for each other that the other top European clubs don't have. They might be very fancy with the ball, but Barcelona's work when they've not got the ball is just as impressive.
