"Half their players at the Emirates came from La Masia, the club's academy, in what is surely the most outstanding efflorescence of talent from a single source since Alex Ferguson nurtured Manchester United's golden generation. As the whirlwind threatened to detach the stadium from its foundations, the thoughts of Cesc Fábregas, another of La Masia's products, could only be imagined.
Uefa's official half-time statistics were astounding. In the opening 45 minutes, plus two minutes of stoppage time, Barça played 279 successful passes to Arsenal's 98. They produced 15 shots, seven of them on target, to the home side's two, both wayward. This was not another example of Arsène Wenger's players allowing themselves to be shoved around. The best passing team in the Premier League were being passed to death by a side clearly determined to reaffirm their credentials as not only the champions of Europe but also the continent's masters of the creative arts. By the end, when Arsenal had completed their extremely praiseworthy comeback, the figures were not very different. Now Barcelona led the completed passes by 533 to 265."
