The architect of the Barcelona team that lifted the Champions League in 2009 and 2011, Pep Guardiola faces Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday. Former disciple and Barcelona star Dani Alves said they enjoyed playing against the Gunners as they were able to dominate them at ease.
The Brazilian right-back pointed out that the philosophy shared by both clubs allowed Barcelona to establish their superiority and control games against Arsenal, who were knocked out of the Champions League by the Catalans in the 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2015/16 seasons.
Guardiola's Barcelona lifted the coveted European trophy twice and Alves fondly remembers the performances from what he believes is rightly regarded as one of the best teams of all time. "Talking to several football experts, they haven't seen another team as incredible as that Barcelona," Alves told 'FourFourTwo'. "We represented the definition of a collective game. We ate, drank and breathed football, so moments like winning the Champions League were rewards for all our efforts."
Arsenal suffered the brunt of it as they failed to overcome the Catalans, particularly at the Camp Nou, where they conceded ten goals in three games. Alves relished those clashes: "We definitely liked to face Arsenal," he said. "They had a similar football style to ours and this sometimes helped to facilitate our way of playing."
"They were a team we dominated and had a control over. Every time we faced Arsenal, we'd have a good result or good performance," the Paris Saint-Germain full-back concluded.