In Spain they sometimes say ‘querer estar en misa y en procesión’, roughly meaning you want to be both at mass and in the procession. Depending on where you are, of course, they would also tell you ‘no se puede hacer tortilla sin romper los huevos’, or you can’t make an omelette without breaking the eggs. It’s their version of saying you can’t have your cake and eat it too. It’s impossible. But sometimes, the impossible is exactly what you’re required to do. In fact, if you are a Barcelona coach, the impossible is even expected of you. Or better yet, if you are a Barcelona coach, the impossible does not exist in your mind. It simply mustn’t. If it does, you’ve already lost.

Last Saturday, Barcelona travelled to Anoeta and clinched a rather miserable 1-0 win against Real Sociedad, a team coached by Imanol Alguacil. It was miserable because Xavi’s men had no right winning that game in the first place; the hosts were the far better side for the majority of the clash and played their visitors off the park. Quite literally too. Barcelona could not maintain any semblance of control or impose their style for the better part of the whole match. But they won. Somehow, against all the odds, all the stats and even against the infallible eye test – they won. It wasn’t pretty, far from it, but it got them the crucial three points they needed after disappointment in El Clasico.