There was ample proof last night, as at Stamford Bridge in the last round, as to why the Premiership teams' primacy in Europe has been exaggerated.
Despite the final result, Barcelona made a mockery of the comparisons between their style and Arsenal's. One team has substance, the other a much-trumpeted philosophy that too often founders against the strongest sides. So it was again.
Arsene Wenger's fatal flaw has been cruelly exposed this season. A man with admirably romantic ideals, he