Hint Of A Hangover At Barcelona?

After proudly showing off MLB jerseys their six trophies of 2009, FC Barcelona have begun 2010 slowly with a draw and a loss, suggesting the celebrations may have taken their toll.

Barcelona boss Josep Guardiola has warned against his side resting on their laurels, with their Copa del Rey title already at risk after Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Sevilla.

Guardiola revealed, “We don't want to live on what we have done up to now. We have to carry on working.”

His comments came after Barcelona's 1-1 draw with Villarreal on Saturday, opened the door for rivals Real Madrid to steal back the initiative in the La Liga title race.

Ultimately, Real blew the chance to go top after stumbling against Osasuna, but the warning is there for Barca.

“There are things we still have to work on and we will do that,” Guardiola added.

The weekend's 1-1 draw with the Yellow Submarine was something of an anti-climax for the 90-odd thousand fans who crammed into the Nou Camp to see their side showcase their six trophies.

Only last month, Barcelona completed their clean sweep in 2009 with victory in the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.


But Villarreal crashed the party and Saturday's result ultimately saw Barca drop points at home for the first time in this league season.

After taking an early lead through Pedro, David Fuster equalised for the visitors, before Barcelona huffed and puffed towards the end, only to fail to really find any fluidity.

Nevertheless, Tuesday's Copa del Rey tie with Sevilla was next, and while Guardiola named a much-changed side for the contest, it still included stars Lionel Messi, Dani Alves and Andres Iniesta.

Indeed, Barcelona looked fresher in the opening part of the contest against Sevilla but failed to make significant inroads.

Sevilla weathered the storm and took the lead on the hour mark when an unmarked Diego Capel ghosted in to score at the back-post.

Barcelona did manage to find a response after a long-ball found Zlatan Ibrahimovic onside, before brilliantly netting after rounding the keeper.


But the Nou Camp's celebrations of drawing level were short-lived when Dmytro Chygrynskiy hauled down Capel inside the box a minute later, allowing Alvaro Negredo to net the winner from the spot.

Messi unusually failed with a late chance, with a hint of offside, as Barca slumped to a defeat which puts them in an awkward position ahead of the return-leg in Sevilla.

Nevertheless, it is hardly panic stations at the Nou Camp after a slow start to 2010, but the team know they need to snap into action.

In the league, Real Madrid won't normally be so generous as to slip up, while in the Copa del Rey, Sevilla will offer a very difficult test in the return-leg.

Whether or not Barcelona realistically think they can reproduce 2009's success remains to be seen, but the early signs are they might need a bit of work.

Not alot has changed in terms of personnel from last season's side (bar Samuel Eto'o who has been ably replaced by Ibrahimovic) so it is all about Barca's desire, considering their brilliance.

The La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League crown are the main goals, but as has been said before, staying at the top is harder than getting there in the first place.