Doubt begins to gnaw away at Barca

The last week has seen an unusual amount of soul-searching at Barcelona, as the Catalan club prepares to try and overcome a 2-0 first-leg deficit in Tuesday’s Champions League last 16 second leg at home to AC Milan.

Last month’s first-leg loss was followed by two demoralising defeats in five days to domestic rivals Real Madrid, and a string of Barcelona figures have since been sharing their downbeat feelings in public.

On Monday, president Sandro Rosell admitted the absence of coach Tito Vilanova, still receiving cancer treatment in New York, had led to some psychological issues.