Barcelona could be in the midst of a crisis and still have possession.
They retain a sense of purpose too even after consecutive draws caused some to look down at the dropped points and see traces of a loss of form, a league match with Osasuna on Saturday ending a 13-match winning run before the Catalans were made to settle for a point in the Champions League.
The expectation which is placed on Barca has allowed those results to feel like the fringes of a rough patch but even then their smooth passing has been barely disturbed; the Catalan side having played Tuesday's tie in Milan with little intention of allowing the home side to join in. It would make it seem a little rude that the Italians took the lead through Robinho after just five minutes.
The Brazilian revelled in his goal, not least since he formerly played for Real Madrid. The Spanish titans will grapple with their Catalan rivals this Saturday in the first of the season's Clasicos - with a win enough to move Madrid level with Barca, who have taken 25 points from their first 10 matches in La Liga.
Recent meetings between the clubs have been tempestuous - even if the thorn of Jose Mourinho is no longer present - and it has found new significance given Barca's recent draws. The Spanish champions will likely hope that Madrid attack aggressively since Barca have found it harder to unpick the locks of teams which are set up to defend, although Gerardo Martino was not inclined to treat that as a frailty of his side.
"I have no doubts about the team's ability to perform," said the head coach, whose Barcelona side scored on the counter-attack at the San Siro. "I would have liked to beat Osasuna and Milan but we're doing well and we're still growing. Our play hasn't gotten worse and I don't think we've regressed.
"Against teams that close themselves off at the back it's easier to score when you recover possession rather than making short passes which gives your opponent time to reorganise. It's a good point [against Milan] but we deserved more. We only lacked intensity in the first 15 minutes and our punishment was too severe."
His players were also given to appeal their sentence, with Xavi convinced the Camp Nou club were worthy of a victory in Italy. He felt, too, that Barca are capable of getting the better of Madrid this weekend. "We created the chances to win the game," said the midfielder. "With the exception of the first 15 minutes, we dominated. We're in good shape coming into the Clasico."
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