Even a week after my Camp Nou experience, I still cannot believe the fact that I was actually there, at one of the best stadiums in the world. That I saw Lionel Messi score two goals at the end where I was sitting with my friends. That I saw live, the team which won an unprecedented six trophies (A clean-sweep of all trophies on offer) in the 2008-2009 season under first-time Barca manager, Josep Guardiola.

With a capacity of 1,00,000, you go with certain expectations. And it wasn't disappointing in the least, even though the crowd was not full capacity. I have been to see three matches live (Including this encounter) and I am hard-pressed to pick between Arsenal-Man City at the Emirates and Barcelona-Sevilla at the Nou Camp, purely because of the scenarios.

The Arsenal match was special for a number of reasons: It was my first-ever live match, first-ever time seeing my Gunners play live, first-ever time watching a match at our home ground of the Emirates Stadium, the fact that we won 2-0, and the fact that you cannot quantify your emotions after watching your team win live and being a part of the chanting, cheering fellow Gooners. Even if we had drawn or lost (and I would have mixed feelings), I would still have carried some very special memories back with me purely because I'm a Gooner Girl. So I think this dictates a lot of my feelings about that London day during Easter 2009.

The Emirates Stadium is a wonderful stadium to go to and watch a game at but Camp Nou just overwhelms you with its sheer size and atmosphere. The moment you walk in, you can feel the sense of history and legacy that is extremely difficult to explain. You are literally hit by a wall of memories and of great times and matches and players gone by, and that is a pretty damn awe-inspiring, goose bump inducing feeling.

What also struck me was the behaviour of the fans. The fans were content enough with a few chants and club songs now and then but most of the times; the only back-ground noise was the accompaniment of the drums and other varied musical instruments. Funnily enough it didn't do anything to ruin the atmosphere. For me, the Emirates was slightly better when it came to the collective fan voice. However I think part of the reason that day was a large population of non-local/local neutrals and the non-segregation of away and home fans. Plus it was raining and cold, so that must have had a little bit of an effect as well.

It did not however take away from the entertainment factor of the game. And I think the fact that the kick-off was at 10 pm also added to the electric atmosphere that hit you the moment you set foot into the stadium. I do not know what it is about watching a match under flood-lights that tends to make a game more enjoyable even if you're just watching on TV. I mean any good football game or a game in which your team is playing is an exciting prospect, but add the factor of the dark and you somehow end up adding more excitement. And one of the first things that I realised when I sat in my seat, was that I had the same feeling I get before watching a Champions League match, only multiplied by a hundred.
The culture of football in Europe is different from what I'm used to in England but I'm not sure whether I can successfully explain this difference without being very vague. All I can say is that I immediately felt it as soon as I came through the gates.

The football itself was brilliant, not just for the neutrals but for fans of both the Barca and Sevilla camps and therein was another difference from English football that registered. It was elegant stuff even from Sevilla, though they couldn't match the likes of Xavi and Messi and Iniesta etc and this was so different from the football I'm used to seeing week in and week out that I could not help but notice it. I'm not saying that the Spanish teams are better than the English ones; I'm just saying that the Spanish game seemed more suited for open, flowing football that was easy on the eye than a lot of the English one.  And this is probably a reason why Spanish teams for all their talent can sometimes fail against more physical, defensive sides which do not allow them the freedom to play their game. Having said that, nobody can deny that the physicality aspect was indeed present and both teams were defending well. It was just not as noticeable, and in both the halves you could sense the style of football that allowed Spain to be crowned Euro Champions.

The only thing missing in the first half were goals. But the second half more than made up for it! They weren't jaw-dropping goals, but enough to show-case the lethal finishing of a guy like Messi (He seems to make space for himself where there is none) and the deadly accuracy in the passes of Xavi and Iniesta (who wasn't in top form that night.) They were the perfect way to round off my Barca experience though I would have been as happy with the delightful passing moves which Barca made look so damn easy. It's like the ball is literally glued to their feet, especially with Messi and the midfield maestro duo and they find gaps and spaces at will where it seems impossible.

Xavi and Iniesta are a class apart and seem to have a wonderful sense of where all their team-mates are on the field, as well as an amazing unspoken communication that allows them to completely command the midfield.  Actually most of the Barca first-team seem to have an almost telepathic understanding and there were some delicate one-touch moves that were simply breath-taking. I could have literally sat there all night watching them do that, even if it didn't end with the ball in the net!
With his style of play and talent Fabregas is definitely heading down that road, which is a very happy thought, but we are currently too dependent on our captain, who to his credit has noticeably stepped up his game from last season. And there you have another difference that caught my eye. Barca, for all its star-studded line-up very much plays a team game that relies on all the players on the pitch making contributions and supporting each other, though not necessarily the same amount. Also for all their beautiful football, there is plenty of steel, experience and physical presence in the squad if the time comes, and their defence has improved a lot from being called weak previously.

Finally, who can forget their frontline boasting of tested and proved players like Ibra, Messi and Henry? ... players that can be relied on most of the times to grab the chance and score important goals.

As far as playing styles are concerned, both Arsenal and Barcelona rely on short, intricate passing; have a heavy dependence on the constant movement in midfield and field players who are technically very gifted. But it was also noticeable that that night that Wenger's Boys still have a while to go before they can attempt to match the overall class, synchronicity, maturity and experience of the Blaugrana, who have a much higher average team age and experience than Arsenal. No doubt that the current Gunner crop has a lot of talent, technical skill and ability and a lot of experience considering their age, but none of them have the experience and mental strength that comes with winning trophies. And that will only come if the current players stay together and grow together and Wenger makes those 1-2 necessary buys which everyone has gone hoarse talking about. I have no doubt they will be able to achieve success if Wenger can keep the team together.  The Barca team had an assured air about them, a stronger physical presence on the field, a very quiet confidence in their strengths and abilities ? that I believe only comes with a strong team mentality, the experience of winning trophies and a great belief that what they are doing will be successful.

I might be shooting myself in the foot here but from what I saw that day Barcelona are a 'finished model' of the footballing philosophy shared by Le Prof Wenger, and the sheer excitement and entertainment value of watching them work their magic is enough to put my Camp Nou experience at the top of my list. It was pure, beautiful football that satisfied my very soul and the entire experience was worth more than any words can describe.