From Spain: Barcelona unhappy with ‘potato patch’ pitch at Chelsea, state of grass slammed

When Pep Guardiola was manager of Barcelona there seemed a period when the condition of grass was an obsession for the club and players.

Grass at opponent’s stadiums would be too long, short, dry, wet, and all something which could impede Barcelona’s football artists.

The complaints aren’t as common as they once were, but after training at Stamford Bridge ahead of their Champions League match against Chelsea, Barcelona’s coaches are said to be concerned with what they found.

Mundo Deportivo go with a headline on Tuesday afternoon saying ‘Concern for the “patatal” of Stamford Bridge’.

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‘Patatal’ means ‘potato patch’, a farming field. There’s some surprise in the Barcelona camp, according to the Catalan newspaper, because they had been expecting a carpet of perfect grass, as they’re more used to finding at top English grounds.

When training at Chelsea, Barca stars are said to have been concerned with the clumps of grass and ‘lamented’ the condition of the pitch.

The great English weather may well have played a part in making Chelsea’s pitch not quite perfect enough to meet Barcelona’s expectations.