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According to Peter Crouch, the Stoke City club that was the embodiment of Arsene Wenger’s worst fears may have been the only team in the world capable of defeating the elite Barcelona squad.

Crouch took great pleasure in the violence and noise during matches between Stoke and Arsenal at the former Britannia Stadium, when Stoke’s players scared Wenger and his team even before they took the field. Before Mark Hughes led the team to victory in 2013–14 and 2014–15, Tony Pulis won at home in 2008–09, 2009–10, and 2010–11 and drew in 2011–12 and 2012–13.

Barcelona was at its best during that period, especially under Pep Guardiola from 2008 to 2011, when players like Lionel Messi, Bojan and Marc Muniesa, Xavi, Andre Iniesta, and Ibrahim Afellay were on the team.

In response to a question about what could have happened if they had met on a chilly Tuesday night in the Potteries, Crouch, who was interviewed by The Fellas podcast, said he was confident some of the tried-and-true methods would have given his team a chance. This was a few years ago.

“I recall one game, for example, the day before when it was raining and we had grown the pitch and trained in the middle of it, churning the life out of it. I recall that the grass was so long that Aaron Ramsey was unable to see his boots on the field. Not being able to see his boots, he was saying, “Crouchy,” and I was just giggling and thinking, “This is amazing.”

“They were unable to pass the ball to one another because of the long grass when attempting to pass it. It makes no difference up there as we travel in the air.”