Barcelona have made the best start to the Spanish league season by any club since Bobby Robson’s 1996-97 vintage scored 30 goals in their first nine games.

Under Pep Guardiola, the Catalans have amassed 28 goals from nine league matches, winning their last seven to move to the head of the standings.

They have let in just eight, joint lowest in the league with Villarreal and Sevilla.

But looking back through the stats, you can see why Guardiola is so cautious (”We’re top with 87 points still to play for,” he said at the weekend.)

That 96-97 Barcelona team, featuring Ronaldo and Guardiola, won the European Cup Winners’ Cup but still managed to come second to Real Madrid in the league, despite scoring 102 goals in their 38 matches to Real’s 85.

With that in mind, you can see why Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw with Basel suited Guardiola just fine (apart from the injury to Iniesta).

It was enough to secure their place in the knockout phase, but at the same time will serve as a reminder that they are mortal after all.

“It puts us in our place,” Guardiola told reporters after the club’s long winning streak came to an end. “Scoring so many goals just wasn’t normal.”

He may not have much experience as a coach, but he’s been here before as a player.

PHOTO: Guardiola hugs team mate Ivan de la Pena after Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in their European Cup Winners’ Cup final in Rotterdam, May 14, 1997. REUTERS/Charles Platiau.