"Best team in my lifetime" When Vitor Pereira met Pep Guardiola's all-conquering Barcelona

Pereira had just stepped up into the managerial hot seat after serving as Andre Villas-Boas' right-hand man during FC Porto's unbeaten Primeira Liga triumph. 

Villas-Boas then guided Porto to the Portuguese Cup and Europa League, beating domestic rivals Braga 1-0 in the latter, before being unveiled as the "next special one" at Chelsea in 2011. 

And so Pereira inherited his team of invincibles, barring Colombian hotshot Radamel Falcao, who headed to Atletico Madrid after scoring 72 goals across his two full campaigns in Portugal. 

Meanwhile, Barcelona had swept aside Manchester United for the second Champions League final in three seasons, serving up a stellar showing in a famous 3-1 win at Wembley. 

That set-up a juicy encounter between Barcelona and Porto in the UEFA Super Cup final at AS Monaco's Stade II. 

"Barcelona are the best team I have seen in my lifetime," Pereira unapologetically raved before the tie. 

"However, we're here on our own merit following a great season. We know Barcelona are a great team, but we're not here to see them play. 

"We come here to win this game so we have the ingredients for a great spectacle." 

Porto did make the better start. Former Wolves midfielder Joao Moutinho drew a smart save from Victor Valdes and Barcelona had yet to find their rhythm. 

It was inevitable that they soon would click into gear though, and of course, Lionel Messi was the catalyst. 

Named UEFA Best Player in Europe on the eve of the game, Messi once again lived up to his unparalleled billing with a typically dominant display. 

"You cannot stop Messi with any special tactic. You have to stop him with a strong team performance," Pereira forecasted. 

"That is, by concentrating defensively, covering each other and anticipating intentions." 

Porto had collectively stifled Messi for the first 39 minutes but the seven-time Ballon D'Or winner soon seized upon a blind back-pass from Fredy Guarin to provide the breakthrough. 

Goalkeeper Helton emerged to foil him but Messi produced a mesmeric overstep to seduce the Brazilian to his knees and roll the ball into an empty net. 

Pereira rallied his troops at half-time and inspired a promising response. Moutinho shot wide of Valdes' left-hand post and Guarin brought the very best out of the Barca shot-stopper with an effort from distance. 

Guardiola called upon summer signing Cesc Fabregas to seal the deal and the Spaniard cushioned a sublime chipped pass from Messi down on his chest and lifted a volley over the onrushing Helton. 

Rolando had been dismissed moments before after receiving a second yellow card for a trip on Messi and Guarin compounded a difficult night when he was sent off for a poor challenge on Javier Mascherano. 

That night, Guardiola, who will meet Pereira for the first time since when Wolves travel to Manchester City on Ftiday, became the most decorated manager in Barcelona's history. 

His 12th major trophy in a glittering four years at Barcelona saw him eclipse the late great Johan Cruyff's tally of 11. 

Despite the defeat, Pereira was happy with the performance and the way in which they took Barca's world-beaters to task. 

"We prevented them leaving their own half. We were making Barcelona make mistakes and it's a shame we didn't score," he concluded. 

"I'm very happy with our performance. The only thing I don't like is the right."