Stand-in skipper Easton Wood says the Western Bulldogs must avoid buying into the mystique surrounding September specialists Hawthorn ahead of Fridays AFL semi-final.With three consecutive premierships under their belt, the Hawks will go into the MCG clash as favourites despite losing to Geelong in last weeks qualifying final.No side has been better than Hawthorn in recent times at conjuring victories out of thin air, the two-point loss to the Cats an exception that proved the rule.And the physical Hawks have more big-game performers - led by captain Luke Hodge and prime movers Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis - than any team in the competition.So its no surprise senior Bulldogs defender Wood will look to keep things simple when he speaks to his young teammates ahead of the game.I think the main thing with that is its just business as usual, he said.As much as putting an arm around them or having a word here and there, its just keeping an even emotional level yourself and making sure that when guys are having a look around and seeing you, youre being that stable person.Theyve obviously got some really experienced players. Whether or not they try and impose that physicality, its nothing we havent come up against during the season and nothing that we havent been able to deal with.Just like any other week, we focus on what were doing more than what the opposition does or what they bring.Wood will line up against Hawthorn despite managing ongoing soreness after hurting his ankle in round 22.The 27-year-old was one of four players who returned from injury to play in the Bulldogs 47-point elimination final drubbing of West Coast, with the bye week providing extra time for him to prepare his body.I dont know how many guys during this time of the year are fully 100 per cent, he said.Theres probably a little amount of discomfort but thats nothing I havent played with before.An All-Australian in 2015, Wood has stepped up his leadership at Whitten Oval since captain Bob Murphy tore his ACL during the Bulldogs three-point loss to Hawthorn in round three.He says the Bulldogs will look to use their speed to outrun the veteran Hawks on the wide expanses of the MCG.Theres certainly some players in our group who have got that ace up their sleeve and theyll be looking to exploit that as much as they can, he said. 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BARCELONA, Spain -- As long as Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique get healthy again, Barcelona fans should have nothing to worry about.The 3-1 loss at Manchester City on Tuesday showed that for all the scoring prowess of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, Barcelonas star forwards can be left with heads hanging when the teams makeshift defense and midfield buckle under pressure.And pressure is what former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola ordered City to apply in massive doses, especially in a second half when they broke the steely control the Spanish champions normally maintain even against the biggest opponents.Barcelona was missing the injured Iniesta, Pique and first-choice left back Jordi Alba. For Barcelonas faithful, that means one bad match shouldnt be a cause of major concern just because three of Barcelonas backups didnt perform as well as its undisputed starters.Just look at the result of their first meeting two weeks ago, when Messi scored a hat trick in a 4-0 rout. All three started that match, even though Pique and Alba had to be substituted because of injury.But the loss at City does point out where coach Luis Enrique needs to work with the teams younger players and newcomers. That, or perhaps relent on the clubs now ingrained -- and ingrained it was by Guardiola -- insistence on using short passes to work the ball forward even when under intense pressure from opposing defenses.We played 40 excellent minutes with many scoring chances and just in that moment we make a key mistake, Luis Enrique said. We had five bad minutes and in the second half we accumulated an infinite number of passing errors. (The loss) was the result of our rivals pressure and our mistakes.Sometimes a game does seem to swing on one single pass.Messi had put Barcelona on its way to another victory with a goal from a counterattack led by Neymar. Later, Neymar and Suarez both went close to adding more goals.But a pass from Sergi Roberto that went astray was pounced on by City forward Sergio Aguero, sparking an elegant series of one-touch passes that were reminiscent of Guardiolas best Barcelona sides. The play was completed by Ilkay Gundogan for the equalizer in the 39th minute.It was all City the rest of the way, with Kevin de Bruyne knocking in a free kick before Gundogan finished off another quick buildup.Guardiola knows Barcelona better than any rival, and it showed. City made goalkeepper Marc-Andre ter Stegen pass short by covering his down-field options, and then swarmed in numbers.ddddddddddddBarcelona won the possession battle with 60 percent of the ball and basically doubled Citys passes (591 attempts to Citys 315). But most of the action was inside its own half, when every sideways pass was another chance City had to spring its trap. Guardiolas willingness to renounce the ball worked: City produced 13 shots to Barcelonas eight.Guardiola said he asked De Bruyne to specifically attack Roberto, who had his worst match after a promising start to the season in his new position of right back.We wanted to go one-on-one against Sergi Roberto, Guardiola said. In the second half we were more compact, pressured higher up the pitch and moved in unison. If we had had better finishing we could have put the game away earlier.Offseason signings Lucas Digne and Andre Gomes didnt have good showings in place of Alba and Iniesta, either. Digne provided none of Albas pace and struggled to keep up with Raheem Sterling, while Gomes hit the crossbar with a clear chance to make it 2-2.The biggest victim of the night, surprisingly, was Sergio Busquets. The Spain holding midfielder, usually so unflappable, relinquished several balls. He was missing his outlets to Iniesta and Pique, who often starts Barcelonas attacks from the back.We knew it would be a difficult match and that the team that pressured better and recovered more balls would be the one that won, Busquets said. During the season there are matches like this one.According to Aguero, who is a friend of Messi and teammate on the Argentina national side, the Barcelona leader understandably did not leave Etihad Stadium pleased.Whenever you lose youre not happy, Aguero said about Messi. Leo wasnt in the mood and I respect that.Iniesta will be sidelined for another month with ligament damage in his right knee. A right ankle sprain will keep Pique out for another week, while Alba is expected back soon from a muscle pull.Once they recover, Barcelona should be its old dominant self.In the meantime, though, Barcelona faces a tough match at Sevilla in the Spanish league on Sunday. Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli surely will have taken note of the flaws that City exploited and try to do likewise. ' ' '