They held a one-point lead until the 66th minute, their scrum performing miracles, but there remained the sense that Toulon, able to retain possession far longer, would find a way to eke out victory.
Rather than just let his Barça wither away, rather than face the prospect of their philosophy being overcome, rather than risk the intervention of random events, Guardiola sought to stave off the entropic imperative by exaggerating what had made Barça great, by holding possession even longer, by getting even more men forward.
It is certainly true that Sarri's side keep possession for longer and employ a less direct style this season.
Half-time replacement James Forrest, on for Beram Kayal, helped Celtic retain possession for longer spells and it was from the winger's deft chip that Joe Ledley clipped the crossbar with a header.
However, when it worked, the US actually retained possessions for longer spells and constructed first-touch attacks through the middle.
In addition, patients receiving prescriptions for AOW had significantly higher medication possession ratios and longer time to discontinuation, which was approximately twofold longer (109 days) with AOW than for patients receiving IOM (58 days).
But Coria clearly knows what he is talking about, and now Nadal, with one of the most prestigious trophies in tennis in his possession, is no longer in a position to argue.
A ballot initiative that would have legalised the sale of marijuana was only narrowly defeated in California last November, possibly losing some potential supporters because the drug is already very widely available and possession is no longer treated as a crime.
Possession is no longer the be all and end all.
Under the law, marijuana possession will no longer result in the creation of a criminal record.
