Football
Dermot Ledwith 10y

La Liga Preview: Barcelona out to bounce back

Lessons from last season

Barca failed to win a trophy for the first time in six seasons last term, and that was mainly due to their defensive shortcomings, plus one particularly terrible week in April and of course the two sides from Madrid.

Although they did manage a league double over Real Madrid, the Copa del Rey final defeat against their old rivals came at the end of a disastrous seven days that began with them getting booted out of the Champions League by the capital's other side, Atletico.

That odd goal defeat over two legs in the last 8 was the first major sign that all was not well with a Barca side that had started by winning its first eight league matches under new coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino. The failure to beat Atletico in six attempts throughout the season meant that they also relinquished their La Liga title on the final day to what was not expected to be a major rival. Domestically, Barca will measure themselves against the two Madrid sides once more this term. While you would not expect Atletico to be quite as strong this time around, a further strengthened Real side will truly test Barca's claim to be kings of Spain.

Away from Camp Nou, Barca looked weak at times last season, unable on occasions to break down weaker sides when Lionel Messi's mojo went missing. However, an almost perfect home record -- blighted only by a shock 3-2 loss to Valencia in February -- meant that they challenged until the bitter end. This season a more direct approach from new coach Luis Enrique should see them look more dangerous on their travels. Meanwhile, the defensive frailties have finally been addressed with the arrival of not one but two centre halves -- Jeremy Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen -- the first signings at that position in five years.

Predicted starting lineup

What's new?

The most talked about signing of the summer had already been mooted before Luis Suarez decided to have a nibble at Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup. However the Uruguayan's folly did not end Barca's interest -- as some fans would argue it should have -- and the player became a Barca player as he started his four-month FIFA imposed suspension for the incident. The appeals and talk after that punishment have overshadowed what has been a quiet preseason for Barca -- without too many friendlies or an energy sapping international tour -- designed by Luis Enrique to get as much time as possible and his new philosophies over to his players on the training pitch.

The other key signing of Ivan Rakitic from Sevilla will dictate the style Barca play as much as the arrival of Suarez. Rakitic is an all action, box-to-box, midfielder who will ensure that Barca's route to goal will be shorter and less intricate in the future.

Apart from some new centre-halves, Barca badly needed to replace Victor Valdes and in Marc-André ter Stegen and Claudo Bravo they have two international goalkeepers who will push each other to a high level of performance.

The bold decisions to finance that spending with the sale of Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez to the Premier League will be largely forgotten if things go right. However, any weaknesses at the start of the season will lead to murmurs of discontent from the ever demanding fans, while Suarez is more likely to cause scandal with his behaviour rather than his performances, and he will need to make sure there is no repeat of his past misdemeanours.

Strengths

Having world class players is the obvious answer, but it has been Barca's unique yet simple style of possession-football that for some time has been the strength which has brought so much success. The long announced death of 'tiki-taka' will take a further step to being a reality this season with Xavi Hernandez taking a back seat. How much Luis Enrique uses Xavi and his blueprint will be of great interest to the watching world. Enrique has hinted he wants to change things round and the deployment of the fantastic attacking options he has in Rakitic, Neymar, Suarez and Andres Iniesta around the talents of Messi will be key.

Weaknesses

Perhaps Barca do not suffer so much from major weaknesses, but have a number of question marks that need to be answered. Starting at the back it is hoped that the signing of two goalkeepers can't go wrong. Before Valdes, the club spent years trying to replace Andoni Zubizarreta, the current Director of Football. Surely one of the two international replacements will be able to step smoothly into Valdes' boots.

The same can be said of the two centre-backs, if both flop then Barca will be back to playing Javier Mascherano at the back and no fan is entirely happy with that. In midfield the role, or perhaps lack of a role, for Xavi Hernandez will be important. Will he be happy to take a back seat? And will Enrique really be able to adapt the side's playing style without him? New signing Rakitic will be key to this, let's see if he can step up after a superb spell at Sevilla.

In attack there are the two enigmas that are Neymar and Luis Suarez. One needs to up his game while the other needs to behave impeccably all season. Finally, there is Lionel Messi. Will he improve on the relative disappointment of last season (he only scored 41 goals)?

Manager profile: Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique will be under the microscope as he starts start only his second season coaching in La Liga with the biggest gig of all. Last season he eventually produced an attractive Celta Vigo side with a limited budget and resources, but this time it is a completely different challenge. With the intense media scrutiny that the Barca job demands, he will be judged on how he handles his squad of world class players, who can't all be kept happy with enough playing time on the pitch. With two national newspapers dedicated almost solely to Barca, any dropped points becomes a crisis of huge proportions and he could do with the solid start that Martino enjoyed last term.

Enrique is a resilient character and an innovative coach, so it will certainly be fun along the way, but ultimately he will measured on what he does compared to Real manager Carlo Ancelotti and even Atletico boss Diego Simeone, who both have far more big game experience on the sidelines. He needs to learn quickly.

Key player

Lionel Messi can be excused for only hitting 28 league goals last season due to the headaches of his nagging hamstrings and the looming World Cup.

By his standards it was not his best season, but his standards have been the highest that the world of football has possibly ever seen, and so he has a long way to fall. He will be key again; if he can be kept injury-free and happy, all should be well.

His appetite for trophies was always huge, but he needs to prove it is still intact. Messi's ability to perform in the huge crunch games -- both domestically and in Europe -- will be what he is measured on this season after some questions marks were left from last term's efforts. Until crunch time in March comes around, expect goals, assists and more brilliant play from the little Argentine.

Predicted finish: First

With Suarez finally allowed to train with the side -- and readying for a potential debut against Real Madrid in his first weekend back at the end of October -- Barca will have no problem getting a lot of goals on a regular basis.

They will undoubtedly be too strong for most of La Liga and the Clasico duels with Real Madrid will once again take on huge importance in La Liga.

If Enrique can mould the new signings at the back into a strong defensive unit, Barca will still be the team to beat in La Liga. By the first Clasico game, he needs to be clear on which is his best back line, as it will be put under considerable pressure in the Santiago Bernabeu against the most expensive strike force ever assembled in the history of the game.

With such strength in attack, the obvious pitfall for both sides will be if they do not sort out their defence. If Enrique can out-think Ancelotti in that area and have some luck avoiding injuries to his key attacking players, the season should roll along nicely with Barca challenging once again for the La Liga title and also in Europe.

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