Barça before La Liga – What to expect? | OneFootball

The start of a football season is a sign of new life, and with La Liga underway, we can expect some thrilling action from the Spanish league in the coming weeks and months. Barcelona is all set and pumped up to hit the field running. Having won a couple of friendlies recently, it is preparing itself for a comeback tournament, where once again it can prove that Barça is one of the most formidable football clubs in the world.

For fans, though, these are tension-filled days. They are eagerly awaiting to see how the first few matches go, to get an idea of the team’s state of mind. One main reason for this is Barça losing in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. A significant defeat, the wounds are still fresh, but one can only hope that it was a wake-up call for the players, with La Liga being the perfect stage for redemption.

Superstition

Call it superstition or a pattern in the way Barcelona plays in the La Liga, but they always seem to bounce back after having lost the title. The club won the competition in 2015 and 2016, only to miss out in 2017 to Real Madrid. Stopped from getting a hat-trick they re-started their campaign and won the next two years, which is in 2018 and 2019. However, luck was again not on their side, and Real Madrid lifted the trophy in 2020. So, while Barça fans cannot celebrate three back-to-back victories, they can certainly hope that the team will once again rise to the occasion this time around.

Messi

The one thing putting Barça’s winning dream in turmoil is the ongoing Messi saga. There has been news, off and on, about the Barcelonian champion leaving the club and joining the Premier League. While the effect of these transfer rumors are not as hurtful as a player caught doping, they do affect the team dynamics in the end. Moreover, Messi has been an integral part of the team for decades. Since he is also the best player in the world according to most football enthusiasts, losing him would be a huge deal. Nevertheless, until things are final, we can only hope that Messi decides to stay, hopefully taking Barça for one more win in La Liga.

Ronald Koeman

The other significant change in the side is that of the team’s manager. While Barça has had a few coaches over the years, 2020 has seen them with three. Earlier in the year, Ernesto Valverde was let go at the end of his three-year contract to be replaced by Quique Setien. Unfortunately, Barcelona’s performance these last few months meant the sacking of Setien and the hiring of Dutch coach, Ronald Koeman. How Koeman will shape up the team is yet to be seen, but we can expect some changes soon enough, hoping they are for the better.

An expected transfer

On the one hand, Barça is struggling to keep Messi on their side, while on the other, they are trying to rope in their beloved Neymar Jr. There are plenty of reports floating around that Barcelona will be happy to take Neymar back in their side. If this happens, we can expect dynamite of a forward duo for Barça in the coming season; something fans will love to see for sure.