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We have passed the midway point of the European footballing season and there have been lots of entertainment, shocks and thrills along the way. Some teams have disappointed, while others have lived up to their billing and some league races are as good as over, while others are still very open.
Some clubs have already fallen some way off reaching their season objectives, while others remain very much on course to reach their targets.
One of the clubs in the latter category is Barcelona, as the Catalans hold a significant five-point advantage over Atletico Madrid at the summit of the La Liga table, while they were also handed a relatively favorable fixture (on paper) against Lyon in the Champions League.
Barca have very much been the dominant force in Spain in the last few years, winning the Copa del Rey in each of the last four seasons consecutively, while also triumphing in LaLiga seven out of the last ten times.
However, for all of their domestic dominance, it is in Europe where Barca's main aspirations lie, as the Blaugrana have been without continental success since 2015, even failing to make it to the semi-final in each of those seasons, with their failures made all the more bitter by the fact that arch-enemies Real Madrid have won all UCL titles since then.
With a history as illustrious as theirs, as well as the caliber of players on display at the club, a lot of expectations always lies on Barcelona, as they are always among the favorites for all tournaments they find themselves in and are expected to win every trophy available to them and win so with style.
With over 90 major trophies, the club is among the most successful of all time, while the fact that they are the only side in history to have won two trebles only puts more pressure on them to deliver such every other year.
Having faltered in Europe in recent years, Barcelona look very much on course to match their feats from 2009 and 2015.
In this piece, we would be highlighting four factors which could see Barcelona win the third treble in their history this season.
Also See : Barcelona Transfer News, La Liga Transfer News, EPL Transfer News.
#4 Other big guns are faltering
With LaLiga all but a foregone conclusion for Barcelona (barring any major blip), coupled with their seemingly everlasting stranglehold on the Copa del Rey almost guaranteeing that another domestic double would be won this season, it is the Champions League that represents the biggest threat to Barcelona's quest for a treble this term.
Once again, the odds also appear to favor the Blaugrana on the continent, as most of their major rivals to the continental crown happen to be floundering at the moment.
Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, these are the names usually thrown into the hat along with Barcelona at the start of every season as the teams who would likely triumph in the UCL, as the quintet have dominated the competition, making it into the latter stages more times than any other in the last six years.
However, of all those aforementioned names, only Juventus can legitimately claim to be in form this season, as Bayern, Real Madrid and Atletico have all looked out of sorts this campaign.
Although there are other credible teams who could mount a challenge such as Manchester City and PSG, who are also in good form, Barcelona's major challengers (in particular Real Madrid) have been uncharacteristically off color this season and this is a factor which could see Barcelona get their long-awaited triumph in the Champions League.
Also See : Durand Cup, Durand Cup Schedule, Calcutta Football League
#3 The team looks more balanced
Having made a number of questionable purchases over the last few seasons, Barcelona finally seem to have gotten it right while balancing in the right mix across all segments, which has made them more formidable than recent years.
The midfield has always been the strength of Barca, but they had lost their former stranglehold, following the departure of Xavi and decline of Iniesta, but the purchase of Arthur Melo from Gremio in Brazil was a masterstroke, as the 22-year-old has slotted in seamlessly into the heart of the Blaugrana midfield, drawing comparisons from Xavi himself over his composure and distribution on the ball.
Arturo Vidal is also another buy which though raised some few eyebrows (this writer included) has made sense in the long run, as the Chilean has added bite and industry to the formerly pedestrian Barca midfield.
Clement Lenglet has also been phenomenal at the heart of defense (despite some early blips) and helped cover for the absence of Samuel Umtiti, while in attack, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho would provide enough firepower to augment the efforts of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
All in all, Barcelona's squad looks really balanced, ably complemented in all departments and this is a factor which could see them triumph in their quest for success on all fronts.
#2 The Ousmane Dembele factor
A €105m signing from Borussia Dortmund, Dembele was brought in as a replacement for PSG-bound Neymar, with Barcelona having seemingly been impressed with his displays in his sole season with BVB in the Bundesliga.
The Frenchman had a horrible debut season, with injury limiting his impact and meaning that Barcelona fans did not get to see the best of their former record signing.
Despite his setback early on, Dembele was still a part of Didier Deschamps' French World Cup winning team and he returned to Spain with a World Cup winner's medal around his neck.
That did not stop the club from bringing in Malcom in controversial circumstances from Bordeaux in what was seen as a sign that Dembele was on his way out of the club.
As it happened, the 21-year-old remained at the club and began the season in impressive fashion, scoring the winner in the Spanish Super Cup as well as netting in three consecutive La Liga fixtures.
It soon went south for the Frenchman however, as he faced disciplinary issues over his dietary choices as well as keeping late nights and turning up for training late or not showing up at all.
As a result of his misdemeanor, the club fined him a sum of €100,000, while he was also chastised by senior members of the squad as well as his national team and club coaches.
Their criticisms had the desired effect, as Dembele has turned the table in his favor, putting in emphatic performances since then which is worthy of his talents such that the club's record signing Philippe Coutinho is struggling to get game time at the moment, leading to speculation that the Brazilian could be on his way out of the club.
Dembele at his peak is one of the most explosive players in the world, possessing the key to unlock any defense in the world and if he is to maintain this form, he could prove to be the difference maker in Barca's quest for a first treble since 2015.
#1 Lionel Messi
Arguably the greatest player the sport has ever seen, Lionel Messi has set standards in a manner never seen before and has long since established himself as a genuine legend of the game, standing heads and shoulders (alongside Ronaldo) above every other player in his generation.
The Argentine has been the premier player of the last decade and his numerous awards (both individual and collective) are indicative of how dominant he has been.
However, the 31-year-old has suffered a drought in terms of individual accolades in the last three years, with the heights of it coming last year where he even failed to make a podium finish at any of the three major individual awards.
In typical Messi fashion, the Rosario native has not said anything about the awards snub, preferring instead to do his talking on the field and what a statement he has made. The little magician almost seems to be on a one-man mission to reclaim his status as the best in the world and has put in the performances to match those lofty ambitions.
La Pulga Atomica sits top of the scorer's charts in LaLiga, with 16 goals, while also adding a further 10 assists from just 16 Primera Division matches. He is also at it in the Champions League, having scored six goals and laid on three for his teammates from just four matches on the continent.
Lionel Messi has been a difference maker throughout his career and Barcelona have been immensely lucky to have had him within their ranks and with him in beast mode, there is almost no stopping them in their quest for total domination this season.
