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After slumping to third place in La Liga for the first time since 2008, Barcelona started preparations for the 2021-22 season with a bang. In the span of two months, the Catalans announced the arrival of four first-team players along with the addition of some exciting talents to the B team.
However, proceedings derailed soon after when it was revealed that Lionel Messi would be ending his 21-year stay with Barcelona due to regulations imposed by La Liga. To pile on their difficulties, their latest signings are yet to be registered with the club. In hindsight, the Spanish stalwarts are currently backed up in a tight corner, to say the least.
Barcelona's recent record in La Liga
The past few years have brought a lot of firsts for Barcelona and not in a good way. The 26-time La Liga champions finished out of the top two for the first time in 12 years. This year also marked the first time since the 2007-08 season that Barcelona have gone more than a year without claiming the league title.
Having stated that, the Blaugrana are also the only team to have finished in the top spot, as many as 10 times in the last 16 years. The domestic dominance exuded by Barcelona in the presence of rivals like Real Madrid is truly inspirational. Despite their last La Liga triumph occurring under Ernesto Valverde back in 2019, the Catalan giants undoubtedly possess the lineage to reclaim the coveted trophy, even at their lowest points.
Considering their obvious might, here are 5 reasons as to why Barcelona can shock everyone by winning the 2021-22 La Liga title:
#5 A dynamic presidential change
Ever since winning the elusive Champions League trophy in 2015, Barcelona have spiraled on a consistent downward trajectory, falling to new lows season after season. Under the reign of Josep Bartomeu, the club abandoned their core ideals of trusting routine over flamboyance and instead focussed on the 'Galacticos' approach of squad-building. With no structured planning for the future, coupled with absurd monetary decisions, the La Liga giants find themselves in a financial mess.
However, within five months of re-election, Joan Laporta has shown much more dynamism than his predecessor could ever muster in the span of six years. Laporta, who oversaw the most glittering period in Barcelona's history, has already displayed his astute sense of business. The 58-year-old Spaniard re-negotiated terms with multiple employees to lower their bloated wages, offered to them by the previous regime.
In lieu of keeping their heads down, Joan Laporta has come out all-guns-blazing, making numerous crucial decisions in quick succession. Laporta recently secured a €500 million credit line with investment giant Goldman Sachs, much of which will be used to settle the pending loans and unpaid wages.
With his apparent passion for the club, the Catalan politician has the adept mindset to bring Barcelona to their former glory. Laporta's success in administration could uplift the entire squad, who can thrive on the pitch as a result.
#4 Struggles of their closest rivals
The 2020-21 season brought many heavyweight clubs to their knees, including the likes of Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and, most devastatingly, Barcelona. Nevertheless, overshadowed by their rivals' plight, Real Madrid also displayed the emergence of some deep-rooted cracks in the team's management.
Under club-legend Zinedine Zidane, Los Blancos became unstoppable on the continental stage, winning nine trophies in his first spell at the club. However, his second spell could not curtain the lack of squad depth as well as the over-reliance on past-their-prime players.
As a result, Real Madrid could only muster 25 wins during the 2020-21 La Liga campaign, including an embarrassing Copa del Rey defeat to second-tier minnows Alcoyano.
With both of their first-choice center-backs, namely Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, leaving for greener pastures in the same window, Madrid are more vulnerable than ever. Even current La Liga champions Atletico Madrid experienced a title-threatening slump towards the end of the season. If Barcelona play their cards right, winning the Spanish top-flight in 2022 could be a reasonable target for Blaugrana.
Also read: Firsts and lasts for Lionel Messi at Barcelona
#3 Ronald Koeman's desire for redemption
Following abysmal results in the Champions League, La Liga as well as the Copa del Rey, Barcelona sacked then-manager Quique Setien just seven months after his appointment. Without spending much time, the Barca hierarchy granted the elusive job to former legend Ronald Koeman, to fans' dismay.
The Dutch player-turned-coach has had average managing spells at Valencia, Southampton and Everton prior to his nomination as Barcelona boss. Not much was expected from the 58-year-old coach, but Koeman managed to steady the ship under immense pressure. He even guided Barcelona to their 31st Spanish cup triumph in his debut season.
Subject to much of the fans' scrutiny and speculation, Koeman has at least one more season to prove his worth. He has shown that he is not afraid to experiment with the squad and commands the team as a manager should.
Koeman has the obvious benefit of this being his second season at the club's helm, when new managers usually produce much more success. The Dutch leader is very much capable of bringing the La Liga title to Camp Nou, provided he gets his formations right.
#2 Minimal expectations in the Champions League
After suffering consecutive humiliations on the European grandstand, Barcelona were dumped out of the Champions League last season by Paris Saint-Germain. The La Liga giants were comprehensively beaten in the round-of-16 phase, bowing out of the tournament in the first knockout stage for the first time in 14 years.
Subsequently, Barcelona have lost their status as one of the favorites to win the UCL title, at least for the time being. However, with less pressure to perform on the continental front, the Catalan giants can focus most of their resources to win silverware at the domestic level.
Even if Barcelona crash out of the prestigious competition relatively early in the 2021-22 season, such a result would hardly be considered a disaster, considering their current predicament.
Therefore, this could in turn be a blessing in disguise. With more rest and motivation to succeed, the Blaugrana can aim to fabricate a formidable La Liga campaign, restoring their supremacy in Spain.
#1 Barcelona's transfer deals ahead of La Liga season
Having spent a colossal €1.05b on transfer fees since securing their fifth Champions League title in 2015, Barcelona find themselves engulfed in debts towering over the billion dollar mark. But if the current transfer window is anything to go by, things under Joan Laporta seem to be taking a turn in the right direction.
The audacious president has managed to land four first-team players, with three of them costing a combined fee of zero. While Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero bring some much-needed quality to the attack, the return of Eric Garcia will only strengthen Barcelona's shaky defense.
The shrewd capture of Emerson Royal, for an embarrassingly low fee of €9m takes the cherry, bolstering the defensive flanks with some necessary depth.
Moreover, the surprise acquisition of 18-year-old Yusuf Demir for the B-team is looking like the perfect deal for the future, with the young Austrian impressing greatly in Barcelona's pre-season.
Despite the departure of Lionel Messi and the injury to Sergio Aguero, Barcelona will feel they have made the right acquisitions to be serious contenders for the La Liga title.
Also read: Top 5 attackers in La Liga (August 2021)
