The most successful club in the 2014-15 season, Barcelona broke many records on their way to a Treble. The club is high on confidence with most players settling into their role quite easily. They played some exciting football last season and were a treat to watch when at their best as they were tormenting the best of defenses in Europe. They will go into the next season wanting to continue their form and will have their eye on being the first team to complete a treble twice in two years.
In this article, we will take a look at what makes FCB one of the strongest teams and also its weaknesses that they will have to work on before the start of the season in August. We have also included a round up of the transfer activity of the club in this transfer window.
Strengths:
The front line of Messi, Neymar and Suarez scored an astonishing 120 goals between them and helped their team to the league title, Champions League title and also the Copa Del Rey title. They looked unstoppable at times with all the three complementing each other. They just ran through the defenses and were scoring for fun. We can expect a similar performance by the trio in the up-coming season.
Behind the trio, Rakitic, Iniesta and Xavi were effective last season. The club lost Xavi in the window who retired from the club but have bought Arda Turan from Atletico Madrid who is already proven in the Spanish league. So the possession based football that is so successful for the club will continue even in the next season.
Weaknesses:
For a team who won a treble the previous season, there should not be too many weaknesses. But Barcelona are one of the most vulnerable sides at the back when under pressure. Gerrard Pique, Mascherano and Mathieu were all used in the previous season but were not solid enough for a club of Barca’s stature. They will have to improve a bit on their defensive stability next season if they want to repeat the previous season’s heroics.
The club is also weak at set pieces at both ends of the field. Though Pique seems to be a huge presence on the field, the team as a whole is weak in the air and is always troubled by balls hanging in the air. They have to set it right and start defending set pieces better which will make the team near invincible.
Transfer Round up:
The team have kept the in-doubt full back Dani Alves at the club with a new contract but have lost Martin Montoya to Inter Milan and Xavi to Al-Sadd Doha. They have bought in Arda Turan in the midfield and have also bought A. Song from West Ham. Gerrard Deulofeu will play for Everton next season after a 6 million transfer.
Pedro Rodriguez the no 7 in the team seems to be unsettled and is understood to have asked the management for a transfer away from the club. Top Premier League clubs are monitoring him and are ready to meet his buy-out clause. With not enough game time, Luiz Enrique may just loose the winger if a proper bid is made. It will be a huge blow to the club.
It is hard to beat a team with these many stars but Barcelona have often found themselves a bit short against disciplined teams in La Liga. They will want to be able to break defenses with ease in the next season and will want to produce a repeat of the 2014-15 season.