Five reasons why Barcelona will win the Champions League trophy this season
The 9th of March will undoubtedly go down in history for Barcelona’s incredible comeback win against PSG and the eventual progression to the Champions League quarter-finals. Statisticians, pundits and probably a few players themselves had written off the Catalan giants, and it is a testament to the ethos of the club in the way they came despite the odds.
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Despite going on to lose the game following the tie against Deprotivo, there is no denying the fact that they are on an upward curve, as was evident in their performance against a very good Valencia side in the La Liga. Their next rivals in the Champions League might be the mighty Juventus, but Barcelona will have the favourites tag dangling around their necks from among the last eight clubs left in the competition.
#1 Luis Enrique’s announcement timing
Luis Enrique was under pressure throughout this season. His work off the field has been criticized at almost each juncture of the season, or whenever the Blaugrana had a negative result.
So it was expected that there will be a re-thinking process involved at the end of the season at the home of the Spanish champions. His contract ended this year, and speculation grew since January. The first leg result put things on the over-boil and pushed the former Roma coach off the hot seat, and confirmed perhaps his imminent exit from the club.
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The results since then have shown that it is an inspired decision, with one ever since and have taken over from Real Madrid at the helm of the La Liga table. Gone is the ponderous football, and gone is the underperformance of his star players, and has been replaced with renewed vigor and vibrancy.
He has even decided to change the system that Barcelona essentially played with for the best part of the last decade, employing a back three which has taken the wheels off the fullbacks and the midfielders who are much more comfortable going forward than defending their box.
It’s still early days, but Luis Enrique perhaps made the announcement with the hope of reinvigorating his squad, and in the short term it looks like the perfect decision at the most opportune timing.