Barcelona, under the guidance of coach Xavi Hernandez, reclaimed their 27th LaLiga title last season after a four-year gap. The team’s success was attributed to a blend of young talents and seasoned veterans, with striker Robert Lewandowski (34) leading the charge as the league’s top scorer.
To strengthen their squad, Barcelona brought in experienced midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who captained Manchester City to an impressive treble in the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.
Gundogan’s leadership will be valuable in mentoring the young players as Barcelona aims to defend their LaLiga crown and make a mark in the Champions League after years of European disappointments.
While their domestic campaign was remarkable, Barcelona faced challenges off the field, including financial issues and a refereeing scandal that may have prolonged implications.
However, UEFA has provisionally cleared the club to participate in this season’s Champions League despite ongoing investigations.
Despite selling club legend Lionel Messi due to financial constraints, Barcelona remains ambitious about their European ambitions.
With a renovated Camp Nou on the horizon and talented players like Pedri, Gavi, Ronald Araujo, Luuk De Jong, and Jules Kounde, Xavi has reasons to be optimistic about the team’s future.
The arrival of Gundogan and the consistency of Lewandowski, along with the reliability of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, will be crucial for Barcelona to stay competitive within LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play rules and vie for success in both domestic and European competitions.
But he suffered a big blow last week with news of the imminent departure of French winger Ousmane Dembele who is joining Paris St Germain.
Barcelona begin their LaLiga defence on Sunday in the Spanish capital against Getafe and although the fans are still celebrating last season’s romp to the title, there is plenty for them to be concerned about.