The 2013-2014 season just concluded and our beloved Barça competed for four cups. In the end, they succeeded in winning the first one out of the four competitions they competed for; the Supercopa. After an impressive first half of the season, Barça ended the season on a sour note by getting eliminated in the Champions League Quarter-Finals stages to Atlético Madrid, losing to Real Madrid in Copa del Rey final and failing to retain the league crown at home on the final day of the season. So, as we enjoy the summer break and get distracted with the upcoming World Cup before another season is upon us, it’s time to hand out the awards.
MVP: Messi.
It’s easy to say we have been spoilt by Messi’s performances over the year. Most players would dream to have a season like the one Messi did. True, Messi’s season was not as superb as his other seasons but this man still put in a great season. Sadly, he, and the rest of the team looked sluggish, as they did the last two seasons, down the stretch. However, Messi played a huge role in making sure this team was still fighting in the final months of the season.
His final stats for the 2013-2014 season were 41 goals from 46 matches. Yet, there were some who wanted to sell the legendary player becuase of this season. Here’s hoping next season, and many more seasons, will give us more of Messi’s magic with great triumphs.
Best Goal: Alexis vs Real Madrid.
Perhaps his goal against Atlético last week was better but the bitter result made me choose this one. It was one of those flashes of brilliance from Alexis that we have been waiting more out of the Chilean international. Neymar provided Alexis with the through ball and Alexis got by Pepe before chipping it sublimely over Diego Lopez who was far off his line. It was the insurance goal that the team needed to ensure the victory.
Best Assist: Neymar to Alexis vs Espanyol.
These were some good choices for this category. Messi to Iniesta for the opening goal in El Clásico in Madrid and Iniesta’s through ball to Neymar against Atlético in the Champions League are some of the most memorable ones. Heck, the best pass we saw all season long was Messi’s through ball to Neymar in El Clásico that resulted in a penalty. However, the best one was Neymar’s effort against Espanyol where he managed to nutmeg two players for Alexis to time his run perfectly and direct it on goal. Hope we see more of that next year.
Best Game: Getafe 2-5 FC Barcelona
This was an easy choice for me. This was one of the most memorable games of the season along with the two Clásico wins. This one stood out for me for two reasons. It was a great comeback by the team that was without Valdés, Messi and Neymar, and found themselves down 2-0 after 15 minutes. It looked hopeless yet these guys battled back through a Pedro hat trick before the halftime whistle and then Cesc scored a brace in the second half for a 2-5 win. This was the game were the guys battled hard when they didn’t have their best weapons and showed guts and determination. Unfortunately, this match also stood out because it exposed Barça’s weaknesses that would plague them the rest of the season.
Best Youth Player: Bartra
For two years, I have been campaigning for this young player to get valuable playing time. Well, he sure got his minutes this season under Tata Martino. I want to say it was by merit but it was because the club failed to buy defenders for depth and because of injuries to Puyol, Pique and Mascherano. In the end, Bartra made 30 appearances and even scored two goals, one of them coming in the Copa del Rey final while he played on one good leg. Sadly, the Bale goal afterwards took away much of that brave performance. Nevertheless, he played well when he was fit and hurt and here’s hoping Luis Enrique doesn’t ignore come next season.
Most Disappointing Player: Neymar.
This was supposed to be the Cesc award after I awarded him this award the last two seasons. We have now seen back to back to back seasons where Cesc puts in a great performance in the first half of the season and then disappears down the stretch. However, Neymar earned this one with his own dreadful second half performance after the winter break. The goals, the assists, the scoring chances all but disappeared after the new year.
Was it because of the injuries, the controversy surrounding his transfer that saw his price tag almost reach 100 million euros and saw Sandro Rosell resign as club president? Was it the expectations that came with the new price tag? It didn’t help that he returned from Brazil supposedly out of shape and began to play his way and not the team way. Neymar’s price tag brought a lot of expectations and pressure which will only increase come next season after what Gareth Bale did with Real Madrid this season. As Shakespeare once wrote, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."
Here's to a better campaign for 2014-2015. Visca el Barça!
No comments:
Post a Comment