2023 is coming to an end and the one word that best
describes FC Barcelona during this calendar year would be inconsistent. The
highs and lows, on the field and off the field, by the Blaugrana was still
rewarding enough to witness the club become league champions again. Will 2024
be any different?
Barça kicked off 2023 with a bang following their
impressive success of capturing the Supercopa de España in Saudi Arabia. From
that moment, the tide had shifted for Xavi and his players as they enjoyed a
memorable second half of the season in La Liga en route to winning their 27th
league crown. Their elimination in the Copa del Rey by Real Madrid did sting
but there were high hopes for the upcoming 2023-2024 season.
The summer was full of uncertainty regarding who was
coming and leaving the club, players and sporting directors. Eventually, the
club did well in the transfer window, but the club’s league form was shaky.
After 18 matches, the Blaugrana find themselves in 4th place, 7
points behind league leaders Real Madrid. However, the club did finally manage
to overcome their past struggles of advancing from the Champions League group
stages.
2023 can be best described as a yo-yo season or a
roller coaster season for the Blaugrana; full of ups and downs. Injuries and
some bad coaching decisions by Xavi have played a role in the club’s
inconsistency, but interference from the board about who plays, and the
manager’s future is not helping either. Certain players not delivering are also
to blame for the inconsistency.
Here’s hoping Barça will usher in the new year with
vast improvement on and off the pitch for the club. Vitor Roque will be a new
face for the Blaugrana faithful, and hopefully they will be patient with the
Brazilian starlet as he adjusts to a new club, a new league and a new
continent. It all kicks off on January 4th, 2024, when Barca travel
to the Canary Islands to face Las Palmas. We shall see if this will be a start
to a beautiful year.
Take care and have a safe New Year celebration and may
2024 brings us lots of happiness, victories and wonderful memories.
The 2022-2023 season just concluded and our beloved Barça managed to recapture the league title for the 27’th time. Barça’s resurgence under Xavi continued when they succeeded in winning the league crown and the Spanish Supercopa; Xavi’s first success as Barça’s manager. The disappointment in Europe and Copa del Rey can’t erase the jubilation of witnessing the Blaugrana become winners again. So, as we enjoy the summer break and get distracted by transfer rumors, it’s time to hand out the awards.
MVP: Ronald Araújo
The 2022-2023 season saw many Blaugrana players shine as Barca captured the league crown again. Marc-André ter Stegen was phenomenal in goal and won the Zamora award and Robert Lewandowski won the Pichichi award for being the league’s top goal scorer. However, the player deserving of the player of the season is none other than Ronald Araújo. With the Blaugrana looking shaky at the back in recent history, it was a pleasant surprise to see their defense shine this season domestically. The additions of Andreas Christensen and Jules Koundé were a welcome addition to the club. Yet, Ronald Araújo excelled as the leader of the back line played a part in the club only conceding twenty goals all season long. His presence benefitted ter Stegen and bailed out the offense during those 1-0 victories when the offense failed to find the insurance goal. Here’s hoping the 24-year-old Uruguayan defender continues to shine and join the ranks of other Barca legends, Puyol and Pique.
Best Goal: Robert Lewandowski against Real Valladolid
It’s never easy to pick the goal of the season and there were some good choices this season. Raphinha’s header goal against Osasuna for the late winner is a solid contender for Best Goal. However, Robert Lewandowski’s backheel goal against Real Valladolid was my pick for the best goal. When Lewandowski scored that goal, many were left dumbfounded by what had just happened. At first, people were confused as to how he scored, and then were curious if it was by accident. But upon further review, Lewandowski knew what he was doing, and he pulled off a memorable goal that will be remembered for many years to come.
Best Assist: Busquets to Raphinha against Real Betis
Although Raphinha didn’t win Best Goal, he was on the receiving end of the Best Assist of the season. It was a close call between his header goal against Valencia or his header goal against Osasuna. Busquets and Frenkie de Jong both delivered exquisite long balls for the Brazilian to nod in with his head. But it was the Busquets assist to Raphinha against Real Betis that sealed it for me. The legendary Busquets provided us with many memorable assists over the years, and his final season with the club provided us the Best Assist of the season.
Best Game: 3-1 vs Real Madrid in Supercopa Final
Although it was marred by conceding two goals and the crowd trouble afterwards, FC Barcelona defeating Espanyol 2-4 on their home turf was one of the best performances by the club during this season. However, the Best Game of this season was Barca’s 3-1 victory over Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa Final. The Blaugrana were just so dominant in that game that changed the team’s fortune. Following that result, the tide had turned, and Barcelona played with confidence in the second half of the season that saw them capture the league crown.
Best Transfer: Andreas Christensen
This season saw new arrivals such as Franck Kessié, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Jules Koundé, Héctor Bellerín, Marcos Alonso and Pablo Torre. Many were great, some were decent and others we hardly saw. An argument can be made that Lewandowski was the best signing after winning the Pichichi in his debut season, but the Best Transfer was the Danish defender, Andreas Christensen. Christensen, and his partner Araújo, played a key role in improving the Blaugrana backline which carried the team at times when the offense struggled to score. Hopefully the 27-year-old will continue to shine for many more years to come with Araújo by his side.
Most Improved Player: Marc-André ter Stegen
Frenkie de Jong had a great season for FC Barcelona, and reminded fans why he was so highly rated when he was signed back in 2019. However, Most Improved Player has to be Marc-André ter Stegen. There were concerns that ter Stegen had lost a step following his injuries and poor performance. Thankfully, Marc-André ter Stegen reminded us of the MAtS of old with his performances this season. He had the highest save percentage in La Liga with 84.7% and ended up winning the Zamora award and tied the record for most clean sheets in La Liga.
Best Youth Player: Alejandro Balde
With Pedri and Gavi shining the last two seasons, it was refreshing to see a new kid on the block. Alejandro Balde was entrusted by Xavi to replace the legendary Jordi Alba as the club’s starting left back. The 19-year-old did not disappoint, and we look forward to seeing him grow and be part of the backline for many years to come.
Most Disappointing Player: Eric García
When Eric García arrived from Manchester City in 2021, many thought he was a steal and fans were reminiscent of Pique’s arrival from the English Premier League. Unfortunately, Eric and Barcelona struggled whenever he started on the team’s backline and it’s no surprise that the team’s performance improved after he was benched. Xavi even tried him out as a defensive midfielder, but he failed to impress. It appears that his time at the club is coming to an end.
Worst Transfer: Héctor Bellerín
Héctor Bellerín came as a free transfer and there was hope he could be the solution to the right back. Instead, we hardly saw him, and he left the club during the winter transfer window.
Here's to a better campaign for 2023-2024. Visca el Barça!
Barça finally end four years of frustration by capturing their 27thleague title. Unlike some of the recent league titles, this triumph was a complete team effort. The next step is to improve in Europe but the signs indicate that the team is heading in the right direction.
Barça fully deserved their 27th league title. Their performance throughout the season was superb. Was the quality of the clubs in La Liga average this season? Sure, but that’s not Barça’s fault. They play who is front of them and they still got the job done. Their defensive record was remarkable in the Spanish league while also displaying gritty character to grind out numerous 1-0 wins, which at times had us hyperventilating.
What made this league title so remarkable was that this was the first one that Barça has won in this century without Lionel Messi. The last couple of league titles felt as though Messi singlehandedly won it for Barça. This one though was a total team effort reliant on many players who shone at different times during the year.
We saw a team where the old guard and new guard contributed in this team’s success. Sergio Busquets still showed some flashes of magic in his final season at the club while youngsters such as Alejandro Balde, Gavi and Pedri rose to the occasion. In goal, Marc-André ter Stegen reminded us of the MAtS that shone for the club in the past. He won the Zamora award and tied the record for most clean sheets in La Liga and also had the highest save percentage in La Liga with 84.7%. Ronald Araújo became the leader of the back line while new additions Jules Koundé and Andreas Christensen also impressed in their debut season and played a part in the club only conceding twenty goals all season long.
Robert Lewandowski had an impressive debut for the Blaugrana by winning the Pichichi trophy thanks to being on fire in the first half of the season with his goals. When he fizzled in the second half of the season, Raphinha stepped up and scored the key goals to keep the title hopes alive. Frenkie de Jong reminded everyone of his class after Xavi figured out a starting eleven that worked for Busquets, Frenkie, Pedri and Gavi. Even Ousmane Dembélé, Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres, Franck Kessié, and Jordi Alba had their moments this season that played a part in this league success.
A special mention goes out to the manager Xavier “Xavi” Hernández. Xavi had to manage this team and deal with so many issues and distractions. Xavi had to prepare for a season without knowing which player was going to be signed and registered before certain matches. He had to deal with the sudden retirement of Gerard Piqué halfway through the season, and made the brave decision to bench Jordi Alba for Balde. Meanwhile, Xavi had to do his job while also being bombarded with questions about levers and signings, the Negreira scandal, and about Messi. Yet, he shouldered the burden and showed he was the right man for the job.
This season was not as easy as the final standings would indicate. Barça had their ups and downs. They won the league and the Supercopa de España final. Sure, their early exits in the UEFA Champions League and Europa league coupled with their elimination in the Copa del Rey by Real Madrid were major disappointments, where you some blame can be attributed to bad luck and unfortunate injuries. However, it takes time to build a winner, and president Joan Laporta should know that; after all, Barça won their second Champions League title in the third year of Laporta’s regime. Next season will not be easy, so as we celebrate this successful season, we should also expect Barça to continue to improve and challenge for all trophies for many years to come.
