Barça’s first half of the season is nearly over with two league matches left to go, Elche today and Atlético Madrid next weekend, and they have to be happy thus far. After capturing the Supercopa and defeating Real Madrid, Barça are fighting neck and neck with Atlético Madrid for the league crown and are still in contention for the domestic and European cup. However, the second half of the season presents a significant challenge and hopefully Barça will be up for it.
Tata Martino’s first season as Barça manager has been outstanding so far with the minor hiccups here and there, especially with the lengthy absence of Messi. They already captured the Supercopa and qualified to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. They are also still in contention for the Copa del Rey crown while enjoying being league leaders ahead of Atlético by a better goal differential for the past few weeks.
Barça are still in contention for the treble but if they are not careful, they can find themselves knocked out of the Champions League and Copa del Rey by March. Their opponents in the Champions League are none other than Manchester City. Their opponents in Copa del Rey will consist of Getafe and then the winner of the Levante/Rayo Vallecano tie if they get that far, so they cannot afford any hiccups.
However, challenges await Barça that are reminiscent of the 2006-2007 season. Furthermore, Neymar also has the tough challenge of not joining the ranks of other new Barça signings who have struggled in the second half of their debut season. Barça should hope to learn from their past mistakes or be doomed to repeat history.
The last time Barça was involved in a 3 horse race for the league title was back in 2006-2007. Back then, they battled Real Madrid and Sevilla with Los Blancos capturing the title on the final day of the season. Barça were league leaders halfway through the season through a better goal differential yet finished in second place. Will history repeat itself and Barça succumb towards the end of the finish line and allow Atlético Madrid or Real Madrid to capture the league crown?
Likewise, Barça were eliminated at the first knockout stage of the 2006-2007 Champions League. Back then, they faced an English Premier League team, Liverpool and were eliminated thanks to a careless defensive mistake. Gifting goals has been Barça’s Achilles heel this season and will Manchester City be the first English team to knock them out of this stage since Liverpool did?
Finally, it has been a struggle for players to adapt to Barça upon arrival. History has shown us that some great players struggle to after joining Barça. Notable names such as Mark Hughes, Hagi, Thuram, Baia, Petit, Litmanen, Zambrotta, and Ibrahimovic came with a great resumes and reputations and left the club without much fanfare. Cesc and Ibrahimovic are perfect examples of players who kicked off their careers with Barça with an impressive debut in the first half of the season before disappointing in the second half of the season.
Neymar has impressed many with his 11 goals and 10 assists thus far, but will he be able to duplicate or exceed those numbers in the second half of the season? History does not favor him but he controls his destiny and those pages in the history books are still blank. Tata Martino, Neymar and the club have a difficult second half ahead of them where their pursuit of the treble will be harsher with tougher opponents and less breathing room. Obviously, the backlash will be fierce if Barça stumble along the way. Hopefully everyone will avoid repeating history and rise to the occasion.
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