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SÁB 14.05.2016 | News

FC Barcelona, champions of the Liga BBVA 2015/16

The side managed by Luis Enrique crowned themselves champions for the 24th time on beating Granada CF.

News

SÁB 14.05.2016

Nuevo Los Carmenes stadium. 90th minute. The scoreline stands at 2-0. FC Barcelona have done it again. It was not quite so easy this time around, but the Azulgranas are champions of LaLiga once more. After 38 matchdays, Luis Enrique's side finish on 91 points, having scored 112 goals and conceded 29. These are the figures reflecting Barça's success, allowing them to defend the title which they won last season against Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon.

Having been crowned champions last term, the Azulgranas were naturally among the favourites for this season's title. There was no shortage of factors backing this status. To name but one, or three depending on how you see it, the MSN. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar have been instrumental in their team's successful defence of their throne. Their stats speak volumes: for instance, after Liga BBVA Matchday 20, the trio had scored 44 of Barça's 50 league goals up to that point.

However, it has not been a procession to the title by any means. There have been several differences between this season and last time out. Last term, Luis Enrique's charges sealed the deal with a game to spare. What's more, they chalked up 22 points from 24 available to kick off the campaign, not conceding a single goal in that run. On this occasion, they had to wait until the final matchday to clinch the crown, with Real Madrid going into their clash away to RC Deportivo at Riazor still in with a shot. What's more, the Catalans lost two of their opening seven fixtures this time round.

RC Celta and Sevilla FC were the clubs that dealt Barcelona these early body blows. Messi and co. were crushed 4-1 at Balaidos and, although they bounced back on the following matchday by beating UD Las Palmas, that victory was marred by the Argentine being forced off with a knee ligament injury after just 10 minutes.

So it was that, without Messi and with their spirits still bruised from their previous away trip, Barça rocked up at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan and duly suffered a second straight defeat on their travels. Goals from Michael Krohn-Dehli and Vicente Iborra cancelled out Neymar's penalty and shattered Barcelona's aura.

However, if there is one thing that the Azulgranas have in spades, it is a winning mentality, one that has seen them stand at the top of world football regularly in recent years. Following these losses to Celta and Sevilla, and with Messi still recovering, Luis Enrique's men strung together six wins on the spin. Particularly significant was their triumph in El Clasico, in which the reigning champs produced a perfect performance, thrashing Real Madrid 4-0 at the Bernabeu courtesy of a Suarez brace and efforts from Neymar and Iniesta. There was even time for Messi to have an encouraging cameo.

With the team – and Messi – firing on all cylinders again, Barcelona went on the rampage and made history. By avenging that earlier reverse against Sevilla with their ninth LaLiga victory in a row on Matchday 26, the Catalans equalled Real Madrid's Spanish record of 34 consecutive fixtures unbeaten in all competitions, set under Leo Beenhakker in 1988/89.

As fate would have it, after Barça made this record theirs alone by extending that undefeated streak to 39 games, it was none other than Madrid who halted their charge at the beginning of April. Gerard Pique put his side ahead, but Karim Benzema equalised and then Cristiano Ronaldo bagged an 85th-minute winner. Los Blancos silenced the Camp Nou and left their arch-rivals reeling, reigniting the title race in the process. Luis Enrique's troops followed up their El Clasico disappointment with a narrow loss away to Real Sociedad, before then succumbing at home to Valencia CF. With three successive defeats, their demons were resurfacing.

After that setback at the hands of Valencia at the Camp Nou, however, Barcelona turned the corner. They racked up 21 goals and kept clean sheets en route to emphatic victories in their next four matches to remain in pole position ahead of the final weekend, with one man head and shoulders above the rest: Suarez. The Uruguayan sharpshooter wrote his name in the history books by becoming the first player ever to score four times in back-to-back Liga BBVA games, against Deportivo and R. Sporting.

Barça rode out their LaLiga rollercoaster with a flourish, the quality of their players and their mental resilience putting them at the summit of Spanish football once again.

However, the Blaugranas did not proclaim themselves champions of LaLiga until the final day of the season. Luis Enrique's men had to face Granada, keeping an eye peeled for what was happening at Riazor, where Real Madrid were taking on RC Deportivo. Barcelona knew that securing the trophy was down to them. With the deadlock still unbroken, Real Madrid went ahead. Los Blancos would win LaLiga as things stood. But then Luis Suarez appeared. A hat-trick by the Uruguayan footballer gave Luis Enrique's men the victory that they needed.

All in all, the Azulgranas have shone across the board. They have been hard to breach defensively, only letting in 29 league goals, with Claudio Bravo between the sticks once more proving that he is one of the top goalkeepers on the planet. Up the other end, it has been another sensational campaign in attack for the club, with the MSN in particular running riot. The trio have notched up 90 of the team's 112 Liga BBVA goals, with Suarez leading the way on 40 – and topping the division's scoring charts ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo –, Messi amassing 26 and Neymar netting 24.

Having been knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals, Barcelona will bid to cap their season with another domestic trophy: they face Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final at the Calderon. For now, though, all that is left to say is: congratulations to the 2015/16 Liga BBVA champions!

 

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