Can anyone stop Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar?
Considering the stupendous performances delivered by Barca’s front-three in the second half of last season, which resulted in the Catalans winning everything, that question is by far the biggest to ponder as we head into the new La Liga campaign.
Barca are not, of course, just a three-man team, with players such as Dani Alves, Ivan Rakitic and Gerard Pique also playing a fundamental role in their phenomenal success last season. But the front three were simply unstoppable, rapidly establishing a mutual understanding which allowed them to make the very most of their awesome individual talents and register an outlandish combined total of 122 goals – even though Suarez didn’t play until late October.
There has already been an early indication that this season will be no different, with Barca somehow managing to overcome a series of wretched defensive mistakes to win the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla solely thanks to their star forward line, with Messi and Suarez either scoring or assisting all five goals.
While Barca will be hoping that the new campaign delivers more of the same, it has been a summer of change in the capital city as their two main rivals – Real and Atletico Madrid – seek to up their games.
At the Bernabeu, incoming boss Rafa Benitez has a mighty task on his hands to effect a greater level of consistency than his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti could achieve. The quality of Real’s squad is without question, but the question which Ancelotti was never fully able to resolve was how to mould them into a smoothly functioning team unit. The challenge of accommodating so many gifted attacking players into the same team, especially when many of them like to operate in similar areas, will stretch even the refined tactical brain of Benitez.
Ancelotti’s oft-repeated but rarely resolved quest for balance will continue under the new coach, who will find patience in short supply from supporters sceptical about his appointment in the first place.
– Football: Egypt star Mohamed Elneny dreams of Barca move
– AGL: Al Ahli boss Cosmin keeps cards close to his chest
– Mateo Kovacic: Real's new wonderkid out to fulfil potential
– #360view: John Terry change shows Chelsea need new blood
Specific questions that Benitez will have to solve are where Cristiano Ronaldo will line up, which two of James Rodriguez, Isco and Gareth Bale will play and where, and how to carry out the necessary work in defensive midfield whilst still fielding his Galactico forwards.
A few miles down the road, Atletico boss Diego Simeone is overseeing a significantly changed squad following an intriguing summer.
Atletico’s new strike force of Argentine rising star Luciano Vietto, proven Colombian goalscorer Jackson Martinez and last season’s sensation Antoine Griezmann looks mouth-watering, with old hand Fernando Torres also available to shake things up when required. If Simeone can succeed in allowing his forward line to express themselves without losing any of the organisation or defensive prowess for which Atletico are renowned, they might just launch another serious challenge.
Elsewhere, Valencia and Sevilla will hope to pounce upon any weaknesses exhibited by the big three but both face tough campaigns for different reasons.
Sevilla have lost some key players, with the departure of striker Carlos Bacca hitting especially hard, and although they have recruited serious quality in the form of Yevhen Konoplyanka, they will find it tough to maintain the consistency needed to threaten the top three. The same applies to Valencia, who made enormous strides last year under Nuno but could suffer from second season syndrome as they look to make the necessary improvements to become contenders.
At the bottom, Eibar are overwhelming candidates for the drop after a fortunate reprieve thanks to Elche’s financial demotion, but a widespread parity in (lack of) spending power should ensure the rest of the division is extremely competitive.
