Barcelona wrapped up the Spanish title with four games to spare with an action-packed 4-2 win over Deportivo La Coruna which also relegated the hosts.
The triumph – Barca’s seventh league in 10 years – sets up a festive celebration for their next game, which just happens to be next Sunday night’s home Clasico against Real Madrid.
Here are the talking points from Barca’s title-winning night.
Barca’s brave new world?
With Andres Iniesta confined to the bench with a minor injury, Barca were given a glimpse of how their future may look following the veteran skipper’s departure at the end of the season as manager Ernesto Valverde selected both Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho.
It was only the seventh time the two big-money signings had started together, but they didn’t take long to catch the eye as Barca went ahead after six minutes when Dembele’s neat pass found Coutinho and the former Liverpool man produced a slick finish into the left-hand corner.
Costing a combined total of nearly 300 million euros, those two players will be expected to play a much bigger role next season and Barca will hope this goal was a sign of things to come in the post-Iniesta world.
Coutinho, in particular, looks sure to have a big role to play next season. He was excellent in an attacking sense but he left Jordi Alba badly isolated defensively. But although Dembele clearly has a lot of talent, he needs to cut out his tendency of conceding possession cheaply.
GOAL ⚽️ @Dembouz cuts the ball back to @Phil_Coutinho who supplies the perfect finish! @FCBarcelona lead.#LaLiga #DeporBarca pic.twitter.com/U3qtH21yn6
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) April 29, 2018
Messi and Suarez still shining
If the opener was a peek into the future, the remaining goals were an old school combination as Luis Suarez registered a hat-trick of assists with his best pal Lionel Messi finishing the job on each occasion.
The two South American stars have now scored a combined total of 55 league goals this season, more than 15 teams in the Primera Division, and they will undoubtedly continue to play the major part next season – irrespective of how much Dembele and Coutinho contribute or whether Antoine Griezmann is snapped up in the summer transfer market.
Messi’s opening strike made him the first player in La Liga history to net at least 30 goals in seven different seasons, and his consistent excellence both as a scorer and creator means this campaign will be remembered as one of his very best. And his move back into a deeper position behind Suarez – a less physically demanding position than his previous role on the right flank – suggests he still has plenty more years ahead of him. For the sake of football, let’s hope so…
In October, Lionel Messi had a hat trick that helped Argentina qualify for the World Cup.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 29, 2018
Today, Messi had a hat trick that helped @FCBarcelona clinch their 25th La Liga title - their 6th in the last 9 years pic.twitter.com/BYVZ4pAK8G
Relegation battle settled early
Deportivo’s defeat means that La Liga’s relegation battle has been settled unusually early, with the Galician club dropping down to the second tier along with already-relegated Las Palmas and Malaga.
With the top four places also long decided – sending Barca, Real and Atletico Madrid and Valencia into the Champions League – the only outstanding business now over La Liga’s remaining few weeks is the race for Europa League qualification. Villarreal and surprise package Real Betis are currently in pole position, with Sevilla, Girona, Getafe, Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo also in the hunt.
But by far the biggest note of interest over the last few games will be whether Barca can avoid defeat in their final four games to become the first team ever to stay unbeaten for an entire season in La Liga.
