Barcelona are three points clear with a game in hand and have lost just twice all season. Sport360’s Andy West and James Piercy debate whether or not the Catalans can be caught.
Today’s #360Debate is: Can Barcelona be caught in La Liga?
Andy West, La Liga correspondent, says YES
You don’t win titles in February, there are still lots of points to play for and every opponent is dangerous.
Yeah, yeah… we’ve heard it all before. But no matter what Luis Enrique may try to make us – or, more pertinently, his players – believe, the simple fact is this: La Liga’s authorities might as well hand over their trophy to Barcelona now.
Saturday’s victory over Atletico Madrid has made the remainder of the title ‘race’ little more than a one-team procession and a foregone conclusion.
Not only do Barca now hold a three-point lead over Atletico and a four-point advantage over Real Madrid, due to La Liga’s system of splitting tied teams by head-to-head results rather than goal difference, they also effectively have another point over Atletico.
And before the season is through they will claim the same advantage over Real, barring the unimaginable scenario of a five-goal victory for Zinedine Zidane’s team at the Nou Camp in April.
100% - Barcelona won the 100% of the (20) matches when Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored goals. Infalibility. pic.twitter.com/8HSyxuyiQt
— OptaJavier (@OptaJavier) January 30, 2016Oh yes… and there’s also the not particularly small matter of a game in hand, which takes place in a couple of weeks away to Sporting Gijon, where Barca will very probably claim three more points.
Taking those factors into account, then, Barca’s actual lead over the only other title contenders is seven points and eight points – with only 17 games remaining.
And the composition of those 17 games is another reason why the holders will reclaim the title with a fair degree of comfort.
With the exception of the Clasico meeting with Real and a trip to Villarreal in March, Barca have already played their most difficult games this season.
Away trips to Atletico, Real, Celta Vigo, Sevilla, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia and local rivals Espanyol have already been negotiated with varying levels of success, and looking at the remaining opponents for Luis Enrique’s side it is hard to envisage where they will drop many points.
Realistically, the only thing that could derail Barca now is a terrible run of luck with injuries.
But if they can keep Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar healthy, the title is in the bag.
James Piercy, Deputy Editor, says NO
Logic and reason dictates that Barcelona will be lifting their 24th Primera Division title on May 15.
They have a commanding points advantage, a superior head-to-head record and the three best forwards in the
world looking fit and scoring consistently.
Indeed bookmakers last night had the Blaugrana at 1/5, and looking at the situation at the top you can see why.
However, this same logic and reason would have been applied this season to matches at Espanyol, Valencia, Celta Vigo and Sevilla and home to Deportivo.
For those are the five – yes, just five – games which Barca have dropped points at this term, yielding just three points from that quintet of matches.
Admittedly, Sevilla and Celta are formidable sides at home and Barca losing there doesn’t necessarily show up any overriding deficiencies but the three draws perhaps do a little more.
Because, crucially, Espanyol and Valencia saw Messi, Suarez and Neymar in attack while the draw at home to Depor saw just the Brazilian part of MSN missing. On each occasion the Blaugrana were guilty of wasteful finishing, amid an overall team performance that showed more than a little complacency. Added to that, when Depor attacked Barca they buckled and there is a vulnerability in defence against pace and movement.
Of their remaining 17 games they still have to travel to Villarreal (one home defeat all season), Deportivo (two) and Eibar (three). Their trips to Galicia and the Basque country are eminently winnable but at the same time four dropped points plus a not-that surprising defeat at Villarreal would be enough to let Atletico and Real back in.
That’s just pinpointing three away fixtures as well, with Real Madrid, Sevilla and Celta all due at the Nou Camp.
When you consider those six matches, factor in the probability that at least one of Messi, Suarez and Neymar will sustain some sort of injury, a defence that is far from consistently secure, plus a Champions League campaign that is more than likely going to run until May, it’s impossible to categorically say it’s all over.
