Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez and his boys returned to training on Monday and will begin their pre-season preparations in the United States next week.
Blaugrana won the La Liga title for the first time since 2019 and they did so by thrashing Espanyol 4-2 in May, wrestling the title back from rivals Real Madrid. It was their 27th Spanish league championship and among the most memorable ones, as Xavi Hernandez’s team not only clinched the title on their rivals’ turf but also eliminated Espanyol in the process.
The Spanish champions have made three signings so far this summer, bringing in Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City, Inigo Martinez from Real Sociedad and Vitor Roque from Athletico Paranaense. They still remain interested in bringing in more players, as Xavi and co. aim to defend their La Liga title.
With that being said, here are three things to look forward to in Barcelona’s season.
#Performances in the Champions League
The expectations of the fans will be higher this season after Barcelona showed that in La Liga it knows how to win again, but now it is time for them to prove they can compete in Europe as well.
It’s true that Xavi took over the team with the Champions League in the least of priorities, and in his first full year, between a spate of injuries and a damaged spirit, Barcelona weren’t able to compete well in Europe. Having finished third in their Champions League group behind Inter Milan and Bayern Munich, they dropped to the Europa League and were knocked out of the competition as well by Manchester United in the round of 32.
So, it is time for Barcelona to wipe the slate clean and start the Champions League campaign from scratch. It will be interesting to see how Xavi and his team perform in Europe’s most elite competition next term.
#Ansu Fati’s role
Ansu Fati, Barcelona’s prodigious talent, endured a difficult 2022/23 season, marred by injuries and a steep decline in form. Despite being healthy in the second half of the season, he enjoyed limited game time under Xavi.
As a result, rumours began to swirl that the gifted youngster may be leaving this summer. However, Barcelona president Joao Laporta has put an end to any speculation by stating that Fati will remain at Nou Camp.
Fati, 20, ended the previous season on a high note, netting several goals in the final few fixtures. With ten goals and four assists to his name, the Spanish international still remains a crucial figure for Xavi’s side. Despite lack of regular game time, his decision to remain with Barcelona and not look for a move elsewhere is a sign of his commitment to developing and succeeding with his boyhood club.
The 20-year-old has had a challenging time with injuries, but now that he is fully fit and raring to go, fans will be hoping to see Fati impress in the upcoming pre-season and take that form into the new campaign.
#Big names have chance to redeem themselves
Along with some spectacular individual campaigns last term, there were also players who failed to take their opportunities with both hands when it mattered.
Ferran Torres, Franck Kessie and Eric Garcia are among those players who didn’t make great contributions to Barcelona’s title-winning campaign. A lot will depend on their performances in the pre-season and how motivated they are to still compete at the club.
On the other side, wingers Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele also have the opportunity to bring more consistency to their play and remain injury free. Dembele, in particular, will want to rebound and demonstrated his qualities throughout the campaign and not in patches.
