FC Barcelona After The World Cup
After the Spanish success at Euro 2008, the club who got the biggest reward was FC Barcelona. Players like Xavi and Iniesta, broke out of their shells and turned into the biggest names in the World of Football.
In the proceeding season, the performances of Xavi and Iniesta, combined with the talents of Messi and Etto, were enough for Barcelona to break records in the Spanish league. The Catalunyans lifted the famous treble, the La Liga title, the Copa Del Ray and the Champions League, for the first time in Spanish history. It was Xavi who became the best midfielder in the World, after the retirement of the legendary Zinedine Zidane, while Iniesta came to be known as a rare talent on the Barcelona’s side.
However, in the previous season, many trophies were won again by Barcelona, including another La Liga title, Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup and FIFA Club World Championships, but the team could not completely fulfil the dreams of the fans. Maybe they needed another push, coming into the 2010-2011 Season, and the World Cup might provide the force to drive them through.
After the Spanish victory in FIFA World Cup, in South Africa, the Catalunyan giants are many steps ahead, as compared to their position after the Euro victory. This time, there was more than one Barcelona players who made their impact in the game. These players included, Xavi, Andreas Iniesta, David Villa, Pedro, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique. Also, Carlos Puyol was a part of the squad on both occasions, and there is no doubt that he is one of the best defenders in the World.
There is no doubt that Barcelona would come back with full force in the next season, once again, to reclaim their top spot in Europe. This team might even prove itself to be better than the Glacticos of Real Madrid, which rose to glory in the early part of this decade, under Vicente Del Bosque.
The beauty of this Barcelona’s side is that they have most of the players promoted through their own youth system, which ensures that the understanding and the bond between the players is unfathomable. Thus the coach, Pep Guardiola, goes for a passing-style game, while the understanding between the players helps his cause. Even the coach himself, is a part of the youth system of the team, and is a former player as well as a former coach of the B squad of Barcelona. This rare situation brings a lot of understanding within the squad, as the coach knows his players, while all the players have a perfect bonding with their coach as well.
Even during the World Cup, the Spanish coach Vicente Del Bosque, realized the importance of Barcelona’s current squad. When Torres was not performing he replaced him with Pedro, a youngster from Barcelona, despite having the likes of Llorente, Fabregas and David Silva. Initially, many might have doubted his decision, but Pedro’s Man of the Match performance in the Semi-Final was further proof of the strengths of the Barcelona squad.
The addition of David Villa in the squad, at the eve of the World Cup, has been of added advantage to the Catalunyans. David Villa has proved to be an asset for his country, as he was the highest scorer in the Euro 2008, and a joint top scorer in the FIFA World Cup 2010. Also, everyone is aware of his goal scoring abilities for his club Valencia, as David Villa was the sole performer for his club for a very long time.
It would be hard to say, whether Barcelona helped the Spanish side with their World Cup victory, or whether the victory at the World Cup would help Barcelona’s cause in the next season. On the other hand, one thing is for sure that the enthusiasm of the Catalunyans in the next season would be unmatchable, and they would definitely be the favourites in the Europe for the third season in a row.
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