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We present Barcelona's case for being valid candidates for the 2024/25 LALIGA title despite Real Madrid's star-studded squad.
Real Madrid’s talent cast sets them as overwhelming favourites to lift every title they compete for this season, including their domestic league title, LALIGA.
Los Blancos and their bitter rivals Barcelona have shared each of the last two league titles, with Real Madrid reigning supreme the latest. While the UCL record holders strengthened their squad with the acquisition of Kylian Mbappe and Endrick, the Blaugrana can barely scrape together funds to fix problem positions.
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It makes the LALIGA race a seemingly effortless one to call in Real Madrid's favour; however, one could not be any more wrong hurrying to such submission.
Real Madrid might be the favourites, but Barcelona stand a healthy chance of lifting their 28th league title. Here are why:
Hansi Flick is a winner
His choice to leave for the German national team after such a high (sextuple season with Bayern Munich) and his subsequent failings with Die Mancshaft have somewhat impaired the perception of Hansi Flick.
It is important to remember that he transformed a struggling Bayern Munich side and led them through possibly the most dominant season by a club side in the last decade.
Bayern's treble that season was Flick at his best, and he has some of the elements with which he found remarkable success in the current Barcelona ranks, and his nous helps level the playing field for the Catalans.
Ancelotti's league record
On the dugout of the favourites is the Italian tactician Carlo Ancelotti. While he is among the most accomplished managers of any generation, Ancelotti has a weak season-to-league title ratio.
Last season's LALIGA victory took his tally to six league titles in 28 years of coaching. It was also the first time he had won multiple league titles for a single club.
While a superficial perusal of his record of having won a league title in each of the top five leagues might look exceptional—it is—a deeper inspection paints it in dull colours.
The Italian has managed top clubs in each of those leagues, and only last season has he managed to win the same national league title twice.
Barcelona have already capitalised on Ancelotti's league frailties when an inexperienced Xavi Hernandez bested the 65-year-old to the LALIGA title in his debut season. How much more a superior manager in Flick?
A dressing room of stars does not always work
With the addition of Kylian Mbappe, the Real Madrid dressing room becomes even more star-studded and could throw off the synergy in the dressing room.
Their performances in the last campaign have pitted teammates Vinicius and Jude Bellingham against each other in the Ballon d'Or race. Should either win, as is likely, Real Madrid could line up with a Ballon d'Or winner, a player who missed out on the award by skin's hair and another who has aimed for the award all his career.
While they are professionals and Ancelotti remains the best manager in the game at managing big egos, this could prove his toughest challenge yet. And with the possibility that it can all go wrong, Hansi Flick's Barcelona are lying in wait.
Lamine Yamal
While it is less than ideal to expect a teenager to lead a club's ambitions against the star-studded cast of Real Madrid, the expectations on Yamal can no longer be termed premature.
The 17-year-old showed at the European Championships that, despite his young age, he is capable of assuming a top team’s offensive responsibilities in elite competitions.
His style of play is also one that enhances the strength of those around him. Yamal is primed for a world-class season, and Barcelona could reap the rewards in the form of a 28th league title.
Fatigue and overload
Real Madrid were one of the teams that played the most games in Europe last season, given that they went deep into the Champions League.
Los Blancos players, given their star status, were also embroiled in international football this summer. With only a few weeks of rest, those players will be going into a season where Madrid, thanks to their European success in the last five years, will be playing in the expanded Club World Cup.
This would only mean more games for them, and the stars could see their form wane due to fatigue. Barcelona on the other hand, do not have to worry about the Club World Cup, as they did not qualify, and their core players, save for Yamal, who won the Euros, either did not play in summer internationals or had limited involvement. This will serve as an advantage for Barcelona in a long season.
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