SPORTS

What to expect from Barcelona in 2015-16

Luis Enrique's side won the treble last term and have already added the Uefa Super Cup this month - so what else can they achieve in the Asturian's second season in charge?

 

The sextuple dream may have evaporated as Barcelona lost the Supercopa de Espana to Athletic Bilbao earlier this week, but the Catalan club's other objectives will not change in 2015-16.

Luis Enrique's side will look to repeat the treble they achieved last season, although that is an extremely tough ask because no team has successfully defended the Champions League since Europe's premier club competition changed its format in 1992-93.

Also on offer for Barca in 2015-16 is the Club World Cup in December, and with the Uefa Super Cup already in the bag, the Blaugrana will aim to end the season with five major trophies as Luis Enrique seeks to consolidate the change of model at Camp Nou that has seen the introduction of a new playing style but the retention of the same principle applied by Pep Guardiola - win every single game.

This will be the first season in 17 years without Xavi Hernandez as part of the first team set-up, but Barca should cope without the midfielder. After all, they survived the exit of previous captain Carles Puyol, with Javier Mascherano stepping up as an able successor.

These days, the group is in the hands of another Argentine: Lionel Messi. The Rosario-born forward keeps on reinventing himself and he returned from his holidays this summer in greater shape than ever. The 28-year-old has been the team's focal point for many years now, but his leadership on and off the pitch will assume even greater importance in the absence of Xavi and many believe Barca's latest winning cycle will last as long as Messi retains his hunger for titles.



Despite their indifferent pre-season and the Supercopa defeat against Athletic, Barca aim to make history in 2015-16 by becoming the first club to successfully defend the Champions League. Unfortunately, they will be unable to field their summer signings, Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan, until the knockout phase due to the transfer ban that means they cannot select new players until 2016.

Vidal has joined from Sevilla to provide competition for Dani Alves, who ultimately agreed a new deal and starts his eighth season at Camp Nou. Arda, meanwhile, will be charged with covering the sizeable hole vacated by Xavi in midfield - a sector barely recognisable from the team coached by Guardiola but now just as effective or perhaps even more so than before.

Turan is likely to rotate wth Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic as Luis Enrique shares the responsibilities between four first-choice players in midfield. And although there are likely to be less triangles than in the Guardiola era, this midfield (like the rest of the team) now looks to have more resources at its disposal than ever before.



Not so long ago, the midfield was the strongest part of the Barca team. Now, however, it is all about the forward line formed by Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. That association worked perfectly in 2014-15, bringing 122 goals between the three, even though the Uruguay striker missed the first two months of the season after biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup in Brazil.

So successful were the three South American forwards, in fact, that Pedro has had to look for a future away from Camp Nou (he wanted to stay but found his route to the starting line-up blocked) and has now completed a move to Chelsea.

With the forwards firing, it is the defence that has generated the most doubts - especially as Barca conceded eight goals in their first two competitive games this term and another in the Supercopa second leg at home to Athletic on Monday.

Last season, Luis Enrique helped Gerard Pique and Alves rediscover their finest form and, along with the tireless Jordi Alba and the ever-reliable Mascherano plus summer signing Jeremy Mathieu, they were the league's meanest defence, with goalkeeper Claudio Bravo (who played throughout in La Liga) winning the Zamora prize for the least goals conceded in the Primera Division.

The Chilean and German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made it a smooth transition following the departure of Victor Valdes with impressive performances throughout the season, but Bravo looks likely to start in La Liga initially after Ter Stegen shipped eight in Barca's first two games in 2015-16.

Despite their defensive problems, Barcelona remain the team to beat this season. Aware that he would be unable to replicate the football seen under Guardiola and Tito Vilanova without Xavi at his peak, Luis Enrique opted to revolutionise the playing style and the Blaugrana were able to win titles in 2014-15 without depending on the one-touch football for which they became famous in previous seasons.

Recent matches have shown, however, that there is a gulf in class between the first-choice players and some of the fringe footballers, such as Thomas Vermaelen, Sergi Roberto and Rafinha, with those second-stringers now expected to improve in the coming weeks and months along with youngsters Sandro and Munir El Haddadi, who have stepped up to the first team on a permanent basis.

La Liga is about to kick off and Barcelona begin with a return to San Mames, scene of their 4-0 defeat to Athletic in the Supercopa last week. After losing that title on Monday, Luis Enrique gave his players two days' holiday, perhaps to clear their heads for the new challenges in wait as they prepare for their latest meeting with the Basques on Sunday. The treble defence starts here.