Football Season Guide

Finishing runners-up behind bitter rivals Real Madrid in La Liga last season was not good enough for Barcelona. Several factors contributed to it but of course it was manager Xavi who shouldered the blame. The saga surrounding his future certainly didn't help either. They've been somewhat rash in replacing Xavi though, bringing in a manager (Hansi Flick) that has no experience of Spanish football. He has already struggled to cope with the intensity and expectations of the press, and it's speculated that his tenure at the club will not be a long one. His arrival should make their start somewhat slow as they need to get used to his methods. They made big noises in the summer about acquiring Nico Williams and Dani Olmo. They embarrassed themselves with the former, who committed himself to Athletic Club. Dani Olmo has returned to Barcelona after a number of years away though, and should help them in breaking down teams that they struggled to break down last season. Other than that, not much has changed at this club pre-season so it's unlikely that their season will end any differently to last season. Bitter rivals Real Madrid have strengthened enormously with the arrival of Endrick, Mbappe etc. Barcelona are yet to do so, reportedly struggling to free up the funds to bring in more star quality. Another reason they're likely to encounter a slow start is absentees. Ronald Araujo, Gavi, Fati, and de Jong are all battling injuries at this point. Gavi and Araujo are unlikely to play until October and December respectively. Araujo is a huge loss for them, and missing at least half of their campaign is likely to be the cherry on the cake for coming second in the title race rather than first. Bear in mind that Yamal and Torres may be rested following the Olympics too. They look a little short of defensive depth and when it comes to natural poachers (if Lewandowski is out). Other than that, this team has everything, and will almost certainly finish in the top two.