Barcelona were the dominant force in Spain in 2017-18 as they claimed the Primera Division and Copa del Rey titles, though their rivals Real Madrid continued their command over Europe, winning the Champions League for the fourth time in five years.
In a strange, muted season, Barca went unbeaten for most of the campaign and only succumbed to defeat in the closing weeks. Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi held most of the creative and goalscoring responsibilities following the departure of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain. Messi remained imperious, however, and it would be his hat-trick in a 4-2 victory against Deportivo which would clinch the title for the Blaugrana with four matches to go.
Madrid finished a distant 17 points behind their rivals, but their attention was on Europe from midway through the season. Atletico Madrid split the Clasico giants, as well as winning the Europa League.
CHANGES
The most expensive transfer ever in history saw Neymar leave Barca for Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth €222 million. Barca invested the funds to bring in enigmatic young winger, Ousmane Dembele, from Borussia Dortmund for over 100 million euros and, in January, Philippe Coutinho for another huge fee.
Real Madrid were uncharacteristically frugal, signing Theo Hernandez and Dani Ceballos while letting James Rodriguez (Bayern on loan), Danilo (Man City), and Alvaro Morata (Chelsea) leave.
Atletico Madrid re-signed Diego Costa from Chelsea and also brought in Vitolo, but they would not be able to play until January due to a registration ban imposed upon them.
Two high-profile players in Yannick Carrasco and Cedric Bakambu left Atletico and Villarreal in expensive deals to China.
Ernesto Valverde was, by some distance, the biggest managerial change in pre-season, as he took the reigns at the Camp Nou from the departed Luis Enrique.
SUMMARY
With Neymar out of the picture and new signing Dembele injured, Valverde quickly adopted a 4-4-2 formation at Barca, with Suarez and Messi…
Source link : https://www.footballcritic.com/season-reviews/brilliant-barca-dominate-domestically-la-liga-in-2017-18/67
Author : editors@footballcritic.com (Martin Macdonald)
Publish date : 2024-08-03 12:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.