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A barren 2013-14 season was remedied by Barcelona in style as Luis Enrique waltzed to La Liga in his first year as coach at Camp Nou.
The Catalans’ victory was one third of a famous treble, becoming the first-ever Spanish side to achieve the distinction on two occasions as they added Copa del Rey and Champions League success in a campaign to remember.
The cornerstone of Barcelona’s success was the so-called ‘MSN’, who in their debut season together beat all-comers to form a formidable attack. Luis Suarez joined Lionel Messi and Neymar up front, and the trio combined for 81 goals to outshine Real Madrid’s BBC. The team coached by Carlo Ancelotti were eventually beaten out by just two points for the title, although there was some consolation in the shape of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Pichichi trophy, the Portuguese hitman netting an incredible 48 times over the course of the season.
CHANGES
The major change for Barcelona during the summer of 2014, and indeed one of the major changes of their history, saw Enrique return to the club as manager after a successful period as a player. Enrique had impressed with Celta, and earned the return to the club he loves, where he would go on to claim a historic treble. Part of his success can be attributed to the acquisition of Suarez for €82.3 million from Liverpool and Ivan Rakitic from Sevilla, as the Uruguayan would go on to form the devastating ‘MSN’ partnership with Messi and Neymar. For this season, La Liga also welcomed newcomers Eibar, Deportivo, and Cordoba.
SUMMARY
Still hurting after missing out on both La Liga and the Copa del Rey with defeats to Atletico and Madrid respectively, Barcelona came flying out of the blocks with seven wins in their first eight outings. Messi and Neymar, both with an additional point to prove after their nations were denied World Cup glory by Germany in the summer, were in potent form, taking Barca to the top of the table at the end of October.
Madrid, however, were still basking in the…
Source link : https://www.footballcritic.com/season-reviews/barcelona-win-historic-second-treble-la-liga-in-2014-15/70
Author : [email protected] (Martin Macdonald)
Publish date : 2024-08-01 13:00:00
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