Are Barcelona now ready to knock Real Madrid off their perch?
With Barcelona confirming the services of Jules Kounde, following a negotiations war with Chelsea for the Sevilla defender, he becomes their fifth major signing of the summer window, following the likes of Robert Lewandowski, ex-Leeds winger Raphinha, Franck Kessie and former Blues defender Andreas Christensen to Camp Nou. The Catalan side don’t seem to be done there either, with reports of the club weighing up a bid for Bernardo Silva from Manchester City.
Following a second placed La Liga finish, with a sizeable 13-point gap behind long standing rivals Real Madrid, who went on to claim their 35th La Liga title, Barcelona President Joan Laporta is determined to challenge the giants from the capital and is doing everything in his power to do so. Despite criticism over how the club has been operating, with many highlighting a lack of financial responsibility, Xavi’s side look in a much better shape to topple Los Blancos at the top of the table this season and should be in the running to win their 27th league title.
Their options for the upcoming season look strong, with attacking quintet Lewandowski, Raphinha, Fati, Aubameyang and Torres all available to Xavi, as they look for success on both the domestic and international stages. The former Barca captain, who made 767 appearances for the Blaugrana, will look to better his side’s recent European track record, following a disappointing Europa League semi-final exit at the hands of eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt following their shocking failure to progress beyond the group stages of the Champions League.
Last season, Barcelona created 81 big chances, with only Real Madrid (90) creating more, highlighting the attacking potential Barca had in their squad last season. Lewandowski scored the most clear-cut chances in the Bundesliga, ahead of Erling Haaland and Patrik Schick with 18 and 17 big chances scored, respectively. It all adds up to a potentially lethal strike force for Barca.
Add new Brazilian winger Raphinha to the mix, who scored 11 left footed goals - only shared Golden Boot winners Son Heung-Min and Mohamed Salah netted more - and hit the woodwork seven times, to with the renewal of Ousmane Dembele and it begs the question; can Xavi’s new look front line fire Barca to the title?
However, as the great Sir Alex Ferguson once claimed, "attack wins you games, defence wins you titles", highlighting a strong backline is required for Barca to reach the pinnacle of Spanish football once again for the first time since 2019.
🎯 Jules Kounde has made more forward passes (1730) than any other outfield player since the start of the 2020/21 La Liga season
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) July 29, 2022
😎 Barcelona's new recruit certainly knows how to turn defence into attack! pic.twitter.com/vFWbsXZhaZ
With Barca conceding 38 goals in the league, more than Real Madrid, Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Villarreal and Athletic Club, there is clearly a desire from Xavi to shore up defensively. This makes the signings of Champions League winner Andreas Christensen from Chelsea and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde look very shrewd. Christensen was part of a defence with Chelsea in 2020/21 that won Europe’s top prize while only conceding a record lowest four goals throughout the whole campaign. On the other hand, Kounde was vital in securing Sevilla’s spot in the Champions League for next season, as he was part of a defence that conceded the fewest goals in La Liga in 2021/22.
Franck Kessie also bolsters the midfield, joining from Serie A champions AC Milan, adding some much-needed energy and tenacity into a midfield containing gifted youngsters from La Masia, such as Riqui Puig, Pedri and Gavi, experienced Sergio Busquets and the intelligent Frenkie De Jong, who may yet leave Camp Nou amid fierce admiration from Manchester United.
Barcelona are still recovering after the departure of the legendary Argentinian maestro, Lionel Messi, but look to be on the right track after these fine acquisitions over this summer window. With their fierce rivals Real Madrid also strengthening with the signings of Aurelien Tchouameni and Antonio Rudiger after winning the 2022 Champions League final against Liverpool, the La Liga title this season looks to be between two of the best sides in the world, with the first Clasico in mid-October looking like one of the most mouth-watering ties of the calendar.
