Following years of victorious seasons for FC Barcelona, the 2013/14 season hit many supporters hard as the lucrative trophy pool appeared to be drying up. Previous years have seen them crowned as La Liga Champions, UEFA Champions League Winners and Copa Del Rey champions, whilst last season no silver wear made the journey to Camp Nou. Despite the addition of a bright young Brazillian star and new manager Tata Martino, the club could only scrape up a Spanish Super Cup win at the start of the season before narrowly missing out on anything else. The Catalan giants were beaten by arch rivals Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey final, disappointedly knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals and beaten to the domestic title surprisingly by Atletico Madrid. More positively, the 2014/15 season looks like it could be a new era for FC Barcelona as Luis Enrqiue seems to be effectively adding strength to the already star studded side. 

Barcelona have had a notable transfer window so far, making one of the most expensive if not controversial moves of the year through the purchase of Luis Suarez. With a hefty £75m price tag it is unfortunate that Barca will not be able to see the impact he will make until late October due to his official ban which restricts him from any competitive football activity. Despite not being able to start the season, Luis Suarez is a credible addition to Luis Enrique’s side. Last season Suarez scored an impressive 31 goals in 33 appearances for Liverpool- a statistic somewhat similar to Lionel Messi’s 28 goals in 31 matches. 

If the Blaugrana’s want to refill the trophy cabinet then they will have to beat Real Madrid who pose a threatening strike force and Luis Suarez could be an effective response to Bale, Ronaldo and Rodriguez. During his time at Liverpool we watched him singlehandedly change a game and if he can transfer similar energy into the Barcelona side then we could see him revitalise a side that can sometimes become defeated when behind. 

Meanwhile, the retirement of club veteran Carlos Puyol is a great loss for the team as he was so often the rock of the side with an impeccable ability to lead the team. Enrique’s most recent signing, Thomas Vermaelen alongside Jeremy Mathieu could however fill the sizeable void left by Puyol. The club has needed to strengthen it’s back line for a number of years now so Enrique’s defensive signings are a welcome edition to the squad even though some would argue they aren't quite ‘world class’ enough for Barcelona. 

Rakitic is also a notable signing for the club as at 26 he is yet to enter the peak years of a midfielder in which we have seen the likes of Iniesta flourish. If last seasons form is anything to go by, Rakitic could be the game-changing move Barcelona need to challenge both Atletico and Real Madrid on the domestic and continental front. Rakitic has already won the Europa League, so the natural step would be to go for the next big continental trophy- the UEFA Champions League. 

The lesson Luis Enrique needs to learn from last seasons performance is that his team need to limit the amount of goals they concede. Conceding goals regrettably became their hobby, the most striking defeats being 0-4 to Bayern and 1-3 to Real madrid who knocked them out of the Copa Del Rey. The seasons downfalls were however masked by the illusive Lionel Messi who gave the team, as always, a new lease of life. The star spent a major chunk of the season out injured though and it was during this time Barca learnt their lesson- they need a second top scorer. Gerard Martino's squad lacked depth, with second top scorer Cesc Fabregas failing to reach 20 goals. If Messi were to leave the team, Barcelona’s ability to score against even the middle rate La Liga teams could be questioned.  

Reports from Spain suggest that Luis Enrique is planning to establish a more dynamic formation- moving from 4-3-3 to 3-2-3-2. The latter will give Mascherano the chance to finally thrive and give his best as he did in Brazil. During the World Cup he proved he is one of the best defensive midfielders on the market and it is to Barcelona’s disadvantage that they have not utilised him in this role. In a newly remodelled 3-2-3-2 the Masherano- Busquets combo can flourish. When Pep Guardiola was first introduced to Messi he built the side around him and since then he has always been at the centre of the orchestra, this season should be no different. In a 3-2-3-2, sitting just ahead of the dreamy Mascherano- Busquests duet, Messi should, in an ideal world, have Rakitic (sometimes Xavi) to his right and the magician Iniesta to his left. With Neymar and Suarez upfront, in direct confrontation with the oppositions centre-backs, and Iniesta and Rakitic taking on the fullbacks, teams will have to find an extra defender to erase the threat posed by the Argentine. However, playing a 3-2-3-2 means the defence needs to act with caution. This formation renders the attacking fullbacks somewhat ‘useless’ as it instead calls for centre-backs in all three positions. 

The Catalan giants have a mixed start to the season as they start with Elche who finished at the bottom end of the table before going to Villarreal who could potentially be playing Europa League football this season. Athletic Bilbao may also cause some problems for them as they have beaten them before but after that they face mid table opponents all the way up until the coveted Clasico on October 26, a match Luis Suarez will be eligible to play in. Convenient? Barca will have to fight off not only historic rivals Real Madrid but also defending champions Atletico Madrid if they want to regain the title of La Liga Champions.

Becoming La Liga Champions is only one stage of the Blaugrana’s 2014/15 journey this season, the side are also hoping to make a bigger impact than previous years in the Champions League. With the addition of players that will strengthen the team, alongside up and coming La Masia talents such as Rafinha and Munir, we could be seeing a new era of Barcelona. Under Luis Enrique’s management can the club bring home trophies and re-establish themselves as the best club in the world? On paper Real Madrid may seem a stronger side with the additions of big name signings but they could struggle to find the balance that Barcelona have. We saw that the Barcelona team have bonded together to create something magic in last nights 6-0 victory. Despite it only being a friendly against a side the team should of won against anyway, there was surely evidence of a team that could win La Liga and advance in the Champions League.

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