Barça didn't deserve to win La Liga
Barcelona said goodbye to La Liga by being true to what they have done all season. The team came back to get themselves out of a tight spot, doing so with the faith and pride which has characterised Barça under Luis Enrique. But the comeback also showed other signs: relying once again on Messi and the trident, an inconsistent defence and, despite the importance of the game, it was a display without balance and lacking continuity. Barça lost La Liga because they were inconsistent and unreliable.
Their form this season has been like a rollercoaster, in which they have been rickety when least expected but have showed up when they've had to overcome difficulties. Proof of that is that they were able to beat all La Liga's biggest teams away from home but fell short against those in the lower half of the table.
Barça have had to compete with three rivals this season: Real Madrid, who are worthy champions; referees, who have been more than scandalous on occasions; and themselves, who in the end have been the worst of the three. On Sunday, they started poorly against Eibar in a game which had the title at play, just as they have done this season at the Benito Villamarín, Riazor, La Rosaleda and in Paris and Turin.
The Blaugrana end an era, but this time the transition towards the next one cannot be smooth and especially not conservative. The team needs shaking up. The squad is screaming out for new starting players and not substitutes given the signings who arrived last summer, Samuel Umtiti excluded, have not worked. It's true that the first year is for adaption, but the squad is lacking oxygen and requires top level players to breathe again.
But it's not just about signing names. Faith has to be restored in Barça B and in the players within La Masia, something which has disappeared in an alarming manner with Luis Enrique on the bench. And the club, with sporting director Robert Fernandez at the top, must protect the famous model, which always revindicates itself but is not always protected.
The good news is that the project has given signs of exhaustion just as a manager change is about to happen. That's to say, the team has a golden opportunity to reinvent itself. The club have been able to keep on winning after Pep Guardiola, after Tito Vilanova and now they must do the same after Luis Enrique. But in sporting terms it's a critical moment and important decisions must be made. Barça have not deserved to win this league. And now they must earn the right to win the next one. There's a lot to be done.
