News
LUN 16.05.2016
Early Calderon triumph
Luis Enrique's side kicked off their Liga BBVA campaign with four wins on the bounce, one of which was particularly significant: a 2-1 success at the Vicente Calderon that would prove influential late on in the season when FC Barcelona only held the edge over title rivals Atletico Madrid thanks to their head-to-head record. Goals from Neymar and Lionel Messi sealed the spoils for the Catalans after Fernando Torres had opened the scoring.
Away-day doubts
Following that vital victory in Madrid, the champions slipped to defeats in their next two away games, sowing doubts about their challenge. First they were thumped 4-1 by RC Celta at Balaidos and, after getting back to winning ways at home, they subsequently lost to Sevilla FC at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan. However, the team's travel sickness did not last long: they proceeded to go unbeaten on the road for the next 25 matchdays.
Marker laid down at Bernabeu
Just a month and a half after that loss in Seville, Barça visited the Santiago Bernabeu and duly made a statement. An emphatic thrashing of arch-rivals Real Madrid lifted the Catalans six points above the club then managed by Rafa Benitez, with Atletico four points off the pace in second place. This rout, served up through a Luis Suarez brace and efforts from Neymar and Andres Iniesta, dealt a hammer blow to the morale of Los Blancos, one which they took a while to recover from.
Mini-slump sees top spot surrendered
Barcelona looked to have a solid footing at the summit, only to rack up three draws in four games around the festive period, paving the way for Atletico to leapfrog them. After a 1-1 stalemate away to Valencia CF, Luis Enrique's men squandered a 2-0 lead over RC Deportivo and ended up drawing 2-2. Although they beat Real Betis handsomely the next matchday, the Azulgranas were then held again, only managing a 0-0 draw on their trip across town to face RCD Espanyol in the derby. Yet, once again, Barça bounced back in style after these slip-ups, embarking on a 12-match Liga BBVA winning streak.
Top of the pile and there to stay
A hard-fought 2-1 away win at Malaga CF coupled with Atletico's draw against Sevilla saw the Catalan giants assume pole position ahead of the Rojiblancos' visit to the Camp Nou. At this point, the Azulgranas still had a game in hand and a 2-1 win over Diego Simeone's men saw them enhance their title credentials and ensure a favourable head-to-head record against Atleti. From this moment on, Barcelona didn't lose their grip on top spot, despite both Atletico and Real Madrid putting them under considerable pressure during the final matchdays of the season.
Unbeaten record
Barcelona's winning run was still far from over, as Luis Enrique's troops went on to equal the all-time unbeaten record in Spanish football with a win over Sevilla, before etching their names into the history books following victory over Rayo Vallecano in their next outing. In total, Barça put together a 39-game unbeaten run in all competitions, a sequence which saw the Catalans establish seven and 12-point cushions over Atletico and Real Madrid respectively.
Madrid defeat triggers dismal run
Indeed, it was the old enemy who brought the unbeaten run to an end, as goals from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo handed Los Merengues a 2-1 win at the Camp Nou. This reverse, which at the time seemed as if it would prove to be rather insignificant in the final reckoning, would mark the start of a poor sequence of results which ate away at Barcelona's healthy lead at the top.
Rock bottom after Valencia reverse
The defeat to Madrid was followed by another slip-up, this time away to Real Sociedad, and then came yet another 2-1 home reverse, with Valencia CF this time the conquerors. This was the first time that a Barcelona side had succumbed to three successive Liga BBVA defeats since 2003 and it was enough for Atletico to draw themselves level on points with Luis Enrique's charges, whilst Real Madrid now trailed the leaders by just a single point.
Emphatic response in A Coruña
On the back of defeat to Valencia, the champions produced the most stunning of responses to arrest their dismal run of results. Barcelona silenced their doubters with a convincing 8-0 drubbing of Deportivo in which the on-song Luis Suarez netted four goals and laid on three more.
Seeing the job through
From that point onwards, Barcelona saw out the season without putting a foot wrong. Despite the pressure from the chasing pack, the Azulgranas won their last five games, chalking up an aggregate score of 24-0 in the process. The on-form Suarez notched 15 goals in these five games and it was a hat-trick from the Uruguayan that saw Barcelona seal the Liga BBVA 2015/16 title after a 3-0 win at Granada CF.
© LALIGA - 2016