Barcelona Must Beat Granada; If Not for La Liga's Crown, to Avoid Embarrassment
Barcelona have to win. There is no other option, no other choice, they must simply win.
Atletico Madrid have fallen from La Liga's title race, maybe their UEFA Champions League duties were too much to handle. Atleti's local rivals, Real Madrid, however, could lift their 33rd Spanish crown if Barcelona stumble vs. Granada.
Two seasons ago, Barca lost at the Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes 1-0, after Yacine Brahimi put the hosts in front after 16 minutes. It is therefore possible the defending Liga champions could falter.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
This Granada side beating this Barcelona team—with the Liga title conceivably on the line—is admittedly a stretch, but (if you need reminding) we now live in a Leicester City world.
Disappointed by their UEFA Champions League exit, Barca can still win their domestic league and the Copa del Rey. It would not be the haul or combination they wanted at the start the season, but it is better than what most clubs win over 10 seasons.
Manager Luis Enrique had a double-digit lead in points this year, but a horrific April cut into his cushion. Before last month, he was 10 points better than then-third-place Real Madrid. Zinedine Zidane's men seized upon Barca's three consecutive league losses—to Real Madrid (H), Real Sociedad (A) and Valencia (H)—and Los Blancos have now won 11 straight La Liga games.
In actuality, the season's last weekend should have been a formality, but it now contains a significant level of intrigue thanks to those three consecutive league defeats. Collecting just enough points to control his team's fate, though, three points against Granada and their mission is complete.
The Catalan giants' main source of pressure is that losing does not just have the potential to ruin their title hopes, it could also cascade into difficult/unwanted offseason decisions.
The last time they lost the league, Barcelona spent over £130 million, sold Alexis Sanchez and Cesc Fabregas (among others), all while replacing Gerardo "Tata" Martino with Enrique.
"A few weeks ago, Atletico Madrid looked like the world's best. Now, they're competing for 1 trophy & Real Madrid & Barcelona are after 2.
— Church of Soccer (@churchofsoccer) May 8, 2016"
Losing at the Camp Nou is not taken lightly—anything but victory at Granada could spark a slight rebuild before 2016/17's campaign begins, nothing the players or managerial/coaching staff will desire.
Barca have played their last four league matches with the correct intensity.
Beating Deportivo La Coruna, Sporting Gijon, Real Betis and Espanyol by an aggregate score of 21-0 (if we could take a moment to appreciate that dominance), the Blaugrana figured out their crown was being taken and kicked into gear.
It seems an interesting place to be. Barcelona not winning the league would almost seem an embarrassment. Leading La Liga since January, to not come out with the trophy would be devastating, for Real Madrid to be the beneficiary of that collapse doubles the pain.
The risk of losing is too much in mid-May. No matter the result of the Copa del Rey final, without a league title, Barca would likely devolve for at least a fortnight.
Luckily, as is customary for the Catalan club, they can deploy the best front three in football, arguably the best midfielder Spain has produced in the last decade in Andres Iniesta, and other attack-minded, skillful footballers who know any result but a win could cause chaos.
It would stand to reason, or at least logic, that the best Barcelona of 2015/16 will appear in Granada on Saturday.
For their sake, they had better.
*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase where not noted.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
