Hassan Chamas

 

La Liga’s lifespan might be a little more than half-life, but the portrait of things to come is getting brighter and brighter by the weekend: Come May, barring a celestial miracle, FC Barcelona will haul up the 78th version of Spain’s premier league competition, its 19th overall since the latter’s establishment in 1928. If it wasn’t felt before, it’s out loud now: We are witnessing the incoming of another epoch of Catalan supremacy.

This term, two European powerhouses have demonstrated themselves to be the finest that European football has to proffer: The first is of course, a rejuvenated Barcelona side led by former Blaugrana superstar Josep Guardiola. The second is European Champions Manchester United, who are witnessing the second generation of stars under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Recently, the fierce Scotsman declared that Guardiola’s side was the only one in a position to afflict defeat on his Red Devils. Such a testimony on the behalf of Ferguson only bolsters what many football connoisseurs have come to take as a given ever since the launch of the season in Spain: Barcelona are hastily molding themselves into one of the strongest – if not strongest – sides on the face of the globe.

What’s freakishly frightening in the case of Barcelona this season, is the fact that they have enhanced themselves week in, week out. Ever since the “hiccup” against Numancia on the opening day of 2008/09’s Primera and a recent forgivable derby defeat to Espanyol, the Blaugrana have gone from “good” to “great”, ending with “outstanding”. One week they’re winning 1-0, the next 3-0, the next 5-0, and so on. What’s more concerning for their adversaries is the fact that Los Cules are not showing any signs of fatigue or rift amongst their ranks: Not once this term have we heard news of disagreements getting in the way of Guardiola and any other player. Everything is going according to plan on the Camp Nou train. Trash the resistance. And the sequence recommences again.

The Catalans have been leading the pack ever since matchday nine, and have recently been contested by Real Madrid who, credit to them, have managed to excavate themselves out of the hole that former coach Bernd Schuster led them into. While Los Merengues may have been on an impressive streak under new boss Juande Ramos, one must not forget that they are still way behind Barcelona, being separated by a seven point gap. Now, lightning struck before in 2006, as Los Blancos managed to manoeuver the most astonishing of comebacks under Fabio Capello, shutting a slit that inflated to nine points at one time. But, as things stand, would anyone in their right mind bet on lightning striking twice?

Much like a baby learning his first steps with the aid of his parent has been the relations between Juande Ramos and his team. While this baby is all ready to hit the sandbox and make new friends, another infant, Barcelona, has swiftly blossomed into a full grown teenager with its fair share of aptitudes and acquaintances, and in a severe and critical atmosphere as the Santiago Bernabeu in particular, and the Madrid masses in general, there is no room for constructive maturity. Real remain – at least on paper – the only serious contender capable of snatching the league trophy from Barca’s claws, as the gap between first and third remains a whopping 16 points.

The remaining Champions League and Europa League slots remain to be contested between Sevilla, Valencia, Villarreal, and Atletico Madrid, as has been the usual case in past seasons. But that is not to say that these teams did not fail to impress, especially Villarreal, who leapfrogged Barcelona last year into second position. But considering the state that Los Cules are in, could they really ever be topped this time around? Samuel Eto’o leads the scoring pack with 20+ strikes, while his team holds one of the most impressive defensive displays seen in recent years, with less than 20 goals conceded so far in the league. And that’s with defender Gabriel Milito still out injured!

Much like a runaway railway wagon have Barcelona become as of late. Untouchable, indestructible, and most of all, uncatchable, Guardiola’s team have taken the bull by the horns this time, and all the teams have bowed down – even though impulsively – to the heir of La Liga’s crown. For Barcelona, this is the dawning of a new age, with some saying that this side will overthrow that of Johan Cruyff’s during the 1970s, that of Romario and co. in the 90s, and Frank Rijkaard’s side of 2006, even though some symbols of that regime still constitute the pillars of the current Barcelona squadron.

Elsewhere, teams have to reshape and reinvest in order to have a realistic chance of competing next year. More specifically, with presidential elections set for this June at the Bernabeu and all the hearsay of flux and outgoing players that will pass by the club’s terminals, La Liga’s next season promises to be one of the best episodes of all time.

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