Barcelona’s players Luis Suarez, Neymar, Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba attend a training session on Tuesday during the media Barcelona Open Day ahead of the Champions League final against Juventus on Saturday. Reuters Photo/Albert Gea

Barcelona. Barcelona appeared engulfed in crisis on and off the pitch only a few months ago and yet in a remarkable turnaround it is now one step away from a historic second treble.

The Catalan giant is in remarkable form as it prepares to take on Juventus in the Champions League final on Saturday aiming to repeat its success in 2009 when it became the first Spanish side to win the treble.

Led by an inspirational Lionel Messi it has already won La Liga and bagged the King’s Cup playing a ruthless direct style.

The attacking trident of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez has hit 120 goals between them so far, more than any other trio in Spain before.

“We have a good relationship and if you get on well away from the pitch then it makes it a lot easier,” Messi told UEFA.com this week.

Yet when Pep Guardiola took over in 2008 and led Barca to its first treble haul, this season began with an air of uncertainty.

Barca had lost its way following the golden years of Guardiola at the helm and the previous campaign under Gerardo Martino had seen all the major trophies escape it.

Tito Vilanova had replaced Guardiola but a battle with cancer meant he spent lengthy spells undergoing treatment in New York while his assistant Jordi Roura oversaw the preparation of the team.

Barca did go on to win La Liga in 2012-13 but there was a feeling that the team was lacking leadership and direction that Vilanova was unable to provide.

The deterioration in the state of his health saw him step down to be replaced by Argentine Martino, and given one season to come to terms with a new league and a club with high demands he was unable to deliver.

Major overhaul

A major overhaul of the side was needed with players appearing to be going through the motions and the style of short passing football that had brought them so much success under Guardiola looking stale.

The strong-minded Luis Enrique, a fan favorite as a player, was brought in but the early signs were not good and, by the turn of the year, after a bust-up with Messi, his job appeared to be on the line.

Luis Enrique had chopped and changed the team repeatedly as he appeared not to know his best formation, while his blunt talking saw him clash with the media.

Meanwhile, off the pitch the board was under pressure following FIFA’s decision to uphold Barca’s transfer ban for two windows due to breaking rules over the signing of foreign under-18 players.

This came on top of the Neymar transfer scandal that had dragged the club’s board through the Spanish courts amid allegations of tax fraud and made it admit that rather than 57.1 million euros ($63.44 million) the real cost was closer to 100 million euros.

Under escalating pressure, sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta paid the price and was shown the door while president Josep Maria Bartomeu announced elections for the end of the season.

However, out of this chaos the pieces began to fall into place on the pitch based around a new understanding between Messi and Luis Enrique which allowed the individual talents of the strikers to come to the fore.

Barca romped to a Spanish double, clinching the title with a game to spare, and thumped Athletic Bilbao to secure a record-extending 27th cup triumph on Saturday.

Its transformation from a club apparently in crisis to one on the brink of a treble shows how quickly fortunes can change in soccer — for better and for worse.

Reuters

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Barcelona. Barcelona have had to overcome many changes to win their 23rd La Liga title, coach Luis Enrique said on Sunday as the Catalans celebrated what could be the first of a treble success this season.

Barca beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 to become champion in a tricky first year for Luis Enrique, who had to remodel the team after a poor campaign under Gerardo Martino in which they failed to win a trophy.

“I have only been here 10 months and there have been a lot of changes in staff and the squad of a club which doesn’t understand the idea of transition,” the coach told a news conference.

“There is no way that a trainer of a top club will not receive criticism during the year and I knew that, so I’m not trying to prove myself right now. We knew that we wouldn’t be given time but we did our best. We now have two titles to win but we have picked up the one now for consistency,” he added.

Barcelona still have important games to be played in the King’s Cup and Champions League finals as they attempt to win the treble.

The side that won on Sunday looked transformed from the one that looked in decline earlier in the season, with forwards Lionel Messi and Neymar far from their best while defensively Barcelona had looked weak and under-strength.

The strong-minded Luis Enrique set about introducing his plans and there was plenty of criticism as he continually chopped and changed while Real Madrid moved ahead in the standings.

However, he finally settled for a more a direct style and during the second half of the campaign the side has steamrollered opposition on its way to the league title.

The transition from a shorter passing game was seen in the dwindling influence of the veteran Xavi and growing importance of Ivan Rakitic, whose style is suited to making driving runs and knocking long balls to Barca’s lethal attacking trident.

Luis Enrique now has plenty to celebrate but he will be keeping a lid on his emotions for a while longer.

“I prefer quiet and calm celebrations,” he said. “We will rest for a couple of days to allow the team to relax and then we will start thinking about the cup final.”

Reuters

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Barcelona. Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi has been the driving force behind their recent prolific form but was largely anonymous in a costly home defeat by Malaga in La Liga on Saturday.

Messi’s influence at the club was clear for all to see as an off-day for the Argentine meant Barca failed to get the victory that would have put them two points clear at the top of the table with Real Madrid playing at Elche on Sunday.

Barca coach Luis Enrique refused to single out any players after the 1-0 defeat left them a point off the pace.

“It would be wrong to point to individuals and particularly after a defeat. The team wasn’t at the necessary level and that is it,” Luis Enrique told a news conference.

“We were not good enough individually or as a team and all our attacks in the second half turned into breakaways for the opposition.

“We tried to attack too much through the center and this is now a damaging result for us.

“Malaga played well and I would like to think this was just an accident but we will see what happens over the next few weeks.”

Messi was at his scintillating best during Barca’s 11-match winning streak, a run that was abruptly ended by Malaga.

The prolific striker, who had scored 26 league goals before this weekend, resembled a pale imitation of his usual self on Saturday as he was off pace and gave the ball away frequently.

Luis Enrique said that Barca were used to teams packing their defense and that it is something that they have to cope with.

“This is something that often happens in matches like this unfortunately,” he said.

“On other occasions we have been able to respond quickly to going a goal behind but it is not always the case.

“We found it difficult to create chances and we were too disorganised. It is crucial to keep your order so as to win games.”

Barca need to quickly bounce back as they face Manchester City on Tuesday in the last 16 of the Champions League.

“We will see what happens. Defeats are painful and it is not easy to overcome them,” said Luis Enrique.

“We do, though, have a fantastic challenge in three days to look forward to.”

Reuters

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