Barcelona had a bitter end to the 2020-21 season, failing to keep pace with Atletico Madrid in the title race and running out of steam in the last few matchdays. Los Rojiblancos have been crowned as champions and Barcelona ended their league campaign with 79 points in third place below the Madrid powerhouses.
The Blaugrana also failed to make deep inroads in the UEFA Champions League, sighting a pre-mature exit through the hands of PSG in the round of 16. The club’s failure to challenge regularly for the coveted trophy has pinched the club fans for long and the clues are desperate to see their club back in the hunt for the trophy that has eluded their hands for six years now.
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Fortunately, Barcelona did not end their campaign without any silverware, managing a successful Copa del Rey run. Barca beat Athletic Club 4-0 in the final to secure the one and only trophy of the season.
The Blaugrana enjoyed some highly successful patches while also experiencing highly deplorable situations. Several players rose to the occasion while some underperformed. Sighting the end of the season, here is the Barcelona team of the season for the 2020-21 season.
Here is the Barcelona team of the season:
Goalkeeper: Marc-Andre ter Stegen
He is the undisputed winner among the goalkeepers. Neto made just 12 appearances throughout the season, keeping six clean sheets and conceded eight goals. Marc-Andre ter Stegen hasn’t had a spectacular season either, conceding 50 goals in 42 games and keeping just 14 clean sheets but the German will make it to the team of the season.
Defence:
Centre back: Oscar Mingueza
Oscar Mingueza can actually be a solid candidate for the youngster of the season. The 21-year-old has terrific throughout the season and has excelled in the back three. Playing on the right-hand side of the back three, Mingueza was reliable, robust and radiant. In need of a centre back after Gerard Pique’s injury, Mingueza rose to the occasion and staked his claim in the Barca starting lineup.
The Spaniard has been quick to brush off early doubters and through his industriousness and concentration, quickly become a fan favourite at Camp Nou. The La Masia product left no stone unturned to impress the club hierarchy that it became very difficult to not recognize the player’s efforts.
Sighting the meteoric rise, several clubs came hurling around Mingueza whose deal was running out this summer but Barcelona have been attentive enough to renew the 21-year-old until 2023.
Centre back: Ronald Araujo
Barcelona’s defence has come under heavy criticism in recent times. It would’ve faced even more wrath and anger from the fans had it not been for youngsters like Mingueza and Ronald Araujo. Pique’s injury came at a time when the Catalans were already struggling to get the best out of Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti. Araujo came to Barca’s rescue and fortified the rickety rearguard.
Mingueza’s solid run of performances also began around the same time, solving Barca’s huge headache. Araujo boasts impressive stats to support the claim of having a highly fruitful season. The Uruguayan registered a tackle success rate of 73% and had a pass accuracy of over 92%.
The 22-year-old has shown that he can remain calm under pressure and is precise with his passing. Aerially too, he is one of the strongest in La Liga, winning 77% of his aerial duels, only behind Felipe of Atletico Madrid and Eder Militao of Real Madrid.
Centre back: Clement Lenglet
Clement Lenglet could be considered a surprise pick over Pique but the former Sevilla man manages to edge past the 34-year-old simply because of his continuous availability and some noteworthy performances.
The Frenchman’s slump was pretty evident, especially after the 8-2 humiliation last season. Since then, Lenglet picked himself up and has been a decent player in the squad. Pique missed crucial periods of the season due to injury whereas Lenglet continued to be a part of the backline. The former Sevilla defender played a total of 48 games, registering a pass success rate of 92.8%, 1.42 blocks per 90 minutes and 1.27 interceptions per 90.
Midfield:
Left wing back: Jordi Alba
Jordi Alba is the undisputed selection in this position. Junior Firpo comes nowhere close to displacing the Spaniard. Alba was deemed as a footballer on a downhill trajectory after last season. The former Valencia man was fading into a shadow of himself but Alba’s resurgence has been nothing short of spectacular.
On his best days, he can be the biggest difference-maker after a certain Argentine in the squad. Through his attacking runs in the final third and ability to cut back and cross, Alba has given Barca a huge edge in several games from the left flank. Alba registered 15 assists across all competitions, making him the assist leader for Barca this season.
Midfield: Sergio Busquets
Questions were raised on Sergio Busquets too. He was regarded as too slow to function in the team and his struggles continued in the initial part of the season, further raising doubts among the fans. However, a change in formation and turn of the year transformed Busquets’ season.
The Spaniard was back to his best, breaking down opposition play, making the team tick and keep the ball rolling. In games Barcelona looked flawless, Busquets controlled the tempo of the game and elevated the midfield. He was not easily pressed or forced into mistakes. While Frenkie de Jong has garnered a lot of praises for his role under Koeman, Busquets silently continues to sparkle gold dust.
Midfield: Frenkie de Jong
Frenkie de Jong also makes it to the team of the season without any competition. The Dutchman has been a tireless titan in the Barcelona team who simply keeps of defying the physical and mental limits.
De Jong has played 51 games (playing 4472 minutes if 4590) throughout the season, contributing 7 goals and 8 assists. The player also spent a brief amount of time in the defence, playing in the libero role, excelling in that role too.
In midfield, de Jong has had support from Busquets which gave him the freedom to surge forward and use his unparalleled spatial awareness and exemplary vision in the middle of the park. De Jong has orchestrated several roles with alarming ease.
Midfield: Pedri
Barcelona’s crown jewel Pedri has gone from an exuberant and exciting starlet to one of the first names on the team sheet and all within a span of a season. Pedri has been the heartbeat of the midfield, especially in the creative sense.
Barcelona midfield which once housed legends like Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Pep Guardiola and other gems had invited a lot of criticism in recent times for its inadequacies. It’s a fact that Barcelona tends to do well when they have an imaginative and smoothly functioning midfield. Pedri’s arrival gives Barcelona fans hope that the golden days that they experienced during the Iniesta-Xavi-Busquets era can be relived.
The player made 52 appearances in his debut season and has impressed at several levels. He jumped several first-team players in the pecking order and is an imaginative tank for the team. If his debut season is anything to go by, Pedri has a long future with the club and can aid the club to achieve greater heights.
Right wing back: Sergino Dest
For years Barcelona’s right back department was in a questionable state. Nelson Semedo and Aleix Vidal had miserably failed. Sergi Roberto wasn’t your ideal right-back option. The summer of 2021 saw the arrival of a young, promising, agile right back in form of Sergino Dest from Ajax.
The USMNT star had a turbulent start to the Barca career with the 20-year-old struggling to cope with the Barca style. Just when it felt that the right-back conundrum will continue to give a headache to the Barcelona hierarchy, Dest’s metamorphosis happened. The player started feeling more and more comfortable and at ease in the lineup, especially after the formation change.
Soon the 20-year-old was seen marauding forward and making perfectly timed forward runs. His attacking qualities were on exhibition as he used his pace and dribbling skills to ferry past defenders and use his crossing abilities to launch the ball in dangerous areas.
Roberto has played second fiddle to the USMNT player for many parts of the season and will continue to be a secondary choice if Dest performs as per expectations.
Attack:
Striker: Lionel Messi
The biggest news regarding Lionel Messi is that his future is still undecided. In what could be his final dance with the Catalan club, Messi once again gave evidence of him being an extra-terrestrial in a world of mortals.
The Argentine maestro once again will win the Pichichi trophy, scoring 30 goals in La Liga. Messi won’t be extremely content with the season as the Blaugrana just managed to win Cope del Rey. At the start of the season, the captain looked unhappy following the burofax incident and was not at his absolute best. The turn of the year saw Messi defy his own level and power Barcelona through.
Messi’s contract still remains a talking point and the cules are hopeful that La Pulga will stay and that this was not the last time the fans saw him in the Barcelona shirt.
Striker: Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Greizmann seems like a man reborn. After an underwhelming 2019-20 season which made everyone question why Barcelona paid over 100 million euros for the Frenchman who had such low levels of productivity.
This season, he finally did the job he was brought for. Instead of helping the team in defence and contributing in the defensive half, Griezmann was influential in the final third, scoring goals and assisting his teammates. In 51 games, the 30-year-old scored 20 goals and assisted another 12.
Ousmane Dembele doesn’t make the cut simply because he wasn’t as impactful in certain games as the club would’ve wanted him to be. The former Dortmund man has surely put himself on the path of improvement but he is yet to reach the levels expected.
Griezmann on the other hand has had a campaign of ups and downs. At times, he found himself on the bench but he managed to pick himself up and conjure up something when called on the pitch.
This completes Barcelona’s team of the season. Do you agree that this was Barcelona’s best team throughout the season?