The resurgence of Barcelona after a lacklustre two-year tenure is not surprising ( >Editorial, May 22 ). Luis Enrique’s pragmatic approach resulted in a monumental shift from Guardiola’s possession-based system to the new direct approach and ruthlessness. The new signings — of Suarez and Rakitic — have now given Barcelona the much-needed cutting edge. The presence of Neymar and Suarez has also liberated the irreplaceable Messi who is now more involved and is in devastating form. In every way this team is primed to replicate and possibly overshadow Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.
The modern axis of club football still lies with Spain. Bayern Munich is still there but recent losses against Barcelona and Real Madrid (the last season) in the Champions League have dented its prospects. Italian football is in a state of disarray but the resurgence of Juventus is promising. The big guns of England, Chelsea, Arsenal and the Manchester, are busy with infighting and have gone down in the football order.
Joseph Roy,
Thiruvananthapuram
The Liga win is very special and rightly praised in the Editorial. However, a few of the reasons which made it so were not mentioned. This was the 7th Liga title for Barca in the last 11 years, establishing its dominance over a decade. And it also attained this by being the first team in Spanish history to keep 33 clean sheets in a season. To achieve all this while competing with Real Madrid, the world’s most richest club which keeps establishing records in spending, is more commendable.
Rajesh Ramachandran,
Kochi
