How Barcelona won La Liga: the story behind success for a new era
I n the end, no one could catch Barcelona, not even the Espanyol fans who chased them off the pitch and down the tunnel – although they got closer than anybody else. The banner at the RCD stadium on Sunday had declared “we are Espanyol and this is our life”, yet it wasn’t one they chose, still less one they liked. They had never seen their team win a derby in the place they made home, and this time not only did they witness another defeat that pushed them ever closer to a second relegation in three seasons, but the few who hadn’t left early also watched their rivals celebrate becoming champions in their own back garden. For some – morons, mostly – it was too much to take.
