Don’t scoff if Barcelona won the Europa League and finished second in La Liga - it would be a huge signal of intent

Winning the Europa League and finishing second in La Liga. For one season, and one season only, Barcelona would take this. At the start of the campaign this offer would have been scoffed at, for despite their troubles and the loss of Lionel Messi in the summer, this was still Barcelona.

Ad/> An opening-day win over Real Sociedad even raised hopes the post-Messi era would not be quite so difficult after all, but then came the draws – three in their next four La Liga games. Europa LeagueThree teams capable of denying Xavi’s Barcelona the Europa League crown13 HOURS AGO And then it got worse, the defeats. Three in the space of four league games, with the loss to Rayo Vallecano leaving Barca ninth in the table – all after they had lost their opening two Champions League games as well.

The defeat to Vallecano was the final straw for president Joan Laporta, who sacked Ronald Koeman on the plane home. «The way Laporta sacked me?” Koeman later said. “One thing that hurt me about it was that the players were sitting behind us on the plane while I had to come and sit next to him.

He always claims that I’m a club legend, prove it then…and act differently!” From one club legend to another, Barca got their man, and their rise under Xavi Hernandez ever since has been well documented. Three teams capable of denying Xavi’s Barcelona the Europa League crown Stunning strike from Pedri seals Barcelona victory over Sevilla ‘It makes almost no sense’ – European view on Lewandowski to Barcelona Xavi may have been unable to prevent them from dropping down to the Europa League, but he has lost just once in La Liga, with a six-game winning run – including that Clasico win – lifting them up to second. The title seems out of reach, given Real