La Liga: 5 Reasons Barcelona Won Spanish League Championship Over Real Madrid
For the 23rd time in La Liga history, Barcelona are once again champions.
Barcelona won the Spanish Premier League with a 30-4-4 record giving them 94 points, two points ahead of Real Madrid. So many pivotal factors went into this such as offense, defense and goaltending.
Here are five reasons Barcelona won 2014-15 La Liga.
1. Lionel Messi
As if there was any doubt. Messi is kind of like the LeBron James of soccer in the way that he makes everyone around him better. He is, without a doubt, the best passer in the league today having led La Liga with 18 assists. Messi also scored an incredible 43 goals, the fifth most in a single season ever. From start to finish Messi was on top of his game for Barcelona and has been Real Madrid's worst nightmare. Messi has now won seven La Liga championships, with Real Madrid placing second all seven of those seasons.
2. Elite South American Trio
Many soccer experts had their doubts on whether or not a Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez combination could function properly. Well, those people are no longer doubters. Messi, Neymar and Suarez combined for an incredible 81 goals and 39 assists this season. This South American (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay) trio was easily the most consistent set of payers throughout the year. For Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo did his job as did Karim Benzema, but Gareth Bale struggled in the second half. Scary thought for opposing teams; Messi, Neymar and Suarez are all under the age of 30.
3. Superior Goalkeeper
Barcelona didn't just benefit from excellent South American forwards, they won it all thanks to their Chilean goalkeeper. Claudio Bravo was phenomenal this year in net for Barcelona leading the league in clean sheets, goals against average and minutes played. Bravo made history this year by becoming the first ever Chilean-born goalie to win the Ricardo Zamora Trophy as the league's top goalkeeper. Bravo played in 37 games and allowed just 19 goals this season. By comparison, Iker Casillas allowed 35 goals in his 32 starts. Edge, Barcelona.
4. Week 28
Real Madrid won the first El Clasico game at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, 3-1. That game was played in Week 9, and the two wouldn't face off again until Week 28. This time, however, Barcelona was at home at the Camp Nou. Barcelona had all the pressure on them in easily the biggest and most anticipated match of the year. A draw would be a disappointment for them. Barcelona went on to win the game, 2-1, with Suarez and Jérémy Mathieu scoring in a physical contest. From that point on, Barcelona never looked back.
5. Strong Finish
Even with their huge El Clasico victory in Week 28, there was still plenty of business left to take care of. As many wise people have often said, "it's not how you start, it's how you finish." Barcelona finished the season with 12 wins, two draws and zero losses in their final 14 games. Their last loss came in Week 24 against Malaga. From Week 25 through Week 38, Barcelona had zero losses as opposed to Real Madrid's two defeats. Real Madrid's draw against Valencia in Week 36 was extremely detrimental as well.
Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!