The Fans Football Blog3

by Steven Bauer for Goal.com-Germany

(Translated by LeónDragón)




The season for FC Barcelona couldn't had been better. The team from the Catalan metropolis won not only the Spanish Championship, but also the Champions League and
the Copa del Rey. Many speak of the best Barcelona team of all times, so it's no wonder that the players deserve excellent grades.

Goal - Grade: Good
Victor Valdés had a very good season, but couldn't manage to become the undiscussed man between the posts. No matter how many nice saves will stay in people's memory, the mistakes will also be unforgotten since they can change a game too. Even if he ain't got the class of an Iker Casillas or Gianluigi Buffon, Guardiola has faith in him and will hold on to him. He will stay as his number one for the next season.

Defence - Grade: Very Good
The defence of Barcelona was in the past not always the best, so much the more it's
important to emphasize the defensive performance of the last season. Despite the
offensive style of play, Barca had many games with a clean sheet and was with 35 goals against them the best defensive team of La Liga. Also in the Champions League, the defence proved his worth. Only Abidal is believed to be a weak point.

Midfield - Grade: Very Good
No need for much words about the midfield. Touré Yaya, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta: the best midfield worldwide. Especially the accuracy, precision and overview of the midfield-actors were a reason for the success of the Catalans last season. Xavi as well as Iniesta are considered to be unsellable, as they don't even think about leaving the club.

Forward - Grade: Very Good
105 goals in 38 League-games are an incredible achievement, but when you take a look
at the strikers, is all becomes clear. Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi have the skills to make every defence feel giddy. Eto'o, one of the most successful strikers in Europe, Henry, who found back his old form and no need to say a lot about Messi. Only the eye for the goal needed a little improvement in some games.

Coach & Management - Grade: Very Good
Summer 2008, after two bad seasons under Rijkaard, followed a rebuilding phase. Stars were sold, others bought and Pep Guardiola was appointed as the new head coach. He formed a strong squad of a young team, that played with passion again and
without star-affections. One year before, he coached Barca's B-Team and reached now the top of world's football.

Season - Grade: Very Good
There's no better time for a Barca-Fan or Player. They are the first spanish team that won the treble. They have the best player of the world and maybe the second-and-third-best player too in their squad. They have the best youth-system and the team plays a football which is far ahead of that of other teams.