Barcelona are about to wave goodbye to one of the most successful years in club history, with the club in an endless sea of euphoria. Their spectacular 2015, which saw them lift a memorable five trophies, including La Liga, the Champions League and the Club World Cup, has already secured a place in the hearts of supporters all over the planet.
The year could not have started any worse, however. Nobody could have predicted that the shambolic team, which was deservedly defeated in their trip to Real Sociedad in early January, would go on to win any silverware that season, let alone rewrite the Blaugrana history books in the space of 12 months.
In fact, the relationship between Luis Enrique and many of his key players, including Lionel Messi and Neymar, was so broken that Cules were beginning to fear for the stars' long-term future at the Camp Nou. With the quadruple Ballon d'Or winner not even willing to speak to the manager after the infamous bust-up in the Anoeta dressing room, it soon became apparent that sacking the Asturian was possibly the only way forward.
A lot changed in the space of a couple of weeks, fortunately. Although he remained true to his roots, Luis Enrique adopted a more approachable style, which brought him closer to his players. His conscious effort to listen to others' ideas, certainly influenced by his make-or-break conversation with Xavi and Andres Iniesta, was the key factor that turned a season destined for disaster into a resounding success.
Most encouragingly, the team's visible improvement happened at an incredible speed, as if all of the pieces of the puzzle that Luis Enrique had been trying to assemble since his arrival in June 2014 had suddenly fallen into place. Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic understood the importance of their defensive duties, Dani Alves tamed his attacking hunger, Gerard Pique returned to his dominant self and Jordi Alba finally realised that his continuous runs forward without a contingency plan at the back were actually hurting the team.
The most decisive factor of all, however, was the way in which Messi evolved into the more generous, dominant player he is today. While theoretically deployed as a right winger, Luis Enrique gave his Argentine star enough freedom to float around the team's final third in whichever way he saw fit, always trying to make the most of the eventual gaps left within his opponents' back-line.
It was feared that the inclusion of Luis Suarez as the team's central attacking reference and the inevitable growth of the incisive Neymar would reduce Messi's spaces and, as a result, progressively diminish his influence. Luis Enrique's more direct system, which no longer focused on endless passing sequences in midfield but prioritised building from the back-line and quicker transitions toward the front three, was also seen as a less favourable scenario for La Pulga to excel in.
Nothing could have been further from the truth. Messi quickly understood that he would have to drop deeper into midfield if he was going to remain Barca's attacking leader. His new wide role enabled him far more space to run into, made him harder to mark and, in short, forced him into changing his game completely.
Given that rivals had become able to contain his efforts as a false nine with frustrating precision, Leo's evolution was the obvious way forward for not only the player himself, but also Barcelona as a whole. The Argentinean's movements became less predictable, his passes spread across a far larger area, he was far more involved during games, and, inevitably, he incorporated yet another dimension to his already bulging skill set.
While Messi's finishing remained as lethal as ever, he clearly became a far more influential passer in 2015. With over two key passes per game, the No. 10 surpassed both Iniesta and Rakitic to become Barca's best provider under Luis Enrique. It truly is remarkable to see a player capable of scoring a jaw-dropping 91 goals in a calendar year evolving into such a generous playmaker in just three years, always putting the needs of the team before his own.
Fortunately for Cules, Messi's hunger for success remained a constant. If Barca is still a dominant force in world football, it is definitely thanks to the No. 10's willingness to improve on a daily basis, taking the club forward as a result. With the help of teammates and coaching staff, La Pulga has been the force that pulled through all the negativity surrounding the club and taken the club to an astounding five titles in 2015.
Although Cules are fully aware that the sporting fairy tale they have been living in the last decade will eventually come to an end, there is reason to believe the current team has the potential to bring even further silverware to the Camp Nou museum in the near future.
As long as Messi remains healthy and supported by the exceptional team of individuals surrounding him, the dream of becoming the first ever team to win a back-to-back treble does not seem so distant.
Gracias for todo, Leo. Here's looking forward to more and better in 2016
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