Barcelona’s championship means Real Madrid has not been able to successfully defend the 2022/23 La Liga title in the past 15 years. During the same period, the Catalan club won 9 La Liga titles and won 4 times in 2 consecutive seasons.
This is Xavi Hernandez’s 9th La Liga trophy and the first title as a coach with Barcelona in his career.
Xavi’s team conceded only 13 goals after 34 matches played in La Liga. They kept 25 clean sheets and conceded less than half of the second best defense in the tournament, Atletico Madrid with 27 goals. The 4-2 victory over Espanyol on May 15 is only the third time in La Liga this season Barca has conceded 2 or more goals.
If keeping a clean sheet in the last 4 matches (Real Sociedad, Real Valladolid, Real Mallorca, Celta Vigo), Barca can end the season with the best defensive record in the history of the top 5 European leagues. Barca currently concedes an average of 0.382 goals per game, just behind Cagliari in 1969/70 (0.367) and Liverpool in 1978/79 (0.381).
If they concede less than 5 goals in the last 4 matches, Barca will break the La Liga record held by Atletico Madrid in the 2015/16 season (18 goals). They need to concede less than two goals in these four games to beat Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea record in 2004/05 (15 goals conceded in 38 Premier League games).
Barcelona are on track to win the highest score in the top 5 European leagues this season. They average 2.5 points per game, an achievement no other team can touch. Meanwhile, the average score of Man City is 2.43 points, Napoli is 2.37 points and PSG is 2.31 points.
This is the first time Barcelona has won La Liga without Lionel Messi in the squad since the 1998/99 season.
Barcelona own the best home and away records in La Liga this season. Accordingly, they won 45 points at Camp Nou and 40 points away. If they do not lose to Real Sociedad on May 21, coach Xavi’s teachers and students will end the season with an unbeaten record at home.
If they win the last 4 matches, Barcelona will end the season with 97 points. Only twice in history (2009/10 – 99 points and 2012/13 – 100 points), Barca have won the better total points in a season.
Robert Lewandowski, 21 goals, is now 4 more than Karim Benzema in the La Liga top scorer race this season. The Poland international is likely to become the fourth Barcelona player to win the Pichichi since 2000, after Samuel Eto’o, Luis Suarez and Messi (8 wins).
Xiaofeng | 21:00 May 16, 2023
