FC Barcelona winning the La Liga title last season was a great step forward for the club. This was the first major trophy that Barcelona won under Xavi, and winning it was made even more special because the Blaugranes had been unable to do so in the last few years despite being the favorites in almost every campaign.
Barcelona also did not have one of their biggest legends, Lionel Messi, to help them win this title, but his absence was balanced to some extent by the fact that another big player, Cristiano Ronaldo, had also left Real Madrid.
These two players dominated not only La Liga, but the whole European football, and their departures have started a new chapter in La Liga’s history.
The departure of these megastars allows other clubs to compete on a more equal basis with Barcelona and Real Madrid, and this sentiment was also voiced by the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper, Jan Oblak.
As reported by Mundo Deportivo, the Slovenian spoke to ESPN before his match against the Catalan club and talked about the state of La Liga now:
“La Liga right now is much more balanced than before. All the teams are very good, and each match is very challenging. La Liga is highly competitive.”
“Previously, with Cristiano and Messi around the world, there was more talk about those two, but now La Liga isn’t easier than it was with them. La Liga remains highly competitive and filled with great players.”
One of the players that Oblak will face in the match against Barcelona is his former teammate, Joao Felix. The Slovenian praised Felix but did not predict how he would fare in this match:
“As I know him, he knows me, and he knows all of us. Joao is a player of great quality, who can do things at any moment. Each game is a different story, and it doesn’t change anything if we know each other.”
Lastly, Oblak also recalled the best Barcelona team that he had faced during his time with Atletico Madrid:
“Barcelona has changed in these years. The Barça that played the most beautiful football was probably in 2015 and 2016, when they were in great shape. The strongest Barça since I arrived has been in the first three years that I’ve been here.”
As the goalkeeper mentioned, La Liga is more open now, and this is perhaps the most clearly evidenced by Girona’s magical run this season.
The match this weekend will be important for both the teams, as they are both aspiring for the title and have the same number of points, though Atletico have played a match less than FC Barcelona.
