Only last month, it looked increasingly likely that FC Barcelona would be finishing the season without any silverware to their name, especially as the club lost in the finals of the Spanish Super Cup and crashed out of the Copa del Rey in a matter of days.
Furthermore, the club was also significantly behind Girona and Real Madrid in the La Liga. However, a string of good results in the month of February has allowed the Catalans to become somewhat more optimistic about their chances this season, although there is still a strong possibility that Barcelona will not be able to win La Liga or the Champions League.
Whatever the end result is, one thing that needs to be commended is that neither Xavi nor President Joan Laporta lost hope about the team’s ability to still win the league even when the team was trailing the leaders by more than 10 points.
Now, with only 12 matches remaining in La Liga, Laporta has once again reiterated his belief that Barcelona can defend their title. As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the President spoke at the Mobile World Congress being held in Barcelona, where he was accompanied by the Sporting Director Deco.
Laporta mainly talked about the role of technology in sport, but was asked about his team’s chances in La Liga at the end of his address, to which he replied: “Of course, there is a league.”
Deco was also among the speakers at this event, and he spoke about how technology and statistics are helping clubs identify targets more easily:
“Now it’s easier to find talent. Before, we needed scouts; now we have a lot of information. Now it’s impossible for a player not to be known.”
“Technology helps us a lot with its statistics, but there are aspects that are valued differently. Like their development in a context. Their mental adaptation to the team.”
“There are platforms that assess their market value based on statistics, but there are variables like the context they come from and their reaction to pressure that also count when making a signing.”
Deco’s comments will be interesting for individuals who are looking to understand how cutting-edge technology is changing and how the football market works. But for most of the fans, it will be Laporta’s comments about La Liga that matter the most, as they will be expecting their team to fight till the end to defend their league title.
