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The UEFA Champions League - Europe's premier football tournament returned for the new season with a lot of hot topics for discussion. Paris Saint Germain's 3-0 humbling of Real Madrid dominated the headlines. Barcelona's sluggish opener against Borussia Dortmund also earned a significant share of the attention.
The Blaugrana are still searching for their first European triumph under Ernesto Valverde. They crashed out of the continental tournament at the semifinal stage last season but they will be keen to go all the way and make history this term.
After suffering humiliating exits in back-to-back campaigns, Barca could finally end up reaching their Champions League dreams this season. Below, we take a look at 4 reasons why the Blaugrana could go all the way this time:
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#4 Persistent determination
Barcelona's struggles in the Champions League is well-documented. The Catalans last claimed the continental crown in 2015. Since then, they've been experiencing embarrassing moments one after the other in the European tournament.
The humiliation they suffered at the hands of Liverpool last season is still fresh in memory. But, how are they responding to these setbacks? The answer to this question is simply interesting. Barca aren't giving up!
The Blaugrana have displayed tremendous character over the past few years, getting up each time they fall and continuing with their European ambition. They crashed out at the quarterfinal stage during the 2017/2018 season but entered last term with the Champions League as their priority. The same is what they've done this year, the UCL remains their ultimate target.
You simply can't write-off someone who refuses to give up. With the Catalans still keeping their Champions League dream in sight, anything can happen and it could be this season that they'd finally parade the trophy at the Nou Camp.
Also check out: Premier League Table La Liga Table Champions League Schedule
#3 Stronger squad
Last season, there was no proper backup to Jordi Alba. The Spaniard was used in almost every match and was later forced to pay the price as he became sluggish during the final phase of the term. However, that void has been filled this summer.
Junior Firpo was signed from Real Betis to give Ernesto Valverde more options at left-back. The defender will provide competition and also afford Alba some rest especially during the decisive moments.
Meanwhile the signing of Frenkie de Jong from Ajax is proving to be a masterstroke for the club. Alongside Arthur Melo and Sergio Busquets, de Jong is settling perfectly in the centre of the pitch and there's already a great spark between the trio when they lineup together.
The attack was also strengthened with the acquisition of Antoine Griezmann. The Frenchman is getting better in Barca's attack, with the likes of Ansu Fati and Carles Perez also proving their worths up front. Having made their squad even better, Barca have reasons to believe they can finally achieve their Champions League dream this season.
#2 Lionel Messi's advantage
The man that makes Barcelona one of the best teams on the planet isn't done yet. Lionel Messi is still at the peak of his powers and he is set to lead the Blaugrana's quest to return to the summit of European football once again this season.
Despite Barca's late collapse that turned their season sour last term, Messi still enjoyed a brilliant outing at the individual level. The Argentine bagged a whopping 36 goals and 16 assists in 34 La Liga appearances during the campaign to claim both the Pichichi trophy and the European Golden Boot.
He also finished as the Champions League top scorer with 12 goals to his name to prove that there's still plenty of gas left in his tank. Even though he has failed to lead Barca to European triumph in the past 3 years, there is no doubt any team with Messi in it is surely a favourite.
With the Argentine recently reiterating his desire to conquer Europe, this could be the year to get it done.
#1 Antoine Griezmann's support
Barcelona have struggled to cope with Neymar's departure for the past few years. Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho both failed to step up in attack and that cost the team dearly as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez got stranded up front.
That should end this season, following the capture of Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid during the summer. The attacker is blending into the team gradually and will provide stern support for Messi and Suarez as they combine to break down opposition defences and chip in the goals.
Griezmann is without doubts, a world-class player. The Frenchman showed us that he can play a decisive role to lead his team to glory during the World Cup last year. He bagged 4 goals and 2 assists to help France cruise to success in Russia and he has already gotten his Barca career to a flying start with 3 goals and 2 assists in 7 appearances so far. With him on the side, the Blaugrana are truly stronger and his support could be all Messi and co. need to achieve their European dream.
Meanwhile, the club still has a serious work to do if they are to make their desired statement in Europe this season as discussed in the next slide.
There's serious work to do
Barcelona always ranks among the favourites to win the Champions League every season. Despite their recent disappointments in the European tournament, the Blaugrana cannot be written off just yet and they could eventually return to the top of the European ladder this term. However, they have serious work to do.
Ernesto Valverde and his men entered the new season via an unwanted channel as they lost their opening fixture to Athletic Bilbao. Subsequent performances have failed to convince as they now sit at the seventh position on the La Liga table after picking up 11 points from their 7 games in the Spanish top-flight so far.
Their performance against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last week also failed to inspire as they needed Marc-Andre Ter Stegen's brilliance and a bit of luck to earn a goalless draw at the Signa Iduna Park. They've struggled in attack this season, failing to find the back of the net in 3 of their 7 matches across all competitions. The defence also needs to respond as they've conceded a whopping 10 goals in just 7 games so far.
That implies that Ernesto Valverde and his players need to step up their efforts in order to achieve their dreams this season.
