Barcelona alter their objectives for the season after recent run of results
Barcelona succumbed to a 3-3 draw last night against Granada in La Liga at home, which further impacted their chances of winning the title this season.
The disappointing result meant that Barça are now a total of ten points behind leaders Real Madrid with 14 games to be played. And as Xavi and co. admitted after the match on Sunday, the retention of the league title has gotten much harder.
Change in objectives
Now, Ferran Correas of SPORT is reporting that in alignment with the current reality at the club, the Barcelona board has altered its objectives for the ongoing season.
Having won the La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup last season, Joan Laporta & co. had made it clear that they intended to retain the league title this season.
But last night’s result means the Blaugrana are ten points off Real Madrid and things must go terribly wrong for Carlo Ancelotti’s men for Barcelona to move ahead of them.
Accepting the current reality, Barcelona have now prioritised finishing in the top four of the La Liga standings.
As things stand, the Catalans are third in the table, five points below second-placed Girona and three above Atletico Madrid in fourth. Fifth-placed Athletic Club are six points below.
The idea is to ensure that a top-four finish and qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League is secured.
Furthermore, the report adds that Barcelona want to push for the second place for it guarantees their place in the Spanish Super Cup for next season, which means a €7 million financial boost for the club.
What about the UCL?
Apart from La Liga, Barcelona are also alive in the UEFA Champions League and the primary objective in Europe is to beat Napoli and make it through to the quarter-finals of the competition at the very least.
In terms of the budget, it is imperative that Barça go through to the next round and further progression in the competition would depend on the draw as well as the team’s form and injury situation.
