FC Barcelona: Three hopes, one fear

FC Barcelona are one of the kings of world football. But will the crown be too heavy in 2016-2017?

It is good to be FC Barcelona.Hundreds of millions of supporters worldwide, one of the best youth academies in the world, one of the best rosters in the world, a world-class coach, and the chance to play in one of the most iconic stadiums in the world. Yes, it is good to be FC Barcelona. Most of the time.

One of the interesting trends that rarely gets spoken of in professional sports is the ever-growing desire for teams to achieve more. With football clubs more now being considered like businesses teams are always looking to expand, looking to increase their footprint, and looking to win more titles. What used to be defined as a successful season is now either seen as breaking even or a loss.

That seems to be the situation that FC Barcelona find themselves in. Years ago had Barcelona finished the year with a La Liga title and a Copa del Rey title that would be seen as a success. Yet the perception among the footballing community is that last year was a loss. This could be because the club lost in the Champions League to Atletico Madrid. It could also be because Real Madrid, Barcelona’s pre-eminent foil, won the Champions League. No matter the reason last year seems to have left an acrid taste in the mouth of Barcelona supporters.

So can FC Barcelona live up to the expectations of the stands and the board room? Again, it goes back to the question of what those entities consider as a successful season. Winning one or two titles is certainly a good possibility. But if the expectation is to win all three titles and to do so in a fashion that hearkens back to the late 2000s might be a tall ask.

With that in mind let’s dig deeper into FC Barcelona and look at their three hopes and one fear!