Arsenal’s “Invincibles” season has been a prominent talking point this year.
They’ve been part of the debate with Manchester City about the greatest Premier League season of all time, and they’ve also been a point of reminiscence as Arsene Wenger’s best managerial season, after he announced his retirement two weeks ago.
One comparison we haven’t heard much about, however, is to Barcelona, who are on the verge of accomplishing the same feat as Arsenal in that famous ’03-04 season. After their thrilling, title-clinching match against Deportivo on Sunday, they sit atop La Liga with 26 wins, 8 draws, and zero losses with just four matches remaining.
So why is this not a bigger deal? Is it because we’re so desensitized to Barcelona’s success that this is just another season for them? Is it the English-speaking media’s Premier League bias?
Some may argue that the Premier League is much harder after the #3 spot in the table compared to La Liga, so the accomplishment it isn’t as impressive. And it’s true that Chelsea/Spurs/Arsenal are much harder to beat than Valencia/Sevilla/Villarreal, but it evens out toward the middle and bottom of the table. You can’t say that Huddersfield and Swansea are any better than Malaga and Las Palmas, and the fact that Barcelona is winning games at such a consistent rate is a massive accomplishment regardless.
Whatever the case, this is a potentially historic event that isn’t being talked about enough, especially considering the narrative that comes along with it.
Remember back in August when the whole world wrote them off after they lost Neymar and got dismantled in the Spanish Supercopa? People began to criticize the transfer policy, belief in Ernesto Valverde started to dwindle, and the expectation of Barcelona was that they were about to fall into uncharted territory – mediocrity.
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But fast-forward to April and Barcelona is still one of the best clubs in Europe.
Everyone stepped up in Neymar’s absence – especially when his replacement, Ousmane Dembele, was sidelined for a considerable amount of time with a hamstring injury. Obviously Barca miss his creativity, but they look like a more cohesive unit now under Valverde.
It’s arguably the weakest Barcelona squad in recent memory, but his system is ideal for the players he has to work with, and it plays to everyone’s strengths. Jordi Alba offers more of an attacking presence down the left, Sergi Roberto has solidified himself as the first-choice right-back, Busquets and Rakitic have stepped up to offset the shortcomings of an aging Iniesta, and even Paulinho has proven himself to be a pretty useful player. Having Messi and Suarez up top doesn’t hurt either, and now they’re looking even more dangerous than before with Coutinho getting more consistent minutes.
Another big factor in Barcelona’s run is that they’ve been vastly outperforming expectations on the defensive end. According to Understat, Barca’s expected goals allowed so far this season is 34.5, but they’ve given up just 21, meaning they’ve allowed about 13.5 fewer goals than they should have so far this season, which has earned them roughly 12.5 points higher than expectations. The current style of play isn’t nearly as beautiful as what we’re used to, but it’s just as effective in getting results.
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The deciding test for Barca will likely be next week against Real Madrid. If they can manage at least a draw against Los Blancos, they’ll have a pretty good shot at finishing the season undefeated, with only Villarreal, Levante, and Real Sociedad left on the schedule. Barcelona may have an advantage in this match as well, with Real likely to be experiencing some fatigue after playing Bayern this week in the Champions League.