Barcelona cruise to 27th La Liga title

One can certainly say it has been a successful domestic campaign for Barcelona. Xavi's men finally put the icing on the cake on Sunday, rounding off a stellar 2022-23 season, landing them an astonishing 27th La Liga title in the club's history. It was their win away in the Catalan derby vs Espanyol which sealed the deal, making their 14 point lead unassailable.
From the Catalan side's results, anyone would think the players had been playing at the top their whole lives, with them claiming a staggering 12 wins out of their first 14 games, putting them well and truly on top of the lot going into the break for the abnormally-timed World Cup. Despite briefly worrying 'Cule' fans that they would not be able to replicate this form post-Christmas, falling to a 1-1 draw at home to Espanyol, Xavi managed to 11 wins out of the following 12 games, putting any worries to bed.
It has not just been a question of beating the teams they should have on paper, either, with the side edging crucial wins over the traditional title contenders. Atletico were the victim of a double against the Catalan side, with both legs being lost by the slimmest of margins, while Joan Laporta's side edged another vital win at home to Real Madrid in the latest edition of El Clasico at the Camp Nou.
Marc-Andre Ter StegenA stalwart between the Barcelona sticks this term, German goalkeeper Ter Stegen has been vital when it has mattered. The 31 year old shot-stopper recently wrote his name into the club's history books after he became the first ever goalkeeper to make 24 clean sheets in one La Liga season for the Spanish giants.
Additionally, the German has reached new heights, or better said 'lows', in terms of goals conceded, with just 11 let in in 34 games at the time of writing. At this rate, he is on track to surpass the La Liga record previously set by Jan Oblak, who conceded just 18 in the regular 38 game season with both Deportivo and Atletico Madrid.

The Uruguayan defender has been stand-out performer in the Barca back-line, starting an staggering 21 games out of the 22 appearances he has got in the Spanish top flight this campaign. These stats are only reinforced by the clean sheet record that Ter Stegen is owner to, as it is certain he would not have been able to achieve those feats without his sturdy centre-back keeping his goal secure.
The academy graduate has only been in the first team on a permanent basis since 2020/21, but he hit the ground running when introduced. He has matured with experience, chipping in with a goal and a couple of assists to contribute to Barcelona's climb to the summit. He has, at times, been hampered by niggles, most notably the thigh muscle, which kept him out of the World Cup before coming back to bite him after the second edition of El Clasico.

The Polish goal-machine always had a lethal reputation in front of goal, but replicating that form in your first season at a new club is never an easy task. He has made that look easy, however, leading the La Liga's race for the Golden Boot with 20 goals at the time of writing. After tearing up the German Bundesliga, he has made the transition look easy, haunting defences left, right and centre.
The peak of his tanacious form came early on in the season, grabbing a staggering 9 goals in 6 games between Matchday 2 and Matchday 8. Despite somewhat slowing in the recent spell of the season, he has undoubtedly been integral to the side's charge for the title, getting goals when it has mattered the most, single-handedly earning the side at least 9 points with his strikes.