The Japan Times - Key factors behind Barca's La Liga title triumph

The Catalan giants, entertainers in attack and risk-takers at the back, triumphed with three games to spare, sitting 14 points ahead of second-place Los Blancos.

AFP Sport looks at the key factors in Barca's title defence.

- Yamal level -

Barcelona's teenage star Lamine Yamal's superb displays in the second half of the campaign helped guide his team to back-to-back Spanish titles.

The 18-year-old winger scored 16 and set up 12 goals in La Liga, leading the team in both counts.

Yamal appears slightly less frequently within games than he did last season, when he ran relentlessly at defences, but this year he has become far more decisive in the final third.

With a groin issue plaguing him during the early months of the campaign, as well as off-field issues bringing him down, the Spain international still made vital contributions without shining consistently.

Yamal said he was feeling far happier in February after hitting a hat-trick against third-place Villarreal and that showed in his performances during Barca's run-in.

- Helping hands -

Barcelona's other outstanding talent beyond Yamal is midfielder Pedri Gonzalez, who is one of the best players in the world in his position.

In other areas the Catalans have relied on contributions from multiple players to make up for gaps in the squad.

Neither Robert Lewandowski nor Ferran Torres have performed consistently enough to make the striker spot their own this season, but in La Liga both have scored over 10 goals each.

Despite various injury struggles Raphinha has surpassed that mark too, while on-loan Marcus Rashford, Fermin Lopez and Dani Olmo all have 10 more goals and assists combined.

Barca do not have the financial strength to put out a star-studded line-up from top to bottom, unlike Real Madrid, but with many players chipping in they had enough to get over the line.

A word too, for Eric Garcia and Gerard Martin, two players whom many thought were likely to leave last summer and lacked the quality to start regularly, but have proven their doubters wrong.

- Madrid misery -

Barcelona's main rivals for the title, Real Madrid, have endured a difficult season and finish without a major trophy for the second year running.

Starting the season under Xabi Alonso, Los Blancos hoped they had the brains to combat Barca as well as the undoubted firepower in their squad, but Florentino Perez axed the coach in January.

Like Carlo Ancelotti before him, Alonso could not find a way to get the best from all of Madrid's star names at once.

Kylian Mbappe has not lifted a major trophy since arriving from Paris Saint-Germain, with Madrid's balance seemingly off when he plays alongside Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.

Alvaro Arbeloa's arrival cheered up Madrid's stars, who were tiring of Alonso, but was unable to benefit from it, noting at points that it is hard to compete without the players giving "200 percent".

Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, were turning out reserve sides in La Liga in search of cup glory, which did not come.

- Goalkeeping upgrade -

For years there have been doubts about Marc-Andre ter Stegen's form, with the German stopper unable to reproduce the level he showed under Luis Enrique and later Ernesto Valverde.

Last season Ter Stegen's injury led to the emergency arrival of Polish veteran Wojciech Szczesny, who helped Barca land a domestic treble.

Despite some solid performances, it was evident that Barca needed an upgrade between the sticks. They turned to Espanyol stopper Joan Garcia and he immediately delivered.

Flick's high-line defensive approach sometimes leaves him exposed but despite that, Garcia has the most clean sheets in the top flight with 15.

- Camp Nou return -

A year after they were initially scheduled to return to their Camp Nou home, in November 2025 Barca were able to inaugurate the partially rebuilt stadium.

They trounced Athletic Bilbao 4-0 in a confidence-boosting victory, pulling level with Madrid at the top of the table, and are unbeaten there in La Liga this season.

In fact, the Catalans are hoping to go through the whole campaign without dropping a point at home.

That includes two matches played at their tiny Johan Cruyff training ground stadium at the start of the season, before another stint at Montjuic's Olympic stadium.

To do this they need to beat Real Betis in their remaining home match.

T.Ikeda--JT