Luis Suarez was one of the players ‘called’ by Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman at the start of the season. He was told that his services would no longer be needed at Camp Nou. Was Koeman simply a mouthpiece for the club’s board or did the Dutch coach genuinely feel Suarez couldn’t perform at the biggest stage anymore? There would be no need for an answer because the repercussion of that call was grave. It was clear.

At full-time, in the game between Atletico Madrid and Real Valladolid at the Jose Zorilla stadium on the final day, an emotional Suarez sat on the turf, his boots and shin pads lying aimlessly beside him, his socks rolled down like a secondary school kid, his left elbow resting on his knee and palm resting on the back of his head. He was on a video call- another call but to his family. He cried as he spoke. This time, these weren’t tears of sadness but joy. A season that started with a devastating call was ending in the best possible way. Atletico Madrid are champions of La Liga and he had played a major role for that to happen, including scoring the winner. He had beautiful pictures of the moments. He would love to send some to his “doubters”. No. He didn’t send the pictures. The former Barcelona striker restrained himself.

And Barcelona? How did they fare in the just concluded season?

The 2019 champions ended the season in third place but they could have won the title. To be fair, not at the start of the season would anyone have thought so. They had only Lionel Messi to rely on. A Messi they didn’t really have at the beginning. The Argentine had blatantly told everyone that mattered that he wanted out. He communicated via a fax machine. The world stood still. Interested clubs began to speak with their investors and advisors. If Messi was available, what were the possibilities? The Barcelona board did nothing. Well, they went through their captain’s contract meticulously to be sure it couldn’t be nullified and he would leave for free. The forward stayed eventually. Only the first two games were won convincingly. The others, till the start of the new year, were not. They lost four of their first ten matches, including those against Getafe and Cadiz. Oh! They lost for the first time to Atletico Madrid since Simeone became the coach of the Colchoneros.

Something happened in February. “Barcelona found themselves,” like a Spanish journalist, Sid Lowe put it. Koeman tried three men in central defence and played Ousmane Dembele as the striker. That was the beginning of the unexpected. They would go on for another 19 matches without losing. As they were winning, their rivals were losing. Come May and Barcelona needed to beat Granda to go top. It had become their title to lose. They lost. Then they won. Then they drew. One more draw and they were out of the race completely.

In that time, before the match against Granada, it had become a three-horse race- a four-horse race if you add that Sevilla were, somehow, mathematically in the mix. They were going to fight for it for as long as was feasible. Those weeks, from the end of April, had the fans on an emotional roller-coaster. No one wanted the title. Real Madrid drew with Real Betis and passed the baton to Atletico who lost to Athletic Club before Barcelona lost to Diego Martinez’s men. Atleti lost but remained winners.

In truth, it probably shouldn’t have happened the way it did. Diego Simeone’s men were healthy atop the league until February but they dropped points in three of four matches. In March, they played out a goalless draw and the race was blown wide open. It was only four points between them and Barcelona. Now, it would make for an emotional story, seeing that they won the title after ‘suffering.’ Simeone would switch to a back three that allowed for more controlled possession. Typical of his teams, this Atletico were only beaten when the final whistle sounded. The never-say-die attitude was their greatest asset, and it saw them over the line in the final matches of the season.

Sevilla ended the season fulfilled, Julen Lopetegui especially. After that nightmare with Spain and Real Madrid. He has rebuilt his reputation pretty quickly. He won the Europa League title- his first major title in his first season. Los Palanganas did not win a title this term but they finished in fourth place- the same position as last season and with 77 points- their highest ever tally in La Liga. When Sevilla tell their season’s story, they’ll say they competed for the title until the final weeks. They would not be wrong.

After Atletico Madrid, Real Betis were probably the biggest winners in La Liga. The manner in which they won made it even more enjoyable. Manuel Pellegrini’s side needed to win against Celta Vigo on the final day to qualify for the Europa League. They qualified but they almost didn’t. The script was tampered with- the first 50 minutes particularly. Los Verdiblancos were down by two goals. They were staring defeat in the face. All the work they had done in the new year was going to waste.

The win against Granada and Huesca would matter for nothing. Alas! Borja Iglesias stood up again to be counted. He had done so all season. This was different and he knew it. It was against the team where he learnt how to play. First, he dispatched the penalty with calmness after Emerson was brought down to make it 2-1.

Nabil Fekir scored directly from a free-kick 12 minutes later and after five minutes, Victor Ruiz completed the comeback. They would have wanted the game to end there and then but one twist was remaining. Two minutes after the goal, no one affiliated with Betis was smiling. They had been reduced to ten men. Cristian Tello was sent off in the 75th minute. 15 minutes would start to feel like 50.

Claudio Bravo would have to make a late save to get them over the line. We would have a 40-year-old in the Europa League next season after Joaquin extended his contract for another year.

READ MORE