Lieke Martens’ FC Barcelona can crown an unprecedented dominant season on Saturday evening against Olympique Lyon with a win of the Champions League. Is the Spanish club that good, or is the rest so disappointing? “They are of a different order, not just in Spain.”
Thirty out of thirty matches won, 159 goals for and only 11 against: these are the staggering numbers of Barcelona in the Spanish league. Victories by more than five goals are more the rule than the exception for the team that already secured the national title on March 13. Almost everything was won in the Champions League.
Last Sunday, Orange defender Merel van Dongen and Atlético Madrid got the chance to keep Barcelona from victory in the last competition round, but that didn’t work out. Atlético kept the damage limited, but lost 2-1.
“Barcelona is the best team in the world in my opinion. They are of a different order, not just in Spain. It is unrealistic to think that you will have more ball possession if you have to play against them,” Van Dongen told NU .nl about the power of the Spanish superpower.
“Sometimes I discuss it with the girls of the Dutch national team. They wonder how you could beat Barcelona. Then I think: just wait until you have to play against them.”
Merel van Dongen experienced the strength of FC Barcelona firsthand this season. In the battle for the supercup they lost 7-0.
Merel van Dongen experienced the strength of FC Barcelona firsthand this season. In the battle for the supercup they lost 7-0. Photo: Getty Images
‘You can do a lot with money’
Where does Barcelona’s dominance come from? “They have decided that they want to win the Champions League (which they succeeded for the first time last season, ed.) and have invested a lot of money in the women’s team,” says former Orange international Leonne Stentler, who works as an analyst for NOS and ESPN. works.
“Now the best Spanish players play at Barcelona, together with good international players, such as Lieke Martens. The team has grown together from 2017 and only got better.”
According to Stentler, Barcelona has taken a good look at Lyon, which won the Champions League in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 and has almost always been champion of France since 2007. Meanwhile, Real Madrid has taken the same path.
“Lyon has also invested a lot in women’s football before. Barcelona is the new Lyon in that regard,” she says. “And Real Madrid is also really good. They have achieved that in three years, which shows that you can do a lot with money.”
Leonne Stentler sees similarities between the Spanish and Dutch competition.
Leonne Stentler sees similarities between the Spanish and Dutch competition. Photo: Pro Shots
‘They also play away the English and German champions’
At the same time, Barcelona’s investments mean that most other clubs in the league are lagging far behind in terms of level. The same scenario occurs in the Netherlands, where FC Twente and Ajax dominate, although the top in the Eredivisie with PSV and now Feyenoord is slightly wider.
“There are now sixteen clubs in the Spanish league, but they want to make the competition smaller to raise the level. There is opposition for Barcelona, but the difference with the bottom teams is very large,” said Stentler.
“You see that in all countries, and therefore also in the Netherlands. In Spain, women’s football is more professional, because there are all conditions for the clubs that want to participate in the competition. Ajax also plays against teams that play for their own benefit, so to speak. travel allowance.”
According to Van Dongen, the predominance of Barcelona is not due to the weakness of the Spanish league. “They also completely remove the champions of England and Germany, so I don’t think it is due to the level of the competition,” said the multiple Orange international.
“With Atlético we are really trying to close the gap with Barcelona and we can also offer some resistance. But to beat them, you really have to be in good hands. we totally outdone.”
Lieke Martens has scored 17 goals and 12 assists in 21 league games this season.
Lieke Martens has scored 17 goals and 12 assists in 21 league games this season. Photo: Getty Images
‘Martens is important, but not irreplaceable’
And what about Martens? Is the 2017 world football star, who missed part of this season due to injuries and is linked with a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, still an important pawn in the Barcelona success team?
“She is still very important for Barcelona, but she is not irreplaceable. The whole team is now from the outside category. It is a machine. They are attuned to each other and have players who can make a difference,” says Stentler.
“If Lieke is not fit, there are people who can replace her. But last season she was absent for six months with an injury, then she played the Champions League final and was immediately involved in three goals. shape, she is also out of the ordinary.”
Whether Martens is in the starting line-up against Lyon or not: the Champions League final, which will be played in Turin on Saturday at 7 p.m., is worth seeing anyway, according to Van Dongen. “If there is a club that can beat Barcelona, it is Lyon. That’s why this final is really one that everyone should see.”