Analyzing Barça season so far
After a disappointing 2023-24 season when they failed to win any trophy, the management of FC Barcelona decided to make a coaching change last summer by replacing rookie Roger Grimau with Joan Penarroya, a more experienced coach. Penarroya last coached at Baskonia and he made history at Burgos a few years before that, winning the Basketball Champions League twice (2020 and 2021) and also the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in 2021.
The Blaugrana also made a huge signing by bringing in Kevin Punter from Partizan, one of the best scorers in Europe who averaged 15 points per game last season. Chimezie Metu, Juan Nunez, Justin Anderson and Youssoupha Fall were other important signings meant to bring Barca back as a contender for the EuroLeague and ACB League trophy.
Despite these signings, Barca is struggling this season. In the domestic league, they are 6th in the standings with a 10-8 record (tied with Manresa and Gran Canaria) and barely qualified for the Spanish Cup Final Eight, having a negative record before winning the last three games in a row. In the EuroLeague, the situation is even worse: Barca has a 13-11 and is currently 9th in the standings, meaning they would need to win a play-in series to qualify for the playoffs. They lost the last two games in Lyon and Vitoria-Gasteiz and are tied with rivals Real Madrid, who also has a difficult season in the top European competition.
Of course, the season is not over yet and Barca can turn things around. The next three games will be played at home in the Palau Blaugrana: today they will welcome Manresa and in next week’s EuroLeague double round they will host Maccabi Tel Aviv and Olympiacos. Winning the Copa del Rey that will be played later this month will be an important goal for Barcelona. A successful tournament could give a huge confidence boost to this team, as the roster certainly has the quality to succeed.
Imre Halasz
Photo credit: EuroLeague
