While certain disappointments will sting, Barcelona should be elated.
What kind of crazy world do we live in that seven trophies in two seasons can be called a disappointment, on any level?
Well, Barcelona did not retain the Champions League, nor did they complete the one-year sextuple. Those are big disappointments, but in the context of the Luis Enrique era, it is a folly to get too down.
The fact is that Barcelona have retained the domestic double, a feat they had never achieved before. They won a league and a cup in Spain, which has produced the Europa League winner and both Champions League finalists. They were well on top in the heavyweight division. Oh, and somewhere in there, they won 4-0 against Real Madrid.
They also added two other cups - a Club World Cup and a European Super Cup. Whisper it, but the first two seasons under Luis Enrique have surpassed the first two under Pep Guardiola in terms of trophies. Both won seven trophies, but Luis Enrique won the Copa del Rey twice, whereas Pep won the Spanish Supercup. While that means Pep completed a sextuple, the Copa is worth a lot more than the Supercup.
This is not to denigrate Pep, of course, only to point out a fact: the case for Luis Enrique is quite strong.
In a way, it was good that the team had to suffer a little more to win both the league and the cup. Had they cruised through the latter stages and blown Sevilla out in the final, many would have seen it as the team fulfilling some sort of bare minimum. Maybe seeing how easy it is to let it slip will remind Cules it's never simple to win.
That isn't to say there aren't big problems, of course there are. Luis Enrique will have to figure out how to get his front-three not to overwork themselves in the early stages. He will have to make tough decisions about the likes of Arda Turan, Jeremy Mathieu, Thomas Vermaelen, Aleix Vidal, Marc Bartra, and Dani Alves. And he will have to address the needs of his squad on a tight budget.
Pep Guardiola's third campaign produced a brilliant Champions League-winning team, perhaps his finest. Let's see what Lucho has in store.
Until then, Barcelona fans should savor it and try not to become too spoiled.
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