The title parade may have served as the perfect curtain call for Barcelona’s season, but with two matches still remaining, attention is already shifting to what lies ahead for Hansi Flick’s side.
The city of Barcelona was swept up in celebration during a three-hour open-top bus parade that began near the Camp Nou and ended, as night fell, at the Arc de Triomf. It was a party in every sense, a natural continuation of the jubilation that had begun the previous evening when the Catalans officially secured the La Liga title — with two games to spare.
And that detail is no minor footnote. Friday marked the start of the Barcelona of tomorrow — a team that must now set new objectives in order to maintain, if not improve, their current level.
That starts with taking the remaining fixtures seriously, as professional standards demand. Hansi Flick is scheduled to address the media on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s clash with Villarreal at Montjuic.
The match will kick off simultaneously with the rest of the league fixtures, as all teams still have something at stake. The only exception was nearly Real Madrid vs Sevilla, though in the end the entire round will be played in unison.
There will be no room for complacency, especially against a Villarreal side still battling for a place in the Champions League. Real Betis, chasing the same goal, will certainly expect full commitment from Barcelona.
Sunday also presents a final opportunity to offer the fans one more celebration at the Estadi Olimpic Lluís Companys — the team’s temporary home for the season. The hope is that it will be the last such occasion, with Barcelona aiming to return to the renovated Spotify Camp Nou next campaign.
After that, the curtain truly falls with a visit to San Mames, where they will face Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Club. With Champions League qualification already in their grasp, it promises to be a celebratory end to the season for both sides.