18.06.2007 12:19
Goals not enough
Berta Brau/Sergi Nogueras
Barça have ended the season as La Liga’s top scorers and have also conceded the fewest goals. However, that wasn’t enough to clinch the league title, which escaped Barça due to the head-to-head goal difference.
Football is all about scoring – and preventing – goals. Despite ending the season with
the best record on both accounts, Barça have lost their grip on the La Liga title due to the
head-to-head goal difference with Real Madrid. Barça have scored 78 goals in 38 matches and
conceded just 33. No other team can match them, but in the end that wasn’t enough.
Ronaldinho, Messi and Eto’o
The strike force composed of Ronaldinho, Messi and Eto’o has made a major
contribution with Ronaldinho and Messi both setting new personal records in the league with 21 and
14 goals respectively. Meanwhile, Eto’o has scored 11 goals despite being sidelined by injury
for five months.
More than ten teams
These three players have formed the most effective attack in the Spanish league, to the
extent that they alone have scored more goals than 10 other teams in the First Division (Getafe,
Racing, Mallorca, Deportivo, Levante, Betis, Athletic Bilbao, Celta, Real Sociedad and Nàstic) and
have equalled the goal tally of Atlético Madrid and Espanyol.
Goal difference of +45
Barça’s goal difference for the season amounts to +45 compared with +25 for Real Madrid
and +29 for Sevilla. In fact, Barça has improved or equalled its record compared with the last two
title winning seasons. The goal difference for 2004-05 season was +44 (73 scored and 29 conceded)
and for the 2005-06 season +45 (80 scored and 35 conceded).
Valdés, runner-up in the Zamora
Despite Barça being the team that conceded fewest goals, the Zamora trophy will go to Getafe keeper
Abbondanzieri, who conceded 30 goals in 36 matches, an average of 0.83 goals per match compared to
0.87 for Valdés.