Barcelona’s last 8 games: Can the Blaugrana clinch the La Liga title?

However, I have reason to believe that not only will Barcelona clinch the La Liga, they will also go on to challenge for the Champions League.

Versatility and Depth

“October FC” was the most common nickname for FC Barcelona after they endured a bad string of losses, draws and narrow wins in the months of November and December.

Fans and neutrals alike felt like Hansi Flick’s side lost their verve, danger and attacking prowess after October saw them pull massive victories against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid within the space of seven days.

“Lamine FC” was another mocking jab that quickly arose as that rough patch coincided with Lamine Yamal’s sidelining due to an injury. Was Barcelona really nothing without the charismatic winger?

Image from Barcelona’s official website. See the website here.

No.

Like all hastily assembled teams cobbled together under a new manager, Barcelona was undergoing a transitional phase, made even more stark by the absence of Lamine on the right wing, a stabilizing force like Frenkie de Jong in the midfield (Pedri was working so hard on his own) and versatile players to fill in spaces with the needed skill.

Once that transitional period ended, we saw a new Barcelona rise from the ashes. A Barcelona that could go toe-to-toe with Europe’s best teams and come out on top. A Barcelona that could rotate, resting 3 or 4 players in the starting eleven and still pull off incredible performances.

A Barcelona that could score goals even with a man sent off. A Barcelona that could equalize and win games despite being 2 goals down. A Barcelona that could set pristine offside traps and still drop deep to defend.

That transitional period ended up being for the best, turning out to be like fire to an ore, blasting away impurities and leaving us with finished pure metal. Gold.

Out of the fire came players like Eric Garcia who is typically regarded a backup for the centreback position, now playing comfortably as a central defensive midfielder when needed. 

Ferran Torres, nicknamed “The Shark”, picked up incredible form, scoring 9 league goals and assisting thrice in 23 games, despite only starting in 9 of those games. Ferran is more than a “super sub” for Lewandoski though, effortlessly filling in the left wing position if need be.

Many fans were ecstatic to see Gavi return to football after a horrific injury saw his 2023/2024 season come to a sputtering halt. Gavi’s reintroduction was not without its challenges, however. After a few lackluster performances, some took to social media to point out Gavi’s weaknesses.

One statement that almost drove me crazy was “Maybe Gavi isn’t the player we used to know.”

I almost tore my hair from its roots. 

Fans can be so reactionary, sometimes.

It was obvious to the blind that Gavi needed some playing time to readjust and get his mind and body used to the demands of professional football. And when he did, we began to remember why Gavi won the Golden boy award in 2022.

Scoring the first goal in our win against Athletic Club in the Supercopa semifinal and winning his first Man of the Match award, since his return, in our draw against Real Betis, it is safe to say that we can count on Gavi as the season winds down.

It is not just the players returning from injury and versatile subs that give me hope for this section of the campaign. 

Flick has revamped some of the starting players, transforming them to their footballing best, leading to an even better team.

Image from Barcelona’s official website. See the website here.

Raphinha is enjoying his best season of football with Flick, sitting atop the Champions League goal leaderboard with 11 goals in that competition. The Brazilian seems renewed under Flick, basking in the positional flexibility the German coach gives him.

I know a lot of people would disagree with this but despite Raphinha’s incredible transformation, I feel like Balde is the most transformed player under Flick. 

With Raphinha given positional freedom, the winger often drifts inside or even over to the right in his attempt to create chances and score goals, leaving the entire left wing to…Balde.

Who has done a great job for sure. 

The increased responsibility is a boon for the left-back with his pace, ability to put in some great crosses and take on defenders one-on-one.

In fact, during the match against Girona, Balde played as a winger for a few minutes when he was substituted in although his starting position was still being occupied by Gerard Martin.

I’m not quite sure we will see it this season but I think a time is coming when we might see Balde get more minutes in the left winger position. And I cannot wait.

Understanding between players 

Winning a treble is no easy feat. You need a complete and cohesive squad. Not just a squad full of skilled players in every position but a squad that can rotate and still produce wonderful results.

Rotation can be damning. In some instances, you will need to bring on players who are not as skilled to give the starters some rest and time to recover from injury.

We’ve seen Gerard Martin come in to relieve Balde and Hector Fort start in Kounde’s stead. Pau Victor is seen as one of the replacements for Lewandoski in the striker position and has started a game in place of the Polish striker this season.

When the first round of rotations began in November, we saw the immediate drop in performance from the team. Part of this could be attributed to Lamine’s absence, yes, but the lack of communication and chemistry between some team members contributed to the dropped points.

As we face the end of the season, however, things have changed for the better. Flick has introduced more rotations and with every match day, the connection between players deepens and their understanding of each other’s playing style is refined.

All in all, this results in a more cohesive squad. A squad that can rotate key players and deliver equal impact on the pitch. A quadruple-contesting squad.

Conclusion

Regardless of how this season ends, the 2024/2025 campaign has been a record-breaking season for the Blaugrana. Full of excitement, controversy and hope, this season has etched itself permanently into the minds of Culers around the world, delivering instant classics for years to come.

Image from Barcelona’s official website. See the website here.

By the end of May, all competitions will come to a close and we will hopefully have more trophies to boast about. 

 Demon Lord 2099 is an fantasy/sci-fi anime that centres around the Demon Lord Veltol and his resurrection in the new world of Fantasion. The anime was released on the 13th of October 2024. I recall adding it to my list of shows to watch but only recently got around to actually watching it.

It is based on a light novel of the same title by Daigo Murasaki and was animated by J.C.Staff. Currently, it has 12 episodes and I’m not quite sure if more are planned.

The first episode introduces us to a great war between immortals and magic-wielding mortals in the fantasy world of Alnaeth. The war has apparently been raging for some time, claiming countless lives and causing destruction. The battle comes to an end, however, when the Demon Lord Veltol Velvet Velsvalt is defeated by the hero Gram.

As Veltol “dies”, Gram declares that the reason he lost to a human is because of the perseverance and grit of the human race.

That is not the end of the Demon Lord though, as he is resurrected by his loyal servant, Machina, about 500 years later. After appreciating her faithfulness, he rises, eager to conquer the world once more.

He is, however, warned by Machina that things have changed while he slumbered. This is a different reality. The magic of Alnaeth and the technology of Earth have fused to create Fantasion, a new world. This fusion did not come without its troubles. Civil wars broke out due to prejudice between the races, resulting in city-states, which devolved into more conflict. Despite the dark past, Fantasion is now a stable environment, balanced between magic and technology.

Together, they set out to understand how Veltol fits into this new reality.

The scenes after this are quite typical. Veltol absorbs the new city-state of Shinjuku. In a fit to display his strength, he fires a magical spell, triggering alarms all around the city. Machina springs into action, leading him away from the scene before enforcement arrives.

While they hide, she explains to him that magic has been outlawed in the major cities and that immortals have been hunted down and killed. The whereabouts of most of his followers is unknown. Notably, when Veltol asks about Marcus, one of Veltol’s Six Dark Peers, Machina dodges the question, dashing away to get him a drink.

While he awaits her return, the billboards and displays around him are hacked to display risqué images. Veltol tracks down the hacker and after a bit of talking, asks her about Marcus.

The hacker points him in the direction of Ishimaru Heavy Magical Industries, stating that Marcus is the director of the company. Veltol heads to the building and is welcomed by Marcus’s secretary who takes him to Marcus. Veltol tries to get Marcus to rejoin him in his quest for world domination but Marcus refuses, calling the Demon Lord weak and obsolete.

He then demonstrates this by striking out at Veltol, much to the latter’s surprise. Marcus explains the “familia” technology, a tool that allows normal humans to utilize magic, despite lacking magical affinity.

Veltol is expelled from the tower with a wave of Marcus’s hand, landing harshly in the city down below. Machina rescues him and leads him to her apartment. Initially believing the space to be a storeroom, Veltol is disillusioned by her living conditions. Eventually, he promises to repay her loyalty and conquer the world once more.

My thoughts on the first episode of Demon Lord 2099

I didn’t enjoy it.

In my opinion, the premise is common enough but there is nothing new under the sun so I wasn’t expecting a completely unique plot and storyline. The delivery, however, is what I find fault with.

The worldbuilding was fine. The opening of every anime, show, manga, novel and film typically carries a lot of information for the consumer.

What I found lacking was the dialogue.

When Gram, the hero, defeats the Demon Lord, he gives a speech about human resilience and courage. I found the speech to be bland and uninspiring. Later, when the Demon Lord is conversing with the hacker, the dialogue was basic and lacked wit and direction. It felt like the writers forced the scene just to show us that that hacker would become important later in the show.

I had similar problems with his conversation with Marcus. The revelation of Marcus as the antagonist, I felt, was too sudden and lacked any kind of flair. Even worse, Marcus devolved into a sales-like presentation to explain to the Demon Lord why Veltol’s magic was no longer powerful enough.

The animation was nothing special but I am not one to comment on animation quality, as it is not one of my concerns. If the plotline is good and the characters are intriguing, that’s enough for me. Animation quality only comes into my mind if the show meets those benchmarks.

The opening song was nice. It suited the cyberpunk/fantasy theme well, serving as a nice soundtrack to the opening sequence.

Verdict

I don’t think I’ll carry on with this anime, especially as there are many others on my list that look much more promising. I typically apply a 3-episode rule but the first episode did not do enough to draw me in.

What do you think about Demon Lord 2099?

 The Best Anime Movie: Makoto Shinkai’s Five Centimeters per Second

Despite the delays, despite the snow, disregarding the time, she waited. Takaki is elated. He calls out her name and she looks up, meeting his eyes with tears.

In an instant, the disappointment, the desperation, the anger and bitterness is wiped away. The kids share a meal, a kiss and a short walk around the quiet town.

“I clearly knew that from that point on, we wouldn’t be together forever.”

Morning seems to come too quickly and soon, Takaki is boarding the train to return home. Once again, Shinkai makes time the enemy, showing us that no matter how much our protagonists try to hold on, it remains elusive, like grains of sand slipping through a clenched fist.

As the train rolls away, Akari reveals a letter of her own, tucked into her pocket.

The episode comes to an end with Takaki staring out the window as the train pulled away, pondering his relationship with Akari and the uncertainty of time.

This episode is a masterpiece in subtleties. With often overlooked details, Shinkai communicates the themes of his story. Takaki crumbling his drafted schedule when it became apparent all trains would be delayed. Life is fickle and pays no heed to our plans. 

At the end of the episode, it is almost impossible to predict the end of the story. Will Takaki and Akari meet again? Will they reunite in their later years, look back at their youth with laughter in their eyes?

If you look at what lies beneath the surface, however, the future becomes apparent.

Episode 2: Cosmonaut

Episode 2 is titled “Cosmonaut” and offers a glimpse of Tohno Takaki’s life from a new perspective. We see Takaki at his new school in Kagoshima through the eyes of his classmate, Sumida Kanae. Before long, it is apparent that Sumida has a crush on Takaki and is struggling with the right way to present her emotions. In that way, Sumida seems a lot like the younger Takaki.

She narrates their time together as we watch Takaki through her eyes. This is a new Takaki. In the previous act, while he was never extroverted and seemed quite reserved, Takaki was not lonely. 

This Takaki seems lonely.

His words sound a little more measured, his expressions much more mute. This Takaki is…silent, trudging through life with a weight on his shoulders.

Sumida notes that Takaki is always texting someone on his phone. When Sumida asks who, he replies dismissively: “A friend in Tokyo.” 

When a classmate pokes fun at Takaki, saying “that’s your girlfriend” in a way that mirrors the mockery with Akari. Takaki’s response, however, is wildly different. He brushes off the teasing with a brusque “she’s not my girlfriend” and carries on with his meal. 

All the while, Sumida struggles with her feelings for Takaki. Indecision besets her. Should she confess or leave her emotions unexpressed? Shinkai expands this feeling of indecision to her education, showing her struggles to decide a path after high school. A community college? Work? Trade school?

She can’t come to a decision. On their way home together, Takaki assures her that her uncertainty is okay and that he also struggles with indecision, no matter how put together he may seem. The words strengthen Sumida and she humorously folds her career information form into a paper plane.

Where does the title of this episode come from? Shinkai doesn’t leave us wondering for too long. 

“Cosmonaut” is a term used to describe Russian astronauts. 

“They say it’s five kilometers per hour,” Sumida says as they wait behind a barrier, watching a massive rocket crawl past. “It’s going to the Minamitane Launch Facility.”

Takaki and Sumida live near this facility and a launch is being planned. 

“It’s supposed to go to the far reaches of the solar system, no matter how many years it takes,” Takaki replies and we begin to peek behind the title of this act.

Despite the fact that the launch is unmanned, Takaki ponders at the loneliness the probe is bound to encounter, speeding through the vastness of space.

Does Takaki see himself as a cosmonaut, hurtling through emptiness for a future—or a past—he cannot reach? Perhaps.

“I wonder when I got into the habit of writing messages to nobody?” Takaki later muses and for a brief moment, we get another glimpse into our elusive protagonist’s mind. Dedicatedly and diligently, he types out long messages into his phone. After writing, however, he hits the delete button, erasing everything.

Yes, Takaki is lonely.

Sumida, on the other hand, is on a high. After six months of effort, she is able to surf the waves, standing proud atop her board. Riding that high, she decides to confess to Takaki on their way home. Just as she is about to speak, however, a thundering sound fills the air, rattling the skies.

The rocket is going off, launching into the vastness of space. Its afterburners split the sky into two, painting it with a surreal beauty.

Transfixed by the image, the two teenagers stare at the departing rocket, watching until it escapes the earth.

Finally, Sumida understands. “I felt like I somewhat came to understand why Tohno-kun was different from the other boys…[he] was always looking far beyond me. Far beyond me, towards something in the distance.”

The episode comes to an end with Sumida acknowledging that she will still love Tohno despite her emotions remaining unreciprocated.

Once again, Shinkai brings us face-to-face with time and its overarching power on our lives. Did Akari and Takaki grow apart, their relationship broken by distance and time? We aren’t told. We can only infer.

Episode 3: Five Centimeters per Second

The third episode is titled “Five centimeters per second,” a powerful portend to what the episode entails. 

In the second episode, Takaki’s loneliness seemed to weigh upon him. In this act, however, he is positively crushed under its weight.

For the first time since the initial episode, we see Akari. Not as a recollection or as a yearning in Takaki’s mind but as a person.

She is engaged and is planning her marriage. The soft falling snow triggers her memory and she recalls Iwafune, that fateful town where the young lovers promised to see the cherry blossoms together.

A promise that held Takaki in its grasp for all the years since it was made.

The difference between adult Akari and Takaki is stunning. And it is a difference Shinkai wants us to absorb in its entirety.

Akari is happy, discussing her wedding plans with her parents. Takaki is an alcoholic and has just quit his job. In a text so reminiscent of Sumida’s realizations, Takaki’s girlfriend says: “Even now, I still love you but even if we had a thousand text messages back and forth, our hearts probably wouldn’t have moved even 1 centimeter closer.”

Throughout this movie, we have seen Takaki through a variety of mediums. Through his letters with Akari, through the eyes of a besotted classmate, through slices of his life.

Now, however, we are given surplus insight into Takaki’s thoughts, his emotions and his actions. In steady but gradual increments, the curtain rises and we see Takaki.

His life is falling apart. A relationship of three years ends via email. A resignation letter submitted. Cans and bottles of alcohol litter his room and cigarette ash dots the windowsill.

Takaki is lonely.

In a supermarket, Takaki encounters a magazine detailing the adventure of the spaceship that left earth during his high school days. The deep space exploration vessel is finally out of the solar system. A lonely journey of nine years.

The ending song rolls in and fittingly, it is a song about loss. 

“I am constantly searching for you in places I know you can’t be.”

There is no more dialogue, internal or otherwise. As the masterful Masayoshi Yamazaki belts, we are treated to a montage of clips. Memories, glimpses of their very different lives.

As the film comes to an end, Takaki arrives at a train crossing and as he walks across to the other side, he passes a woman.

Akari?

He gasps and spins around just as the gates are coming down. He tries to get a better look but one train—then another—zips in front of him. When the trains finally zoom past and the gates climb up, the woman is gone.

Does Takaki dash across the crossing, chasing the woman down the street? She couldn’t have gone far. He can find her.

I half-expect him to. After all, this is what the film has been about, right? Desperate hands reaching out for someone so cruelly ripped out of his grasp. The love of his life. 

But he doesn’t. Instead, he smiles—a soft, sad smile—and walks away.

What is Five Centimeters per Second about?

Maybe that’s what Shinkai wants us to understand.

Loss is inevitable. Time is unstoppable. There are some distances that are uncrossable. Loneliness and sadness are an unavoidable part of living.

Takaki says it best.

“Through the act of living itself, sadness piles up here and there.”

I have seen other watchers accuse Takaki of obsession. 

“He was too obsessed.” “He couldn’t move on.” 

Is Takaki a weak-willed soul, unable to let go of a childhood crush? A pitiful man, wary of reality? A person who lacks focus, wandering through life without any definite direction?

Shinkai invites us to ponder. And the answer becomes clear the closer we look. Life is full of these disappointments. Parents transferring to a different city, trains getting stuck in a winter storm, letters disappearing into the wind, losing contact with a dear friend.

How do people cope?

Some people move on quickly, shaking off the vestiges of the past. Others linger, weighed down by the memories of a better time.

Five Centimeters per Second is a story of loss, told through the life of Tohno Takaki. It is a story that forces us to examine ourselves and our reaction to life’s inevitabilities.