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4 July 2007, by Sean Gillen

Deco 2006/07 season reveiw

Deco trophy-less for first time in five years

For the first time in five years, Portuguese international Deco ended a season without winning a major trophy.

The 2006/07 campaign was a disappointment for both Barca and Deco himself, with the midfielder enduring by far his most difficult year since his move to Spain.

The season opened with a promising start for the Brazilian-born playmaker, who scored twice in Barca’s Supercup win over Espanyol in August. As reigning European champions, Los Cules then took part in the European Supercup, but were swept aside 3-0 by Uefa Cup winners Sevilla.

Despite the setback, Barca started strongly in the defence of their league title, with Deco a prominent player as they won five of their first six league games and stormed straight to the top of La Liga.

The league run ended with defeat to Real Madrid, while Barca struggled in the Champions League group phase after a loss to Chelsea in London. Deco scored the opener against the Blues in the home tie, but Barca were held to a 2-2 draw and only after a 2-0 home win over Werder Bremen on the final match-day at the Nou Camp was qualification for the last-16 secured.

Season highlight

Deco scored with a free-kick in a draw at Levante in December as Barca continued to lead La Liga, although they were being pushed all the way by Sevilla as they headed off to Japan to take part in the Club World Championships. Barca lost in the final, but the competition was probably the highlight of Deco’s season as he was voted Player of the Tournament.

Barca’s form after returning from Japan was far less convincing, and wasn’t helped by the absence of injury victims Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi. The team won just one of their five La Liga games following their return, with Deco struggling with form and fitness.

Things began to pick up with three straight home wins, but Deco played a central role as the team suffered damaging back-to-back defeats in the league and Europe. The Portuguese was sent off in a 2-1 loss to Valencia in La Liga, before getting Barca’s goal in their surprise 2-1 home defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League last-16 first leg.

Barca lost again at title rivals Sevilla and bowed out of Europe on away goals to Liverpool, after which they were held to a 3-3 draw at home by Real Madrid. Despite the inconsistent results, Barca remained top of the table in Spain, largely due to the failure of Sevilla and Real to put together steady runs themselves.

Top spot relinquished

A Spanish cup thrashing at Getafe meant that the league was the only trophy left to focus on, but after several slip-ups, Barca relinquished top spot to Real going into the final weeks of the season. Deco remained confident in public about the team’s chances, but more points dropped at home against Espanyol ultimately allowed Madrid to clinch the title on head-to-head records.

Questions had arisen over Deco’s future in the final third of the campaign, with media reports claiming that the Barca coaching staff were unhappy with his contribution in the second half of a season in which he was substituted twelve times.

As a result, some believe that a move is needed to revitalise the 29-year-old so he can add to his incredible medal collection.

                                 Season stats - Deco