Refocused Pique Smells Treble Glory

While all eyes will be on Messi, Suarez and Neymar in Berlin, the boys at the back for Barcelona also deserve their share of the limelight. Luis Enrique's side retained their La Liga title by conceding just 21 goals - the joint-fewest number any Barca side has allowed in the league for 45 years. The possibility of such success appeared remote at the turn of the year. Equally unlikely was the role Gerard Pique has subsequently played in the Catalans' quest for Treble. Pique's season has been one of two contrasting halves. Following Carles Puyol's retirement last summer, many saw this campaign as the opportunity for the then 27-year-old to step out of his central defensive partner's shadow, justify his reputation as one of the world's best centre-halves and emerge as a new figurehead of Barcelona. It began badly and got worse. Pique failed to do himself justice on the pitch and, off it, the defender stumbled from one shambles to another, all messes entirely of his own making. It was not becoming of a man pegged as a future captain of club and country. Spain and Pique flopped in Brazil last summer, though their performances were not putrid as the odour seeping from the stink bomb Pique set off on board Barca's flight to a friendly in Helsinki. Despite being forced to apologise to fellow passengers and crew on board the plane, Pique - the son of a novel-writing businessman and a neuroscientist - obviously found himself hilarious. He promptly dropped another in the post-match mixed zone the following day. Whether that episode was poorly-timed high jinks or unprofessionally juvenile, Pique's reputation really bombed in October. Less than a fortnight before a woeful display in a 3-1 defeat at Real Madrid, Pique reportedly pulled out the 'do you know who I am' card for traffic police after his brother was handed a ticket for stopping in a city centre bus lane. Following another apology, and days after the Clasico defeat, he was then criticised for using his mobile phone on the bench having been substituted (as planned) at half-time in the Supercopa de Catalunya exhibition against Espanyol. Pique then indulged in a spot of ear-flicking during the subsequent penalty shoot-out. Exasperated, Enrique put Pique on the naughty step for the following three games. Serious doubts over the defender's future began to surface. Like Messi, it had previously seemed unthinkable that Pique would leave the club that he reportedly harbours ambitions of presiding over from the boardroom. Rock-bottom for Barca and Pique arrived just after the winter break at David Moyes' Real Sociedad. Pique, joined on the bench by Messi, Neymar, Ivan Rakitic and Dani Alves, watched on as his side lost 1-0 at Anoeta. From then on, Barca won 11 straight games as Enrique settled on shape and selection. Pique started nine of those triumphs, rested only for easy wins over Elche and Levante. Three of the victories in that run came against the defending champions, which Pique said lifted morale at the Nou Camp: "We beat Atletico Madrid, who last year we were not able to beat even once, and that gave us more confidence to keep moving forward. And as I always say, confidence in sport is vital. The team grew a lot in this, and that is why we are there now."
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