Suarez, Rakitic, Bravo, Ter Stegen - how delaying transfer ban helped Barca win the treble

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Suarez, Rakitic, Bravo, Ter Stegen - how delaying transfer ban helped Barca win the treble - It looked like the end of the world. When Barcelona were hit with a transfer ban by Fifa in April of 2014, their hopes of success in the following season seemed slim. But the embargo was delayed due to the appeal process, several signings were made and instead of doom and gloom, Luis Enrique's side claimed the treble.

Now both Real Madrid and Atletico will hope for something similar as they appeal their respective bans handed out by Fifa on Thursday. The disadvantage for the two capital clubs, however, is that they have been hit with the sanctions in January - and that means they may not have the luxury of the summer window to fill the gaps as Barca did in 2014.

The Blaugrana had ended 2013-14 without a major trophy to their name after Tata Martino's men claimed only the Spanish Supercopa that season, with Jose Pinto in goal after the serious injury to Victor Valdes (who was leaving in the summer anyway) and prospects looking bleak with the transfer ban hanging over them.

But with the ban suspended while appeals were ongoing, Barca moved to recruit a number of players in the summer window: Luis Suarez was brought in from Liverpool; Ivan Rakitic joined from Sevilla; goalkeepers Claudio Bravo and Marc-Andre ter Stegen signed from Real Sociedad and Borussia Monchengladbach respectively; centre-backs Jeremy Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen arrived from Valencia and Arsenal; and Douglas moved from Sao Paulo.

With the exception of the Brazilian full-back (who was below Barca standard) and Vermaelen (injured for virtually the entire season), all of those players proved very useful for the Catalan club in an ultra-successful season under Luis Enrique.

Suarez, who sat out the first two months of the season due to his ban for biting Italy's Girogio Chiellini at the World Cup, ended the campaign with 25 goals in his 43 appearances. It was a hugely impressive debut year and saw him form part of a formidable forward line alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar that Luis Enrique described this term as "the greatest in the history of football".

The move for the Uruguay striker was funded by the sales of Cesc Fabregas to Chelsea and Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal, with the money recouped also used to sign Rakitic from Sevilla. The Croatian, like Suarez, made Barca more tenacious and he was also key as the Catalans claimed La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League - something that had seemed unthinkable when the ban had been announced by Fifa in April of the previous year.

"Suarez gives Barca the aggression that is so important in the attacking third. His attacking potential is an added plus," Diego Simeone wrote in one of his exclusive columns for Goal last season. "The presence of Ivan Rakitic also makes the team more aggressive in midfield and in winning the ball back. He has given Barca extra stability in midfield and is a different option to players like Xavi and, previously, Thiago."
Both Suarez and Rakitic were on the scoresheet as Barca beat Juventus 3-1 in Berlin to lift the Champions League trophy and complete the treble. And in it, goalkeepers Bravo (Liga) and Ter Stegen (Copa and Champions League) had both been on fine form.

Mathieu, meanwhile, was a useful addition as well in 2014-15, filling in at centre-back and left-back to give Luis Enrique more options in defence. The French defender has dipped in the current campaign, but was a handy player to have around in Barca's treble triumph

"This was our 60th game of the season," Luis Enrique said after the Champions League final in Berlin. "We have had 50 victories, four draws and six defeats. It's the best season in the history of this club."

Indeed it was, but none of that would surely have been possible had the Blaugrana not been able to delay the transfer ban and address the needs of their squad for the short and longer term in the summer of 2014.