FC Barcelona has been one of the best teams in the world in recent years. In fact, over the past decade they have countless trophies that evidence their superiority both in LaLiga and Europe. But diamonds don’t shine forever, and Barcelona has been a big disappointment this season.
Yes, they are in the Copa del Rey final and shouldn’t have problems to top Deportivo Alaves. But things are different in LaLiga and the Champions League. Even though they are one point behind Real Madrid, Los Blancos have two games in hand. And we all know what happened against PSG last week. It’s almost impossible to imagine Barcelona winning either the league or the Champions League. And that kind of season could be the nail in the coffin for Luis Enrique.
The Spanish tactician has had some good moments with Los Blaugranas, but it seems the team lost its path this year. The new signings haven’t worked – Lucas Digne and Andre Gomes have been nothing short of awful – and other players have seen a decline in their play. I mean, who would’ve thought Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets would decline so quickly? And there are tactical problems as well. Sergi Roberto doesn’t fit the bill as a right back and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is not the goalkeeper Barcelona needs, just to name a few.
Perhaps Barcelona’s biggest decline is their play in midfield. Aside from Gomes’ struggles, Ivan Rakitic is not the dominant playmaker he was one year ago. And it seems age is finally catching up to Andres Iniesta. The Spanish legend has been decisive when healthy, but he’s struggled with injuries all season long. A dominant midfield was the key for Barcelona back in the day, and right now they are not where they used to be. They need a quality central midfielder, one that can fill the voids left by players like Xavi and Deco recently.
Offensively Barcelona has looked good – and honestly it would be a shame if they didn’t considering they have Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. But the trio of attackers hasn’t performed on the same standard they were last season. To put things into perspective, Neymar went almost 1,000 minutes without scoring this year. Suarez hasn’t had many chances either. And Messi doesn’t look happy anymore – maybe he’s thinking about a potential transfer once his contract ends next year? Even with those problems Barcelona leads LaLiga in scoring with 63 goals in 23 games, but the problem is not the effectiveness – is the style.
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Barcelona needs to go back to basics. They have the CB duo with Pique and Samuel Umtiti, the attacking trio of the MSN and deep enough pockets to sign any player they want during the transfer window. But if they don’t revert back to the style that made them successful over the past decade, then they are at risk to lose the supremacy they’ve built – and that kind of legacy can disappear in only one day.