There was a certain sentiment to the way the Camp Nou crowd stayed behind after the fulltime whistle had blown on their team’s Champions League hopes.
They have been present for the greatest generation in Barcelona’s history, with the Catalans dominating an era of the European game. Defeat to Juventus in the quarterfinal series served as something of a bookend, though, and the socios who applauded Barca’s teary and weary players recognised it.
There will be changes at the Camp Nou this summer. Manager Luis Enrique has already confirmed that he will leave at the end of the season, with the club now searching for his successor. But Barcelona need more than just a change in management. They need a complete overhaul with the failure to overturn a 3-0 deficit against Juve on Wednesday marking the demise of a generation.
It’s a generation that saw a group of homegrown players rise through the Barcelona ranks to win it all. With every passing season, parts have crumbled off – first Carles Puyol retired, with Xavi Hernandez leaving soon after. Pedro Rodriguez was sold to Chelsea before Dani Alves departed for Juventus last summer. Now it would appear that Andres Iniesta’s time as a Barca stalwart is also coming to an end, with the playmaker struggling to play back to back games this season.
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This disintegration coupled with a transfer market strategy that has delivered very little of late has resulted in the demise of this once great Barcelona side. Sure, they still have great players and will most likely enjoy great moments again, but there can be no denying that the aura that once existed around the Catalan club is no longer a factor.
Philosophically, Barcelona have lost their way in the post-Pep Guardiola era. Enrique offered something of a quick fix, turning the Catalans into a more direct outfit to play to the strengths of Neymar and in particular Luis Suarez. That worked for a time, during which Barca claimed another Champions League crown, but now they need another stylistic evolution.
Not until the players are in place, though, can a new philosophy be implemented at the Camp Nou. All over the pitch there are gaps to fill, with too many square pegs in round holes. Juventus, a team built to serve a clear purpose and carry out a specific game plan, exposed this. Barcelona are nowhere near that standard.
Finding a true replacement for Alves at right fullback must be priority for whoever is appointed as Enrique’s successor this summer. Sergi Roberto may be a decent option in that position, but he doesn’t stretch the pitch or provide an outlet in the same way the Brazilian did. Barcelona underestimated just how important Alves was to them, allowing him to leave as a free agent, but that only underlines the folly in failing to adequately replace him. Hector Bellerin would be expensive, but he fits the bill.
Of course, Barcelona’s transfer market activity is stemmed by their need to reduce the weight of debt currently hanging around its neck. Splurging €100 million on one player, in the way Manchester United or Real Madrid are able to, might not be feasible for them, and so they must be smarter in the way they recruit.
While Barcelona focused on adding depth to their squad last summer, they must now find players who can improve their starting lineup. The likes of Andre Gomes and Paco Alcacer have done nothing to bolster Barca this season and so signings of their kind mustn’t be repeated. If Barca want to make it to the top again they must target players who can take them there.
Meanwhile there are concerns over the futures of both Lionel Messi and Neymar, with the latter currently being touted around every elite club in Europe as Barcelona renegotiate his contract. It’s not just the players Barcelona have signed that has contributed to their demise, but the players they have let go as well.
Thiago Alcantara was allowed to leave for Bayern Munich despite being the best young midfielder to come through the club’s ranks since Sergio Busquets. So poor has Barcelona’s transfer strategy been they are now targeting players they allowed to leave just a few seasons previously, with Denis Suarez returning to the club from Villarreal last summer and Gerard Deulofeu reportedly on the radar this summer. Barcelona simply can’t allow either one of Messi or Neymar to follow a similar path in leaving the Camp Nou.
All this illustrates a club that has worked itself into quite the mess over the past few years. Boardroom influence and third-part politicking has muddied the waters and work must now begin on making it clear again. Wednesday might have been the end of an era for Barcelona, but they must ensure it was simultaneously the start of something else.
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