Barcelona’s Mortality

Barcelona as a team has been tremendously successful over the last eleven years, they have won every single honour that is worth talking about and revolutionised football. When Barcelona began their era of domination with instinctive passing and pure team football, it put every other European nation on notice. A team had been constructed around a core of academy players who played a punishing style, make one mistake against Barcelona of the past and it would be costly. A blade of open space would be enough for Iniesta, Messi or Xavi to create a goal scoring opportunity. This has largely gone out of the window in recent years as Josep Bartomeu has tried to manage the transition into a new era of Barcelona Football Club. ‘La Masia’ era had come to a gradual close and now it was time to rebuild around the greatest player in the world, Lionel Messi.

As a club Barcelona shifted into a more individualistic style of play when the La Masia generation began to age. The clear shift occurred in 2015 under the charge of Luis Enrique. That year was special for Barcelona in many ways, it was the first time since 2010 that the team won the Champions League and it was also the birth of ‘MSN’. Messi, Suarez and Neymar was one of the most feared attacking forces in world football for the simple reason that the attack had three of the world’s top ten players. Barcelona had Messi, a play-maker with supernatural passing instincts and a deadly finish. Barca also had Suarez who was arguably the most clinical striker across Europe and one of the hardest working forwards that I have had the privilege of watching.

The last player is a lot more interesting. Neymar Jr came from Santos with huge amounts of hype, he had that essence that all creative Brazilian players had. Players like Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Kaka just had that style in their game which was undeniable and elevated their game to another level. It made them hugely unpredictable and deadly in front of goal. Neymar came from the same lineage of forwards, a trickster with the ball who could dribble mazily for days. As a wonderkid, he was incredibly special and he was added to one of the most dangerous front lines in all of football.

Luis Enrique was arguably different to the mould of previous Barcelona coaches. Unlike Guardiola or Tito Vilanova, Enrique did not come from within Barcelona coaching set-up. Enrique started his career with Barcelona B before stints at Roma and Celta Vigo, managerial tenures which had mixed success. He did not necessarily share the same concepts which were predicated on every single player being involved with the possession of the ball and also the movement of the ball through the otherworldly playmakers that were Iniesta and Xavi. Iniesta and Xavi were arguably the greatest midfield duo of a generation, each player could create chances with a flick of their boot with seeming ease. However by 2015, both players were aging and did not necessarily have the ability to dominate the game as they had done throughout all of Guardiola’s tenure and Tito Vilanova’s short run at the club. Enrique was pragmatic enough to realise that Barcelona needed to evolve and he saw Messi as the natural spark for the change in play.

Enrique changed the formation which often had Messi play as a second striker to players like Henry, Ibrahimovic and Eto’o. It worked really well for Barcelona as it took advantage of Messi’s creativity around the box and his accurate finishing. Enrique chose to play a three-man forward line in which Messi would be the primary creator for Suarez or Neymar. Enrique’s system made a lot sense as he had three talented individuals who could link up effectively with each other and score goals for fun, there was less emphasis on shot creation from midfield especially with two talented fullbacks in the form of Alba and Alves who could create from the wings effectively. The system worked great for Barcelona as they did a treble of La Liga, the Copa Del Rey and the Champions League which they won in a game against Juventus. It felt like Enrique’s system of play would last for a long time with Neymar as a potential successor to Messi and enough attacking talent to continue Barcelona’s dominance for the forseeable future.

That future never occurred and the reality was very different. Neymar was not happy at Barcelona, he often felt like an understudy to Messi and longed for a team which he could call his own. A team which would be made in his own image and have the ambition to win with Neymar as the primary superstar. In a way it made a lot of sense for Neymar, Barcelona as a team had peaked and his running mates would only be getting older. PSG would provide the opportunity for Neymar Jr to build a young hungry side which would be well backed by the Qatari ownership group. Neymar going to PSG could secure another five years of trophy winning football if both parties played their cards right.

The departure of Neymar hurt more than most Barcelona fans would care to admit. The succession plan for the post-Messi era was thrown into chaos and the succession plan for Iniesta had to be brought forward as Barcelona suddenly lacked creativity going forward. Iniesta had made it clear that he was in the twilight of his career at Barcelona, he felt it right for him to move on so that Barcelona could reload and make another run at European glory. Barcelona having Neymar could have allowed the back-room staff to take their time to find the right type of replacement for Iniesta who would be a hand in glove fit for the central midfield position that Iniesta occupied. A replacement for Iniesta’s creativity in the final third became an imperative when Neymar upped sticks for Paris.

For the first time in an eleven year stretch since the club’s first Champions League in 2006, there was uncertainty. Luis Enrique left and Ernesto Valverde was brought in as his replacement. Valverde was another departure from the Cruyffist philosophy that Barcelona has preached since time immemorial. Valverde had great success with Athletic Bilbao by playing a direct style of football which was dependent on talented individual play up front and water-tight defence. Valverde chose to revolutionise Barcelona’s playing style, the team became a lot more direct and Messi became the focal point of all attacks. Messi began to operate in a number ten central role where he would drift around and create chances for his team-mates. The Number Ten role made a lot sense for Messi as he is one of the most creative attacking footballers who I have seen and his ability to create for his team-mates cannot be underestimated. The side effect of the philosophy is that Barcelona became incredibly predictable especially when the new additions to the side did not work at all.

The sale of Neymar brought much needed money into the club with which Barcelona could find suitable replacements who could go some way to re-tool the side. Barcelona had an aging core which needed to be phased out with younger players being brought into the side. It was a technique that they had done successfully with both Xavi and Puyol. Both old-guard players were allowed to choose their departure and had the time to mentor their natural successor. In the case of Xavi, it was Rakitic who became his replacement. For Puyol, Gerard Pique replaced the icon as Barcelona’s leader at the back.

The issue with receiving such a huge sum of money up front is that teams know that you have money to spend and therefore inflate their prices. Borussia Dortmund did this effectively with Ousmane Dembele, a prodigious wonderkid who had impressed in his debut season in the Bundesliga. Dembele for Borussia Dortmund was an impressively talented winger who could beat defenders using his pace and dribble the ball into fantastic situations. Dembele had the highest level of technicality which dropped jaws across Europe, it felt like Dortmund had unearthed another diamond in the rough who could be moulded into a world-class player.

Josep Maria Bartomeu, the Barcelona President, saw Dembele and believed that he would be adequate replacement for Neymar. Dembele was young and incredibly raw in his talents but definitely had the makings of a winger who could possibly replace a talent like Neymar. It made sense as a replacement but the price was astronomical. Dembele would cost Barcelona £112m which created an expectation that he would be a ready made star, it did not allow him the time to develop accordingly. The other replacement was much harder to get.

Liverpool Football Club had achieved a lot of success since the appointment of Jurgen Klopp. The club went from being out of Europe to being a force in Europe, Klopp revamped the side completely in terms of the squad and the style of play. Philippe Coutinho’s talents were a cornerstone for Liverpool. Coutinho’s ability to pick a pass and made productive plays in the centre of the field made the offence run slickly especially with outlets in the form of Sadio Mane, Bobby Firmino and Mo Salah. Barcelona had a desire for Coutinho which was unmatched by any other European club, they saw his passing range and ability with the ball and believed that he would be a solid replacement for Iniesta. It did not make much sense from a football standpoint and puzzled a lot of pundits. Coutinho very rarely played in central midfield and had not displayed the ability to play in a box to box role that Iniesta had, quite simply he did not have the stamina to play that role for ninety minutes.

Liverpool were reticent to let Coutinho leave, the club did not want to create a reputation of being a selling club whenever Barcelona came calling and Coutinho was a central part of the project that Klopp had designed. Liverpool and their ownership were in no rush to sell a player who was vital to the team unless a serious offer came in, they did not care about Coutinho’s wishes especially given the fact that he had signed a new five year deal six months prior to his transfer. Moreover, Liverpool were unhappy with the conduct of both Barcelona and Kia Joorbachian in the negotiations. Liverpool felt like both parties were tapping up their player and attempting to engineer a transfer which would eventually force the club to consent.

Coutinho quickly became a transfer saga which dragged out throughout the summer transfer window and into the winter months of the Premier League season. Coutinho did everything he could to force the move by refusing to play due to supposed back injuries while also handing in a transfer request. Liverpool were unimpressed by Barcelona’s initial offer, they felt that £70m was simply not enough for a player who had at least five prime years left and would only improve. Liverpool set the price at £140m and the club would not budge off their price unless Barcelona came up to meet their valuation of Philippe. The saga carried into the January transfer window where Barcelona eventually made a real offer, Barcelona offered £105m with another £25m in add-ons which were realistic. Jurgen Klopp gave his assent to the transfer, he did not want players who were fully committed to Liverpool at the club and he realised that his attempts to persuade Phil to stay did not work out.

Barcelona had their replacements but nothing seemed to change. Dembele was hugely inconsistent, Coutinho seemed lost playing as a winger and Messi was still carrying the team to an almost unhealthy dgeree. Barcelona was knocked out embarassingly by Roma in the Champions League. The summer last season was an interesting time for the club. There was discontent with the players, the fans did not feel like Coutinho or Dembele were Barcelona material. The fans at the club also felt like Valverde played incredibly poor football that was not becoming of the traditions of Barcelona. Barcelona had always played attractive possession-based football, a style which was defence-first was antithetical to tradition.

For the first time in a long time, Barcelona seemed mortal. The whole squad seemed long in the tooth and there was a belief that Barcelona could be over-run by a more athletic side in European football. The squad which was more than good enough to win the domestic double did not seem capable of winning Europe’s greatest prize. There was a lot of aging players in Barcelona’s squad and few adequate replacements, it eventually led to the most humiliating chapter in the club’s history. The loss against Liverpool was Barcelona’s very own Remontada, a historic loss against a side who simply dominated Barcelona.

Barca has been viewed as an imperial figure over their eleven year run, a club which always fights hard and competes for every single point. It was shocking to see this graceful giant of European football being out-run and out-worked by the team who they bought Coutinho from. Liverpool’s 4–0 victory against Barcelona without Firmino or Origi was devastating for the club and made the Spanish power look mortal.

Barcelona have decided that this reality cannot occur and have added new players who can maximise the last vestiges of Messi’s prime in the hope that another Champions League can be added to his laundry list of accolades. Antoine Griezmann was the splashiest acquisition and Neymar could be the next player purchased by Barcelona in their quest for European domination.

Neymar returning to Barcelona did not seem feasible in the slightest, it felt as if bridges were burned between the player and the club. Barcelona did not appreciate being held hostage by Neymar’s camp during the transfer and Neymar did not appreciate what he perceived to be as meddling by Barcelona. Both sides realised that the grass is not greener on the other side. Neymar encountered injury and a lack of European success at PSG whereas Barcelona looked lost after his departure. There is genuine desire on either side to have a reunion at the Camp Nou.

Neymar coming back to Barcelona does not make sense. The move will provide Barcelona with a successor to Messi again but Neymar will be prohibitively expensive and it will divert funds which are needed for the other areas of the squad. Busquets is starting his decline and will need a replacement, Rodri would have been an ideal fit in Barcelona’s system. Rodri has the similar attributes to Busquets while also having the temperament necessary to be a holding midfielder. Alba is getting old and there is no player at the club right now who can step into his position. Lenglet and Umtiti are both not good enough to be world-class centre backs. Barcelona could have invested money into these areas but Bartomeu has chosen to pursue Neymar.

The deal itself will be tricky to pull off, Barcelona do not have the liquidity to satisfy PSG’s demands of payment upfront which has led the club to secure an interest-free loan from Santander Bank. Moreover, Barcelona is not willing to move the one player who PSG wants. It is a known fact that PSG covet Ousmane Dembele as he is the type of player who would fit well with Mbappe and make a lot of business sense. Paris St Germain are shrewd businessman, they recognise that having two of the best young French talents is incredibly good for business in terms of attracting sponsors and greater gate revenue. Effectively Barcelona are trying to purchase a player with undesirable assets and money that they do not have. The logistics of the deal will be hard to manage.

Moreover, Neymar makes poor sense from a football standpoint. While it makes Barcelona much better going forward, it means that Barcelona are still weak in midfield and defence. When Valverde’s tactical inflexibility is considered, it could mean that Barcelona will suffer in European competition. The Champions League is the one competition where all faults with a team’s construction are exposed, a team that cannot defend will get found out quickly. It is one of the reasons why PSG have struggled in Europe, they do not have a quality defence which can be relied upon to shut up shop when necessary.

Barcelona is at an interesting point in their history. The ‘La Masia’ generation is coming to an end and the club is entering a transition period where it may not be the best club in the world. It will be interesting how Barcelona choose the manage this period and whether they manage to find the right type of players who can finish out Messi’s prime with a bang. I do not think that Neymar is that player, he is much too injury-prone and Barcelona have more pressing concerns that improving their offence.