It surely can't get any worse for Barcelona, can it?
The Catalan side were completely and utterly taken apart in an 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. The Bundesliga champions tore the Blaugrana to shreds in what has to go down as one of the most one-sided matches in Champions League history.
It has been a dismal season for Barça by their usual standards. This is the first time that they have finished the season without a trophy since 2014. They recorded their lowest points tally in La Liga since 2008. The last time that they didn't win the league while also failing to make both the Copa del Rey and Champions League semifinals? That was in 2004 (they weren't even in the Champions League that year, for that matter).
There can be little doubt that the bulk of the blame for Barça's failures this season should fall on the shoulders of club president Josep Bartomeu and his board. They have utterly mismanaged a team which had been the favourite to win he Champions League heading into the season. The club spent an enormous sum of money to bring in Antoine Griezmann from Atlético Madrid, expecting the French winger to be the final piece which would take them over the top in their quest to clinch their sixth Champions League title.
Another major error was the hiring of Quique Setién to replace Ernesto Valverde as head coach. Valverde had endured a difficult season at the helm at Camp Nou and was understandably fired in January. However, his replacement turned out to be even worse. Setién showed a complete lack of understanding about the team's strategies and how Barça's players were to be best utilized. Setién was also never able to truly win the trust and respect of the players, and this in turn translated to the results on the pitch. Barcelona were nowhere near their usual level of play all season, but especially so after Setién took over.
Barça's struggles have even caused the likely departure of Leo Messi from the club. Such has been the ineptitude displayed by Barcelona's front office that they might very well have driven away arguably the greatest player of all time and the greatest asset that the club has.
On a related note, this Barcelona team is not one which is well-constructed, either. It is set up in such a way so as to be over-dependent on Messi. As great as Messi is, he isn't going to be in absolute peak form in every match. Thus, when he isn't firing on all cylinders, it's a likely loss for Barça. After Messi does leave Barcelona, this is the main problem which the club must address.
As things are right now, there does not appear to be much to be hopeful about in Barcelona's future. Unless Bartomeu steps down from his position, it is unlikely that the club's fortunes will begin to change for the better.
The fact that their crushing Champions League loss came at the hands of Bayern Munich is also interesting because the two clubs could not be more different at the moment. Bayern have been a well-oiled machine run in an exemplary manner for decades. Barça, on the other hand, have been mismanaged for much of the last 20 years. If a once-in-a-century generation including Messi had not emerged out of La Masia just when it did, Barça would not have even come close to achieving the level of success which they have in recent times. They have been carried by their academy; however, all have either left, retired, or reached the twilight years of their incredible careers.
Unfortunately, the reality for Barcelona is that there seems to be no end to their travails in sight. The club seems to have absolutely no plan for the future, and this time, there is no super-generation expected to come out of La Masia to save them. Do not be surprised if it takes several decades for Barça to reclaim the most prestigious honour in European club football.
Is it possible that Barça will find a way out of this sooner than expected? Perhaps, but do not count on it.
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