This season, things have not quite gone according to plan for Barça. As things stand, they are seven points behind league leaders Real Madrid and have been going through a run of sub-par performances - including this most recent match, despite the victory. This is the first time in almost two months that Barça have won consecutive league matches. Even then, both victories were achieved in rather unconvincing fashion. Barça also came close to losing first place in their Champions League group after losing two of their last three group matches - against Shakhtar Donetsk and Royal Antwerp respectively.
Following a dominant 2022-23 league campaign which saw them win La Liga by a 10-point margin over arch-rivals Real, Barça have been inconsistent for the majority of this season. Arguably the main cause of Barça's decline this season has been their sub-optimal defensive play, particularly when defending against counter-attacks. In their loss to surprise league title contenders and fellow Catalan club Girona, all four goals that Barça conceded were scored on counter-attacks. Several other losses in the league and Champions League were also caused by this same shortcoming.
Further exacerbating Barça's drop-off is the diminished performance of multiple key players including Jules Koundé, Alejandro Balde, Robert Lewandowski, and most notably of all, Marc-André ter Stegen. Schematic and tactical tweaks, unnecessary line-up rotations, ongoing changes in the metagame, and in Lewandowski's case, an age-related decline have been among the factors causing these downturns. Though it's certainly possible that the players involved could turn it around, the damage might already have been done. Overhauling a seven-point deficit against a powerhouse like Real is a tall order indeed.
Additionally, Barça's financial difficulties adversely impacted their ability to add to their roster in the off-season. The club spent just €3.4 million to sign midfielder from Girona while also bringing in Gündoğan and Iñigo Martínez on free transfers. To say that such a haul is paltry for a club of Barça's stature would be a severe understatement. While this issue has been somewhat alleviated with the acquisition of Brazilian striker Vitor Roque from Athletico Paranaense earlier this week, Roque's impact on the team, at least in the short term, is likely to be somewhat limited.
All of that being said, the match against Las Palmas did provide some positive signs. Barça showed a level of grit and tenacity that had been sorely lacking from so many matches this season as they battled back from one goal behind. Barça's midfield also once again proved that the loss of Gavi for the season after a torn ACL has not had the damaging impact one might have assumed; fellow midfielders Gündoğan and Frenkie de Jong have probably been Barça's two best players this season and both turned in excellent displays to keep Barça's league title defense alive.
One player with whom Barça have been linked is Genoa defender Radu Drăgușin. The Romanian has been having a breakout season after the Ligurian side turned his loan deal into a permanent one during the off-season. At just 21, Drăgușin could be a potential long-term solution at centre-back while also covering for the declined performance of Barça's defense this season. Drăgușin, valued at approximately €20 million, could turn out to be a highly impactful pickup.
In spite of Barcelona's struggles this season, there is a path for them to salvage this season. Although Barça might not be the favourites in either La Liga or the Champions League, they can at least avoid falling too far adrift of the league title race while also making a deep run in Europe. While a significant improvement from what we have seen from them this season is required, could it be possible that Barça might be starting to turn the corner? It remains to be seen - but it's not out of the question.
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