The Shambles of What Was Once a Culé Dream Team

Eleven years ago, FC Barcelona was at the top of the football world. This mere expression, which was so often applied so wrongly to so many teams, seems an understatement when used to describe the position of FC Barcelona in 2010. They weren’t just at the top; they created a staple above that. They reached the pantheon reserved to the greatest.

The irresistible Tiki-Taka, portrayed and executed by the blessed feet of immortal players like Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta, Piqué and Puyol representing two generations of talent, aggression, and Catalan prowess, and then Messi, tantalizing the Gods of football to stand at their feet. Fast forward towards today, and Barcelona already has high odds of winning the UEFA Champions League. A 2010’s Busquets couldn’t imagine where his team would be in just a decade.

The Fall of FC Barcelona

So, how exactly did the Culés managed to accrue 1.3 billion dollars in debt, to the point of losing Messi? How did they get to the point of losing 8-2 to Bayern Munich?

The road was not steady but the destination seemed fated, looking in retrospect. If we can look at the Corona Virus as some sort of excuse, we need to deem it lame and shortcoming. It certainly doesn’t explain the 8-2 loss, and although it has something to say in regards to the giant debt, the depth of it was already apparent even before the crisis, although very well closeted by Bartomeu, who ended up in prison quite recently.

Barcelona’s revenues were enormous, and easily went nearly up to 1 billion dollars a year before the pandemic; so how come Bartomeu managed to blew away one of the biggest money making machines in the football world?

Bad managerial decisions

If there’s one decision that encapsulates the craziness that runs amok in Camp Nou, that is definitively letting Suárez go. But the Culés would wish this was their only problem.

Players came in at exorbitant values, and went out without on a whimper, and for a bargain. The cases of Philippe Coutinho and Malcom are perhaps the strongest cases, along with Griezmann (although the Frenchman actually showed some of his talent and helped Barcelona win its fair share of games).

Then there are players still with contracts that haven’t managed to reach their true form yet, or haven’t had the capacity of doing while on Camp Nou, namely Dembele, Rakitic or Pjanic. (Trying to spare Barcelona fans from remembering the likes of Mina or André Gomes at the club)

Then, even the players sold by a bargain are being paid in parcels, which technically means Barcelona has no liquidity to pay its debts in due time without incurring in more debt, at higher rates, which in turn creates an even more stranded economic situation.

Finally, the “pharaonic” contracts of the players of the dream-team, the likes of Piqué, Busquets, etc, who just aren’t performing at the level they once did, making Barcelona have one of the most expensive squads of Europe, and far from the best.

This is perhaps relatively diminutive of an analysis, but that, along with the departure of Messi due to La Liga’s salary laws, helped sink Barcelona first financially, and they sportively.

A Future in the Youth?

Koeman is now gone, and Barcelona is yet to present a new coach. Ten Haag has been discussed, Xavi too, and it’s quite likely it is one of this two that will sit on the bench (the bet is on Xavi, though). In deep need of a restructure, Barcelona is practically forced to look at its youth, namely Fati, De Jong, Pedri, Puig, Dest, Araújo, and other players, and try to build a team for the long run. It would be hard to ask for patience to Barcelona avid fans, but the truth is the only shot at greatness for the Culés is taking a step back to take two step forwards in a couple of years.

For Now

As we talk, Barcelona has Benfica to face to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League; and by what we have seen in the first game, Europa League is a serious possibility for the Culés. Fans and the structure need to coalesce in understanding that this cycle will be marked by growing pains, but this great club is far more important than present glory.