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Both the criticized president and the absent captain are still at the Camp Nou, making it difficult to know what to expect other than more chaos in Catalonia.
FC Barcelona: More than a club. More like a bad soap opera.
Last season alone, we had allegations of theft, leaks to the press, a social media scandal, a dispute over pay cuts and petty public discussions, a historically bad beating of Bayern Munich in the Champions League and then to top it off . , the most dramatic transfer saga in football history.
So what the hell should we expect from the new season?
Let’s start with the good news, anyway: Lionel Messi is still at Barcelona.
Now, the bad news: Josep Maria Bartomeu is still at Barcelona.
That can be good for the media; Every good story needs a compelling protagonist and arch nemesis, after all. But it is an unwanted distraction for the players and their new coach, Ronald Koeman.
Bartomeu’s continued presence at Camp Nou means that the club remains in a constant state of chaos, making further arguing and acrimony inevitable.
The president says he does not want to “get into any conflict” with Messi, but we have already passed that point.
As highlighted in his sensational exclusive interview with Objective, The captain is furious at the way the club has been run in recent years.
“There hasn’t been a project or anything in a long time,” he was furious. “They juggle and plug the holes as things happen.”
Plus, he’s still upset that Bartomeu blocked his plan to leave during the offseason, even going as far as accusing his boss of breaking his word to let him go.
Messi, obviously, no longer has faith in Bartomeu.
Neither did the 20,687 club members, who last week supported a vote of no confidence in the president.
The board’s official announcement is due next week and a vote on Bartomeu’s future is likely in October. Should he be ousted before his term ends next year, an interim board would oversee the election of a new president in December.
Amid this atmosphere of mounting tension and incessant uncertainty, new coach Koeman must try to somehow focus minds on matters on the field.
Indeed, the Dutchman’s naming as Quique Setien’s successor quickly became a footnote in the story of the summer when Koeman was relegated to the role of a supporting character in what Messi called “a brutal drama.”
Presidential candidate Victor Font, who has close ties to Xavi, has backtracked on his claim that he would eliminate Koeman in the middle of his two-year contract, even if the former sweeper won the treble. However, as it stands, Koeman is not the first choice of any candidate to lead Barça into a new era of success.
As a result, the new boss knows that silverware is absolutely essential if he is to have any hope of keeping his job.
So, with Barcelona set to kick off their La Liga campaign on Sunday, at home to Villarreal, what hope does Koeman have of claiming the title from Real Madrid?
On the bright side, the champions haven’t spent a single penny this summer, which means we can expect more of the same from Zinedine Zidane’s side: solidity in defense but trouble in attack, as so perfectly illustrated in the draw without goals last weekend at Real Sociedad. .
Madrid, then, can be shot down. However, if Barça is the team that will bring them down, it is very open to debate.
It is encouraging that the Catalans won all three preseason games, with Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho among the goals, and it is imperative that the three most expensive signings in Barca history rediscover their best form if the team prospers this season.
Spending outrageous sums on inappropriate signings is one of the reasons why Barcelona is in this mess. Of course, the coronavirus has hit the Catalan club hard, costing them 315 million euros (287 million pounds sterling / 366 million dollars) in revenue, but their revenue for 2019-20 still exceeded 700 million euros.
Earning money has not been Barcelona’s problem; the problem is that it has been wasted. And now there is little left. As Koeman admitted on Saturday, “What I want [in the transfer market] it is not possible from a financial point of view. “
Koeman’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation should at least prove a better fit for many of Barca’s failures, including Coutinho, who has never been comfortable as a midfielder or winger.
Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who stood out with Koeman internationally, showed glimpses of his undoubted ability last season and should also benefit greatly from being deployed in a double pivot alongside Sergio Busquets.
Luis Suárez’s departure to Atlético de Madrid, of course, leaves a huge gap in Barça’s attack, and there is an understandable fear that the decision to let him join a title rival could bite the Blaugrana on the back again. .
The manner of his departure has only further upset his Messi, who, in a heartfelt tribute to his good friend posted on Instagram on Friday, also made sure to put another boot on both Bartomeu and Koeman, who informed Suárez that he did not He had a future at the club through a short phone call.
“You didn’t deserve to be fired like they did,” the captain told his South American compatriot in an open letter that had the support of former Barça stars Neymar, Dani Alves, Cesc Fabregas and Samuel Eto’o. the truth is that nothing surprises me at this point ”.
Koeman has denied disrespecting Suárez: “It seems that they have chosen me as the bad guy in this movie, but it is not like that.” – and, from a purely sports perspective, it is clear that the Uruguayan is on the decline, but he still scored 21 times and provided 11 assists in 36 games in all competitions last season.
Suarez’s most likely replacement, Memphis Depay, would be delighted with such stats, given that the 26-year-old Lyon forward has only scored more than 15 goals once in an entire campaign (22, in 2017-18).
Barça fans would have preferred to see goal Lautaro Martínez arrive from Inter, but they will at least be encouraged by the fact that 11 of Depay’s 19 goals for the Netherlands came in 18 games with Koeman.
Depay would also add much-needed pacing in the attack, given that Barcelona can look painfully slow when Dembélé is not available for selection, which is a sadly regular occurrence.
Messi 🆚 Bartolomé
The battle continues in Barcelona 👀 pic.twitter.com/Ee2t95DvDp
– Goal (@goal) September 26, 2020
With Barca still trying to raise funds for transfers by firing players like Martin Braithwaite, Samuel Umtiti, Jean-Clair Todibo, Rafinha and Junior Firpo, it could be next week before another attacker arrives at Camp Nou.
Against Villarreal on Sunday, fans are likely to see Griezmann, who scored 15 goals in 41 games last season, leading the line, albeit with the France star regularly changing positions with Messi.
Ansu Fati should also play some role in the game, as the teenager’s inevitable promotion to the senior team was finally made official on Wednesday, along with his € 400 million buyout clause.
However, the status of Riqui Puig remains uncertain. The 21-year-old was one of the few highlights of an otherwise bleak 2019-20 campaign, but Koeman doesn’t see a regular role for him this term.
Consequently, Masia’s product, which is adored by the fans, could be loaned out, particularly with new signing Miralem Pjanic now competing with Busquets and De Jong in midfield.
However, it has even been claimed that the former Juventus playmaker could be used as a kind of modern number 10, asked to contribute to both defense and offense.
Consequently, the precise role of Pjanic is just one of many fascinating subplots ahead of the new season in Barcelona.
Messi, of course, will be the protagonist of the show again, but with so many doubts about his supporting cast and Bartomeu refusing to come off the stage, it is impossible to know at this point if this brutal drama will have a happy ending. .
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