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Of all the fanbases in Europe, Barcelona's is arguably the most divided at the moment.
While some inexplicably claim that all is well with the squad given their standing in La Liga and the Champions League, several others seem to understand that the team in its present form is arguably the most flawed in well over a decade. Most of Barcelona's fixtures end in victory for the Catalans, but there seems to be an air of dissonance within the club, particularly concerning the manner in which the team plays its football.
Barcelona's unusually unattractive displays have become the norm in the recent past, and quick action must be taken by the club to bring in immediate improvement. Clubs across Europe seem to be improving with every passing day and with the winds of change blowing every which way, Barcelona runs the risk of being left behind.
The slope is not entirely slippery, however. Barcelona remains one of the biggest clubs in the world and continues to have the best footballing resources in the world at its disposal. Success is an absolute must in a club of Barcelona's stature, and the team and the management have to tick a few boxes if they are to still be seen as one of the best in the world.
3. Get the best out of Ousmane Dembele
The summer transfer window of 2017 was arguably the most eventful in Barcelona's recent history. Barcelona's Brazilian superstar Neymar departed to Paris Saint-Germain for a whopping €222 million and kicked off a chain of events in the transfer window that will be discussed and analyzed for years to come.
The Catalans needed a young, talented player to fill Neymar's massive boots and Ousmane Dembele seemed the ideal fit. The French winger was tearing up the Bundesliga with his electric pace, and his ambidexterity made him nearly invincible in one-on-one situations. The Blaugrana were more than happy to break the bank for the Borussia Dortmund starlet.
All has not gone well for Dembele, however. The youngster has been constantly plagued by injuries and has appeared in only 81 fixtures in almost 3 seasons at the club. Dembele just never seems to stay fit for the most crucial of matches.
While several rumors of a transfer away from the club are doing the rounds, the fact that Ousmane Dembele's potential knows no limits is clear as day. The clock never stops ticking, and Barcelona must integrate the talented Frenchman into the team while there are still many years ahead of him. Barcelona's recent transfer record has been rather horrendous, and a fit and firing Dembele will help right several wrongs.
2. Win La Liga and the Champions League
Being a footballer comes with a certain degree of expectation. At FC Barcelona, expectations often turn into obligations.
Barcelona has been the most successful team in Spanish domestic competitions in the recent past, winning an astonishing 7 of the last 10 La Liga titles. With Real Madrid going through a transition phase and Atletico Madrid still coping with a few key departures, Barcelona must ensure that they maintain their dominance in Spain.
The Champions League is a completely different story and is one that no Barcelona fan wants to hear. Gone are the days where Barcelona used to blow teams away with their beautifully unplayable style of passing. The Barcelona of today has unfortunately earned a "choker" tag, and most fans of the club would tell you that choking is only one of Barcelona's many demons in Europe's knockout stages.
Devastating losses in consecutive seasons to AS Roma and Liverpool have left the squad reeling. On both occasions, Barcelona had a sizeable lead in the first leg and toothlessly squandered it away from home. The Liverpool defeat was particularly difficult to digest because the result made it abundantly evident that neither the coach nor the team had learned lessons from the Roma debacle. The tactics of Ernesto Valverde and the dedication a few members in the squad have been continually questioned for more than a season now, and time is quickly running out.
Barcelona has yet again emerged unscathed from the 'Group of Death' in the 2019-20 Champions League campaign, but several chinks in their armor are being revealed with each passing week. Recent performances like the one against bottom-of-the-league Espanyol inspire no confidence whatsoever, and Barcelona has to find a way to put its Champions League demons to bed.
For the first time in ages, Barcelona is not a favorite to win Europe's premier competition, and a monumental effort is required from the coaching staff and the players to make the fanbase hope again.
1. Solve 'Messidependencia' and focus on La Masia
It is no secret that Barcelona's success over the past few years has been largely driven by Lionel Messi. The Argentinian maestro is usually at the heart of every positive aspect of Barcelona's game.
Lionel Messi is a generational phenomenon, the like of which may not be seen again for decades. It is, therefore, only natural that both his club and his country depend heavily on Messi for goals, assists and chance creation. In the present Barcelona team, however, 'Messidependencia' has peaked.
Messi has been topping both the goals and assists charts in La Liga for nearly a decade and while it is in Barcelona's interests to keep the Argentine functioning at his abnormally astronomic level, the team struggles to create in his absence or when he is not at his best. Simple opportunities have gone begging and resolute defenses have had a field day against Barcelona elevens that do not feature their talisman.
Lionel Messi is not getting any younger, and while his pace and fitness have not deteriorated to a large extent, there will come a day when the Camp Nou witnesses his magic for the last time. There is not a single player in the world that can replace the Argentine, and a systematic change in personnel and team structure is a must for Barcelona to survive without Lionel Messi.
Contrary to the club's policy of focusing on homegrown youth, the present board seems hellbent on bringing in highly-rated and expensive talents from across the world after they've been discovered by other clubs. The consequent trigger-happy spending has brought little joy to the Camp Nou, and a fundamental rethink on how to optimize the use of the club's youth products is sorely needed.
Riqui Puig and Ansu Fati may never be able to fill the massive shoes of Iniesta and Messi, but their talent is abundantly obvious. The best of La Masia's players can still walk into most teams across Europe and look perfectly at home playing in Barcelona's tried and tested system.
To replace Lionel Messi is a project of monumental proportions that may require combinations of two or three world-class players, but the answers to several questions that the club must immediately answer may not be very far away from home.
