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Defeat is inevitable in football. But the nature of Barcelona’s defeats and eliminations in the Champions League under Ernesto Valverde is sickening. A team like Barcelona does not accept humiliation, but that is what they are becoming used to under the coach. It is once bitten, twice shy. But in Barca's case, they have been bitten twice in the same manner in the Champions League. So, will they continue like this?
Barcelona prepared for the season with a clear objective - winning the Champions League. Their recruitment for the season was astutely executed. Clement Lenglet, Arturo Vidal, Arthur Melo, and Malcom were signed to provide depth and tactical variation to an already dominant squad. Dembele and Phillipe Coutinho were there to provide the spark from the wings.
Despite all these, they failed in Europe once again as they were sent crashing out of the Champions League following a 4-0 humiliation at the hands of Liverpool in the semifinal second leg - similar to what happened to them in Rome last season.
Given their embarrassing elimination from the Champions League despite their domestic dominance and recruitments, here are the likely adjustments La Blaugrana must make in order to lift the Champions League next season.
#4 Managerial change
The meek ‘little ant’ of Barcelona may never get the recognition he deserves. Despite Valverde's impressive coaching statistics of about 70 per cent wins and successive LaLiga titles, it can be argued that he is not an elite coach.
The Catalans have one of the most talented squads in Europe and Lionel Messi - the extraterrestrial. Despite this, under Valverde, Barcelona recruited heavily in order to win the Champions League they won last in 2015. But Valverde's poor squad management and lack of faith in the academy has hampered their chances in the last two seasons.
Also, Valverde’s appreciation of 4-4-2 over the club's traditional 4-3-3 shows clearly why he may never fit into the philosophy of the club. Valverde is too pragmatic for Barcelona. He has destroyed the possession and the attacking base of the club, thereby making the team lose the dominance and control they were known for.
Without Lionel Messi winning games for Barcelona singlehandedly, they might not have been able to retain the LaLiga title. Winning points have become so laborious that the team is always too reliant on Messi's messianic brilliance.
Losing once against Roma in the Champions League in that manner could be forgiven but the second time against Liverpool exposed his tactical weakness and showed why he might never learn his lessons.
#3 Improving performances away from home
The Camp Nou is always a fortress for any team coming to play there. Results are almost always guaranteed. Players are more motivated, and the fans are ready to cheer at every turn. However, this is not the case when Barcelona plays away from home.
Given their LaLiga dominance, the Champions League is where this problem is more noticeable. Killing off games at the first meeting is no longer a guarantee.
Ernesto Valverde has lost just 11 matches out of 118 for Barcelona. This is quite impressive, but the humiliation and manner of the defeats is the problem. In the two UCL defeats that culminated in humiliation for the Catalans, the team would have been basking in glory if their away form had been excellent.
Despite winning 3-1 at the Nou Camp in the quarterfinals of 2018, Barcelona was humiliated 3-0 during the return leg in Rome and was eliminated. The same thing happened against Liverpool when it was least expected after winning the first leg by 3-0, only to succumb to an embarrassing defeat of 4-0 at Anfield in the return leg this year.
So, for Barcelona to achieve their Champions League dream, they need to improve their performances away from home.
#2 Restructuring the attack
Where is Neymar Jr? Has he been replaced at Barcelona? These questions will never go away until someone replicates his trickery and effectiveness on the field. Dembele, Coutinho, and Malcom have only shown flashes of their potential but lack consistency. Also, with Luis Suarez's industry and bite in attack dwindling with age, Barcelona must work for his successor this summer.
Over the season, appearances and contributions to the team have been below expectation from these players as Barcelona rely heavily on their captain, Lionel Messi, to create magic and drag the team to victory.
Suarez is the most productive of them this season, playing more and contributing 25 goals in LaLiga. However, his productivity is being affected by age. Ousmane Dembele and Coutinho have contributed 13 and 11 respectively, which is very poor considering their outlay.
Malcom seems to have lost the trust of the manager & the board and has found opportunities hard to come by since he switched to Camp Nou in the summer.
Therefore, Barca needs to restructure their attack and work on getting the best out of these players in order to progress in Europe.
#1 Strengthening the squad
Barcelona seems to have lost its identity. The tiki-taka style of football is lost. Their possession dominance is lost. Hence, La Blaugrana needs an identity, and this comes with restructuring.
Under Valverde, players have become more pragmatic rather than dominating their opponents, and as such have lost the fear factor associated with Barca. This season, their possession of the ball in games really dropped, especially in big games.
So, if Barcelona must become dominant as they once were, they must restructure and return to a possession-based football with more decisiveness and attacking prowess that must not be too dependent on the talismanic Lionel Messi.
For this to be possible, they need to recruit a couple of players that will strengthen the squad. Frenkie De Jong's imminent arrival will be a huge boost, while they also need to act fast in signing the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Mathijs De Ligt, and Marcus Rashford.
