Barcelona endured one of their worst seasons in recent years with their Copa del Rey triumph over Deportivo Alaves the only saving grace in what was an utterly disappointing season for the Camp Nou outfit. The Blaugrana finished 3-points behind arch-rivals Real Madrid in La Liga, which stopped them from lifting their third consecutive league title.
That was not all, the Catalan giants were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by eventual runners-up Juventus in the quarter-final, however, it was the manner in which they succumbed to the Italian champions and before them against Paris Saint-Germain that had the alarm bells ringing.
Barcelona were humiliated 4-0 by PSG in the first leg of their round of 16 clash at the Parc des Princes and if not for the memorable comeback at Camp Nou, the Blaugrana would have been knocked out of the prestigious tournament in the first knockout round for the first time in over a decade.
A similar story repeated in the next round, as Luis Enrique’s side were handed a 3-0 thumping by the Old Lady in Turin and unlike against PSG, there was no memorable comeback this time around and Barcelona were left to rue their mistakes.
The Catalan giants are due a squad overhaul under new manager Ernesto Valverde, which should ideally begin with a massive clearout of all the dead wood. Barcelona also need to address certain glaring shortcomings in their squad and with that in mind, here are 5 positions which they need to strengthen this summer:
#1 Right-back
Barcelona bizarrely allowed Dani Alves to leave for Juventus on a free ahead of last season and they have regretted the decision ever since. Not only did they fail to sign an able replacement for the Brazilian, the 34-year-old came back to haunt his former club in the UEFA Champions League as he produced a stellar performance over the two legs down the right wing and shackled the likes of Neymar and Jordi Alba.
Sergi Roberto has done his best to fill the void left by the departure of Alves but, without any disrespect to him, he simply isn’t cut out for the position having grown up as a midfielder and struggles against trickier opponents. Addressing the right-back position should probably be the highest priority for Barcelona in this transfer window and although they have been linked with a few names including Hector Bellerin, Sergi Aurier, no concrete developments have been made.
#2 Central defence
Another aspect of Barcelona’s defence that needs an upgrade or at least support is central defence. Ernesto Valverde’s side is an aging one and although they have as many as 5 central defenders in their ranks namely Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano, Samuel Umtiti, Jeremy Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen, apart from the new signing Marlon Santos, there are only two who are arguably of world class quality.
Mathieu is no longer of the quality needed for a team of the stature of Barcelona and that was evident by the lack of game time the Frenchman received in the second part of last season, and will most likely be allowed to leave. Vermaelen has also failed ever since his move from Arsenal and it is unlikely that he will feature too after spending a year on loan at Roma.
Javier Mascherano has lost a bit of pace and struggles against mobile opponents, who can beat him with their pace and is a liability in the big games. That leaves us with Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti and the new signing Marlon Santos – who gave a decent account of himself for the last couple of games of last season when he was on loan with the Camp Nou outfit – but trusting your two recognized centre-backs to see out the whole season is a massive gamble for any team and more so for Barcelona – who play around 60 games per season.
Therefore, signing a young central defender with very good potential is also of utmost priority for Barcelona, unless they have a Carles Puyol coming through the ranks of La Masia. Aymeric Laporte can be a good shout for this, given that he has already worked under Valverde at Bilbao.
#3 Central midfield
The uncanny similarities between Barcelona’s two humiliating losses of last season – against PSG and Juventus – was that they were overrun in midfield. Simply put, as of now, the Blaugrana’s midfield is one of the weakest in recent memory and struggles against better, more technical opponents, while also being hustled away ever so easily.
The arrival of Andre Gomes and Denis Suarez haven’t had the desired impact, with the former struggling immensely since his move from Valencia, so much so that he has been booed by the fans and there are calls from some sect of the fans for him to be sold. Suarez has impressed in patches but even he falls short of the desired quality that is expected from a Barcelona midfielder.
The injury issues of captain Andres Iniesta coupled with him slowly entering the twilight of his career has not helped either, nor has the dip in form of Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets. With Barcelona not playing tiki-taka football anymore, Busquets has struggled especially and it is time the Spaniard is asked to adapt his game to the changing style and either let him sit deep shielding the back four or move him slightly further up the field in central midfield.
In either case, the Catalan giants need to find either a combative midfielder able to break up attacks or one who can orchestrate play from deep. It is encouraging to see that Barcelona have seemingly identified this weakness and are pursuing Marco Verratti. Whether they will succeed in this pursuit or not, remains to be seen.
#4 Striker
Luis Suarez has just scored 37 goals for Barcelona across all competitions, while also assisting 20 goals, then why do Barcelona need to sign a striker?
Well, there are two reasons why the Catalan giants need to sign a world-class forward with goal scoring pedigree.
Firstly, even though Luis Suarez has just notched up an incredible 57 goals and assists last season, the apparent decline in his goalscoring abilities is there for all to see. The Uruguayan has lost the hunger and with it some confidence, that saw him establish himself as one of the best in the world during the 2015/16 season.
Suarez was guilty of missing many key chances last season, which could have changed the course of Barcelona’s season. Add to that the fact that he will be 31 in around 7 months and he is only going to decline from here, so it will be wise for Barcelona to sign a young striker who can initially work as an understudy of Suarez before eventually taking over the mantle from the Uruguayan.
Secondly, the second-choice striker that Barcelona have is simply not good enough. Paco Alcacer is the striker in question, another spectacular failure on the part of the Camp Nou outfit in the transfer market. His return of 8 goals from 28 games is simply not good enough, even if his relative young age is considered. The Catalan giants need to do their best to identify and sign a good striker in the coming windows.
The signing of Gerard Deulofeu is the first step taken towards addressing the shortcomings in the attacking department and it remains to be seen what kind of an impact does the former La Masia graduate have.
Also Read: 5 players who can replace Luis Suarez at Barcelona
#5 Right Wing
Barcelona have Lionel Messi on the right wing so why do they need to address this position is the most likely question anyone would ask. But the Camp Nou outfit still need a good right-winger to help their cause, as they need someone to cover for arguably the world’s best player, who recently turned 30, or for someone to take up the mantle from the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner, allowing him to shift him to a central position, either in midfield or attack to help him run the show for the Blaugrana.
It is putting a lot of pressure on Messi to compete at the top level for 60 games every season. He is undoubtedly a great player and capable of living up to all the expectations but at 30, he isn’t getting any younger and in all probability, he will play fewer games for Barcelona from now until the end of his career, than he already has.
The Camp Nou outfit need to address this issue too in the window and although they have Rafinha in their ranks, along with Arda Turan, they certainly need an upgrade keeping in mind how they can get the best out of Messi.
Riyad Mahrez is a very good shout for this positon, who can be signed in this transfer window.
#5 Striker
Luis Suarez has just scored 37 goals for Barcelona across all competitions, while also assisting 20 goals, then why do Barcelona need to sign a striker?
Well, there are two reasons why the Catalan giants need to sign a world-class forward with goal scoring pedigree.
Firstly, even though Luis Suarez has just notched up an incredible 57 goals and assists last season, the apparent decline in his goalscoring abilities is there for all to see. The Uruguayan has lost the hunger and with it some confidence, that saw him establish himself as one of the best in the world during the 2015/16 season.
Suarez was guilty of missing many key chances last season, which could have changed the course of Barcelona’s season. Add to that the fact that he will be 31 in around 7 months and he is only going to decline from here, so it will be wise for Barcelona to sign a young striker who can initially work as an understudy of Suarez before eventually taking over the mantle from the Uruguayan.
Secondly, the second-choice striker that Barcelona have is simply not good enough. Paco Alcacer is the striker in question, another spectacular failure on the part of the Camp Nou outfit in the transfer market. His return of 8 goals from 28 games is simply not good enough, even if his relative young age is considered. The Catalan giants need to do their best to identify and sign a good striker in the coming windows.
The signing of Gerard Deulofeu is the first step taken towards addressing the shortcomings in the attacking department and it remains to be seen what kind of an impact does the former La Masia graduate have.
