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FC Barcelona supporters will remember the start of the season, when Lionel Messi was presented as the new captain following the departure of Andres Iniesta to Vissel Kobe.
He delivered a powerful speech to an excited and eager Camp Nou and reminded that despite winning the domestic double the previous season, they had not forgotten the manner in which they were knocked out of the Champions League by AS Roma.
Messi assured the fans that this year the club had put together an exciting squad that is capable of bringing back European glory and that the Champions League would be their number one priority.
This declaration was enough for Barca supporters to get excited about a possible treble. Barcelona did well enough to win the La Liga title, secure a place in the Copa del Rey final and a 3-0 first-leg win against Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final.
Just as things were looking good, Barcelona managed to lose their 3-0 lead against Liverpool to exit Europe. That was still fresh in fans' minds when they lost the Copa del Rey to Valencia.
The Barca board needs to be more efficient in their transfer dealings as most of the key squad members are on the wrong side of 30. Pique (32), Alba (30), Sergio Busquets (30) Ivan Rakitic (31), Vidal (32), Suarez (32) and Messi (31) are aging stars. This team therefore lacks pace and is easily pressed by the opposition.
As the season ends, the club will want to introspect on this year's campaign and identify the reasons for failure. The Barca management faces an uphill task this summer, from making a decision about their manager to ensuring the arrivals and departures tomake the squad better.
So here's a look at everything Barcelona have to do this summer in order to bounce back from a disappointing season.
#1 Should Ernesto Valverde stay?
One of the main issues is the fate of manager Ernesto Valverde. There are plenty of questions yet to be answered by the club. Will he continue? If not, then who will come?
Valverde has now lost in the Champions League quarterfinal, in 2018, and the semi-final in 2019. Both losses came after comfortable first-leg wins. And despite winning La Liga twice, and the Copa del Rey in 2018, he is not the most popular man in Barcelona.
Shortly after the debacle in Liverpool, Barcelona had to face Valencia in the Copa del Rey final. It was assumed that stakes for both club and coach were high. Valverde once again amused the supporters by opting for Sergi Roberto -- who has consistently played as a right-back -- on the right wing while keeping Malcom, a natural winger, on the bench.
His tactics have been sometimes frustrating for Barcelona, who have watched him play Arturo Vidal on the left of midfield, often refusing to trust Malcom and Arthur. Valverde has also disappointed in big games, being outdone tactically.
Despite all this, club president Bartomeu addressed the media after the Copa del Rey final loss, saying: "We've been thinking about next season for some time, but this isn't the moment to explain what will happen. We won the league, so it has been an important season. Valverde has a contract and is the coach. This defeat was not the fault of our coach. We had many chances and the ball didn't go in".
Even senior players such as Messi and Gerard Pique have publicly defended their manager. Messi, who was a part of the press conference before the Copa Del Rey final - his first since 2015 - gave his opinion on the Basque coach: "I would like Valverde to continue next year, we won a double last year and we can repeat that this year. The coach has done impressive work. All the time he's been here, he's not to blame for the Liverpool elimination, we are the ones to blame."
Amidst all this support from within the club, Valverde faces a huge task in gaining the confidence of fans, who have let it known that they would prefer his exit.
#2 Squad revamp
Despite acquiring the likes of Vidal, Arthur, Malcom and Clement Lenglet, the Catalan giants fell well short of a treble.
Speaking after the Copa del Rey loss, Bartomeu told reporters: "Every year some players arrive. We've already got [Frenkie] De Jong confirmed and we'll work to bring in new players and on those who'll leave. But now is not the time (to talk about it)."
Barcelona have not been able to procure an efficient back up to Luis Suarez, who has been playing without rest. The likes of Paco Alcacer and Munir El Haddadi could not succeed. The loan deal for Kevin Prince Boateng did not help either, and reflected poorly on the decision-making of the board.
This put more pressure on the Uruguayan. He even reportedly played through a cartilage discomfort as Barcelona did not have another striker. Barcelona desparately need this to change.
Antoine Griezmann has been heavily linked with Barcelona since Atletico Madrid published a video confirming his departure.
There have been multiple reports that Barcelona will pay Antoine Griezmann's 120 million Euro release clause on July 1. It is also reported that the Frenchman is even willing to take a pay cut in order to join the Catalans.
The problem with Griezmann's transfer is that some key players in the squad and the Barca board are against the transfer. Prior to the Copa del Rey final, Messi was asked about the Griezmann transfer by a journalist to which the Barca captain simply replied, "No Comment."
Some fans are against the transfer as well. This is because of the Frenchman's antics last season, rebuffing the Catalans through a TV documentary. This angered fans and players alike. This was evident when Atletico visited the Camp Nou and Griezmann was jeered every time he touched the ball.
The defence too has been an issue for Barcelona lately, but the Catalan backline had a decent campaign even so. Where did it go wrong? Samuel Umtiti missed five months due to injury and was unable to regain his form after recovery. Lenglet and Jordi Alba had a productive season, but made crucial mistakes in key games.
The right-back position has been a liability for Barca since Dani Alves left and neither Nelson Semedo nor Sergi Roberto have been able to make that position their own.
Matthijs de Ligt has been on the radar of all top European clubs, but reports suggest that Barcelona and Manchester United are leading the race for the 19-year-old Dutchman. Barca look at De Ligt as a long term replacement for Pique, who is 32 years old now.
The Ajax captain led his team to the Champions League semi-final and also helped them in securing their first Eredivisie title since 2014. The Dutchman claims that he is yet to decide on his future but is not ruling out the possibility of playing in Spain or England.
This Barca side is dependent on Messi to a great extent. If Messi is removed from the equation, this team does not look like a squad of world-beaters. Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembélé, the two most expensive transfers in the club's history, need to step up as well.
Coutinho has failed to shoulder responsibilities at the club. The Brazilian needs to up his game, much like his Liverpool days. An issue with Coutinho is that he loses possession often and does not track back after losing the ball. Only one player in the lineup can afford to that. Yep, you guessed it right.
Ousmane Dembélé has been unable to stay healhy and has even faced a host of disciplinary charges. The have been reports that the Frenchman plays a lot of video games, eats too much junk food and skips training.
The winger has suffered four injuries since joining Barca in 2017 and has missed more than 36 matches in the process. More is expected of the Frenchman, who cost Barcelona 30-million Euros per season.
Since the departure of Andres Iniesta, the Blaugrana midfield looks weak. There is no single midfielder who is able to provide spectacular through balls into the box week in week out. This job is mostly undertaken by Messi, who drops too deep to do so which highlights the inefficiency of this Barca midfield.
Sergio Busquets has been shaky on several occasions this season. Vidal has so far impressed the Barca fan base but at 32 years of age he is losing his athleticism. Rakitic seems like a shadow of his former self and should pave the way for incoming Frenkie De Jong.
Valverde needs to start trusting Arthur more if he needs to fill the void left by Xavi. The Brazilian hardly gives away possession and can run things from the midfield next season along with Frenkie De Jong. Valverde needs to put Rakitic and Vidal on the bench and make Arthur and De Jong his preferred choice along with Sergio Busquets. Moreover, the board also need to find an able deputy for Busquets and have the luxury of resting the Spaniard for relatively smaller fixtures - something that Valverde has not been able to do.
The Barca board needs to be more efficient in their transfer dealings as most of the key squad members are on the wrong side of 30. Pique (32), Alba (30), Sergio Busquets (30) Ivan Rakitic (31), Vidal (32), Suarez (32) and Messi (31) are aging stars. This team therefore lacks pace and is easily pressed by the opposition.
