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An 8-2 loss against Bayern Munich adequately summed up Barcelona's steep decline in the past few years. While Bayern were overwhelming favourites, few expected such an embarrassing result for Quique Setien's side.
The Spaniard is now reportedly set to be sacked, but the manager is just a small part of the larger issues that have plagued the Catalan club since Luis Enrique's departure.
The Barcelona boardroom is a mess while their player recruitments have been extremely poor as well. An ageing squad and below-par players have further contributed to the mess that Barcelona find themselves in.
More worryingly, their domestic and European rivals have all set themselves up for immediate and future success while Barcelona have failed to do so. Changes are urgently needed at the Camp Nou, and here are five structural alterations the Blaugrana must make to stop their decline.
Five changes Barcelona need to make to arrest their decline:
1): Go back to their roots
Barcelona's current modus operandi bears no resemblance to their philosophy of 'Mes ques une club' or 'more than just a club.'
La Masia has been ignored as Barcelona have preferred to import big-name players without any consideration for the principles that the club was built around. Coaching appointments have been poor as well, with the likes of Valverde and Setien proving to be way out of their depth at the Camp Nou.
The Barcelona board needs a revamp from scratch, using Johan Cruyff's principles as a foundation to build on. Coaching appointments and player recruitments must be made based on the style of football Barcelona play rather than vice versa. While it may take time to rebuild, this presents a far better alternative to the current state of affairs.
2): Changes at the board level
Barcelona fans are not fond of President Josep Bartomeu and rightly so. He is perhaps the most complicit in Barcelona's downward spiral because of his mismanagement and alleged corrupt practices.
The turmoil in the Barcelona boardroom even saw a number of directors resign and threaten legal action against Bartomeu. Simply put, the Barcelona president needs to go. While the club elections are scheduled for next year, the rest of the board may have the power to convene an emergency meeting and remove Bartomeu from his position.
His removal, even without an immediate replacement, would do a world of good to help remove the toxic atmosphere around Barcelona at the moment. The priority for the Barcelona board at the moment must be to prevent any more mismanagement for the remainder of Bartomeu's tenure.
Apart from Bartomeu, Eric Abidal also needs to be replaced at the earliest. While he may be a club legend, the Frenchman's performance at the executive level has been appalling.
Even the soft-spoken Messi has been forced to speak up against Abidal. Barcelona need to hire a new director who has a long-term vision for the club. The likes of Luis Campos and Ralf Rangnick could be potential alternatives. Most importantly, the club must find a director who shares a common outlook for the future.
3): Trust La Masia
La Masia holds a special place among the premier football academies in world football. The academy has been pivotal in Barcelona's success over the years, producing prospect after prospect.
Unlike the senior team, the principles of total football are ingrained into the La Masia players, enabling them to understand and appreciate the values the club holds dearly. Unfortunately, the past few years have seen fewer opportunities given to La Masia graduates, with the senior side opting to buy expensively and extensively. Consequentially, the likes of Riqui Puig and Carles Alena have seen very less game-time, even when the apparent 'stars' have failed to perform consistently.
Barceloa need to place more trust in La Masia and facilitate more promotions from the academy to the senior side. That would help save money as well as preserve the prized 'Barcelona DNA' that has brought so much success to the club. Academy players could make mistakes, but they will only get better over time.
4): Major squad clearout
The current roster does not make for good reading if you're a Barcelona fan. There is an obvious dearth of quality in key areas, with many players past their best and some not good enough.
A massive overhaul of the squad is required, and ideally at least six to seven players need to be taken off the wage bill. Barcelona have very little room for error in this regard and need to make sales while the players still retain some of their value.
The Barcelona board needs to ignore any sentiment around replacing erstwhile legends like Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique who have seen their stock drop drastically. Even if they are retained for the time being, a plan to gradually ease them out of the side must be in place.
However, others above the age of 30 need to be viewed objectively and moved on at the earliest. Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic are two examples of players who are on huge salaries despite their inconsistencies. A successful side needs a balance of youth and experience, and Barcelona need more of the former and less of the latter.
5): Streamline player transfer policies
The signings made by Barcelona in recent years have been expensive, confusing and inefficient. From overpaying for Philippe Coutinho to swapping Arthur for Miralem Pjanic, the player business conducted has been shocking, to say the least.
Should Bartomeu and Abidal leave, the Blaugrana must align their policies in the transfer market with the club's core philosophy. The focus has to shift from exclusively signing big names who may not fit in the side to investing in the future. Incoming players like Frenkie de Jong and Francisco Trincao represent good business, and ideally are the profiles Barcelona should be looking at.
A serious concern for the club is the imminent Lionel Messi's departure in the near future. While the Argentine still performs consistently, at 33 years of age he cannot continue to be Barcelona's centre-piece.
Rather, the Catalan club must invest in a side that can prolong Messi's time at the top level by reducing the team's heavy reliance on him. The fact of the matter is that the spine of the Barcelona squad needs replacing. If recent history teaches us anything, it is that Barcelona need to overhaul their player transfer policies at the earliest.
