3 things that must happen for Barcelona to consider 2020 a success

1. Solve 'Messidependencia' and focus on La Masia

Nothing seems to function for Barcelona without their prodigy

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.

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.