FC Barcelona: What went wrong this season?

Lionel Messi

A feeling of despair. One of helplessness. One of frustration. These things are going round and round in the minds of the players and fans of FC Barcelona alike.

After logically giving up on three trophies in a span of 7 days, the players and management must be kicking themselves in the foot. These 7 days have been the one and only nail in the coffin of their season but this nail has been the biggest nail out there. All the hard-work done through the season washed away in the blink of an eye.

After crashing out of the Champions League at the hands of Atletico Madrid, giving up on the title race at Los Cármenes against Granada and giving up on any little title hopes this season against Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey final, they are seeing nothing but their hands empty at the end of the season.

This season has been a very catastrophic one for the Catalonians. Tax fraud allegations, Neymar transfer deal, No Ballon d’Or for Messi – Something they were used to – and all the off-field issues that they have got themselves into is preventing the players to give their best in the field.

In the beginning of the season, everything looked set for the men from the Camp Nou to achieve a repeat of the feat that they had conquered in the past few seasons. Sergio Busquets – one of their most important players in the tiki-taka system – renewing his contract till 2018 was one of the best news for Cules around the world because they knew his importance to the team. But nothing got better than signing Brazilian – so called – wonderkid, Neymar. After a lot of speculation and drama as to who would get his signature above the dotted line, they had beaten everyone in the race. Everything was set. But Neymar underperformed , as did Sergio and the problems that they had picked up last season refused to stop.

Then the big storm came halfway through the season. Mis-dealings in the Neymar transfer deal. The board claimed that the club had done nothing wrong but the neutral fans from around the world refused to believe in their word and as of everything else, the speculation has continued up to this day. This has caused a lot of stirred-up thoughts in the players mind and his not-so-good performances on the green-pitch.

Gradually, they started to give away their lead in the La Liga table and threw it away but got it back after some time. Then again threw it away and now, there it isn’t possibly a way for them to get it back.

They had performed well in the Champions League but crashed out of it just because of one very poor game at the Vicente Calderon against Atletico in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. This was the start of their misery. Later this week, they succumbed to a defeat against a compact Granada throwing away three points and probably the race of the league title.

Then came their opportunity to win a major-trophy this season. The Copa Del Rey final against a weakened Real Madrid side because of the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo which had rocketed their opportunities. But little did they know that Gareth Bale was going to be a more than capable replacement for the Portuguese superstar. His sprint and goal – Nothing less than a spectacle – will no doubt be a part of his and the Barca players memories for a long time to come.

Among all this, the one common factor were the very poor performances of the four-time Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi. He had been put on the wings for every one of these three matches. He was not used to this. That is not his playing style. He doesn’t like to cut in to his left foot and take a shot from 30 yards out. What he likes is to be played in the middle. Where he can link up with Iniesta or Xavi and make a goal-scoring opportunity after a brilliant one-two. He has not been regularly played in the middle since his fellow countryman Tata Martino took over the dugout at FC Barcelona.

Their problem has been in the dugout. A place from where once a man had masterminded their sextuple and many other trophies. A place which created one of the best styles of playing football known to football fans.

After Sandro Rossel confirmed the resignation of Tito Vilanova, they had to get someone with a not-so-big ego that would spark a huge fire and possibly destroy the clubs philosophy. They wanted someone who would be the one who controlled the game from outside the pitch and not indulge in monkey-doings with the players. They searched and got someone like that but what they didn’t get was a manager who had the experience of leading a top-team at the top-level of football. Something which was as important as the first of their requirements. In fact, Tata Martino had NO European experience whatsoever when they decided to make him a seat in the dugout.

But the injuries have also played a huge part in their disastrous season and now that Neymar, Alba and Bartra are out for a considerable period, it seems as if they will end up dropping even more points in the La liga table.

After all this, this season has been one to forget for the players and the fans alike. This season was a transition period and maybe even problematic for the club and they weren’t able to get through it without a scratch. But, as they say, Més que un club! Let’s see what they do!