Barcelona ended the season in what could have been a great emphatic crowning of the season by suffering a crucial hammering defeat in the space of a couple of weeks, following up their Champions League humiliation at Liverpool by losing the Copa del Rey final 2-1 against underdogs, Valencia over the weekend.
Even though they were comfortable winners of La Liga, finishing 11 points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid and a record 19 points in front of arch-rivals Real Madrid, the two cup losses have hit hard and mercilessly leaving manager Ernesto Valverde fighting to save his job.
🙇♂️ @LuisSuarez9 has been an absolute machine for @FCBarcelona since joining in 2014! 👏🔥 pic.twitter.com/9RA4bW584A
— Dugout (@Dugout) May 26, 2019
The poor losses are a wake-up call as the new season begins in August and they have to be found ready for the clash of the season which calls upon investing in players that have the quality to sustain them throughout the period and bear the ability to win trophies for the side.
Already, the Catalans have begun their summer signings and made their interests on some of the players they want to sign in preparation for the season.
One high-profile arrival is expected to be confirmed soon in the form of French World Cup-winner Antoine Griezmann, who has already announced his decision to leave Atletico Madrid and is poised to join Barca despite rejecting them 12 months ago.
Over his five seasons with Atletico, Griezmann has occupied every forward position in both a 4-4-2 and 4-3-3, and his flexibility is one of the main reasons the Nou Camp club are prepared to meet the 28-year-old’s 120m euro buyout clause.
The big question is whether Griezmann is intended to partner Messi and Luis Suarez in attack or replace the latter, and in all probability, it will be a bit of both.
Suarez enjoyed a decent enough season, scoring 25 goals in all competitions despite playing for lengthy spells with a knee injury which forced him to undergo surgery after the Anfield tie, sidelining him for Saturday’s cup final and jeopardising his place in Uruguay’s squad for the upcoming Copa America.
Not least due to his telepathic understanding and close friendship with Messi, Suarez remains an integral part of Barca’s attack. But he will turn 33 in January and the physical limitations which hampered him this season will surely only become more pronounced, so it’s unrealistic to expect Suarez to be more than an occasional starter and high-class impact sub.
Even if Griezmann signs, therefore, Barca will still seek to sign another centre-forward in the more physical mould of Suarez – somebody capable of unsettling opposition defenders and creating space for Messi.
This Maxi Gomez rumour has come out of the blue. He's more target man than wide-forward. He'd be a focal point and we could play off him as he pins CBs. Is Emery looking for a young Negredo?
What would it mean for Laca or Auba?
Is this a red herring?pic.twitter.com/WEqMakPIvc— Gilles 🇳🇬🏴 (@GrimandiTweets_) May 17, 2019
Two more Uruguayans have been linked: Maxi Gomez from Celta Vigo and Cristhian Stuani of freshly relegated Girona, along with Spanish international Rodrigo from Saturday’s cup winners Valencia.
All these moves will require financing, and it is, therefore, hard to envisage Brazilian misfit Philippe Coutinho staying at the club. The former Liverpool man has rarely looked value for the £105m Barca paid for his services in January 2018, and sporting director Eric Abidal will spend much of the coming weeks attempting to recoup as much of that colossal fee as possible.
The changes in midfield could be even more dramatic than the forward line, and it’s by no means unreasonable to suggest that none of the starters from the Anfield disintegration will continue to be first-choice selections next season.
Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Vidal are all in their thirties, and like Suarez, they could be eased into supplementary roles next season. Rakitic might not even be there at all, with repeated rumours linking the Croatia international with a summer departure to Paris St-Germain, Manchester United or Inter Milan.
Who will replace them? Well, much excitement has already been generated by the capture of Ajax starlet Frenkie de Jong, a sensation during the Dutch team’s march to the Champions League semi-final. De Jong has already agreed to a 75m euro move to the Nou Camp, and Barca are confident the 21-year-old will be the team’s midfield motor for years to come.
The club also boasts a trio of young players who look more than capable of stepping up into enhanced roles. That starts with 22-year-old Brazilian Arthur Melo, who excelled during some stages of this season before fading towards the end of the campaign and being left on the bench for both meetings with Liverpool.
Carles Alena is a home-grown product who took to the senior stage with impressive maturity and versatility during his 27 appearances this season. Most of those, though, were brief outings from the bench and he will have to maintain his progress to become a regular starter.
Completing the summer of change is Barca’s back four, which could soon feature another hot prospect from Amsterdam as the club continue their pursuit of precocious teen Matthijs de Ligt, another star of Ajax’s marvellous campaign.
If De Ligt’s services are secured, the door could be shown to Samuel Umtiti. The Frenchman lost his starter status after missing much of the season through injury, and he struggled to find form after regaining fitness. Umtiti remains an outstanding player, but his high salary could tempt Barca to part ways if a good offer is received.
Although he generally had a very good season, the long-serving Gerard Pique is also facing question marks as he approaches his 32nd birthday. The pursuit of De Ligt is part of the club’s ‘succession planning’ as Pique enters the final straight of his playing career, and another decision for next season’s manager, whoever he might be, is which two central defenders will be his first-choice pairing.
All told, the only sure-fire certainties within Barca’s team for next season are at both ends of the pitch, with Ter Stegen and Messi assured of their places but still, everything is up for grabs.
This summer and the start of next season could prove to be the most turbulent period in the club’s recent history with rising young stars and new imports such as Griezmann, De Jong, Alenya, Arthur and De Ligt coming to the fore as the club seeks to banish the nightmare of Anfield without sacrificing domestic dominance.