4 reasons behind Barcelona's collapse this season
An embarrassing 2-1 defeat to Valencia in the Copa Del Rey final on Saturday night concluded another unsatisfying campaign for Catalan giants, FC Barcelona.
The Blaugrana entered the season with huge momentum and were on track to claim a historic treble once again, before hitting a rough patch and eventually seeing their season end facing the wrong direction.
Although Ernesto Valverde's men succeeded in retaining the LaLiga title, their 4-0 capitulation to Liverpool which sent them crashing out of the Champions League put that success in perspective. Hence, they'll need to wait for another season to shoot for the treble once again.
Having said that, below are 4 reasons behind Barca's collapse during the term:
#4 Managerial defect/Lack of identity
If we compare the current Barcelona side to that of the Pep Guardiola era, we'll discover that there is a huge contrast between the two. Under Ernesto Valverde, Barca have shifted from the core values that define the club, hence losing their identity.
The former Athletic Bilbao boss has implemented a pragmatic system at the Nou Camp and the team isn't as dominant and expressive as before. Valverde believes in going for the safest option, which limits the creativity and the ideological advantages that the team possesses.
This approach isn't getting the best out of the players either and we can clearly see that the team struggles to control proceedings, especially in the big games. They were totally outplayed by Liverpool at Anfield and weren't decisive when they met Valencia in the Copa Del Rey final.
It becomes even more humiliating to recall that they suffered the same fate during the 2017/2018 campaign, when they surrendered a 3-goal lead to crash out of the Champions League at the hands of Roma.