5 changes Barcelona need to make to return to the top
Barcelona are not in a good state. After a poor league campaign which saw arch-rivals Real Madrid lift the La Liga title, Barcelona's season ended horribly after a terrible 8-2 loss against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Change is coming, there is no doubt about it. Manager Quique Setien has been sacked according to reliable reports, and a meeting will be conducted on Monday to assess the damage and discuss the repairs.
We look at 5 changes Barcelona need to make to get back to the top.
#5 Spend money wisely
It is no secret that most of Barcelona's recent big-money signings have failed to deliver for the club.
Since Neymar's departure to Paris Saint-Germain for €222 million in 2017, Barcelona have spent €160 million on Philippe Coutinho, €105 million on Ousmane Dembele and €120 million on Antoine Griezmann. Not to mention €75 million on Frenkie de Jong and €40 million on Paulinho, among other transfers.
Coutinho is on loan at Bayern Munich, while Griezmann and Dembele have had seasons to forget. Barcelona are said to be going through a financial crisis, with selling players the only way to fund incomings.
Barcelona need to be more sensible with the money. Instead of buying superstars for inflated transfer fees, the Catalan club should look for cheaper, younger and more malleable players of which there are many.
#4 Replace ageing stars
This should be one of the primary targets for Barcelona in the summer. The Camp Nou outfit have eight first-team players who are 30 and above; Antoine Griezmann is 29, Sergi Roberto is 28 and Martin Braithwaite is 29.
Midfield is of particular concern. Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal have a combined age of 97, and it often shows on the field. The arrival of 30-year old Miralem Pjanic is going to do little good as far as the average age of the squad is concerned.
Shifting these stars is a major concern. Almost all of them are on massive wages, and it is unlikely that Barcelona would sell Luis Suarez, Gerard Pique or Busquets this summer. Vidal has been linked with Inter Milan and Inter Miami, while Rakitic has been touted for a return to Sevilla.
While it is certainly a painful process, the Catalans have to be shrewd as well as ruthless. Real Madrid and Iker Casillas are a prime example. With Keylor Navas as goalkeeper, Los Blancos went on to win three consecutive Champions League titles.
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