5 structural changes Barcelona must make to arrest their decline
An 8-2 loss against Bayern Munich adequately summed up Barcelona's steep decline in the past few years. While Bayern were overwhelming favourites, few expected such an embarrassing result for Quique Setien's side.
The Spaniard is now reportedly set to be sacked, but the manager is just a small part of the larger issues that have plagued the Catalan club since Luis Enrique's departure.
The Barcelona boardroom is a mess while their player recruitments have been extremely poor as well. An ageing squad and below-par players have further contributed to the mess that Barcelona find themselves in.
More worryingly, their domestic and European rivals have all set themselves up for immediate and future success while Barcelona have failed to do so. Changes are urgently needed at the Camp Nou, and here are five structural alterations the Blaugrana must make to stop their decline.
Five changes Barcelona need to make to arrest their decline:
1): Go back to their roots
Barcelona's current modus operandi bears no resemblance to their philosophy of 'Mes ques une club' or 'more than just a club.'
La Masia has been ignored as Barcelona have preferred to import big-name players without any consideration for the principles that the club was built around. Coaching appointments have been poor as well, with the likes of Valverde and Setien proving to be way out of their depth at the Camp Nou.
The Barcelona board needs a revamp from scratch, using Johan Cruyff's principles as a foundation to build on. Coaching appointments and player recruitments must be made based on the style of football Barcelona play rather than vice versa. While it may take time to rebuild, this presents a far better alternative to the current state of affairs.
2): Changes at the board level
Barcelona fans are not fond of President Josep Bartomeu and rightly so. He is perhaps the most complicit in Barcelona's downward spiral because of his mismanagement and alleged corrupt practices.
The turmoil in the Barcelona boardroom even saw a number of directors resign and threaten legal action against Bartomeu. Simply put, the Barcelona president needs to go. While the club elections are scheduled for next year, the rest of the board may have the power to convene an emergency meeting and remove Bartomeu from his position.
His removal, even without an immediate replacement, would do a world of good to help remove the toxic atmosphere around Barcelona at the moment. The priority for the Barcelona board at the moment must be to prevent any more mismanagement for the remainder of Bartomeu's tenure.
Apart from Bartomeu, Eric Abidal also needs to be replaced at the earliest. While he may be a club legend, the Frenchman's performance at the executive level has been appalling.
Even the soft-spoken Messi has been forced to speak up against Abidal. Barcelona need to hire a new director who has a long-term vision for the club. The likes of Luis Campos and Ralf Rangnick could be potential alternatives. Most importantly, the club must find a director who shares a common outlook for the future.