The fall of Barcelona

[seafoid]

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2021/1027/1256297-barca-sack-koeman-after-defeat-to-rayo-vallecano/

FC Barcelona have fired tonight Ronald Koeman as the first team coach," the club said on Twitter.

Barcelona are ninth in La Liga on 15 points from 10 games, six points behind leaders Real Madrid who beat them 2-1 at the Camp Nou on Sunday.

They are third in their Champions League group with three points from three matches after suffering 3-0 defeats in their opening two games against Bayern Munich and Benfica.

Barcelona are five-times European champions and the results marked the first time in the club's history that they had failed to score in their opening two European games.

[Armamike]

Teams have cycles.  Their level of European success was modest pre Pep.  They'll come again.

[GiveItToTheShooters]

What an overreaction of a thread 

[screenexile]

Should it not be the fall of Man Utd and Barcelona??

[quit yo jibbajabba]

What an overreaction of a thread 

Yeah think the European Leagues thread couldve covered this one. For that reason.......im out 😃

[toby47]

La Liga -
Before Messi made debut - 16
Since Messi made debut - 10

European Cup
Before Messi made debut - 1
Since Messi made debut - 4

Barcelona haven't always been as super successful as people seem to think, there were stages in 80's & 90's they had brilliant teams but from 50's-80's they had relatively no success. From 1960-1990 they won two league titles but were cup specialists winning 8 Copa Del Rays & 3 Cup Winner Cups.

They have won 35 major trophies since Messi made his debut. The team they assembled at one point will still be talked about in 50 years times along with the greatest club sides of all time (Xavi, Iniesta, Pique etc) & Slightly before that (Deco, Ronaldinho, Eto'o) and even in the most recent years (Neymar & Suarez)

With their politics, money problems & internal issues I can't see them becoming a force for many more years. Their cycle is completely over. If they struggle to make the Champions League for a year or two it's hard to see when the cycle will take an upturn again. Busquets & Aguero are 34 next season, Jordi Alba is 33 next season, Pique is 35 in a couple of months. They bought Dembele & Coutinho for £240 million and would probably struggle to sell the pair of them for £50/60 million now. They were resigned to signing free agents in the summer (Garcia, Depay, Aguero etc) They took 31 year old striker Luuk De Jong on loan from Seville in the summer, Martin Braithwaite was signed for 16million 6 months after he left Middlesbrough - madness. Aguero, who is obviously quality signed in the summer & played his first game last week & made only 20 appearances last season due to injury.

Barcelona are walking a tight rope at the minute, it could all get very messy for them very soon.

[nrico2006]

This is a bit more than a cycle though, the club are in crazy debt hence Messi leaving and their inclination to try and sign has-beens on frees (Aguero, Wijnaldum, Depay etc.). 

They can't sign big players and I don't know how they will even pay decent players given their wage cap was set at 97 million euro.  As a comparator, Real Madrids was set at 700 million euro or thereabouts and Barcelona's was up around there prior to their troubles.

I still see ridiculous articles stating that Barcelona are going to spend over a billion on stadium upgrades, or that they are going to sign Haaland/Mbapppe etc, when none of these things will happen.  Barcelona will flounder for a long time and will be lucky if they don't go into administration very soon.

[gawa316]

This is a bit more than a cycle though, the club are in crazy debt hence Messi leaving and their inclination to try and sign has-beens on frees (Aguero, Wijnaldum, Depay etc.). 

Has-beens...what a ridiculous comment

[Capt Pat]

They do have the youngsters Pedri and Gavi in midfield. Both only teenagers and accomplished full internationals for Spain. So it is not all doom and gloom.

[seafoid]

1. Too much debt
2. Covid lockdowns hammered them
3. They didn't get the European Super League and they needed it.

This is a crisis

[JoG2]

1. Too much debt
2. Covid lockdowns hammered them
3. They didn't get the European Super League and they needed it.

This is a crisis

On top of that, as has been mentioned in the Utd thread, elite managers are like hen's teeth and Barcelona don't tend to give a manager long to put his stamp on a team.

[quit yo jibbajabba]

Theres strengthening while youre at the top and theres buying Dembele Coutinho and Griezeman for silly silly money and crazy wages to largely sit on the bench.

Good summary by Nrico there apart from the hasbeens bit

[toby47]

This is a bit more than a cycle though, the club are in crazy debt hence Messi leaving and their inclination to try and sign has-beens on frees (Aguero, Wijnaldum, Depay etc.). 

Has-beens...what a ridiculous comment

He's 31 next month so more than likely past his best.

Although he has never played for Barcelona in his life so i'm not sure why were talking about him lol

[Sportacus]

Financially they are in a very deep hole, but still a good team on paper.  The stadium is just run down concrete but it could be patched up.   

[gawa316]

This is a bit more than a cycle though, the club are in crazy debt hence Messi leaving and their inclination to try and sign has-beens on frees (Aguero, Wijnaldum, Depay etc.). 

Has-beens...what a ridiculous comment

He's 31 next month so more than likely past his best.

Although he has never played for Barcelona in his life so i'm not sure why were talking about him lol

He mentioned it because they were after him until PSG came in. He is 31 next month but I think the days of a players peak being 28/29 are done. He has a good 3 years left at the top imo.