Barcelona slumped to a 1-5 aggregate loss to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup to cap a miserable last few weeks for the team. Or may be months, given the only trophy they won last season was the nominal Copa del Rey. Barcelona exited early in the Champions League and failed to defend their La Liga crown.

To compound their troubles, 25-year-old Neymar left the club on a world-record transfer, leaving the frontline depleted. And they start their new season under new manager Ernesto Valverde, who inherits a troubled team, on and off field. Can Barcelona bounce back? Or are seeing the end of a era already? The Field’s Zenia D’cunha and Shashank Rajaram weigh in.

Zenia D’cunha: Barcelona lost the Spanish Super Cup to Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate. A 1-5 loss in an El Clasico is bad enough, but the manner in which the team lost is worse. It was abject: an own goal in the first leg, no goals in the second. In fact, the most damning of all observations came from Gerard Pique, the own goal scorer and the most enthusiastic thorn in Madrid’s flesh, himself: “In the nine years I’ve been [at Barca], it’s the first time I feel inferior to Madrid,” Pique said.

When the staunchest Barca loyalist (and future club president, you know it) says that, you know something is wrong. And it’s not his view alone, Real Madrid, under Zinedine Zidane, look dangerous. They are collecting trophies like a kid left in a candy store (looking at you, Ramos). They have already defended their Champions League and Uefa Super Cup titles and certainly look like they will retain La Liga too. Unless Neymar-less Barca, under new coach Ernesto Valverde, and a shaky midfield do something extraordinary. But can they pull that off with so many things against them?

Shashank Rajaram: Given the way things are, absolutely no chance. But this isn’t a new development. It’s been in the works for a good five or six years. Ever since Sandro Rosell has been calling the shots, Barca have been on a downward spiral. Barcelona only attempted one shot versus Real Madrid, their fewest in a first half of a game in 2017 (in all competitions). The players were bound to run out of steam at some point; even the unstoppable Leo Messi.

While Madrid have been strengthening their setup with promising young players like Asensio, Cabellos and Kovacic, Barca are sort of still living in the past. A Xavi quote from July comes to mind – “In general, Barcelona have been sleeping. They have to strengthen the youth academy and their model of play.”

What they’ve done by sustaining Iniesta and Busquets for so long is lose out on one of Europe’s best academy setups. Is the Madrid result a tipping point or have they already reached the depths of no return?

The MSN trio was broken up with the exit of Neymar for a world-record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain (Image: AFP)

Zenia D’cunha: Yes, Rosell wasn’t good for Barca. And the current issues does have a lot to do with off field decisions by the think tank.For a quick reckoner on all that has gone awry under the last two presidents, have a look at this sub Reddit. Says a lot right?

But perhaps, the biggest bone of contention here is why La Masia – which at one point gave Barca as many as nine players to the international squad – not being tapped for talent now? Barca have a ready made pool of talented players in the youth academy. Yet, the main team today is made up of aging superstars or rookie transfers. Where are the younger players? Apart from the treble in 2015, Luis Enrique’s stint didn’t give fans much to cheer about. Unlike Guardiola and Vilanova, who followed the Cryuffian values of the club, he tried to shift the focus on more attacking football. Which, to be fair, worked when he had the best attacking frontline in the world.

But the team still hasn’t found a able replacement for Puyol (who retired in 2014) and barely filled the gap Xavi left in 2015. Now, the team faces the prospect of playing without a 33–year-old Iniesta soon. Without La Masia, how will you find replacement? And spending millions is not the answer.

(Background reading: The destruction of La Masia: Why this Barcelona will never produce another Messi, Xavi or Iniesta)

These are bleak thoughts for a fan. But fact remains, as Pique said, all is not lost. Valverde is new, he has a fresh slate for all intents and purposes. If he can sort his own starting XI and combination, without focusing on the Super Cup loss, he can still rebuild the team. He may not be Pep or Zidane for now, but he has the option (and transfer money) to establish his own pattern.

Shashank Rajaram: Don’t forget Rossell’s partner in crime Josep Bartomeu. More than just focusing on how to make the team better, the board relied on pure talent to carry them forward (talent that didn’t come from their academy). The 2015 treble was an anomaly simply because the world wasn’t ready for MSN. Sure, they created some unbelievable records. But while they made merry, the core of the team suffered.

Speaking of Valverde, the man has bags of potential. But that is probably not what Barca as a club need right now. He has the money? You’d think that the Neymar deal would sort that out for Barca. But what it did was mainly help them meet the high wage caps of already existing players. Barca have always been stingy when it comes to spending. They were impatient with Thiago Alcantara, lost out on Isco and were too cheap to sign up Asensio.

(Read: How Barca lost out on Asensio)

It’s fair to say that it was tough to make that call for Asensio in hindsight but the lack of signings in key areas is the driving point here. The team has lost the plot with the Paulinho signing. 40 million for a 29-year-old who ‘killed it’ in the Chinese League? Seems desperate. Or rather, super shady. There’s clearly a market for him in Asia and this could be the ‘in’ he was looking for. No wonder Barca fans have also started #BartomeuDimiteYa (“Josep Maria Bartomeu Resign Now”) campaign.

To make things worse, Vives (Barca spokesperson) said “Those demanding Bartomeu to resign on twitter are not from Catalonia, but from Saudi Arabia, France, America, and other countries.”

Great job on keeping the brand alive.

Zenia D’cunha: “Lack of signings in key areas” is the biggest takeaway for me from this conversation, because these key areas includes almost every position on the field. Especially now that it’s confirmed that Suarez is out for about a month. Leave aside the administrative problems for a moment, even on field, things are in shambles with a new manager still settling in.

Take for example the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup at Bernabeu. Ronaldo was suspended and Zidane went ahead and rested Bale, Isco and for Casamiro and yet managed to keep a clean sheet and score two. On current form, it’s hard to see Barca be able to play without four first-team players and still win.

And the biggest signing this season so far has been Paulinho, who is:

  1. 29 years old
  2. Worth €40 million
  3. Has all the experience from playing at Guangzhou Evergrande and Tottenham Hotspur  

How much impact can he have on a midfield that once had Xavi and Iniesta toying with the opposition? But if the team has picked him, surely they must have seen something?

Even as deadline day approaches, the team is still haggling for Coutinho and Dembele and perhaps Mbappe, without focusing on the team composition as a whole. And there is only so much you can blame Neymar’s shock transfer for. Barca need to reinvent, and fast.

Shashank Rajaram: It’s hard to remember the last time a Barca team seemed devoid of any ideas.

There is a lot to blame on the Neymar loss. Keeping Neymar was key to any form of sustained success. The 2015 treble was solely dependent on MSN. What they lacked in terms of teams strength, they made up for in terms of attacking prowess. But losing out on everything significant last season (Copa Del Rey was a formality) and the best Brazilian in the world coupled with the fact that Suarez has been ruled out for a month is really going to turn the tables in La Liga.

Even Barca legend Rivaldo has raised the concern: “It’s not easy to watch two losses against Madrid and see newcomers directly blaming players that have won everything. This shows a lack of experience in dealing with players of this level. If the President consents to this behaviour there will be two opposite directions of the club.”

It’s not pleasant to see a club like Barcelona falter, it has brought a sense of excitement for neutrals. Maybe, just maybe, Spanish dominance won’t be as prevalent as before (Madrid still look most likely to win the UCL).

Valverde told a news conference after the loss: “We’re Barca and we want to have the best team. Until the end of August, there’s time, although I’d like to focus on those I already have here, despite losing. And despite the fact that in this period there will surely be changes in the team.”

Seems positive. But time is slowly running out. Barcelona are in desperation mode whereas in fact, they need to be more composed than ever. Either way, let’s hope they draw PSG in the Champions League just to put the nail in the coffin.

Zenia D’cunha: Or there is no coffin at all? For those looking at straws to clutch, a turnaround is not that improbable. Just cast your mind back to how Real Madrid were suffering under Benitez before Zidane came over as a stopgap option and turned things over. Essentially, 20 months back Real Madrid were in the same place Barca are today. And they overcame that. The Blaugranas also have a new manager coming in, and maybe a new strike force as well. But most importantly, they still have the core of the team that made them champions: a certain Lionel Messi upfront, a prolific Luis Suarez, a slowed down but just as impactful Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique in defence. If Valverde can marshall his troops, revert to the more mobile ways on field and inspire the youngsters to give it their all, a Neymar-less Barcelona could be capable of bouncing back.

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