Why Barcelona’s shock defeat points to deeper problems

Anger.

That is the overwhelming feeling Barcelona fans experienced last night and into today following their sides shock exit from the Champions League at the hands of Roma. They are not angry at the Italians they are angry at their own club. For a team like Barcelona to throw away a three goal lead is simply unacceptable yet not completely surprising for hard-core fans.

Last night Barcelona were completely and totally outplayed by Roma from the first kick to the last. Pundits around the world have been trying to pinpoint where the Balugrana went wrong and those in the Catalan capital have highlighted some key issues.

First and foremost, coach Ernesto Valverde made a critical error in the way he approached the game. While he had the luxury of a three goal lead he also knew Roma would be relentless in their quest for the goals they needed. His counterpart Eusebio Di Francesco had to roll the dice; he played three at the back and played two imposing strikers. Valverde’s response was to play a narrow 4-4-2. But most importantly he set up his side to go out and defend their lead.

Barcelona are not a team to weather a storm; they are the storm. 

Since his arrival Valverde has drastically improved Barcelona’s defence, before last night they had only conceded three goals in this season’s Champions League. Anyone who has been watching Barca week in and week out will tell you those statistics mask what is still their weakest area. Gerard Piqué has been hit and miss this season while Samuel Umtiti had been consistent up until recent weeks when rumours of a breakdown in contract renewals emerged. Since then the Frenchman has been carried by his centre-back partner. Goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen has also saved his teammates blushes on several occasions.

Valverde has already admitted he is “entirely responsible”. His appointment last summer in the wake of Luis Enrique’s departure was seen as safe move. He will consistently get results but there will be nothing spectacular. Last night Valverde showed his inexperience at Europe’s top level.

Questions have been raised in the Catalan press as to why Barca’s gala XI has played almost every game in 2018. They have questioned why they had not been rotated, not even in the Copa del Rey. “Why do they treat the Cup like the Champions League and the Champions League like the Cup?” asked one of the daily papers.

Some say Barca peaked to early they arrived in January in a healthy position in La Liga comfortably clear of the chasing pack yet Valverde seemed obsessed to maintain their unbeaten streak in the league. Chances to rotate were missed and that has certainly taken its toll on the players.

The blame cannot be portioned totally on Valverde the players must also be held accountable. For too long Lionel Messi’s teammates have looked to the Argentine to save them in their hour of need. Time and time again he has delivered the goods but you can only go to the well so many times before it dries out. Last night Messi couldn’t save them. His strike partner Luis Suaréz was invisible with the team managing just 9 attempts on goal three of which on target.

It seems as if Barcelona play to their weaknesses not their strengths. Messi is constantly given the ball and he is expected to produce a goal. He has done this time and time again acting as both a goal scorer and a goal creator but at times they debilitate him. It becomes Messi against the world, and the world wins at times.

Last night will not be treated as a one off event. The signs have been there throughout the season but the sheer brilliance of the Argentine have kept them hidden from view. The Catalans have been getting results but they’ve been performing badly. The problems at FC Barcelona are not simply managerial issues they stem deeper into the hierarchy of the club and its sporting plans.

The more senior players are acutely aware of this. The Blaugrana have exited the Champions League at the quarter-final stage four times in the last five years. When it has come down to it, away from the Camp Nou, they have had little response of late. Last season they were beaten 4-0 in Paris and 3-0 in Turin. The year before that they were beaten 2-0 in Madrid, against Atlético. Now they have been beaten 3-0 in Rome. They were fortunate to draw 1-1 with Chelsea in London, too, remember.

Sergio Busquets speaking after the game admitted “I’d be lying if I said we could learn from this. We went out in a similar way last season, albeit in the first leg, not the second.”

The psychological effects of this defeat remain to be seen with Valencia coming to the Camp Nou on Saturday a week before the Copa del Rey final against Sevilla. This will affect us in the final,” Busquets conceded, sadly. “Hopefully it will not affect us for too long.”

Losing is not always a failure, but losing in the manner they did last night is. A team like Barcelona can’t throw a lead like that in the rubbish bin. This is a humiliation that will be remembered for years in Catalonia.

Barcelona are still likely to complete a domestic double which on the face of it is a successful season but it hides the cracks that continue to grow in the foundations of the Camp Nou.

Drastic action is needed to return Barcelona back to its core values which have been abandoned by the most recent board of directors. The development of youth players has fallen by the way side. Instead of developing young players the board have opted to make expensive purchases.

FC Barcelona prides itself as being “Més que un club” (More than a club) but at present it is a club on the brink.