There may not be a club in the world that is as successful while being on the verge of crisis as Barcelona are. From opening the offseason with their clear transfer target in attack being Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao to needing to settle on a move for Marcus Rashford — who can’t currently be registered, even their move back to the Camp Nou has been delayed and their friendly facing Vissel Kobe on Sunday seemed like it would be off, only to be back on.
Those registration issues, caused by years of poor financial management, seem to only be a formality; but if Barcelona do one thing, they lead an eventful existence. That isn’t limited to off the pitch either as Hansi Flick led Barcelona back to the La Liga and Copa Del Rey titles but fell short in Champions League play. The semifinal tie with Inter will go down as one of the best knockout stage clashes in UCL history, but it was Barcelona that ended up missing out on the final due to allowing seven goals across two legs of soccer.
Now, defense needs to the focus for Barcelona, as they’ll be without goalkeeper Marc Andre ter Stegen for at least three months, but even his future is in doubt at the club with Wojciech Szczesny and Joan Garcia both being there. If it is the end of the German’s time at Barcelona, it makes the performance of the center backs even more important, because while Szczesny can be a good shot stopper, he is not as well-rounded as ter Stegen at his best. It’s not an issue in La Liga, where Barcelona only allowed 39 goals in 38 matches, but when they come up against teams who can keep up with their attackers in UCL play, things need to be tighter at the back.
Having a healthy Ronald Araujo back will help, but for Flick, Barcelona are in a tough place where the only way they can improve on last season is by winning the Champions League. With young players such as Pau Cubarci, Alejandro Balde, Hector Fort, Marc Bernal, and Lamine Yamal all getting more experience under their belts, key positions will improve at the club. The return of Oriol Romeu will also bring a much-needed defensive presence to the midfield when Barcelona look to lock down games.
Contributions will be needed from everyone in such a long season, but what are a few things to look forward to with Barcelona in the upcoming campaign?
Lamine Yamal: New number, higher expectations
After an age 17 season where Yamal scored 16 goals and assisted 16 more in all competitions for Barcelona, he now will begin the new campaign after turning 18 and with a new number in Lionel Messi’s old number 10. Expectations couldn’t get higher for him, and so far in his young career, Yamal has not only risen to meet them but he has also exceeded them.
Barcelona have been good about ensuring that he gets rest and proper protection, and having Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, and Rashford in the lineup will help make sure that not too much is expected from him at once. Able to create off the dribble and see passes that others can’t, it’s beyond impressive what Yamal can do, and we’ve never seen something like this from someone so young, greatly surpassing the output of both Messi and Ronaldo at this age.
What does Marcus Rashford have left?
The Englishman has had a roller coaster career, also breaking onto the scene at 17, but it took until his age 20 season for Rashford to become a regular starter at United before entering a rut where he’d fail to net 10 Premier League goals in a season during three of the last four seasons with the club. He seemed revitalized by a loan move to Aston Villa, and the goal is that time at Barcelona will bring a similar jolt. Flick has already had success finding the best role for Ferran Torres, and if he can do the same with Rashford, Barcelona will be spoiled for choice in attack.
A defensive carousel
The addition of Romeu could bring less of Andreas Christensen and Eric Garcia in defensive midfield, while Marc Casado’s return to health will boost things too. There’s also the possibility that any of these players end up being sold during the preseason to balance the books in what will be a critical time for Flick. Barcelona president Joan Laporta has already ruled out new major signings, but there will still be departures to come, which could shake up rotations. Between Araujo and Jules Kound, the top level of the defense will be set this season, but when facing the PSGs of the world, Flick will need to find a balance between going all out attack and keeping things in check so that Barcelona doesn’t lose those games 4-3 in the future. It’s one of the biggest things that needs to be fixed this season but it’ll also be the hardest to show until they’re in big matches.
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