After winning the league last year, the Blaugrana could be out of the title race before Christmas
Last weekend, after Barcelona dropped points to Valencia, manager Xavi lamented the state of his team: "We must be one of the worst teams in Europe in terms of effectiveness." It was the first real negative sentiment shared by the boss this season, who, for most of the campaign, has suggested that his team, currently 4th in La Liga, are simply victims of bad luck.
His more recent pessimistic view seems to be the one closest to reality. The Blaugrana, comfortable Liga winners last year, are all but out of the title race this season, nine points behind league leaders Girona, and falling out of sight of hated rivals Real Madrid.
Things are poor at both ends of the pitch. Barca are conceding too many cheap goals, and not scoring enough good ones. They have dropped points against some of the worst teams in the league, and been handily beaten by the two best. These are not the typical trends of title winning teams.
But there's some complexity here. Barca have not simply lost all of their quality, nor has the rest of the league suddenly become unbeatable. Rather, a combination of factors – some of Barca's making, others out of their control – have seen them fall out of the race for the top spot before Christmas
GOAL takes a look at where it has all gone wrong for the Blaugrana this season…
GettyA faltering defence
A cynic could have looked at Barca's defending numbers last season and say that they were unsustainable. The Blaugrana kept the most clean sheets in Europe, and only conceded 20 goals in La Liga. Marc-Andre ter Stegen, was having a statistically extraordinary campaign, and a suffocating back-line yielded very few good chances. These things, put together, were no accident. But they were, perhaps, impossible to replicate.
A look at Barca's European campaign, which was marked by comfortable defeats at the hands of Manchester United and Bayern Munich, suggested that there were ways to beat this team. Someone just had to figure out how.
And the answers have revealed themselves. Fundamentally, Barca are far too easy to play through on the break. Girona battered them four times in transition, while Rayo Vallecano, Antwerp, Granada and Villarreal did much the same. They have conceded within 60 seconds twice this season, while Ter Stegen simply isn't reproducing his shot-stopping magic of last season.
A change in midfield is a touchpoint here. Primarily, the loss of Sergio Busquets has had an immense impact. Xavi revitalised his career last season, asking the ageing pivot to play much deeper, win tackles, and circulate possession. By minimising his running, Busquets became a far better defender. That impact hasn't quite been replaced after the Spaniard moved to MLS' Inter Miami.
Inconsistency along the backline also hasn't helped. For most of the second half of last season, Xavi played Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen and Alejandro Balde. There were changes – Jordi Alba offered cover, for example. But that unit steadied things at the back. This season, though, Xavi has tinkered. Loan signing Joao Cancelo was brought in, while Araujo has occasionally been shifted to right-back. The result is a lack of continuity and a defence that doesn't always seem to be entirely cohesive.
AdvertisementGettyA declining superstar
Last season, Robert Lewandowski looked like one of the best signings of the summer. Yes, he was 33 years old. Yes, Bayern probably didn't want him any more. But he was still an elite footballer, who could serve as a transformative presence for a team who needed help in front of goal. And so he proved to be, winning the Pichichi and serving as the driving force behind a La Liga win.
This year, though, things have changed. Lewandowski has not fallen off a cliff. Footballers this good do not suddenly lose their quality, or randomly stop delivering in front of goal. Rather, the Lewandowski case is one of a veteran striker, who has been unwilling to change his game. It's easy to see his frustration here. Barca are not creating as much as they should, especially given the calibre of players they have in their team. Lewandowski has been so prolific because of the regular service he has received. When that dries up, his instinct is to find new pockets of space or drift deeper into the midfield. These things are hard to do at 35 – even for one of the game's great forwards.
The result has been missed chances, inconsistent touches, and a general lack of sharpness in key areas. Lewandowski's numbers aren't terrible – he has still scored eight goals in La Liga – but he's far from his Ballon d'Or calibre best of three years ago. Besides, any team would struggle when their main man is misfiring in such fashion.
Getty ImagesDrop-offs all over the pitch
But Lewandowski isn't the only one. The striker perhaps has an excuse here. It is not easy to make changes as a footballer late in a career – especially for one so good at their job.
Elsewhere, though, there are relatively few excuses. Kounde, Balde and Raphinha are all well short of their best, and haven't been providing with the kind of regularity that made them key pieces in Barca's winning run last season.
Kounde, in particular, is an interesting case. He was an immensely effective right-back last season, serving as one of the best defenders in the world at his position – and also steadily contributing going forward. But he has always maintained that he is a more natural centre-back. And this year, Xavi has treated him as such. The results have been mixed. Kounde routinely loses his one-on-one duels in central areas, and has made a handful of costly mistakes at key moments.
Balde, too, seems to have lost a step. His situation is curious. The left-back seemed ready to step into the first team permanently after Alba departed for MLS. But his career has stalled, with Balde struggling to make the position his own. Injuries haven't helped, but the left-back has only started three of the Blaugrana's last five La Liga games – and was dropped for the early title decider with Girona (his team lost 4-2.)
GettyA stubborn manager
Xavi's suitability as a coach has never been seriously questioned. He faced media scrutiny for parts of last season, especially when Barca failed to make it out of their Champions League group, and he can certainly be criticised for losses in various big games in his tenure. However, not until recently have there been real holes in the manager's system.
Although this is clearly a man who knows the club, and has a tactical vision as to how his side should operate, the lack of a plan B in Catalunya is glaring. Barca's tactics have become a bit stale, with the manager insisting on sticking with a pseudo-4-4-2 that morphs into a 3-2-5 in possession. Everything about Barca is predictable. Raphinha will always cut inside. Joao Felix will always try to draw defenders. Lewandowski will always drop into space. Balde will always try to scamper up the left. There is no variation here, no improvisation.
There have been some vague attempts at personnel changes. Ilkay Gundogan has played higher up the pitch. Cancelo has been tried out in midfield. Balde, for some reason, has been deployed as a centre-back. But nothing has stuck — and Barca have suffered as a result.