With a new campaign on the horizon, and under the management of head man Hansi Flick, FC Barcelona are well positioned to right their extensive list of wrongs from the 2023/24 season.
Under the lofty but fair expectations of the Catalan faithful, the club only demanded consistency out of the former manager. It was apparent early in the year that Xavi’s Barcelona were outmatched by Real Madrid’s best eleven — they didn’t quite have the star power to match the balanced, yet explosive squad, and Barca fans understood that.
Still, consistent quality should be the baseline for one of football’s most storied clubs. Yet, the only consistency for last season’s club was inconsistency. Finishing below Real Madrid? Acceptable. But never even having a feasible shot at eclipsing the Madridistas was a reality that was tough to grasp for Culés.
Under a brand new regime with a robust vision for the immediate future, there is hope for a brighter tomorrow in Catalonia. The emergence of 17-year-old phenom Lamine Yamal has only amplified aspirations, as the youngster has taken the world’s breath away under the bright lights of Europe’s grandest tournament.
His rapid ascent signals the birth of a new era in Barcelona characterized by youth, inclination, and improvisation. Young Yamal plays the beautiful game in its truest form, clearly establishing himself as the club’s cornerstone player for years to come.
Complimentary pieces throughout the squad will help to bring balance to the pitch: Pedri and Gavi can patrol the midfield, each adding a unique touch of flare, while Kounde, Balde, and Cubarsi restore balance to the defense. Save for Jules Kounde, 25, every one of those players are 21 years old or younger, each having already flashed signs of world-class talent.
Barcelona has positioned itself beautifully for the next decade-plus, though the club’s current financial turmoil casts a shade of doubt on an otherwise promising trajectory. Nevertheless, it would be wise of Barca to exhaust every possibility to strengthen their current group, as their cross-country rivals, and defending Spanish champions prepare for their inaugural season with arguably the best player on the planet, Kylian Mbappe in the fold.
Barcelona was outmuscled and outmatched by Real Madrid last season, and the ten-point gap in the final table does not tell the same story. Hindered by injuries to Pedri, Frenkie De Jong, Gavi, and Balde, the squad never found a rhythm, suffering quite a few embarrassing results over the course of the La Liga campaign. A 4-2 defeat against Athletic Madrid in the Copa Del Ray semifinal, a 5-2 spanking vs. Villarreal, and a pair of 4-2 routs at the hands of third-place finishers Girona perfectly encapsulated Barca’s season as a whole — unfocused, and uncharacteristic of the Catalonian giants.
Financial hurdles aside, Barcelona must upgrade their personnel to avoid a repeat of last year’s result, and the good news is that both Flick and club president Joan Laporta seem to agree on that matter.
There is growing optimism that the board will cobble together the means to snag another budding star during the summer transfer window, with Spanish stars Nico Williams and Dani Olmo at the top of coach Hansi Flick’s list. Williams specifically has formed a formidable bond with Lamine Yamal during Spain's Euro 2024 run, and the pair have been not-so-quietly lobbying to play together at Camp Nou next season. The duo even linked up in the Final to lead Spain to a 2-1 victory over England, securing the nation's first European Championship since it defeated Italy in 2012.
Whatever Laporta, Flick, and his staff ultimately decide, it appears that the foundation has been laid out for the upcoming campaign. There is a purposeful mood emanating out of training camp a little over a week in, players seemingly bought into the new and improved culture in Catalonia. Flick has a vision, and the fans, the players, the club — they all believe in it.