The sporting tragedy more delusional than the Barça has ever lived in Europe It was consumed with an eleven whose mean age was 29 years and 329 days. All the protagonists who jumped onto the grass of Lisboa they formed the eleven longest running of the blaugrana team in the maximum European competition. And all – except De Jong and Semedo– were headlines in Liverpool, eight in Roma and seven in Paris, when Barça lost 4-0 in the Princes Park against him PSG to go back in the Camp Nou and fall against him Juventus in the next round. Back then, everything seemed like an accident because a stumble in Europe anyone could have it.
However, time passes. Far is the Champions achieved in 2015, the last one that rests in the showcases of the Blaugrana museum so far. Many years but few changes in which it was listed as one of the best teams in the world. Next to Leo messi, who is already 33 years old, there are six who also raised her and of them, five are already more than 30 years old. They are Pique, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic and Suarez, which are added Ter Stegen, 28 and Arturo vidal who was then active in the ranks of the team of Turin.
Except for Rakitic, they were all headlines yesterday. They have been the backbone of the team, the captains and representatives of the great Barça winning cycle that has come to an end and that must regenerate in a transfer market with little budget, a high-voltage institutional crisis and a season that starts in just under a month. Not a simple but necessary task. Gerard Piqué said it, who, at 33, raised his voice and applied as a volunteer to leave if necessary.
Under this premise of internal renewal, three scenarios are opened to reach an agreement and put an end to the career at the Camp Nou of this generation of unique footballers. The first one goes through a step forward full of value from the board of directors to terminate the contracts of emblematic players that, in the worst case, such as Jordi Alba (31) or Sergio Busquets (32) are extended until 2024 and 2023 respectively. Special mention for Luis Suárez (33), who has a contract until 2021 and whose departure would facilitate the arrival of Lautaro.
On a smaller scale, there are Arturo Vidal (33) and Rakitic (32) who already tried to leave last season and who now have a golden opportunity to end their Blaugrana stage and, incidentally, contribute income to the club.
BEFORE LISBON
Players like Alba, Busquets, Suárez, Piqué or Rakitic have already experienced the debacles in Rome and Anfield
The second scenario would contemplate that, as Piqué said, the players themselves asked to leave, aware that their image has been deeply damaged after the eight goals conceded in a quarter-final of the Champions League.
This is a defeat that has never been experienced in Europe. You have to go back to 1946, leaving the Second World War to find in the annals of Barça a disaster of such magnitude. The self-esteem of these players and their respect for the colors and the shield will depend, to a large extent, that the end of the cycle already harvested in the green is consumed in the offices.
In case of not reaching any agreement because they all have millionaire chips unaffordable for earthly teams, the future coach who will have to manage and deal with the minutes of all of them becomes vitally important. In the case of Busquets with another midfielder in his thirties, the recently signed Pjanic, and if we refer to Jordi Alba, betting on a laggard Junior Firpo, which came to begin to curdle on that left side, something that has been conspicuous by its absence this season.
That same future and the next coach will depend on whether other players called to succeed continue in the entity. It is the case of Antoine Griezmann (29), absent from the Lisbon eleven, who is considering leaving in this summer market. The player’s environment ensures that the Frenchman felt especially hurt by his substitution and that he awaits very expectantly the decisions that the institutional leadership takes in the coming days.
Next to the French they waited Ousmane Dembele and on the Bavarian bench another on loan: Phillipe
Coutinho, the most expensive signing in culé history that, to make matters worse, was added to the scoring account of the Bayern with two targets. For these three substitute footballers in Lisbon, Barça paid 345 million euros.
The youth squad were also waiting on the bench Ansu fati –Which played 20 minutes– and Riqui Puig, which has not added one in the return of the Champions League. Both were – by necessity – the best reinforcements of Setien in the final stretch of the League and now they want someone to take the helm of the sunken ship, renew their contract as first team players and they can start rowing.
Before, with and without the permission of Leo Messi who has a contract until 2021 and whose goodbye no one wants to assume, we must thank them and sacrifice the sacred cows.
Players don’t show their faces
The Barcelona footballers did not show their faces upon arrival at the Joan Gamper Sports City. The players covered the route between the airport and Sant Joan Despí in two coaches that were not the official ones with the Barça colors, which were still in Lisbon. In addition, they disembarked through a side door to try to avoid the media spotlight. In this way, they also tried to avoid the presence of a score of Barcelona fans, who received them with shouts and protest banners to the players and managers. Slogans such as “management and players, the shame of 121 years of history” and “less luxury and more pride” could be read on the banners.
The fans concentrated at the exit door of the cars in the sports city, from where they rebuked the footballers, the members of the coaching staff and the members of the Blaugrana delegation who passed by. The only one who stopped was William Love, responsible for institutional relations.
