In case anyone has doubts about whether what is happening in the Barça basketball section is a crisis or not, just review what happened on Friday before the umpteenth desecration of the Palau Blaugrana signed by Real Madrid. After losing in their ninth classic in a row, the Barça players maintained their customs and formed a group in the center of the park. The response from the stands was unanimous applause, aware that their team had given their all and had simply run into a superior rival. As if Caesar had raised his thumb despite the defeat, exonerating his own. On the other hand, those same fans immediately changed their tone and turned towards the box, handkerchief in hand, unleashing the first big fight of the year. The culmination came with the thunderous shouts calling for the resignation of the responsible manager: “Cubells, resignation” –thumbs down–. The presence of Joan Laporta at his side was very significant, since people seemed to be clear about who they wanted to point out and ignored the president in their protest.
Once the doubt about the existence or not of the crisis has been resolved favorably, the consequences are now unpredictable. The signs of tiredness among the fans are beginning to cause concern in the noble area, more than restless when they see themselves pointed out. What happened after the classic did not surprise anyone, or almost anyone. A few weeks ago, when Zalgiris attacked the Palau, the fans already showed their discomfort and there was an outbreak of anger, which did not end up exploding, as it did against Madrid.
Losing the 9th classic in a row was the straw that broke the camel’s back for a culé fan tired of not having a project
The situation does not have too many intricacies. On June 20, 2023, Barça won its last title to date. The Barça team, at that time governed by Jasikevicius on the bench and Mirotic on the pitch, won brilliantly (and against the odds due to the depressive atmosphere left by the defeat against Madrid in the final four of Kaunas) the Endesa League against its eternal rival. That was a whopping 873 days ago and the fact that people have said enough should not surprise anyone since, beyond winning or losing, since then the club has been stumbling, aimlessly.
The dismantling of that winning team was sold as an economic issue, the delicate situation of the club was indisputable, but the disagreements between the parquet and the box were increasingly greater. The way in which legends like Jasikevicius and Mirotic themselves were said goodbye, stormy being generous, says it all. Budgetary limitations made the commitment to the youth team seem natural, but Roger Grimau, the last captain to lift a Euroleague, had his wings clipped at the first opportunity and was not granted a second chance. The failed bet on the quarry gave way to the option low cost of Joan Peñarroya, who agreed to sign for Barça without bringing people he trusted – mistake – and under the conditions imposed by the club. With no arguments from the technical office to face another twist in the script, the Catalan coach was granted a second chance after another season without titles.
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But the story of the abrupt changes on the Barça bench should not be misleading. Pointing only to the coach is nothing more than putting on a blindfold. The problem is much deeper, as Barcelona fans have seemed to understand, tired of not seeing a consistent line of work, beyond the results.
That this season Barça has lost more games (4) than it has won (3) at the Palau Blaugrana is one of the many alarm signals that have gone off. That there is a part of responsibility attributable to the bench and the squad is evident, but it is only the tip of the iceberg.
The coaching staff assumes their part of the blame but the problem is much deeper
Peñarroya is not hiding and doing what he can. He is loading his best men with minutes, the only ones who are responding to him. You cannot do anything else because the performance of your equipment when the so-called second unit comes out drops too many integers. Against Madrid, while Scariolo distributed minutes among his extensive squad, the Barça coach had to make the most of his stars (the four players with the most minutes in the classic were from Barça –Punter, Clyburn, Shengelia and Vesely–).
The situation is on its way to being unsustainable because there is no obvious short-term solution that can fix these ills and the Palau, fed up, has already made it clear that it is going to demand responsibilities.
A scenario that in professional sports usually translates into the coach saying goodbye, an exit that right now does not seem like it will solve much.
The crisis is open.
