2024-04-08 06:00:00
Seven years after the comeback, FC Barcelona continues its disappointments on the European scene and finds itself confronted with management errors which indirectly result from this evening.
When we talk to him about the comeback, Luis Enrique is in no way amazed. However, he was at the helm of FC Barcelona which scored an extraordinary 6-1 against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 second leg of the 2017 Champions League, three weeks after the surprising 4-0 Parisian victory. Except that “no”, this match is not his best coaching memory. “It was useless. This comeback did not allow us to win a new Champions League,” he lamented at a press conference in March, recalling that Juventus had knocked out the Catalan club in the next round. . Perhaps it is restraint linked to the fact that he is now in the other camp? But perhaps this comment also reflects a reality that is difficult for Barça to accept.
Seven years have passed since this moment in history. The paths of the two clubs crossed again in 2021 and PSG took the opportunity to take revenge. The capital club won 4-1 at the Camp Nou in the round of 16 of the C1, before validating their qualification with a 1-1 draw at the Parc des Princes. A result which confirmed that Barça was in a phase of downgrading, the origins of which go back in part to this famous comeback.
From Neymar’s departure to wasted millions
As La Vanguardia explains, it was at the end of this evening, seeing that the spotlight was focused on Lionel Messi, that Neymar, in search of light, became convinced that he had to leave Barça. The unexpected transfer of the Brazilian striker to PSG, during the summer transfer window that followed, was therefore indirectly played out at that moment.
Although it brought in 222 million euros with the payment of the release clause, this transfer was not anticipated. In disaster, Barça pounced on Ousmane Dembélé for 105 million euros (+40 in bonus). During the winter transfer window, Philippe Coutinho also landed for 120+40 million euros. Because the French winger was too often injured and ineffective, while the Brazilian attacking midfielder was almost never in the game, the club never stopped wanting to strengthen itself in the offensive sector, whether with Malcom (41 million euros) or Antoine Griezmann (120 million euros). Two more failures. Enough to largely contribute, with other operations on the market, Lionel Messi’s colossal salary and the health crisis, to the financial difficulties that Barça continues to suffer.
“The remondada? In advance”
These economic-sporting wanderings ended up foiling Barça on the European scene. In 2018, Barça itself suffered a clash against AS Roma in the quarter-finals. In 2020, it was the 8-2 clash against Bayern Munich in the middle of a pandemic. 2022 and 2023? The club is forced to play in the Europa League, without being able to win it.
Still, the picture since the year of the comeback is far from being all bleak. Despite the problems behind the scenes, the team has won the championship three times (2018, 2019, 2023), the Copa del Rey twice (2018, 2021) and the Spanish Super Cup twice (2018, 2023). “The remondada? We are moving forward, we must not stay on that”, finally summarized Rafael Yuste, vice-president of Barça, at the microphone of RMC Sport.
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