BARCELONA - "The Fading Force"....

```By the end of Frank Rjkaard's time as Barcelona head coach in 2008, the club had finished two successive seasons. The Dutchman, who had guided the Catalan club to continental and domestic success in 2006, left the Camp after being sacked by the board. 

Pep Guardiola had been a key midfield figure in the Johann Cryuff side that clinched the club's maiden European glory, and he being, 37-year-old was announced as the coaching replacement for the Rjkaard. 

Deco and Ronaldinho were two of the significant departures following the ex-Netherlands international's dismissal. The offseason overhaul, was a statement of intent for a club keen on re-establishing their status as one of Europe's superpowers. Gerard Pique was re-signed from Manchester United, semifinal victors over Barcelona that year, to share duties with Carles Puyol and Rafael Marquez in centre-back; Dani Alves from Sevilla at right-back and Sergio Busquets from the youth system, made the cut for a regular starting place in Guardiola's new look side.  

  “Guardiola wanted to make football better, trying hard to take his team to another level. He played in the third team then, (when he was given his first-team debut at Barcelona in 1990), and physically he was nothing, but he knew how to help himself with the right movement. And his experience in turning disadvantages into advantages, distinguished him as a coach.

 

           Guardiola's Dream Team

To me, he’s one of the best in the world. What is really outstanding about Guardiola is that he does not force his style of football onto his team. He analyses what is best for the team, utilizes the special details and through that leads them to the greatest possible success.

 It’s no coincidence that Spain won the 2010 World Cup with seven of Guardiola’s players, and now Germany with six or seven of his players.”               –"Johan Cruyff"...

Barcelona began their domestic campaign in defeat, and a stalemate in the following match saw Guardiola face stern questions over his appointment. The Spanish boss regrouped his players and turned the season on its head. Guardiola had not only restored the club's winning mentality, but advanced to a tactical sophistication that revolved around Cryuff's style. Tiki-taka was an ingenious and "complex" art of football: the high defensive line, the aggressive pressure in retaining possession, the passing precision and sequence, and the endless wave of attacks. 

The team created opportunities vastly and broke down their opponents' defensive setup with ridiculous ease. Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta, Pep's ace in the revitalized team, were playing at consistent high level, and the club would go on to complete an unprecedented sextuple in the winter of 2009. 

 The trophy haul at the end of Guardiola's 4-year-reign stood at 14, a remarkably feat by a young tactician. The two season's post-Guardiola yielded a league title as, the only major honour for the club. 

Tata Martinez was replaced by Luiz Enrique. 

Luiz Enrique, like Guardiola, lifting the UCL trophy in his first season.

The former Sporting Gijon and Barcelona player who would shake off a difficult start to lead the club to a second treble, a record held only by them. Unlike Guardiola's model, the Asturian boss elected for a dramatic shift in influence from midfield to attack.

Xavi approached 35 and looked to be supplanted by Rakitic, Iniesta and Busquets may have been undisputed starters, yet the stars of the show throughout the season had been the South-American trio of Messi, Suárez, and Neymar, between whom a record 122 goals were scored. Barcelona became more clinical and prolific going forward, but  contributions from the centre of the park waned slightly.  

   "Threat over art," you could say was Barcelona's mantra over this period. Luis Enrique spent 3 years at the club, one less than Pep, winning 9 silverwares in that spell. Xavi had announced his decision to leave the club before Enrique's second season, Iniesta in line to take over the captain's armband from him. While the pair, along with Messi, are widely regarded as proponents of Tiki-taka, Xavi easily made the midfield tick. His exit represented a tactical transition from swagger to a repeatedly dull and unspectacular method. 

Guardiola walking through a guard of honor in 2012.

Neymar had played 4 seasons at the club before joining PSG in 2017. That meant the trident was a man short. With a corresponding decrease in midfield figures after Xavi's exit, there wasn't so much by way of art or threat. Barcelona looked particularly vulnerable in midfield, unable to impose themselves or win with the conviction they once did. 

A double in Ernesto Valverde's first season and another domestic glory the following season would come across as highlights of his credentials, but the humiliating exits two years in a row raised concerns around the dressing room and the city of Barcelona. Iniesta had passed over captaincy to Messi in 2018, after playing in the 5 - 0 Cup victory against Sevilla. Like Xavi, Iniesta's absence has been hugely felt.

    In fact, Xavi, Iniesta, Dani Alves, are legitimately irreplaceable. But that's not all the problem. Barcelona have been mired in personnel, institutional, and managerial crises through the last few years. A poor run of form had led to Valverde's sack, and Quique Setien, formerly of Real Betis, took over at the helm. The Spaniard had been touted to take back the club to its glory days, following some eye-catching displays at Betis.

 Barcelona certainly looked weaker in most aspects under him, and the 8-2 mauling against Bayern after a lengthy layoff, ultimately revealed just how much Barcelona are going out of their depth. Last season was unsuccessful by their standards, and this season has been marked by constant struggle to win games. The Blaugrana had also been beaten by Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus in the final group-stage match — their first home defeat since 2013. It's hard to envision Barcelona winning the UCL in this dispensation. They have won just once in the last 6 years, a spell over which their archrivals Madrid won the competition in 3 consecutive tournaments. The league is slipping away from them, too. 

There's no more magic, assertiveness, and creativity in midfield. Saved for Messi, and with Suárez also gone, there's not much to unsettle for their opponents in the final third. Inexperience and tiredness underline the club's defensive performances in recent seasons. 

              Dejected Messi in 2020..

There is no longer Pep or Enrique's team; Messi, Pique, and Busquets, all in their thirties, link the old and the new. The signings of each season don't fit the club's style, and the academy can't be relied to replicate the talent found in Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Fabregas, Valdez, Pedro. Whether Messi leaves for another club or retires at Barcelona, he doesn't have a lot of time to play. They are poor enough with him around; without him, Barcelona would be unthinkable.

    The present which is the future, is in doubt for the famous club. Where do they go from here? Is their current boss, Ronald Koeman good enough for the club? "Does he have a future there"?