BARCELONA have been La Liga’s dominant force for the best part of a decade but all signs point to Real Madrid again reining supreme in La Liga and the Champions League this season.
Things at Barcelona were meant to be bad under Luis Enrique last season - before Real Madrid scooped the double.
But life under Ernesto Valverde is already off a rocky start, leading to calls the La Liga giants are suffering a crisis.
Even before Neymar sealed a £198million move to Paris Saint-Germain, the signs were ominous.
Valverde himself is a relatively unknown quantity, one who fared well at Athletic Bilbao but is now facing the biggest challenge of his career.
Talk in Spain was, initially, all about Jorge Sampoali. The Argentine was said to be the one Lionel Messi wanted appointed and, given his exploits at Sevilla last season, it was clear to see why.
They finished fourth last term, squandering third only when doubts over Sampoali’s future arose. But instead of Barcelona, he took the reins of the Argentina national side instead.
Would he have been able to stop Neymar jumping ship? Perhaps.
His departure has stunned the footballing world but those who follow Spanish football knew a transfer could have been on the cards. The signs were there last season as Barcelona lost out on the title to Real.
Manchester United tried to sign him a year ago with his father confirming their interest. But PSG emerged as frontrunners quickly after he signed a new contract due to their determination to land him at all costs.
Last year, PSG put a rather tempting offer on the table. A private plane and a hotel chain in his name were used as bait to try and convince him to leave the Nou Camp.
And the minute Real won two trophies his exit was sealed. Neymar may have been part of a formidable attacking trio also consisting of Messi and Luis Suarez but the fact remains Real won the Champions League three times during that spell.
For a man who harbours hopes of winning the Ballon d’Or, it was a bitter blow. And Barcelona, for all their glittering history, simply did not offer a guarantee of success. You would think PSG - despite losing out on the Ligue 1 title to Monaco last season - can.
Barcelona’s current crisis is also down to their baffling transfer business. Not just this summer, but in the years since Pep Guardiola walked away.
Take last summer under Enrique for instance. There was talk that Paul Pogba might join from Juventus, but Barcelona never looked like pulling that off.
Instead, they splurged £30million on Andre Gomes, a player who looked out of his depth last season. Lucas Digne and Paco Alcacer also toiled, while they failed to sufficiently fill the void left by Dani Alves’ departure.
Before that, alarm bells had been ringing. Jeremy Mathieu ranks among the worst signings in the club’s history, Douglas was terrible, Thomas Vermaelen just baffling and Arda Turan unnecessary.
Reports in Spain are saying Messi is even frustrated with their current business.
Barcelona have signed Paulinho for £36.5m. A player whose stock his risen again over in China but, two years ago, was voted as Tottenham’s worst-ever player back in March.
In addition to that, the Catalan giants are eying swoops for Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho and Borussia Dortmund’s Ousmane Dembele.
But Messi thinks neither player is capable of replacing Neymar. And, if Real win , Barcelona’s crisis is likely to continue.
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