What the hell is going on in Barcelona?

From a position of surging ahead on all fronts, Barcelona has unexpectedly stalled and is now in freefall with three consecutive defeats. So what are the reasons behind the dire situation of Luis Enrique's once mighty team?

1. Messi devastated by the "Panama Papers"

Since the "Panama Papers" scandal was revealed, Barcelona's star striker Lionel Messi has visibly declined. With his name also on the "Panama Papers" blacklist, it's no surprise that the Argentine superstar is under immense pressure and has been playing without focus. In Barca's 0-2 defeat at Atletico, spectators witnessed Messi amble on the pitch instead of actively attacking the opposing defense. Although he had just scored his 500th career goal, he had previously gone five consecutive games without scoring. This period coincided with a time when Barca had only won one game but lost four.

2. The pillars are exhausted.

In recent matches, it's clear that many of Barca's key players are showing signs of exhaustion. They are simply overloaded due to competing on multiple fronts, while coach Luis Enrique is reluctant to rotate players. Remember the recent defeat against Atletico? It was calculated that Barca covered 12 km less than their opponents (102.6 km compared to 114.6 km). In that match, only three Barca players ran more than 10 km: Jordi Alba (10.9 km), Busquets (11 km), and Iniesta (10.2 km). Throughout the entire match, the reigning La Liga champions also covered less than their average distance in this season's Champions League (106 km/match).

3. Becoming complacent too soon.

Barca suffered a 1-2 defeat to Real Madrid at home.

Before their current crisis, Barca were once full of hope of winning all the competitions they participated in, just like last season. Perhaps because success came too easily, Barca became complacent. Because of this complacency, Barca allowed Villarreal to equalize 2-2 despite taking the lead. They also lost 1-2 at home to their arch-rivals Real Madrid and were knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid after winning 2-1 in the first leg.

4. Lack of contingency plans

Players like Munir are rarely used by coach Enrique.

Coach Enrique's reluctance to rotate the squad, leading to fatigue among many key Barca players, has its reasons. Specifically, Barca lacks reliable "substitutes" to allow key players to rest and recharge. When players like Munir fail to earn Coach Enrique's trust, it's easy to predict Barca's starting lineup before each match.

5. Ineffective transfers

Tural and Vidal have yet to make a significant impact at Barca.

Barcelona has been significantly affected by being banned from participating in two consecutive transfer windows. Although they did make two additions in the recent winter transfer window, Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal, overall, this duo has not made a major impact at Nou Camp. While Vidal has yet to secure a regular starting position and has struggled with injuries, Turan has not been fully utilized by coach Enrique. He only impresses with his overly aggressive playing style and frequently receives yellow cards.

6. The team lacks cohesion and is overly dependent on individuals.

Barca is too reliant on MSN.

In a recent interview, coach Enrique himself stated that he needs the effort of everyone, not just a few individuals. This statement encapsulates what he expects from his players. Coach Enrique said this because the Barcelona players are overly reliant on the MSN trio. When this superb attacking trio fails to score, Barcelona becomes harmless because none of their other players know how to score or make a difference.

7. Bad luck

Barca were unfairly denied a last-minute penalty against Atletico.

The element of bad luck cannot be ignored when discussing Barca's crisis. With just a little more luck, Barca's situation wouldn't be as dire as it is now. For example, in the recent match against Valencia, their central defender Pique failed to score when he was in a clear position just 5 meters from the opponent's goal. Before that, Barca were denied a clear penalty in the 90th minute of the match at the Vicente Calderon stadium. If they had been awarded the penalty and reduced the score to 1-2, Barca would have gone into extra time against Atletico in the Champions League quarter-finals, and who knows what might have happened.

According to bongdaplus