Inglorious Barca: Identity crisis engulfing Barcelona’s Champions League last chance

It is rarely a quiet week at FC Barcelona, and in the last few days, ahead of a crucial Champions League match, tensions have heightened as their unique identity – or, more specifically, their club “direction” – has come into sharper focus. 

Their trip to Italy for a last 16 tie against Napoli on Wednesday comes amid the fallout from comments made by their sporting director and former midfielder Deco in an interview with Portuguese magazine Nascer do Sol. 

The Brazilian-born executive was speaking about Barcelona’s manager hunt after Xavi Hernandez had announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the season, leaving the club facing an uncertain future. 

Deco said that “deep change” was required, that the current method had been “exhausted”, and that the club needed to “find someone who will break away from the past”. 

The comments provoked outrage from some corners of Barcelona’s hierarchy. Xavi looked confused in one press conference, saying that Deco had not revealed those beliefs in meetings. 

Victor Font, who ran against club president Joan Laporta in the last election, said: “What needs to change, and urgently because it is ‘exhausted’, is the management model – not the game model. The game model defines us and that continues to triumph outside our club!”

What Deco may have thought to be relatively sensible comments provoked a self-conscious inquiry into Barcelona’s playing style and sense of identity.  

Nascer do Sol posted a correction and apology to Deco for mis-contextualising his words, stating that Deco had not been referring to Barcelona’s tactics. 

But the fallout has perhaps been less about whether they can retain their progressive football philosophy and more about their insecurity; whether they can in fact overcome financial woes without the serious changes that Deco suggested.  

Reports in the Spanish press had already stated that Xavi, Deco and Laporta clashed in December, after Barcelona called up big name players Robert Lewandowski and Ilkay Gundogan for their last Champions League group game against Royal Antwerp. 

Statements from Xavi and Deco seemed to contradict each other as the sporting director claimed the manager was responsible for team selection, while the Spaniard said decisions were taken jointly by him, Laporta and Deco. 

There may have been pressure on Xavi to win the game, despite already securing top spot in the group, because individual victories can earn clubs €2.8m (£2.4m). It might seem a meagre sum for a club of their size, but small cash injections count when finances look so uncertain. In the end it proved academic as Royal Antwerp won 3-2.

The club’s pre-tax profits increased to €423m (£363m) last season, helped in large part by the use of Laporta’s infamous “levers” – cash exchanges for sales in club assets and media rights over several years, effectively giving up portions of future earnings for short-term gain. 

Rising costs show signs of biting if revenues don’t match. Without the levers, Barcelona would have incurred a loss as their wage bill increased by over a third last season. 

Deco has ruled out a repeat of recent transfer windows in which Barcelona made big signings. He also said that the new manager would have to be prepared to work with youngsters, with its average age of 25.4 years being among the lowest in the league. 

Xavi’s shock announcement has left the club in a state of limbo. He has not explicitly revealed his reasoning for leaving beyond his declining enthusiasm. 

Deco and Laporta have also been coy about a potential replacement. Ruben Amorim has been linked, but Deco recognised that the Sporting Lisbon manager may lack experience. Club legend and youth coach Rafael Marquez is seen as a potential “emergency” option. 

The Champions League is Xavi’s last hurrah – and perhaps Barcelona’s last hope for the season, as they trail rivals Real Madrid by eight points in the league. They could also capitalise on Napoli’s own crisis, after the Italians replaced manager Walter Mazzarri on the eve of this tie after just three months in the job. 

Either way, the opportunity to earn a further €10.6m (£9.1m) cash bonus for getting to the quarter-finals will not be overlooked by those juggling Barcelona’s fortunes.