In just a few days, Barça will bring to an end a season in which the highlights have far outweighed the lowlights. The arrival of Hansi Flick has filled Barcelona fans with hope after a lackluster start to the season, and they have ended the season filling Montjuic to capacity. In a season that saw them win the Spanish Super Cup, the Copa del Rey and La Liga, all against Real Madrid, the only blemish on their record was the disappointment of the Champions League, where they were eliminated in the semi-finals, having reached that stage for the first time in six years, by Inter Milan after a thrilling tie.
The titles have come thanks to the efforts of a squad that has played very good football and delivered an outstanding performance. A performance that, in the words of sporting director Deco, “exceeded expectations a little, because we competed against a strong Real Madrid, and for one small detail we are not in the Champions League final. Competing for everything, we won the Super Cup, the Copa del Rey… That was our idea, this is the way forward,” he said.
In that sense, Deco is clear that the main objective is to maintain a squad that needs few changes. “I don’t think that this team, given its dynamic and joy, has anyone willing to leave. We have already renewed most of the players, now we have to take care of those who are here. Last year I said that we couldn’t lose anyone. I think it’s the same now. If we can improve, it’s always possible, but the key is to keep what we have consolidated for the coming years.”
Decisions to be made
In recent months, Deco has been hard at work planning for next season. The Barça sporting director has several key tasks on his agenda. The first and most important, as he himself has indicated, is to seal several renewals that are still in the pipeline and are a priority for the club, such as Lamine Yamal, which seems a done deal, Raphinha and De Jong. Space must be made to seal these and that of Jules Koundé.
In the words of president Laporta, with the 1:1 guaranteed, Deco’s other task is to bring in players to complete an almost perfect squad. On the wish list, there were two positions marked in red: right and left back, to provide competition and rest for the undisputed Alejandro Balde and Jules Koundé.
An unexpected twist
However, everything seems to indicate that those two positions are now closed. The signings are in the bag. Both Alejandro Balde and Jules Koundé have been injured in the final stretch of the competition, and the alternatives used by Hansi Flick in their absence have greatly impressed the club, which, according to Sport, will not be going to the market and will stick with Gerard Martín at left back and Héctor Fort and the versatile Eric García on the right.
During Alejandro Balde’s weeks of absence, Hansi Flick gave the opportunity to youth player Gerard Martín, who stepped up and performed well in important matches such as the semi-finals against Inter Milan, where he even provided two assists in the second leg.
On the other side, although it is true that Héctor Fort is Koundé’s natural replacement and the young player has not been entirely convincing in big games, Hansi Flick’s decision to convert Eric García has been a resounding success. This, coupled with the fact that Fort is expected to gain confidence with more playing time, means that the Barça camp prefers to save money rather than go to the market for full-backs.