Football Season Guide

Barcelona have made more headlines this summer than any other club, with all-time great and club captain Lionel Messi leaving the team. With Barcelona in such financial difficulty, they couldn’t afford to keep Messi and they have also had to rely on free transfers for almost all of their recruitment. The post-Messi era was never going to be easy, but even more so when it has arrived so suddenly. There is no way to replace Messi, who was still LaLiga’s top scorer last season with 30 goals, but Barcelona will try to do so with new signing Memphis Depay. He has looked great in pre-season, but it remains to be seen if he can even come close to the goals tallies Messi has put up over the past decade and a half. Last season was a disappointing one for Barcelona overall, with the only trophy being a Copa del Rey. But, coach Ronald Koeman has been kept on. He’ll hope that this continuity allows Barcelona to advance tactically this season, but there’s no doubting that the Dutch coach has a huge job on his hands. Despite all of the off-season drama and difficulties, Barcelona will still be expected to compete on all fronts in 2021/22. They have won just one trophy over the past two seasons and more is expected of what remains one of the best squads in football, even without Messi. They’ll be fascinating to watch this year for sure.