For several years, FC Barcelona has struggled to regain its brilliance on the European stage. This season, the Catalan club finally reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, against Paris Saint-Germain (2-3, 1-4), a first since the historic rout against Bayern Munich (2-8) in 2020.
The Blaugranas are also weighed down by their economic and financial situation, which considerably limits their recruitment capacity. The failure of the Nico Williams file is an example of this, as is the situation of the new recruit Dani Olmo, who has not yet been registered in the Culés squad. This constraint has even pushed the club to part ways with Ilkay Gundogan, who returned to Manchester City after only one season in Catalonia.
“You always see the same faces”
Former Barça goalkeeper Claudio Bravo has analysed the difficult context. The Chilean international compared the management of the La Liga side to that of City, believing that their Premier League counterparts were much better managed at all levels.
“Barça works like a small team. However, it is gigantic on a global level. But internally, it is very small. You always see the same faces, there are few people: the players, the staff, the security, three or four cooks and that’s it,” Bravo said on the Chilean show The Legacy.
And to continue: “Manchester City, on the other hand, is huge. Giant. The resources are unlimited, and there are people absolutely everywhere. There are too many people. They make sure that the player can develop in the best possible way, and that he lacks nothing. We just had to think about playing. They have the best physios, the best fitness trainers…”
