What's next for FC Barcelona?

It's a feeling FC Barcelona fans didn't think they'd experience this season. Once again a dominant home performance in the knockout stages of the Champions League has been undone by a poor showing on enemy territory.

Between trips to Paris, Turin, Rome and Liverpool the team has conceded 14 goals. But the club needs to think about where it is going and, more importantly, how it prepares for life after Messi.

1.- Valverde

Blamed and in charge of the players

Valverde's pragmatism has caused a lot of concern at Barça. His plan was to defend well and leave the attack in the hands of just Suarez and Messi. It's a tactic which has worked most weeks but in nights like the one in Rome, and then at Anfield, it's been ripped open and shown to be flawed. There's been no response in Europe after two years. If the football isn't right and the results aren't there, what's left?

Valverde is helped by the fact the big names in the dressing room support him. It appears they'll do that again as demonstrated by Suarez's words after the match. Valverde's deal runs until 2020 with an option to extend that for another year but his future remains unknown.

 2.- The squad

An ageing spine needs to be addressed  

The golden era of FC Barcelona players continues to make up most of the current XI: Alba is 30 years old. Piqué, 32. Rakitic, 31. Busquets, 30. Messi, 31 and Suárez, 32. Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol and Valdés are no longer there. Is it possible for these players to maintain intensity required of a Champions League semi-final?

The plan until now has been to protect those players with people who compliment their style. It's worked in the domestic competitions and helped extend their run at the top. Pique, Messi and Alba have all had fantastic campaigns. But those same faces have been in photos on nights when they failed in Europe.

Against Liverpool, Barça ran 6.6 km less, misplaced 99 passes and lost possession 138 times. The Premier League side and teams such as Ajax have much younger squads.  

3.- Forward planning

Not enough competition across the squad 

Valverde is well respected and produced more rotations than we saw under Luis Enrique.

But this season he's only really worked with a group of 14 players. Messi and Suarez have rested more but everyone knows how Barça will line up for each game. The only real question marks come in three positions: right back (Semedo/Roberto), third midfielder (Vidal/Arthur) and third forward (Dembele/Coutinho).

The squad has also lacked direction when it comes to mid-season signings. Boateng and Murillo were picked by the board, accepted by Valverde, but practically never used.

4.- Coutinho

An expensive flop

After a bright start to life in Spain, it's sharply gone downhill for the Brazilian. Even at the beginning of this season you felt like Coutinho was going to be an important member of this squad. However he's never looked the same since a muscle injury disrupted his time at the club. 

In his absence Dembele produced his best form since joining from Dortmund. Coutinho was no longer needed. He's a player capable of unlocking defences by himself but despite Valverde's many, many attempts to boost his confidence it hasn't reignited that spark. That's why no one is ruling out a transfer away for Coutinho this summer. 

5.- Dembélé

injuries, Griezmann and 'replacing' Neymar 

Should Barça have invested in a player like Dembele? That's the big questions. Does he fit the profile of player who could become one of the best in Europe? Another important question. Despite scoring some of the best goals this season his position in the squad remains under threat. He's been criticised by his own teammates for having an unprofessional attitude.

Those question marks might be influenced by how often he's injured. He's spent six spells on the sidelines in two seasons. On the pitch he's shown glimpses of his best and worst. From scoring the goal of the game to misplacing a simple pass.

His future is linked with the decision Barça make on Coutinho. However what's clear is that neither one has replaced the gap left by Neymar. His future too remains unknown. It appears that Griezmann will once again be an option this summer which could put both players' roles in jeopardy.

6.- The style

The difference between playing well and simply winning

"If you don't know why you won, how are you going to know why you lost?" Johan Cruyff always pointed out how important it was to have a plan; a clear direction. Guardiola's was clear for everyone to see: keeping hold of the ball was the best way to win a football match. "I'm not a romantic. I want numbers, I want to win and I believe the best way to do that is winning with this," he said at a press conference in England.

Since he left Luis Enrique and now Valverde have followed only half of that plan. They are a side capable of dominating matches but also at being overrun like we saw against Liverpool. "I don't care about control, I want to attack." That's what Valverde said ahead of the match against Liverpool.

Is this squad capable of playing the same way as they did under Pep? Is Valverde the best coach to take Barça back to their origins? The signing of de Jong looks like a hint to what Barça want to do but the debate over the style of play is more important than ever..

7.- The number  ‘9’

Suárez has struggled in Europe and there's no alternative 

Suarez hasn't scored away from home in the Champions League since September 2015. The team's '9', one of the best signings in Barça's history, has been unable to show it on his travels around Europe. Barça suffer because they need to score more in the knockout rounds and there's no replacement for the Uruguayan in the current squad.

Munir barely played and then Boateng, who arrived in January, isn't good enough to offer genuine competition to Suarez. He continues to make the difference in the penalty area but he's lost that burst of speed and is no longer capable of creating his own chances and instead relies on his teammates.

Finding a new striker won't be easy as there aren't many top tier ones available. One option might be Griezmann. He's more comfortable coming in from the left but he's capable to cover in the centre too.  

8.- Not even with Messi

Only four Champions League titles with the greatest player of all time

Messi's face at Anfield told the whole story. He had promised the Camp Nou fans he would bring that "beautiful and desired" trophy back where it belonged but instead saw his hopes go down in flames.

He was clearly unhappy and the fans began to share the same thoughts as him. "How is it possible that with Messi the team has only won four Champions League titles in 14 years?" and the second: "What will Barça be like when he's no longer there?"

9.- The project

A 'model' that has no answer in Europe

What turned out to be an accident has now turned into a trend. Barça's struggles in Europe has caused many people to question where the club is heading. Even the president, Jose Maria Bartomeu, said that it was another tough defeat to take. "We had this last season against Roma. I feel bad for the supporters."

That resounding defeat at Anfield has brought about questions about the structure of the club and the direction. That's because the talk of Barça DNA goes against some of the most recent signings the club has made.

There's also been a distinct lack of progression from the academy starlets. They've only really been handed opportunites in the Copa del Rey and when the league was practically over. Sergi Roberto is the last player to come from La Masia to establish himself in the first team picture. How can Boateng and Murillo have places in the Barça squad?

This change has caused many of the club's youngsters to search for first team football elsewhere. 

10.- La Liga

Winning at the Bernabéu but combusting in Europe

It's one of the hardest things to understand: how Barça can be so strong in LaLiga but not translate that into Europe. Barça walked over Real Madrid, a team which has dominated the Champions League in recent years, at the Bernabeu but they look toothless in the biggest games on the continent. Once again they won the league with ease.

Atletico, alongside Los Blancos, haven't been able to find a rhythm which makes them contenders in the competition. Valverde has even been able to rotate his players ahead of the matches against Manchester United and Liverpool. An advantage which Liverpool at least didn't have. It counted for nothing in the end as Liverpool outran and outfought Barça at Anfield.

11.- The power

The players are now stronger than ever

When Guardiola left Barça he said: "I'm going so I don't hurt them." After a tiring season where he clashed with players more often than usual, he decided to move on. Since then it seems as if the players have continously gained more and more power. Even Luis Enrique, a coach with a strong character, didn't deal with a crisis as you'd expect.

That means the team basically picks itself. Everyone knows what they'll do. We've seen more renewals for players already on big deals. The squad feels comfortable with Valverde, who hasn't been afraid to take chances, and it'll be interesting to see how the club manages this situation. It's yet another question for Barça to deal with in the upcoming weeks.