Barcelona must balance the squad over next two transfer windows
There are a lot of youngsters coming through but Barça are lacking goals
When Joan Laporta took over in March, Barcelona were in ruin. His first concern was saving the club from bankruptcy. He achieved a credit line of 600 million euros from Goldman Sachs to held the situation in the short-term and got to work on an aggressive plan to make cuts elsewhere.
There had to be cuts across the board to save the club, but above all on the first team wage bill, even though it meant sacrifices. In the final weeks of the transfer window in the summer, Barça lost Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann.
Laporta has explained many times he looked for ways for Messi to continue, but he couldn't find one. With regards to Griezmann, one director commented they would exchange him for Donald Duck if necessary. Not because of his appearances, but because of his high salary.
Barça reduced the wage bill dramatically but also lost a lot of quality. Above all, they lost goals. Because Dembele and Ansu were also injured, with their places taken by Yusuf Demir and Luuk de Jong. That lack of goals has hit the team hard so far this season.
Barça have played better under Xavi than under Koeman but they still haven't improved in front of goal yet. One goal in two games -- and a penalty. The numbers are clear. Barça have scored 22 goals in 18 games, 20 in 13 in La Liga and just two in five in the Champions League.
Last season, they had scored 41 goals in their first 18 games: 25 in La Liga and 16 in the Champions League.
The numbers highlight the cruel reality at the club as Xavi bets on La Masia to restore Barça over the next decade. Ansu, Eric Garcia, Nico, Gavi, Araujo and Co. are all there. Plus Pedri, who has just turned 19. But they need goals. And that's what the club must work on in the coming months.
They must work on balancing the squad in the next two transfer windows to re-find the most important thing in football: goals.
