When Barcelona kicked off their league campaign at home to Real Betis on Sunday, Lionel Messi must have looked to his left and his right. On one side was Paco Alcacer and on the other, Gerard Deulofeu. If ever an illustration of Barca in the post-Neymar age was needed, this was it.
Indeed, the Catalans are still in turmoil after the world record sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, with the Liga club this week stating their intention to sue the Brazilian for €8.5 million for breach of conduct. Their scattergun approach to finding a replacement also hints at their inner turbulence.
Philippe Coutinho was their number one target, but now appear to have been thwarted in their efforts to sign the Brazilian. The pursuit of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ousmane Dembele also appears to have stalled, with the purchase of Jen Michael Seri in similar trouble as Nice bemoan the conduct of Barcelona.
All the while, the Catalans have started their campaign against a backdrop of malaise. Their Spanish Super Copa humiliation against Real Madrid over two legs demonstrated this, with the gap between the Catalans and the capital club on display for all to see. Barca might have opened their Liga campaign with a comfortable enough win over Betis, but their problems remain.
It might prove impossible to truly replace Neymar, with Ernesto Valverde admitting as much. “The loss of Neymar was something sudden and surprising,” he said. “It makes us change our plans a bit. We must work in another direction to rearm ourselves. We have to step forward and not look back.”
Part of the problem, however, is that Barcelona are targeting the wrong players. Coutinho might be a talent in their mould, but he cannot play on the left side of the front three in the way Neymar did. To get the best out of the Brazilian playmaker, Valverde would have to overhaul Barca’s tactical identity, leaving behind the front three system that has served the Catalans so well in recent years.
In Paulo Dybala, though, there might be a player who can directly replace Neymar in the Barcelona lineup. The Argentine is versatile enough to play across the frontline, becoming the defining star in a Juventus side that has come to dominate the Italian game of late. He’s ready to take the next step and Barca can give him the platform to make that progression.
Dybala is the only player who can possibly paper over the cracks for the time being. If Barcelona are looking for a quick fix with just a few days of the summer transfer window left, then the Argentine is the only option. Of course, it might take a fee close to that paid by PSG for Neymar to prise him out of Turin, but if the Catalans are willing to pay £119 million for Coutinho, a player who doesn't even fit their system, they should be prepared to pay up to £200 million for Dybala.
That sort of foresight, however, seems to be beyond Barcelona right now. They are a club dictated by off the field politicking and boardroom power struggles. Camp Nou is far from a content place at the moment, with Valverde starting to look like Barca’s very own David Moyes. He is charged with maintaining a dynasty, but he is being refused the chance to do so by those further up the hierarchy.
They should be doing their best to deliver Dybala, the only potential Neymar replacement, to their new manager. Instead, they still don’t have any sort of transfer strategy in place, with the end of the transfer window edging closer and closer.
