Barcelona 2016-17 season review: Results, roster changes, and 2017 summer transfer targets

For a team that heads into each season with a very realistic chance of winning everything on offer, this has been a disappointing one for Barcelona. Though they remained in the hunt for the La Liga title until the final round, Barça were pipped to the post by Real Madrid, who finished three points clear. The Catalan club’s Champions League hopes reached a rather more abrupt conclusion: They were dumped out by Juventus 3-0 on aggregate in the quarterfinals.

However, all hope is not yet lost: Barça can still sweep up the consolation prize of the Copa del Rey if they beat Deportivo Alavés on Saturday. It would be a reasonably good end to Luis Enrique’s reign, with the coach having undoubtedly enjoyed a successful spell in charge at Camp Nou. That said, tears are unlikely to be shed at his departure after a disappointing final year. The breakup will be an amicable one, but both parties will surely feel it the right decision.

It’s one of the quirks of the Spanish top flight that a side can pick up 90 points and still finish second. Barça dropped points in only 10 league games this season; they lost only four. But unfortunately for Enrique’s men, it was a year in which lady luck shined on Real Madrid. Barça scored more and conceded fewer than the eventual champions, but still ultimately came up short on points. “At this level the line between success and failure is very small,” Enrique told a press conference before the decisive league game. This time, they ended up on just the wrong side.

For that, not too much of the blame can be laid at the feet of the coach. Not even Barça, with the fiercest attacking trident in world football, can expect to win the title every single season, and know that they’ll be back next year with every chance of reclaiming their crown. They may no longer be as dominant as they once were, but they’re still a very good team indeed.

Enrique won the treble in his first season at Barça, the double in his second, and should — as is expected — they beat Aláves in the Copa del Rey final on the weekend, will end his three-year stint with one trophy in his final season. There’s always lots of talk about the pressure to maintain success at a club the size of Barcelona, and we shouldn’t be surprised that things have steadily wound down during Enrique’s reign. A fresh start will be no bad thing for both club and coach.

On the field, Barça supporters will continue to ask questions of the team’s defensive capabilities. Up top there is no team on earth as rich in talent; the same can’t be said at the back. Similarly, there have been question marks over their summer acquisitions, with the jury still out on Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Digne, André Gomes, and Paco Alcácer. None of the four has proved an unqualified success at Camp Nou this season.

Without wanting to state the obvious, this is Barcelona. They’re one of the biggest and best teams in world football, and they have both Lionel Messi and the man who may well go on to fill his boots in Neymar. Next season they’re sure to be back in the hunt for domestic and European honours, and no one is going to be relieved to be drawn against them on either front. As Enrique noted, the line between success and failure is a very thin one: Barça could just as easily end up on the right side of it.

Similarly, there’s always optimism whenever a club changes coach. The dawn of a new era is full of hope and possibility, and Barça supporters will desperately be hoping that Enrique’s replacement will be able to reestablish them as serious Champions League contenders. The new man will be announced two days after the final of the Copa del Rey, and looks to be current Athletic Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde, who turned out for Barça during his playing career.

It always seems to be the case, but Barça should be looking to strengthen their defence over the summer. Gerard Piqué, Javier Mascherano, and Jérémy Mathieu are all the wrong side of 30, while right-back Aleix Vidal has endured a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a broken ankle. Umtiti and Digne are both talented, but more depth wouldn’t go amiss. It’s no surprise that Barça have been strongly linked with a move for their former academy star Héctor Bellerín, now of Arsenal. Aláves’ teenage fullback Theo Hernández was also a potential arrival, but has opted for Real Madrid instead.

Other than that, Barça look set to strengthen an unconvincing midfield. Andrés Iniesta is close to retirement; Ivan Rakitić has had a poor season; Arda Turan and André Gomes may not be good enough, full stop. Rumour has it that Barça have taken a shine to Paris Saint-Germain’s deep-lying playmaker Marco Verratti, and the more versatile attacker Philippe Coutinho, currently of Liverpool. They’d both make fine acquisitions, no doubt, but the Catalan club would have to stump up some serious cash to persuade either side to part with one of their best players. However, after a couple of relatively quiet seasons in the transfer market, Barça may be of a mind to go big in the next few months.