What Barcelona need to topple Madrid next season

Martin Macdonald

• 30 Apr 2022 17:12 BST
• 4 min read

Real Madrid have impressively won La Liga with three games to spare.

On Saturday afternoon, Los Blancos gained the point required, all three in fact, to be crowned champions after a 4-0 result against Espanyol.

Madrid headed into the game 15 points clear of second-placed Sevilla, who could only manage a 1-1 draw versus Cadiz on Friday evening.

Barcelona, meanwhile, face a fight to finish second and at the time Madrid won the league, the Blaugrana were actually closer in points to Athletic Bilbao in eighth than the eventual champions.

Barca will undergo a squad overhaul this summer, with Xavi set to be given funds to reshape his team and hopefully, for them, close the gap to Madrid.

A lot of players will have to be sold to fund any transfer window splurge.

Going through goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and attackers, this is the surgery Xavi needs to perform on his squad.

Barcelona goalkeepers

Barcelona currently have two senior goalkeepers in Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Neto, and it seems unlikely they will add another.

Considering their financial situation, it doesn’t seem like a position of priority, and the impressive form of academy players Arnau Tenas and Inaki Pena means they will look to promote them in the coming years.

Ter Stegen could be sold if a big bids comes in, though.

Barcelona defenders

Barca's main issue in defence this season is that Ronald Koeman and now Xavi have not been able to keep a consistent four in place. Sergino Dest has not impressed and has actually been usurped to right-back by veteran Dani Alves, so a new right-back is a priority, as is left-back to support Jordi Alba.

In the centre, Gerard Pique is getting on in years, while Ronald Araujo is probably the number one choice. Oscar Minguez is serviceable, while Eric Garcia has not enjoyed a good first season back at Camp Nou.

They have been linked with various defenders including Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta, Alex Grimaldo and Nicolas Tagliafico.

At least two defenders are required, and the Christensen deal might already be done.

Barcelona midfielders

Barcelona are well-stocked in midfield, with Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Gavi and Nico.

They have allegedly already completed a new midfield signing for the summer with the acquisition of Franck Kessie, who will inject some needed athleticism into the trio in the centre.

There aren't a lot of changes required in midfield, but if De Jong is sold to raise funds, we may see another player come in at this position as a replacement. The Dutchman was previously considered untouchable at Camp Nou, but will be sold if Barca can get close to the money they paid to Ajax back.

Barcelona forwards

Following the January transfer window, Barca are in a much, much stronger position in attack than in the first half of the season, when they were relying too heavily on the likes of Memphis Depay and Martin Braithwaite.

Depay was brought in to be the new golden boy last summer, but things haven't worked out for the Dutchman, who could leave after just one year, with Arsenal and Tottenham said to be interested.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Adama Traore arrived in January and have all made a decent impact, the first two especially. Unfortunately for Adama, he hasn't done enough to warrant a €30m permanent transfer.

There is still uncertainty surrounding the future of Ousmane Dembele, as at the moment he is still scheduled to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season. Should he leave, a high-profile replacement will be demanded by the Barca fans.

Braithwaite and Luuk de Jong will probably leave.

Barca have been linked with numerous forwards, most notably Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland, though due to the club's financial situation those deals seem fanciful.

Most recently, Romelu Lukaku has emerged as a target.

One thing is for sure, if Real Madrid line up with an attacking triumvirate of Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe next season, Barcelona will need to improve in this position.