Barcelona's management team and its fans should be extremely worried, the club's problems go much deeper than the team's current performance on the pitch, it is much more fundamental: Barcelona SC is structurally lacking competence (let alone being distinctive in it) in scouting football talent that fits the club's identity and once attractive (Cruyffian) way of playing. Despite spending a staggering €1,2 billion(!) in the past 6 seasons, the last transfers of players that made it as a regular player in the first team for more than one full year are Luis Suárez, Ivan Rakitic and Marc-André ter Stegen no less than 6 years ago in 2014. For spotting talented youth players that made it as a permanent player in the first team, the scoreboard is even worse than bad: the last ones were Sergio Roberto (joined the club in 2006 at the age 15), Sergio Busquets (2005, 15), Gerard Piqué in (2002, 15) and Lionel Messi himself already two decades ago in (2000, 13).
As Johan Cruyff said years ago: "to win you have to score one more goal than your opponent" and this has to be the case at every level and corner of the club (or company that wants to be successful). Distinctive strategy competences are at the foundation of any successful performance and strategy. To succeed and win European Championships again (the last one was in 2015), Barcelona needs to start investing in developed the distinctive competences that will make a difference in the future. Especially for Barcelona, that is much more than just generating money.
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