You'd have to go back more than 10 years to find a poorer season than the 2019/20 campaign for Barcelona.
On Friday night, Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League in spectacular fashion, meaning it was the first time since the 2008/09 season that the Catalan giants had finished a year without lifting any silverware.
Cracks have been gradually appearing in the squad for a number of campaign and the way they have crashed out of the Champions League in recent years has brought the team's weaknesses to the fore.
The Blaugrana have been knocked out of the Europe's premier club competition by Juventus, Roma and Liverpool in recent years, however claiming the LaLiga Santander title in each of these years somewhat masked their poor form in the Champions League.
Barcelona came into Friday's game as the underdogs, but the way they self-destructed against Bayern made it painful to watch for their fans, with the team seeming to be back where they were at the end of the 2007/08 season, where they had a questionable coach, a tired squad and a noticeable lack of silverware.
A number of players in the Barcelona squad seem to be past their best, but while back in 2008 Pep Guardiola came in and gave a prominent role to the likes of Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets, there is no real replacement waiting in the wings this time around.
No chance of a revolution
Unfortunately for the Catalan side, there is a real lack of money at the club due to their lofty wage bill, as well as problems that have further depleted their funds, such as the coronavirus pandemic.
Barcelona estimate that they have lost an astounding 300 million euros due to the postponement of the season, a figure that could rise depending on the circumstances of next year.
The elite era of players, which started in the season that Guardiola took charge, appears to be at the end and so too does the beautiful style of football that Barcelona were known for.
The team that were once feared by everyone are no longer.
Source: Marca English