Barcelona are at somewhat of a turning point this summer. They've won La Liga – and made it seven from the last ten, which is astonishing – and they've also lifted the Copa del Rey to boot. Not too shabby you might think. Oh, and in January they landed Philippe Coutinho, who followed summer signing Ousmane Dembele to the club to boost the ranks after Neymar left for PSG.
However, all that hasn't done anything to detract from their Champions League exit, and there are now rumours the likes of Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique don't think manager Ernesto Valverde is the man for the job. Nor do they think some of the current squad are at the level needed to dominate on both the Spanish and European stage.
Undoubtedly, they're right when it comes to the players. Once a club who prided themselves on top class graduates from La Masia, the fountain of youth has dried up somewhat, and the chequebook has come out.
While they may have their critics for that, it was always going to happen. The crop of players who have seen them through the last decade and a half are on the wrong side of 30, ageing and not getting any younger.
Xavi has left, Javier Mascherano and Dani Alves departed to name but three, and this summer, Andres Iniesta will be leaving as perhaps their second greatest player of their golden era, only behind Lionel Messi and the greatest player never to lift a Ballon d'Or.
Replacing all these players is easier said than done. In fact, some feel it can't be done, at least not to the same level, and that the era of Barcelona has been winding down for some time – and will be over soon.
A club with Lionel Messi can never be counted out of anything, and they've still got plenty of talent in that side. A return for Neymar seemed unlikely but could in fact be a wildcard, and even without the Brazilian their attack is astonishing. Their midfield is in need of a revamp and they know this, along with their defence, which may still have Gerard Pique and the more than capable long-term successor to Victor Valdes, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen in goal, but they're not quite as solid as they once were.
Barcelona has always been about the fans, the players, the football, 'more than a club' as they say, and while their managers have been important, in the time following Pep Guardiola, they've chopped and changed and still managed to find success.
Their ethos and identity may waver at times but ultimately will never change, which is why bringing in a new manager may be harsh on Valverde, who has made shocking tactical and player decisions at times towards the latter end of the season, but it won't be the sole reason behind whatever success of lack of it they have next season.
This is a summer of huge significance for the club. They're going to have to spend money, but on the right players; the ones who understand what playing for the badge means and who play in the right way.
The Luis Enrique era was all about the names and the here and now – a stark contrast from the managers who had come before him, and while that provided success, and no one is expecting another Xavi or Iniesta to be produced from the academy, the club started to change strategy after the transfer ban of 2015, and it now seems the Barca B side are the last on the list when it comes to players the first team consider adding, with strength valued over skill and ability to keep the ball valued over ability on the ball.
Preparing for life without Messi may be some way off yet, but their crop of superstars are fading, and it's time to face the facts and replace them and decide if they want to splash the cash and buy their way to a new side of, whisper it, Galacticos, or if they want to turn to their academy at least for some of their recruitment and carry on being the Barcelona people perceive them; as a team of stars, and some big money buys, but a side with homegrown talent mixed in, and that's in danger of being lost.
