Can Barcelona’s young guns still be a Women’s Champions League force after huge summer exits?
It’s not just the young players who have been asked to step up either. Putellas’ departure left a leadership void, and it is Guijarro who will now captain this team into what feels like a new era. Yet, the message from within is that while some key faces have left, in a way, nothing has changed.
“One of the things that upsets me is [the notion] that because of the changes, Barcelona is not Barcelona anymore and we’re not going to reach the final like we used to,” Kika told The Straits Times this summer. “That’s sad and unfair. Those who are still here are important and have value and we are capable of doing what the others did the last few years in a different way.”
Guijarro conveyed a similar message when she spoke to those in attendance at Estadi Johan Cruyff in August, addressing them for the first time as the new Barca captain. “We’re working hard to compete for every trophy this season,” she declared.
It all evokes a feeling of deja vu. Last year, Barcelona were written off because of key exits, a lack of depth and the reliance on talented but inexperienced young players. But the internal belief was massive, and it was justified as they went on to conquer all before them, losing once in all competitions while bringing the Liga F, Copa de la Reina, Supercopa de Espana and Champions League titles to Catalunya once more.
Even after another difficult summer with even bigger departures, surely it would be foolish to rule out Barca’s chances of defying the doubters all over again.
