the fans have high expectations after the summer transfer
I’m just picking this phrase, because I actually find it quite interesting, because it reminds me of some of the discussions in this summer thread. For example, a transfer from Raphinha was vehemently defended by the Barça fans, but 2-3 months later you have to admit that what he has delivered so far has been very poor. Kounde also failed to convince me in the few performances I have seen of him so far. Free transfers like Kessie and Bellerin have also expanded the squad, but quality has nothing to do with it. All in all it can be said that despite a lot of investment, the quality at the top has not really improved apart from Lewandowski. And it is precisely the increase in quality at the top that has always been used as an argument why Barca MUST actually follow this path and cannot undertake a path of austerity, because otherwise the sporting goals would be in danger. But wouldn’t you have made it to the EL and second place in the league without the summer transfers?
I would probably answer your last question with a yes.
In this context, let’s take a look at the second half table 21/22, so to speak after Xavi has taken over. Barca were second, one point behind Real and ten points clear of fourth place, so it can be assumed that even without transfers with the team 21/22, at least the runner-up 22/23 would have been possible. Obviously these are all speculations, but at least the team from the previous year had the potential, since apart from Real and maybe Atletico there was / wasn’t a serious competition for Barca in La Liga.
The fact that they have now wasted a lot of money, according to the previous evaluation of the players, and “sold out” good or decent team players, sorry, there is no other way to describe it, if you are for Cou, Auba, Pjanic, Puig, Braithwaite , Mingueza, Neto, Wague, Manaj are just 35 million with a MW of 68.5 million and overall they have not improved a little, it is really difficult.
Sure, they wanted to save on wage costs and thus undersell, but (if we add Griezmann, who has a MW of 35 million and will go for 20 million), they actually only got 2 big payroll earnings and the rest wage costs they probably would have been manageable.
With Griezmann you then took ~ half of the players’ TM market values (55 million), but you bought for 150 million and I highly doubt you have lower wage costs than before, I suspect even more.
Also, 7 loans, for which you get nothing except 3 million for Trincao. In the case of Dest, Umtiti and Lenglet in particular, I doubt that the receiving clubs will pay their salaries themselves.
All in all, a very bad summer transfer from Barca and to return to your last question, I strongly suspect that the current ranking would have been possible with last year’s team and against Pilsen you would have definitely won with last year’s team and would have is finished third in group CL.
And please dear Barca fans, I don’t want to provoke with my post, this is just my opinion, detached from the malice and ridicule and other financial stuff that is currently in the room. I just think Barca didn’t have a good trading policy this summer and overall the team hasn’t improved much. The only real upgrade is Lewa for Auba, with Christensen and Kounde for Lenglet and Umtiti it remains to be seen how the two will meet once they play together injury-free for a while. It is significant that the strongest newcomer (aside from Lewa) is Balde, who came from his own youth.
