FC Barcelona latest example of star-studded soccer side being on edge of crisis

In soccer, a high-profile team is only ever one defeat away from a crisis. Back in early January, the iconic FC Barcelona was dying an embarrassing death, or so it seemed. A defeat to David Moyes' Real Sociedad was bad enough but the club was also having to contend with persistent rumours hinting at unrest between star player Lionel Messi and coach Luis Enrique.

The Argentine had been “rested” for the Sociedad game and when he didn't appear at Barca's next training session, it was an excuse to throw petrol on an open flame. Suddenly, there was a litany of stories suggesting the superstar was considering his options. The hysterical media suggested Manchester City or Paris St-Germain as possible destinations, despite the obvious Financial Fair Play implications. Meanwhile, the romantics offered up a potential reunion with his former manager Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich.

As outlandish as it seems in hindsight, there was a brief, flickering moment when the notion of Messi walking away from Barcelona genuinely necessitated a conversation or two. For once, it couldn't be flippantly ignored. And the story complemented a conveyor belt of other problems that seemed to engulf the Catalan institution simultaneously.

At the end of December, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Barcelona's transfer embargo which prevents them from purchasing any new players in 2015. Soccer's governing body FIFA had initially slapped the club with the suspension last April for breaching rules on the signing of underage players but during the appeal process, Barca were free to move in the market and acted swiftly to bring in Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic, Thomas Vermaelen, Claudio Bravo, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Jeremy Mathieu. Panic averted? Not quite. The majority of the new arrivals have struggled at various intervals during the season - which led to another grenade being dropped in the club's boardroom.

A day after the loss to Sociedad, Andoni Zubizarreta, the club's director of football, was sacked. The former Barca and Spain goalkeeper, who spent eight years at the Camp Nou as a player, had been in the job for four and a half years. But, he had dangled precariously on the tightrope for some time before finally losing balance. His general inability to solve the team's well-documented central defensive issues was a huge cause of concern. Vermaelen, signed from Arsenal last summer against doctor's orders, hasn't played a minute for the team because of injury. There have been a revolving cast of characters who've stepped in as stop-gap solutions but a long-term strategy has never been found.

Zubizarreta was also indirectly embroiled in the sorry, drawn-out Neymar affair with the revelations of how much it actually cost to sign the Brazilian in 2013 (Barca initially claimed $62 million while the more accurate figure is believed to be $94 million), leading to the resignation of then-president Sandro Rossell last year. Spain's public prosecutor is accusing the club of tax evasion and wants jail terms for Rossell and his successor Josep Maria Bartomeu.

When Zubizarreta went, so too did his recently-acquired/newly-retired deputy – Carles Puyol – in a show of solidarity. It seemed symbolic that Puyol, that heroic, combative, relentless warrior who won six La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League crowns in an unprecedented eight-year spell of domestic and European dominance, was leaving the club. Barcelona was in his blood. But the change in atmosphere ensured he walked away. What did that say about the club's future?

As it turns out, not very much. Since the Sociedad setback, Barcelona have lost once. After a brief stint on the bench, Messi was immediately accommodated in the starting lineup again and in the 11 league games he's featured in since, he has managed a remarkable 17 goals. But, it hasn't just been about results. Under Luis Enrique, the team humiliated the current English champions Manchester City over two legs in the Champions League round of 16 and last weekend, they moved four points clear at the top of the Spanish top flight owing to a hard-fought 2-1 derby victory against bitter rivals Real Madrid. Suarez, signed in spite of his infamous World Cup adventure last summer, stepped from the shadows and expertly conjured the game-winning goal.

Because of his worldwide ban, incurred for sinking his teeth into the shoulder of Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during a group-stage clash with Italy in June, the Uruguayan couldn't kick a ball for Barcelona until late-October. His debut was, in his own words, “bittersweet” as he teed up Neymar for the opening goal against Real in the reverse fixture, before Carlo Ancelotti's side scored three times to make a firm statement of intent.

Afterwards, Suarez struggled in his new surroundings, scoring six times in his first 20 appearances. But, for anyone waiting for an explosion to accompany the frustration, there's been disappointment. Suarez has played through the impatience and the imperfections, refusing to take the bait and choosing instead to let his soccer make the headlines. It's taken a while but he's begun to hit his stride at the perfect time.

In control of La Liga, they have found some ominously-impressive form in Europe, too, and though a Champions League quarter-final clash with Paris St-Germain (who eliminated Chelsea in the previous round) looks a difficult proposition, Barcelona are striding down the home stretch straight. They have unfinished business with both competitions. The recent emergence of Atletico Madrid as a title contender has momentarily altered the usual duopoly and should Barca squander their current domestic advantage and allow the crown slip from their grasp, they will have won just a single championship in four years.

It's a similar statistic regarding the Champions League and there has been some heavy scarring in recent seasons. Last term, it was Atletico, the supposed pretenders, who knocked them out in the last eight while in 2013, they were torn to shreds, home and away, by an exhilarating Bayern Munich.

Regardless of the recent upturn, Luis Enrique will tread carefully. After the Sociedad defeat in early January, their next game was against Atletico – a team they hadn't beaten in a year. With confidence low and the pressure mounting, Barcelona delivered a magnificent performance, winning 3-1 with Messi scoring. Afterwards, Enrique was quizzed on whether the result spelled the end of the crisis talk.

“No,” he said.

“Next time we lose, it will return.”