Barcelona’s short period of rejoicing their resurgence has come to an end after the club failed to win on more than one occasion in their last four games in all competitions. Moreover, the damage has been deeper than expected since the loss against Inter in Italy, and a draw in reverse fixture in the Champions League has Barcelona’s hopes of qualifying for the knockouts hanging by a thread. A 3-1 thumping in the El Clasico just added to the miseries, as fans have pinpointed their captain Sergio Busquets for delivering horrible displays.
The 34-year-old has come under immense criticism from the fans as his ageing displays have evidently cost the club dearly. A pillar in the midfield for the Catalans for almost 15 years now, there have been calls for the midfielder to be released of his duties. And it seems their calls could be answered as an annoyed Busquets is reportedly looking to quit Camp Nou next summer.
More senior Barcelona players could follow Busquets through the exit door
As per Mundo Deportivo, Sergio Busquets is fed with the fans singling him out for the club’s recent failures. The midfielder feels having made 690 appearances for the club and helping them to 8 league titles and 3 Champions Leagues, he deserves more respect from the supporters. Moreover, the club too hasn’t come forward considerably to defend their captain, further irritating the Spaniard. Though he has the full confidence of his manager Xavi, alongside whom he once plied his trade Busquets has made up his mind of leaving the Catalans in 2023.
However, his displays against Inter across both the legs were horrible and the drubbing in the El Clasico was thanks to another bad outing for the midfielder. During the 3-3 stalemate against the Italian side at home, Busquets lost the ball in the 63rd minute which led to Lautaro Martinez putting his team in front with a neat finish. What angered the Catalan fans more was the captain instead of making up for his mistake, jogged back and left his team’s defense for taking a hit for his mistake.
The game where Barca desperately needed a win ended in a 3-3 draw as they now face a serious possibility of dropping to the Europa League for a second consecutive season. His dull exploits didn’t end there as the World Cup winner was once again at fault against Real Madrid, who opened the scoring through Karim Benzema after Toni Kroos sparked a brilliant piece of play. Busquets who was in a duel with the German failed to bring him down in time as Kroos nicely fed Vinicius Jr on the left flank which resulted in Benzema’s opener.
This mistakes from the veteran have drawn the ire of the fans and he as a result has decided to make way for his replacement next summer. MLS remains a serious option for Busquets who was approached earlier this summer for a potential move by David Beckham’s Inter Miami. The Spain international is now focused on the upcoming World Cup with his national side, and is then slated to convey the Catalan club his decision to leave.
Moreover, not only Busquets but many senior players are expected to follow him out to help the club to attain an overhaul. Notable names are Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba who have been at the club over a decade now. All are expected to pave the way for young talents in the Barca squad to take over by finding themselves new home in at the end of this season.
Barcelona too have readied their options to replace Busquets, as Frenkie de Jong is in pole position to inherit the potentially outgoing midfielder’s position. However, his uncertain future at the club has the Camp Nou outfit looking for new players with Wolves’ Ruben Neves and Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi on their radars. Nonetheless, this could well be Busquets’ final season at his boyhood club, where he won it all across 16 odd seasons.