Barcelona Femení remains Europe’s best as new era begins

Barcelona Femení completed a historic, second Quadruple last May in a span of three years by winning their fourth Women’s Champions League title in six seasons to add to a Liga F, Copa de la Reina and Supercopa de España Femenina domestic treble.

The Catalans have dominated the women’s game in Europe in the 2020s, with a unique and beautiful style of play and individual brilliance displayed by some of the greatest players in the history of the sport.

But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Barça said goodbye in the summer to some of the most important pieces from their most glorious era. There is a natural tendency to believe a drop-off is coming, but there are plenty of reasons to believe a new-look Barça is still the team to beat in Spain and Europe this upcoming season.

A summer of massive change

Barcelona parted ways with four of their best players and their biggest superstar ever in Alexia Putellas, who along with center back and spiritual leader Mapi León decided to join Michele Kang’s ambitious and rich London City Lionesses project.

Putellas and León were at Barça for over a decade and their departures were very much tied to huge salary increases offered by London City, but also stem from a desire for new challenges after winning so much in Catalonia.

As big as their exits feel, Barça has been expecting it for some time and knew there would be a point their salaries would no longer match their contributions on the pitch given their ages and recent injury history, so the club already had replacements in mind for the two legends.

The cases of Ona Batlle and Salma Paralluelo are different. Batlle is in the conversation for best fullback in the sport and Paralluelo is a fast-rising superstar who scored a brace in the Women’s Champions League final three months ago. The latter appeared like the future of Barcelona Femení.

Money talked once again and Barça couldn’t match the offers from Arsenal for Battle and their biggest European rivals Lyon for Paralluelo. Losing two key starters very much still in their prime further compounds Putellas and León’s exits.

Batlle is particularly difficult to replace and Paralluelo brought a level of physical dominance that no other player in the Barça squad can replicate. There is a legitimate concern that the Blaugrana lacks suitable replacements for both.

Belief in the system

To offset the exits and add much-needed depth, Barça’s summer project included multiple shrewd moves for young prospects with huge potential. Goalkeeper Tyler McCamey is, for now, the backup to undisputed starter Cata Coll, but her signing was undoubtedly made with Coll’s eventual departure in mind.

Martina Fernández is back at the club after spending a couple of seasons in England. She feels like the natural León replacement with her passing ability and strong presence at the back. Renee Van Asten is another interesting defensive project. Her ability to play as a center back and midfielder adds important versatility to coach Pere Romeu’s squad.

The main attraction, though, is Kerolin. The former North Carolina Courage and Manchester City player arrives as Paralluelo’s replacement after winning two major trophies in England last season. Her combination of speed and playmaking on the wing make her a perfect fit for the system.

Barça believes the four summer additions and the increased role given to youngsters such as midfielders Clara Serrajordi, Vicky López, Sydney Schertenleib and Aïcha Camara will be enough to replace the production of the recently departed legends.

They also still have some major superstar talent in the ranks. Aitana Bonmatí is ready to reclaim her throne as the world’s best player after missing most of last season through injury, Caroline Graham Hansen is still one of the best wingers in the world and Ewa Pajor will very likely win the Ballon d’Or Féminin after leading Barça to European glory and scoring a whole lot of goals along the way.

Clàudia Pina is the heir apparent to Putellas and will no doubt thrive with the increased responsibility as one of the undisputed stars of the team. There is still so much talent and the coaching is too good to think there will be a major drop-off. They can cruise through their domestic league while Romeu figures out his best team and tactics for the Champions League knockout stages.

There is no doubt Barça lost some all-time greats this summer, but those departures were necessary to usher in a new era. This new squad is young, hungry and ultra-talented while still having the leadership and quality of major superstars who also want to prove they can win.

Make no mistake, even after a summer of painful departures this is still very much the best team in Europe.