NEW DELHI: Once the envy of footballing rivals, FC Barcelona are not just suffering a crisis of confidence that all clubs are known to periodically, but it is their very identity that is now in question.
With the dust over talisman Leo Messi’s shock departure still settling, last week’s Champions League lessons by a not-so-sharp Bayern Munich further reinforced the growing belief that the once-mighty Catalans did not belong among Europe’s elite.
For the first time since 2004, Barca were playing Champions League without Messi, and for the first time in Champions League history did they fail to manage even one shot at the opposition goal. The slip into oblivion of a team and club that set the template for standard and footballing philosophy for nearly two decades is well and truly underway.
In all this, there’s Memphis Depay. The Dutchman, acutely aware that Inter’s Argentinian Lautaro Martinez and not he was the club’s first choice as summer reinforcement, has nevertheless grabbed the opportunity with great relish, confident to make the most of the deal.
He knows what he was walking into.
“I hope can help the team and the club in this difficult situation. That’s why I also came in here,” Depay told a select group of journalists on Friday.
He’s happy to put in the hard yards on the pitch and a brave face off it, as all seems to resemble falling debris around him. That quiet optimism seems to be rubbing off on the club’s image management team desperate to have a face keep the brand alive – help sell club merchandise and the social media active.
Depay was allaying fears that his club was in freefall, careful to point out that a lot of work still needed to be done.
“Of course, we were disappointed with the result (0-3 against Bayern), and I understand what Gerard Pique said, ‘Now we are who we are, we are what we are,’ but if there's a big gap, I don't think it's a big gap.
“But it’s the specific qualities and strength that Munich have in comparison to us. They have a different squad with some more strength and speed at certain places,” he explained, reiterating, “But is it a big gap? I don’t think so. We have to learn from that. We all know, the situation at the club, we have to stick together and fight back. I believe there's a lot to fight for.”
Depay held forth on the situation at the club, and how it meant added responsibility.
“We all do understand the position that we are in right now. (But) you have to have to have a squad ready, that is ready to compete. And sometimes that's difficult because of the situation we’re in. So, we all stick together. And we have to make the most of it. And, you know, our work ahead is very, very hard.”
Depay’s arrival at Barcelona, coinciding with Messi’s departure – “I never even got say hello to him” – could mean a changed role from what was perhaps earlier envisaged. Depay himself admitted that his preferred role was playing in the centre of attack and falling deep to receive the ball but maintained that the Argentinian’s leaving did not necessarily mean changed plans for him and did not exceed expectations on him.
“No, it didn’t change my plan. Messi’s leaving, of course, changed the plan of maybe the coach and the club,” he said. “We players never have an impact on who’s leaving or who’s not. Unfortunately, Messi left and that's something we have to deal with now which is not easy, but you know that's the situation. It is what it is. You think about it, and you go on. As for my expectations, I hope I can achieve the things that I dream about here.”
It helps that Depay has to act on instructions from fellow Dutchman, coach Ronald Koeman, a figure he has been familiar with during the international Netherlands set-up not so long ago. But Koeman seems to be cutting a lonely figure with each passing day at Barca, with him reportedly pushing for a more direct approach and the club’s board insisting on sticking to their passing game.
Depay, however, chooses to remain unaffected by the turmoil on the touchline.
“Personally, I feel very comfortable if I have a coach that gives me a lot of freedom and responsibility inside the pitch. Koeman expects a lot of me and I try to pay it back with my qualities. And that's the combination, the partnership that I like as a player,” he said.
The lone silver lining from the Bayern Munich wake-up call was perhaps the enforced introduction of La Masia teenagers as the team desperately sought some semblance of balance. Asked how it was to train and play alongside teenagers, Pedri (18) and Pablo Gavira (17) and the imminent return of the club’s new No 10, Ansu Fati (18), Depay said that they were quite talented to carry the beleaguered team out of the mess.
“We saw Pedri and Gavi play against Bayern. They are great to train with, fight hard and keep looking to improve. Personally, I am big fan of Gavi’s playing. He is set for great things,” he said.
Asked what he thought of the increasing levels of technique among English clubs in the Premiership and whether Barcelona would be able to hold against their much-improved and nuanced style, Depay said, “Football also has changed. English teams play physical a lot of times, now tactically, they are also very strong . Of course, clubs like Barcelona always dominate in Champions League and we have to get back to that way.
"I don’t know, we have to find a way to come back to that. And that's what we all need to work on at the club here. We have a lot of games to go still. And I believe that we can surprise a lot of people.”
Depay was made to play coach for a while and asked to choose his dream five-a-side team. He was more than happy to oblige, “only if I am too in it.”
“If we are playing in the streets, I will pick Neymar for sure,” he said, continuing, “Messi and in midfield, Paul. I know Paul Pogba very well, and he will be in my side.”
“Should I pick someone for defence,” he pondered, but then seemed to settle on all-attack unit. “No defence, I will pick (Frenkie) De Jong. It’s all attack.”
The Dutchman in him didn’t go against his attacking grain but will it be as simple for FC Barcelona as well? Time, and Memphis Depay, will tell.
