Barcelona prepare for the future Barcelona A changing of the guard

For some time, Barcelona have been preparing their strategic objectives for a generational change to reduce the impact it would have.

The squad still has players who formed part of their greatest ever side and they must prepare for when they aren't available or aren't quite as good as they once were, hence why they have focused on younger players able to replace them.

The club are convinced that the spine of the team is already there, signings like Frenkie de Jong and Junior Firpo in the summer show that.

They sought to bring players to Barcelona who were young but ready to start for a side like Barcelona, an evidently difficult task which can't be completed cheaply.

Youngsters have been sought in virtually every position, looking to avoid failures like the signing of Philippe Coutinho, as they replace Xavi and Andres Iniesta with De Jong and Arthur now having taken those roles with their 22 and 23 years of age respectively.

Holding midfield

The most delicate area is in defensive midfield where a clear substitute has not been found, with De Jong being the one to fill in until a long-term solution is identified.

Currently, four of the strongest line-up are yet to reach the age of 25, while some would argue that Ousmane Dembele could join Nelson Semedo, Clement Lenglet, De Jong and Arthur.

The other challenges are Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, who will likely be replaced once they are no longer able to continue as there have been numerous attempts to find a player to compete with the Uruguayan only to end with the player wanting more game time, like Paco Alcacer.

For now, Carles Perez and Ansu Fati have taken up those roles and will look to establish themselves in the squad.

The board are optimistic and believe that the hard work in planning for the future has already been done, but now those players must live up to expectations.