The Numbers That Highlight The Extent Of FC Barcelona’s Goalscoring Crisis

FC Barcelona are suffering a goalscoring crisis, the likes of which haven’t been experienced at Camp Nou in 15 years.

Former head coach Frank Rijkaard deserves his treasured place in club history for the way he, along with the likes of Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o, helped turn the Blaugrana round and emerge out of the shadows of one of their darkest periods to once again rule Spain and Europe.

Without a La Liga crown in six years and the Champions League trophy in 14 when he took over, the Dutchman made Barca back-to-back domestic kings and cemented an impressive double by delivering club football’s most coveted piece of silverware in Paris in 2005-2006 when defeating Arsenal in the UCL final.

The less said about the following two seasons the better, however, as Real Madrid scooped consecutive league crowns and Rijkaard had to be dismissed to pave the way for Pep Guardiola to assume the reins.

With Ronaldinho’s personal life in tatters, his on-pitch form also suffered and low team scoring numbers of 61 goals at this stage of the 2006-2007 season before Barca finished with 78 goals, as well as 62 goals and then 76 at the conclusion of 2007-2008, worryingly look like being equaled some 15 years later in another troubling era in Catalonia.

Thus far, despite the best efforts of winter signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a Barca yet again on their way to finishing their campaign trophyless seem to be repeating history in more ways than one with just 61 goals after 32 games as in 2006-2007.

Yet some encouragement can be taken from the fact that a former midfield prodigy from the La Masia academy and a historical Barca side has now taken command of the first team.

While back then it was former Dream Team playmakers Pep Guardiola that rebuilt Barca from the ground up and then delivered a 105-goalscoring term in his maiden outing that also brought a treble to Culers, one of his greatest players in those victories in Xavi is now attempting to get Barca back on the horse and replicate the days of old.

Starting with a clean slate in August, the 41-year-old has a tall task ahead of him and did not inherit the side that Guardiola did in the late 2000s.

With young promises such as Pedri, Gavi and Ansu Fati, however, mixing these young talents with veterans including Aubameyang could be a strong blueprint for success as the 4-0 destruction of Madrid at the Bernabeu gave off encouraging signs that, like Xavi says, “this is the way”.