Setién’s Honeymoon is Over.

My how quickly we lose our interest in someone we had a crush on. Quique Setién was welcomed into our Blaugrana hearts as new Barça manager with hopes of joy and happy moments. Yet, just a few months after his appointment, it seems that the romance with Setién has faded and this love affair might be short lived.

Setién was the Don Juan of Barça fans who wanted a return to the Cruyff style of play that most love. He whispered lovely romantic words in our ears and won us over with his promises. We fell for it like most fall for those who come over as guests and prepare a magnificent dinner. However, with time, that romantic spell with the fans has eroded and Setién now feels like the lazy significant other whose idea of a romantic dinner is to order pizza and watch TV.

Setién’s future with the club depended on winning the league this season. Thus, any expectations of seeing the rising stars of La Masia, Ansu Fati and Riqui Puig play regularly, were dashed early on with Setién preferring to rely on the old guard and not experiment with the youth. Poor away results ensued that see the Blaugrana occupying second place in the standings behind Real Madrid. He did finally get around to featuring Puig and Fati but it might be a little too late and, in the process, managed to upset not just the fans, but the Barça players as well.

After his hiring, we witnessed the manner in how Setién manages a game along with how he speaks, which as a result, ruffled numerous feathers. The way he spoke of Arthur and his struggles at the club, coupled with other sound bites about not playing the younger players left much to desire. Recently, the video of Messi walking away from Setién’s right hand man, Eder Sarabia, while giving out instructions during a water break in the past weekend’s Celta Vigo 2-2 draw, indicated that there indeed a rift between the players and the manager. After the draw with Celta, Luis Suárez spoke to the media and shifted the blame to Setién by replying “you'll have to ask the coaches, they analyze these situations”.

Supposedly players are unhappy with the demanding training sessions full of intensity, conducted by Sarabia. The players preferred previous manager Ernesto Valverde and his easy-going approach so this new approach is not much to their liking. It’s similar to a classroom who disliked their hard as nails teacher, but enjoyed the laid-back substitute who allowed the students to do whatever they wanted. Well, the substitute teacher is gone and the players are not too happy with new manager and his demanding approach.

Fans are upset. Players are upset. The Barça board are caught in the middle showing yet again their lack of leadership and proper planning with regards to signings and managerial hirings. However, this does not bode well for the players either. Perhaps things would be different if Suárez had not missed that sitter against Sevilla, or had Messi actually had a shot on target during his last two away matches. The team’s away form was woeful under Valverde too, lest we forget how great they looked away in Champions League second legs. So, if two managers can’t succeed in getting the team to play better and win, perhaps it’s not just the managers who are at fault.

Setién was not the first or even second choice to replace Valverde. At the moment, it’s hard to see who would want to coach this club if players tune out their managers unless it’s a big-name manager with a resume full of success. The Lakers of Shaq and Kobe tuned out Del Harris and Kurt Rambis since they were nobodies in the coaching world, yet succeeded when the legendary Phil Jackson was hired. Sadly, Setién is not a legendary coach for the Barça players to listen to, so expect broken hearts when all is said and done.

Where are they now? Netherlands triumphant Euro 88 squad.

We love to romanticize the past and it doesn’t get any better than the summer of 1988 when the Oranje finally ended the Netherlands ’ long wait for glory at the international stage. 32 years ago, the Oranje tasted success after defeating the Soviet Union in the Euro 88 Final. We look back at the starting eleven of the Euro 88 Final and see where are they now.

The General, Rinus Michels, was back as the Netherlands manager. At his disposal was a collection of superb players such as Milan’s Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit, Real Zaragoza’s Frank Rijkaard, and PSV Eindhoven’s Hans van Breukelen, Ronald Koeman, Berry van Aerle and Gerald Vanenburg who had just won the European Cup a few weeks before Euro 88 kicked off along with Ajax players such as Jan Wouters, John van ‘t Schip and Arnold Mühren. Without further ado, we look back at the starting eleven of the Euro 88 Finals Oranje side.

Hans van Breukelen

Berry van Aerle – Frank Rijkaard – Ronald Koeman – Adri van Tiggelen

Gerald Vanenburg – Jan Wouters – Arnold Mühren – Erwin Koeman

Ruud Gullit  – Marco van Basten

Hans van Breukelen – GK

Hans van Breukelen was the imposing goalkeeper for the Oranje during the 80s. He made his debut in 1980 while with FC Utrecht. He had just won the European Cup with PSV Eindhoven before joining up the Oranje for Euro 88 where he pulled off a memorable penalty save in the final to keep it 2-0. He would continue to represent the national team until after Euro 92 before retiring from football in 1994 after a stint with Nottingham Forest. He later became a technical director at Utrecht and was a  motivational speaker. In June 2016, van Breukelen was appointed technical director of the Dutch FA before he returned to PSV in July 2019 as one of their Board of Directors.

Berry van Aerle – RB – @BVanaerle

Right-back Berry van Aerle made his debut for the Oranje in 1987 while with PSV. He was also another PSV player who had won the European Cup prior to Euro 88. He would go on Was on the national team for Euro 92 (on the bench during the Denmark game) and his final Oranje appearance was against Poland in October 1992 for WC 94 QWF. He retired from football in 1995 after leaving PSV for Helmond Sport before retiring from the game. He is currently a scout for PSV and was also recently involved in a campaign sponsored by Philips, visiting elderly homes and standing outside their windows with the European Cup.

Frank Rijkaard – CB –

Frank Rijkaard lined up in the heart of the defense for the Oranje during Euro 88. He made his debut in 1981 while with Ajax Amsterdam. However, he was on loan with Real Zaragoza after a falling out with Ajax manager Johan Cruyff. Rijkaard would then move to Milan to join his Oranje teammates, Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit before retiring from the Oranje after World Cup 1994. He returned to Ajax and helped them win the 1995 Champions League with the Final being his last match. He managed the Oranje for Euro 2000 and managed Barça to two league titles and the Champions League in 2006. He had coaching stints with Galatasaray and Saudi Arabia later on. He was hired by the Florida prep school, Montverde Academy, as their advisor of player development but in December 2016, Rijkaard announced he would no longer pursue a position as manager. On March 5, 2020, Rijkaard and Gullit opened their own Cruyff Court in Amsterdam

Ronald Koeman – CB – @RonaldKoeman

Ronaldo Koeman was the dynamic defender who was a terror to opposing goalkeepers thanks to his powerful long-range strikes. Koeman made his debut in 1983 while with Groningen. He was also one of the PSV stars who just hoisted the European Cup and would win it again with Cruyff’s Barça. Koeman retired from the Oranje after World Cup 1994 and retired in 1997 with Feyenoord. He went on to manage Vitesse, Ajax, Benfica, PSV, Valencia, Feyenoord, Southampton, and Everton. He is currently the Oranje manager and was recently hospitalized with heart problems.

Adri van Tiggelen – LB – @adri34246926

Adri van Tiggelenwas the other Oranje fullback for the Euro 88 Oranje team while with Anderlecht. He made his debut in 1983 while with Groningen and retired from the Oranje in 1994as a PSV player. He retired from football in 1995 after leaving PSV for Dordrecht’90 for one season before retiring from the game. He had stints with Sparta Rotterdam as an assistant and interim manager and also managed VV Zuidland in the lower Dutch leagues. He returned to Sparta Rotterdam as a scout back in April 2018 and has an account on twitter which he hasn’t used since 2013.

Gerald Vanenburg – RM –

Gerald Vanenburg operated on the right side of the Oranje midfield during Euro 88. Gerald made his debut for the Oranje in 1982 while with Ajax and his final Oranje appearance was against Poland in October 1992 in a 1994 World Cup qualifier. He would go on to have spells with PSV, Júbilo Iwata, Utrecht, Cannes before retiring in 2000 with 1860 Munich. He quickly took up coaching as an assistant manager and manager with 1860 Munich, PSV U-19 team, Helmond Sport and FC Eindhoven. His final coaching job was that of assistant manager of Willem II Tilburg until June 2009 and since then, he has been out of the spotlight with the occasional interview.

Jan Wouters – CM –

Jan Wouters one of the two central midfielders for the Oranje who made his debut in 1982 while with Utrecht.  He retired from the Oranje after the 1994 World Cup. He would go on to play for Ajax, Bayern Munich before retiring with PSV in 1996. He wasted no time getting into coaching soon afterward with stints as an assistant, caretaker, and manager with Utrecht, Ajax, Rangers, PSV, and Kasımpaşa. He was an assistant coach at Feyenoord until 2018.

Arnold Mühren – CM –

Arnold Mühren was Wouters’ partner in the central midfield of the Oranje. He made his debut for the Oranje in 1978 while with Ipswich Town and retired from the Oranje after Euro 88, with his cross to Marco van Basten being his final assist for the Dutch; what a proper way to end your national team career. Arnold played for Volendam, Ajax, Twente, Ipswich Town, Manchester United before retiring from the game in 1989 with Ajax. Unlike his other teammates, Arnold did not venture into coaching but still is available for the occasional media appearances with interviews here and there.

Erwin Koeman – LM –

Erwin Koeman, the brother of Ronald Koeman, was in charge of the left midfield of the 1988 Oranje side and made his Oranje debut in 1983 while with Groningen and his final Oranje appearance was in January 1994. He would go on to play for PSV and Mechelen before retiring in 1998 with Groningen. He too would follow in his brother’s footsteps and get into coaching with stints, at both club level and international level, with RKC Waalwijk, Feyenoord, Hungary, Utrecht, Eindhoven, RKC Waalwijk, and Fenerbahçe. He was fired as Oman’s national team manager back in December 2019 and he and his brother along with other Oranje players were part of the campaign to support their former club Groningen by buying season tickets to offset club financial losses suffered during the pandemic.

Ruud Gullit  – CF – @GullitR

The Captain of Oranje during Euro 88, Ruud Gullit played upfront with Marco van Basten and scored the opening goal in the first half of the Final, courtesy of a van Basten cross. Ruud made his debut in 1981 while with HFC Haarlem and his final Oranje appearance came right before he abruptly retired prior to World Cup 1994 after falling out with manager Dick Advocaat. His magnificent career saw him also play for Feyenoord, PSV, AC Milan, Sampdoria, and Chelsea where his final days as a player was as a player-manager with Chelsea before he was sacked in 1998. He went on to manage Newcastle, Feyenoord, LA Galaxy, Terek Grozny and oddly enough, he was an assistant coach of the Oranje when Dick Advocaat was in charge back in May 2017 until Ronald Koeman was hired as the new Oranje manager in February 2018 and Gullit wasn’t retained. Nevertheless, Gullit has established himself as a pundit for BBC, Sky, ESPN, and other TV networks and as stated earlier, he and Frank Rijkaard opened their own Cruyff Court in Amsterdam on March 5, 2020.

Marco van Basten – CF –

Marco van Basten, the final member of the starting eleven of the magnificent Oranje eleven, and Ruud Gullit’s partner up front who scored the second goal in the Final that many consider one of the greatest, goals of all-time. The “Swan Of Utrecht” made his Oranje debut in 1982 with Ajax and retired from the Oranje after Euro 1992. Van Basten’s legendary career saw him shine with Milan while winning the Ballon d’Or three times. However, injuries took their toll on Marco as he stopped playing football at the age of 29.  Marco would also go into management by starting off with Jong Ajax, and then Ajax before taking the Oranje to World Cup 2006 and Euro 2008. He would then go on to manage Heerenveen, AZ before stepping down to become an assistant coach because of stress issues. He would return to the Oranje as an assistant coach under Danny Blind. In August 2016, Marco became a technical director for FIFA and works for Fox Sports as an analyst.

What will Barça do after Messi’s Last Dance?

ESPN’s The Last Dance miniseries about the one and only Michael Jordan was well received by many when it aired recently. The miniseries discussed Michael Jordan’s career and his final season with the Chicago Bulls. Of course, talk on Barça social media was how much they looked forward to a similar miniseries made about Lionel Messi when his playing days are over. Yet, as much as I look forward to enjoying a miniseries about Messi, I am also concerned of about Barça after Messi’s last dance with the Blaugrana.

The idea of Messi walking away from football struck a nerve last December when Messi addressed the media after winning the Ballon d'Or for a record-breaking sixth time. Messi said, "I'm aware of how old I am. And I enjoy these moments so much because I know that retirement is approaching. Time flies." Barça fans have been under the illusion that Messi was eternal and would play on forever. Yet, that December night woke Barça fans from their stupor and made them realize that nothing lasts forever.

All good things must come to an end, and the day Messi walks off the pitch as a Barça player will be one of the most gut-wrenching days as a fan. Messi has been representing the Blaugrana for almost 20 years, ever since his arrival from Argentina as a young teenager who made his way through La Masia ranks before reaching the first team and becoming a married 32-year-old man who is also a father to three children. Throughout those years, the one constant was Messi representing FC Barcelona. Eventually, we will have to bid farewell to Messi when the wonderful magician walks off the pitch as for the final time as a Barça player. However, is the club ready for when that day arrives?

Since I started following my beloved Blaugrana, I have seen a couple of great eras and great players come and go. The club survived after they sacked Johan Cruyff and survived after Pep Guardiola left the club in 2012. The club survived after Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho departed the club. But there is a cause for concern about of FC Barcelona after the departure of Messi.

The Chicago Bulls never tasted success before Michael Jordan’s arrival and have not since his departure. The Bulls allowed their successful coach, Phil Jackson, and Dennis Rodman to walk away while trading Scottie Pippen to Portland. The Bulls began a new era with Toni Kukoč as their best player with the hopes of enticing other players to join their team. However, players ignored the Bulls and their history and opted to join other teams while the Bulls slowly slid into an abyss of failure. Also, the successful Boston Celtics of the 80s paid the price for not having players ready to step in for Larry Bird and Kevin McHale when they retired in the early 90s and would struggle for many years until becoming competitive again. I am concerned that Barça seem to be following in the footsteps of the Bulls and Celtics regarding future planning of the squad at the moment and when Messi retires. Luis Suárez and Gerard Piqué are both 33, and Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba are both 31. While Frenkie de Jong seems to be Busquets’ successor, the club still lacks the necessary successors for those other players, and for Messi as well.

The grand plan of former Barça president, Sandro Rosell, was for Neymar to be Messi’s heir apparent, either after they sold Messi or after Messi left the Blaugrana. However, that plan went down in flames when Neymar opted to join Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in 2017. Barça received quite the windfall, €222 million, from Neymar’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain but the club squandered that fortune on expensive transfers that have failed to deliver. Barça splashed €105 million on Ousmane Dembélé whose bad luck with injuries have frustrated the fans. Coutinho cost €145 million and lasted a season and a half before being sent out on loan. Meanwhile, Liverpool used that €145 million to sign Virgil van Dijk and Alisson and win the Champions League.

While looking ahead to determine what signings Barça need to make, one has to wonder how dire is Barça’s current economic situation when they cannot afford to sign Neymar or Inter’s Lautaro Martínez without selling other players first. They were able to gobble up players before, but now, Barça seem to have tightened the belt across their waist twice. Will they have the financial capability to sign other “Cracks” when Messi leaves or is the financial hole they’ve dug themselves into is far too deep to crawl out from?

We lived through this financial mismanagement under Joan Gaspart’s presidency and it took Joan Laporta a year to clear the club’s deadwood. Elections are next year and will the next Barça president have the funds needed to replace Messi and strengthen the team? Moreover, will the next Barça president be brave or crazy enough to contemplate the thought of selling Messi to recoup the funding needed to pay off the club’s debts and sign new players. Besides Messi, the only players that could warrant a big transfer value are Marc-André ter Stegen, Arthur Melo, Frenkie de Jong and a healthy Ousmane Dembélé.

If Messi walks away, careful planning will be needed to usher in the new Barça project. This club will always rebound but the appropriate decisions need to be made to ensure a smooth transition to life without Messi and not become what Manchester United and A.C. Milan are today. Failure to do so will be catastrophic for this club.