Barcelona’s financial woes have been well documented over the years. It’s often claimed that the club has been indulged, or even escaped punishment for past mismanagement, continuing to spend and load up debt while others have had to rein in their spending.

But the truth is a little more complicated than that. Yes, Barca has been irresponsible, but it’s not entirely their fault.

barca 138 ’s problems stem from a combination of factors, most importantly the fact that it is a massively successful club that has to deal with the fact that its players are very, very good at what they do. It’s not easy to offload players who earn big wages at a club like this, especially when they are having a great season.

Barca’s signings this summer are intended to mitigate that risk. The hope is that Frenkie de Jong, Arturo Vidal and Paulinho can form an attacking triumvirate that will help compensate for the loss of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez. The addition of these players will also add depth to the squad, allowing some of the less regular starters to rest and recover for the crucial weeks ahead.

It’s still too early to tell if this strategy will pay off, but the newcomers have certainly given Ernesto Valverde something to think about. In a match where Barca struggled for the majority of the 90 minutes, the defending was excellent and ter Stegen was tested only rarely, the exception being the early goal from Gundogan.

It’s not often that a player is the focus of such a large chunk of the game, but there was no doubt about the quality of Bellingham, who gave Madrid’s defence a torrid time. Ancelotti reacted to the threat by sending on Oriol Romeu, adding extra steel to his side’s midfield, and then swapping Bellingham for youngster Lamine Yamal. The change re-energized the Blaugrana who came close with shots from Lewandowski and Gavi before the break.