Pique says Barcelona in decline but is optimistic about future

Barcelona Gerard Pique has stated the membership had been declining for a while and welcomed the resignation of president Josep Maria Bartomeu, predicting a brighter future beneath new management and with loads of younger blood within the squad.

Bartomeu and his board of administrators give up the membership final week after six years on the helm with the intention to keep away from a vote of no confidence from members, leaving a legacy of loads of trophies however a gentle decline in outcomes and a dire monetary scenario.

“It was obvious the club was on a downward trend and that every year things were getting a little bit worse than the last,” Pique stated after his aspect scraped a 2-1 win over Dynamo Kyiv within the Champions League on Wednesday.

“We all know the situation the club is in right now, we’re going through a process of change which was badly needed.”

The membership are presently within the palms of interim president Carles Tusquets, with elections as a result of be held inside the subsequent three months, however Pique stated the instability was no excuse for the staff’s inconsistent performances of late.

Although they’ve a 100% document within the Champions League, the Catalans have made a horrible begin to La Liga and have did not win their final 4 matches.

“There’s no such thing as a transition year at Barcelona. We don’t have much time to make changes but we need to make them if we are to improve,” he stated.

“A new board of directors and president is coming soon and things will change in the next few months.”

Pique additionally admitted that his aspect are now not among the many prime contenders to win the Champions League after their latest shows within the competitors, above all of the humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in August.

But he was optimistic about the way forward for the staff, because of the emergence of thrilling younger abilities resembling Ansu Fati and Pedri.

“It’s normal that people don’t think we are candidates any more after the last few years, but all we can do is keep on working. We have a good team full of good people and we have a lot of talent,” he stated.

“We’ve got a lot of new young faces who are bringing plenty of dynamism to the team. I can tell you from experience that the results will come soon. We believe we can still do great things.”