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3 things Barcelona must do to win the Champions League again

Reuters / Sergio Perez Livepic

Barcelona had no more magic left.

The Blaugrana couldn't overturn a 3-0 deficit Wednesday against Juventus, even though they pulled off an even greater feat against Paris Saint-Germain last month.

Juventus was just too resolute at the back, and Barcelona, far too wasteful on a demanding night like this, was eliminated at the quarter-final round for the third time in four seasons.

But unlike previous campaigns, there is little to suggest Barcelona will bounce back and contend right away. Luis Enrique will vacate the bench in June, and key positions require massive reinforcements. A sixth European title has never been farther away from reach.

Here are three things Barcelona must do before mounting another serious challenge for continental supremacy:

Find proper Dani Alves replacement

Barcelona was ill-prepared for life after Alves. After he opted out of his contract, it was up to one of Sergi Roberto or Aleix Vidal to fill the void. Both acquitted themselves for brief spells this season, but neither has offered any long-term promise. On more than one occasion, and especially in the 4-0 first-leg defeat to PSG, Roberto has looked well out of his depth, and Vidal has struggled to stay fit.

Roberto, 25, may get the benefit of the doubt because he's a graduate from Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, but in many respects, he's not even a true full-back, having played as a holding midfielder and winger in the past. Against PSG, he was brutally exposed on the counter-attack, leaving tons of space for the French side to exploit.

Full-backs are so crucial in the modern game, and even more so to an attacking side like Barcelona, which has relied on its width for nearly a decade.

Identifying a proper replacement for Alves must be a priority this summer. The obvious choice is Hector Bellerin, who spent his formative years at Barcelona before becoming a professional at Arsenal. Djibril Sidibe and Serge Aurier would also serve the role well for years to come.

Invest in midfield

Barcelona would have won nothing without its world-class midfielders. Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets made tiki-taka possible.

Unfortunately, Xavi is gone, Iniesta is on the decline, and while Busquets is still one of the best defensive midfielders in the game, he cannot maintain Barcelona's high tempo by himself. Ivan Rakitic can hit great passes and spring attacks, but he cannot create like Iniesta did in his prime, or play well on a consistent basis. Andre Gomes and Rafinha are simply not good enough, and Arda Turan is nothing more than a versatile bench option.

Barcelona needs someone who can run box to box and slip passes from multiple positions.

There are few players who have such a multi-faceted tactical background, and the ones who do would come a great cost. Manchester United set the bar when it stumped up a world-record fee for Paul Pogba, meaning Barcelona may have to come near it to get a midfielder of high quality like Marco Verratti, Bernardo Silva, or Corentin Tolisso.

New formation, new philosophy?

Barcelona's overwhelming focus on flowing, attacking football comes from decades of commitment to Johan Cruyff's vision. Guardiola perfected it, employing a 4-3-3 formation to great effect. Dynamic players like Samuel Eto'o, Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Luis Suarez, and Neymar have allowed Barcelona to keep Cruyff's legacy intact.

But perhaps the Blaugrana have to consider a change.

And there is evidence suggesting Barcelona can change. It has claimed victories in eight of 10 matches in which it switched to a back three. The 3-4-3 in particular has worked to considerable effect, with some variation of Javier Mascherano, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, and Samuel Umtiti forming the backline. Losing a player like Rafinha to injury shouldn't preclude the use of a single formation.

It's a tactic that's catching fire in Europe and best exemplified by Antonio Conte's tireless Chelsea, which has cast the shackles off a creative player like Eden Hazard and allowed focus on attacking.

Such a renaissance would bode well at Barcelona. With Messi dropping deeper and deeper into midfield to collect the ball, a 3-4-3 would allow for more overlapping runs and greater interplay.

It's well established that Barcelona has the firepower to score goals in the front three positions - in fact, no one in the top five leagues can boast more than Barcelona's 143 tallies this season - but even the best can struggle to convert chances. Look at Tuesday's performance at Camp Nou: Barcelona put just one of 19 shots on target as Juventus pushed the home side into less threatening positions.

It just feels like Barcelona - which once helped revolutionise the game - has fallen behind. A return to greatness doesn't mean abandoning tiki-taka for catenaccio, but it requires more flexibility.

As is, Barcelona doesn't have enough.

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