Barcelona have traditionally been a very stubborn team. With their sense of pride, belonging and identity, it’s always been somewhat of a chore to instil change at the Camp Nou, even if it was obviously for the best. Take the reported case of now-former CEO of the club, Ferran Reverter. Even though the official explanation states he resigned for ‘personal reasons’, it’s often nigh-impossible to know the real truth.

Some reports even state Reverter didn’t like the Spotify deal and was advocating the club abandon the ‘soci’ model for its modern counterpart inspired by German football. Whether that’s true or not is anyone’s guess. But at the end of the day, it’s not unthinkable that Joan Laporta was unwilling to change something that’s been at the core of the club since its inception. Being one of the last examples of a football club led by the democratic rule of its members is something Barcelona are extremely proud of, even if it’s likely limiting them in the modern iteration of this sport.

Granted, this is a very extreme example, albeit one that perfectly demonstrates Barcelona’s inability - or unwillingness - to change. It’s true for the core elements like identity as much as it’s true for their sporting aspirations. There’s a reason every new coach has to have some sort of a Barcelona history; to put it bluntly, they are worried an outsider would divert too much from their mould, ultimately changing what was set in stone years ago. In my opinion, that’s one of the reasons why Barcelona’s next pivot will inevitably be a ‘Sergio Busquets profile’ and it’s also why we aren’t seeing structures that aren’t a traditional 4-3-3 survive for too long.