BARCELONA BLUES

LIONEL Messi was the first off the pitch, heading down the tunnel alone as Barcelona’s anthem began echoing around a stadium as vacant as the look in the team’s eyes.

Looking down at the scene were the club’s directors who had survived another season – but only just. Any lingering hope of winning Spanish football league La Liga had gone.

Ten days before player Gerard Piqué acknowledged it would be “very difficult”. Now that they’d just been held to 2-2 by Atlético Madrid – Barça’s third draw in four games – it was virtually impossible.

Barcelona are in trouble. The club had decided to sack manager Ernesto Valverde