TA: Barcelona is like a sacked Constantinople, with only an empty shell left

The Athletic UK tottenham reporter Jack Pitt-Brooke wrote an op-ed about Barca in the Champions League group stage descendants class, the title of which is —Barcelona were once the best team in modern history – now they are a shell of a club, stripped of their finest assets

Jack points out directly in the article: "Barcelona used to feel like the center of the football world, but now they are like the looted Constantinople. Everything that sets them apart is taken away by richer, more powerful competitors who want to take all of their original treasures for themselves. So what else is left of Barcelona? Empty stadiums? Past trophies in the exhibition hall? Or the red and blue shirt that Barca will never change? ”

'Perhaps Xavi is the most suitable candidate to rebuild Barca, but the evidence to date suggests that with his side 'kicked' into the Europa League and already trailing Real Madrid by 16 points, he is struggling in the ashes trying to help the club, which has almost nothing, complete a road to rebuild that seems impossible."

(Note: The article mentions the various poaching of Manchester City and Paris against Barca)