Yet there’s one player who has been a ray of light for Barca in the early weeks of the campaign. Step forward Fermin Lopez, a player who keeps on impressing every time he sets foot on the pitch (and the training ground) for Barca.
There was plenty of speculation about Fermin’s future in the summer, with Chelsea keen admirers, but Lopez had a think about it and then realised the best place for him was Barcelona.
He has since gone on to score six times in just 510 minutes for Barca this season. In case you wondered, that’s a goal every 85 minutes for the 22-year-old Spain star.
His record during his entire time at Barcelona is also pretty impressive and means that even though Dani Olmo is back in training after injury, the Catalans will be in no rush to bring him back into the team.
And now more than ever, Barca will need Fermin to step up in their next three games against Elche, Club Brugge and Celta Vigo.
There will be no Pedri or Gavi in those matches, Raphinha is not expected to feature either, while Lamine Yamal is continuing to battle against pubalgia. Hansi Flick may be able to select Robert Lewandowski once again, but it remains to be seen how his form and fitness are after another spell on the sidelines.
Lopez’s energy, intensity and sharpness in front of goal may well prove vital in the next week as Barca aim to bounce back from their Clasico defeat.
With a win a must to avoid Barca falling further behind in the title race, don’t be at all surprised if it’s Fermin who leads the way for Hansi Flick’s side before La Liga pauses again for the last international break of the year.