FC Barcelona has begun this new calendar year in the same way that they ended the previous one: with a large number of questionable tactics and horrendous mistakes. But like many of us, they’re doing their best to remedy the errors of the past.

Andoni Zubizarreta started the first full week of the new year in the worst way possible. The former Barça goalkeeper was fired from his post as Director of Football this past Monday. His departure had been a matter of speculation since his uninspired transfer decisions this past summer, the last they will have until 2016 thanks to the upheld transfer ban.

Since his appointment in 2010, Zubi has made a string of poor choices that has placed Barcelona in quite the predicament. It was he who most likely allowed the illegal transfers in La Masia to take place; it was he who brought in Thomas Vermaelen, a player who has yet to debut with the first team, and may not play at all this season due to a recent surgery; it was he who sought out and brought the Brazilian right back Douglas to the Camp Nou, another defender who has yet to prove himself and can’t seem to adapt to the Spanish way of football.

With such a dismal eye for talent, the Basque goalie’s forced exit was only a matter of time. On the other hand, Carles Puyol’s voluntary resignation as Assistant Sporting Director came as a surprise and must also be a consequence of Zubi’s horrific decision making. Unfortunately, Puyol may not be the only casualty this year.

Luis Enrique was brought in to be a sort of saviour for FC Barcelona. The talent (Messi, Neymar, Xavi, Iniesta) was there, but it wasn’t enough. The team lacked direction and identity when the previous season ended, in other words, it needed a leader. Enrique, however, is not the man for the job.

Lucho’s failure seems to stem from an unclear idea of how to effectively use the players at his disposal. Barcelona’s leading scorer and talisman, Lionel Messi, for example, has been displaced from his normal goal-scoring position into a more creative one. The Argentine has definitely been efficient in his new role, but reports from Catalonia say that he, and most of the first team, have been unhappy with Barça’s new manager. The strifes in the Blaugrana locker room, the most recent allegedly occurring days before their 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad, have lead many to believe that Messi, and his accomplice Neymar Jr., were purposely left on the bench this past Sunday as punishment for their misconduct, a decision that may have caused Barcelona to lose points. These rumors have only been exacerbated by la Pulga’s absence from the team’s open practice on Monday, which he attributed to gastroenteritis. However, others believe it was his own personal form of retribution.

Regardless of Enrique’s personal relationship with his players, the truth of the matter remains the same: he has failed to restore Catalonia’s faith in their club. And unless Lucho can get his act together, and be both a coach and a friend to the team, this former Barcelona man can start counting his days because sooner or later he, like Zubizarreta, will be just another statistic in Spain’s unemployment rate.

The joy of the holidays is in full swing once again. It is a time to celebrate, to rejoice, and to give thanks for the many blessings received during this past year. For many, however, it is also a time to reflect on the mistakes we’ve made, the hearts we’ve broken, and the pain we have caused, a statement that holds true for none more than FC Barcelona.

Barcelona started their 2014/15 campaign like a high-flying rocket propelling past their Spanish counterparts. Many of us believed that we were witnessing a resurgence, a continuation of the Blaugrana dominance we saw in the Pep Guardiola era. Sadly, our dreams were broken and tears were shed in the face of frustration, anger and failure. The team once described as the best club in the world seems to have lost its spark.

The past two months have been tumultuous for the Catalan side. They’ve been on a roller coaster ride of wins and losses and, in spite of their record-breaking start to the season, the lack of prowess from individual players and as a whole has been harshly criticized.

The defensive back line, an improvement from last year’s disaster thanks to Jeremy Mathieu and Javier Mascherano, has shown a good deal of promise. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of work to be done.

Gerard Pique, the former wonder kid and heir to Carles Puyol’s throne, has seen a consistent decline in form over the past couple of years and has caused Barcelona more concerns than any other player. Time after time, the Spanish international has allowed opponents to slip past him on attacking plays and set pieces, the latter being his most unforgivable sin, especially when considering his 6’4” frame. His utter lack of concentration during matches, which many attribute to his ongoing relationship with the brunette-turned-blonde singer Shakira, has disappointed both the team and fans on one too many occasions.

Yet, he is not solely to blame for the inconsistencies in defense. The Blaugrana’s starting right-back, Dani Alves, can surely share responsibility for many of their blunders.

Just like his Barcelona compatriot, Alves was considered one of football’s best defenders. Very few players could efficiently defend their side of the field and then almost instantly appear at the other end of the pitch to provide a goalscoring cross or, in a majestically created passing play, take a dangerous shot on goal from outside the 18-yard box. Regardless of the role he played in defense or attack, the Brazilian was always an inescapable force for the opposition to contend with.

Alas! How things have changed. For the past two seasons, Dani Alves has been surrounded by rumors of discontent with the club and of his eventual departure from Catalonia. To make matters worse, his recent chain of poor performances has left most fans and critics weary of his presence. That perfect balance between defense and offense, a staple from his best days, has transformed into countless crosses into empty space, a plethora of lost balls, and horrendous dirty tackles. Few would deny that the Brazilian has outstayed his welcome.

Both of these players, though all-stars in their prime, have very little left to offer a magnificent, championship-winning team like FC Barcelona.

On the other hand, what does the team have to offer its players?

When Barcelona’s 2013/14 season ended in disgrace, Tata Martino knew that his time as team manager had reached its apex. The Argentine surprised no one when he resigned from his post immediately following their round 38 loss to Atlético Madrid, a game, that if they had won, would have seen Barca lifting the league title, and possibly saving them from an otherwise embarrassing season. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The club, in the hopes of returning to their winning ways, brought in former Barcelona player and Barca B coach Luis Enrique to manage the team.

His appointment seemed promising despite his lack of accolades or accomplishments with both A.S. Roma and Celta de Vigo, and as the league began, many believed that Enrique was the savior that the Camp Nou had been waiting for. But like all good things, their back-to-back victories were coming to an end.

The warning signs began flashing red for the Catalans at the end of September, the night of their first loss in all competitions. The Champions League first leg against Paris Saint-Germain was billed as the Spanish side’s first true test with their new set of first team players and their new coach. From the start, Barcelona seemed lost and out of place. Their normally magisterial passing was pointless and amounted to very little, their defenders were lost and confused, and Luis Enrique had absolutely no response as they trailed the Parisians 2-1 at the start of the second half, a flaw that would rear its ugly head again in a mere 25 days. Laurent Blanc’s men, on the other hand, were relentless in their attack and even though the former Santos player managed an equalizer for Barca, PSG’s fortitude prevailed in a 3-2 win.

After such a pitiful performance in Paris, a win at the Santiago Bernabéu just three weeks later would’ve made the Champions League loss forgivable. That, however, was not the case. El Clásico proved to be a much more disastrous game than Catalonia had hoped for.

Real Madrid – the eternal rival – the unstoppable force to their immovable object, the arch nemesis in every sense of the word. And on October 25th, los Galácticos proved, once again, why they have toppled Barcelona from the top of the mountain and are currently the best club in the world.

Barcelona made a number of mistakes on the pitch during those heart-breaking 90 minutes, but their worst errors happened before the game even began.

Enrique has been fiddling with the lineup from day one and has made some bold, game-winning decisions, but on that particular evening, it proved to be a fatal flaw. The Barca manager’s starting XI, apart from the first few minutes of the game, was never truly able to connect in the same way that los Blancos did.

Jeremy Mathieu, by far Barcelona’s best defender, right behind Mascherano, was moved from his usual center-back position to the left side, in spite of publicly admitting that he was uncomfortable on that end of the field. Inevitably, the Frenchman struggled to hold his own against the madrista onslaught, though he didn’t fail as miserably as Dani Alves, who allowed Marcelo to completely dominate the entire right side.

The second half of the match saw Barcelona lose further control as the Catalan’s dynamic duo, Xavi and Iniesta, were unable to manage the midfield, which, as any football fan knows, is a death sentence for the Blaugrana’s passing and possession game. The better option would have been the more attack-minded Ivan Rakitić, a player who had proved himself as a valiant and formidable asset.

With the connection between Barca’s defenders and forwards lost, Real Madrid was free to run rampant. Luckily, Barcelona did enough to only walk away with a two goal defeat.

These tactical decisions by Enrique, or lack thereof, would creep up in the following match against Celta de Vigo, and again in their nil-nil draw to Getafe a couple of weeks ago.

This FC Barcelona team doesn’t just need an identity, it needs a true leader on and off the pitch. But who can, or will, step up to the challenge? Believe it or not, there seems to be no obvious candidate. So let’s hope that Barca have made it onto Santa’s nice list because what this team needs more than anything else this holiday season is a real Christmas miracle.

The word patriotism should elicit names like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Paul Revere; it should conjure images of tea swimming in the Boston Harbor or of the 50-something men that signed a declaration in response to British aggression. What it should not do is recreate images of the beer that was spilled on the waitress at your local watering hole, or the chili-cheese fries stain that will never wash out. However, with the 2014 World Cup in full swing, that not so distant memory may be you at your most patriotic.

Over the past two weeks, the soccer gods have brought us both elation and disappointment with a victory over our World Cup nemesis, Ghana, a draw against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, and a loss against the Goliath of international soccer, Germany. Yet, in spite of this roller coaster of emotions, we, as Americans, are much more united.

It’s odd how soccer, the most un-American sport, can bring our country together. Not even football, basketball, baseball, or hockey, the big four of our sporting world, can create the kind of unity we’re seeing now.

Sure, the Olympics could be a contender as the most patriotic sporting event, but with different people cheering on our compatriots in different events, true unity is hard to find.

On the other hand, the U.S. men’s national team has found its way onto television screens across the country.

Sports bars are packed to the brim with soccer jerseys bearing the names Dempsey, Altidore, and Bradley. The red, white, and blue drips down the painted faces of the most avid fans. And American flags are both literally and figuratively draped across the proud shoulders of men, women, and children alike.

All across the country, in places like Chicago, Kansas City, and New York, the streets have been inundated with fanatics of the game. But it’s not just the American Outlaws that are out there chanting, “Oh when the Yanks go marching in.” Those who have never laid eyes on a soccer match are now getting into the rhythm of this Brazilian World Cup. Tom Dart, a local Houstonian writer for The Guardian wrote, “There is nothing new in fans across America uniting to watch and talk about the World Cup, but anecdotal evidence and television ratings suggest that they are doing so now more than ever.”

While World Cup fever is spreading across the United States and around the world, many capitalized on the World Cup frenzy, including online casinos such as CO have released several World Cup themed slot games. After all, gambling is synonymous with World Cup and the sport in general.

So what’s causing us to bleed the stars and stripes for our U.S. men’s national team? Simply put, we’re the underdog. And there’s nothing that Americans love more than to see the underdog succeed.

Unfortunately, most critics don’t see us having much of a fighting chance in this tournament. Even Jurgen Klinsmann, the team’s head coach, stated in a press conference that “it is not realistic to expect the United States to win the World Cup.”

Nevertheless, our unity and love for country has been undeniably present when our heroes don the majestic jersey for the beautiful game.

Now that the World Cup is coming close to an end and the “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” chants are fading into memory, will the pride in our team and our football fall back into the dark and unknown corners of our bars and pubs? I hope not.

Regardless of the outcome, we can be sure that in four years America will stand united behind our team once again.