How Barcelona's all-conquering women's team have avoided the embarrassment of the men's side

Of course, one big reason is the separate staff. Those in charge of both teams are different, and while the men's side have made some questionable mis-steps in the transfer window, in contract renewals and coaching appointments over the last few years, Barca Femeni have regularly just got things right.

In 2019, the club made a bold and, at the time, uncommon decision to sack head coach Fran Sanchez. They replaced him with Lluis Cortes, previously a club analyst who was then part of Sanchez's coaching staff, and he led the team to a first Women's Champions League final less than five months later. Two years on, he went one better and delivered a first European title.

When Cortes left in 2021, there were big boots to fill, but again the management chose his successor wisely when they upgraded Jonatan Giraldez from his role as assistant. Giraldez was only 30 years old and had only ever been a head coach of youth teams. Yet, in the past three years, he has won nine trophies, including another Champions League.

While it remains incredibly unclear whether or not Xavi, who was leaving and then staying and might now be leaving again, will remain head coach of the men's team next season, Barca Femeni will hope to make another smart appointment this summer as Giraldez leaves to join the Washington Spirit in the United States.

The proactive approach to contracts has been good, too. New deals for key players such as Mapi Leon, Patri Guijarro and Claudia Pina have all been negotiated throughout the season without it ever really getting to the point of great concern, with Alexia Putellas the latest to join that list.

Some could still leave for free this summer, as Mariona Caldentey has been linked with Arsenal while Lucy Bronze's future remains unclear, but the club has prioritised what it believes to be the most important renewals with the financial regulations in mind and avoided any of the situations we've regularly seen the men's team in recently - with players unable to be registered for the squad or, most memorably, Messi’s emotional departure.

It should be noted that one problem which doesn't impact the women's team in the same way it does the men's is transfer fees. Some of the incredibly expensive signings Barca have made on the men's side in recent years have impacted them massively, the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann all costing more than £100 million ($127m). When you spend that amount of money, if it doesn't work out, it can have serious ramifications, and that's been the case for all three.

On the women's side, those fees don't exist right now. When Barca signed Keira Walsh in the summer of 2022, the £400,000 ($509,000) they paid to Manchester City made her the most expensive female footballer in history, at that time.

Still, how well Barca Femeni identify transfer targets should be applauded. While it's become rather common to see the men bring signings to the club that don't seem to fit and, as such, struggle to be successful, you can see the thinking behind every single player the women bring in and what makes them a good addition.

Whether it's Walsh, a rare case of a foreign player able to slip into Barca's tiki-taka style in midfield, or someone such as Caroline Graham Hansen, the tricky winger who actually brings something different and more direct to the table to help break out of those usual patterns, Barca Femeni deserve credit for regularly getting it right.

They don’t gamble on the finances, either. Walsh arrived in the summer of 'palancas', when a number of assets were sold to fund signings, so the impact of that was not felt so greatly. Plus, she was well-scouted and analysed so that the team knew she would fit. Barca are set to splash the cash again this summer by bringing Ewa Pajor to the club from Wolfsburg, but the Poland international is a proven star who fits a need at centre-forward. It's not a gamble.

And Barca can be savvy, too, bringing Spain full-back Ona Batlle back to the club and recruiting Dutch starlet Esmee Brugts on free transfers last summer while receiving six-figure fees for both Geyse and Laia Codina, two players who left well-stocked areas of the squad. Asisat Oshoala, the Nigeria striker, also left for a bumper fee in January.

With some extremely strong commercial and sponsorship deals secured in that time, such as pre-season tours abroad and record-breaking shirt sponsors, Barca Femeni are on track to be a self-sufficient section of the club.

But while problems persist on the men's side, how long can Barca Femeni go unaffected? After all, the finances of all of Barcelona's sections feed into the club meeting La Liga regulations, and while it most dramatically affects the men's football team, such are the sizes of the finances involved there, it has caused problems for others, too.

For example, just last summer, the men's basketball team lost Nikola Mirotic, the first Barca player in 14 years to win the EuroLeague MVP award, because of the financial issues the club was dealing with. “He is fantastic and a great player, he has given us many successes and is a great person, but the situation is what it is and to register players we have to comply with the viability plan that we presented to La Liga. It requires a reduction in the sections," Barca president Joan Laporta told Catalunya Radio as the club terminated Mirotic's contract two years before its expiry.

Could that start to creep into Barca Femeni? It's difficult to tell if the implications of Putellas' renewal are a sign of as much, because hers is one of the most expensive and won't be repeated often. However, multiple reports have noted that, with the midfielder staying, England defender Bronze would need to take a pay cut to also remain in Catalunya. Some have even reported that Putellas' new deal will mean the Lioness departs.

Perhaps this next year will give us more information. After all, two significant contracts are set to expire in 2025, those of Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati and England star Walsh. As the price of women's football increases, with transfer fees and salaries on the rise, staying away from the club’s financial problems is likely to be more difficult for Barca Femeni, just like it was for the basketball team, for example.

It's an off-field situation that presents a new challenge to a team that has constantly found a way to conquer those on the pitch. Barca Femeni have battled from amateur status to become professional, they’ve been patient and diligent in their rise to the top of the women's game and now they have one of the best teams on the planet.

On Saturday, the Catalans will be tasked with overcoming one obstacle they've yet to - Lyon. The French giants beat Barca in the Champions League finals of 2019 and 2022, and they will meet again in Bilbao on Saturday as a rivalry with incredible potential continues to develop.

If Barca can come out on top this time, they'll win a third European title in four seasons and seal a first-ever quadruple. To even be in a position to do something like that shows how good this team is and they'll certainly hope to maintain such incredible status for years to come, despite what is going on elsewhere within this iconic but chaotic club.