The summer of 2020 looks set to go down as entirely forgettable for everyone connected to Barcelona. Two points clear at the top of La Liga going into the coronavirus interruption despite a season that had barely scraped above mediocre by the club's high standards, that advantage was surrendered almost immediately.
Though there are still seven rounds to play in the Spanish top flight, Real Madrid's imperious start to life after lockdown suggests that the title will be returning to the capital for the first time since 2018.
While Zinedine Zidane's men are more than worthy of that spot, putting together four straight wins since the restart, Barca's own unforced errors both in the boardroom and on the pitch have contributed to their ousting from the summit.
Seemingly determined to stay on that same, misguided road, however, the Blaugrana are gearing up for yet another misstep in the sale of midfielder Arthur.
The Brazil international stepped out at Camp Nou on Tuesday evening a matter of hours after the news broke that Barca had accepted a €70 million (£63m/$79m) bid from Juventus for his services. He would be less than human if he did not allow that bombshell to affect his play, particularly against an opponent as solid and awkward to face as Athletic Club.
As it turned out, Arthur's performance reflected his form throughout this most difficult of campaigns. The midfielder was accurate in his passing, active through the middle and, like the entire Barca team when Lionel Messi was not in possession, utterly static and devoid of inspiration.
Coach Quique Setien had seen enough by the 55th minute, sacrificing the Brazilian's steady distribution in favour of the raw talents of youngster Riqui Puig, a change that, along with Ansu Fati's entry for the unrecognisable Antoine Griezmann, paid off as Ivan Rakitic netted the only goal of an uninspiring 1-0 win.
It was far from vintage Barca, but at this point and with their title hopes fading Setien's Blaugrana charges will take points from wherever and however they may come.
Getty composite“It is most likely affecting him, we are happy with the work he does,” the coach told reporters after the final whistle when asked about the subdued Arthur. “He is an important player with the work he does and we want him to stay focused. We need every player, we will try to keep them isolated from these situations, even if we cannot control it.”
The Brazilian was initially reluctant to leave Camp Nou, rebuffing Juve's early advances with the confidence that he could turn his fortunes around and play his way back into favour; but as it became clearer and clearer that Barca saw him as expendable, he bowed to the inevitable and accepted the switch to Serie A after less than two seasons with the Spanish giants.
Arthur's sale will have the effect of trimming Barca's bloated, unwieldy first-team squad as well as pushing the club towards meeting its 2020 budgetary targets.
Someone had to go in the Catalans' midfield and Frenkie de Jong is off-limits. With the likes of Rakitic, Sergio Busquets and Vidal all on the wrong side of 30 it makes financial sense that the 23-year-old ex-Gremio star is the man to go.
From a footballing point of view, however, it feels like the latest blunder from a board which has made a habit out of making the wrong move.
The Blaugrana are looking to replace Arthur with Juve's own Miralem Pjanic, a fine player without a shadow of a doubt but another man who, at the age of 30, will do nothing to revitalise this creaking team.
While Pjanic, who is set to move the other way in an officially separate deal that will cost Barca €60m (£55m/$67m), comes with a sterling reputation it is hard to see how much of a material improvement the Bosnia international represents.
That point is surely not lost on the Old Lady, who have pushed hard for months to seal Arthur's signature. Puig too, on the back of his impressive cameo against Athletic, is now seen as an acceptable replacement in midfield, positive news for fans of La Masia but undue pressure to place on a kid with just two Liga starts to his name.
The Brazilian also made a fine start to life at Camp Nou under intense scrutiny, billed as the club's definitive replacement not just for the irreplaceable Xavi but also for Andres Iniesta, possessing aspects of each Barca legend's game.
A mixture of injuries, intense competition for midfield places and the club's own failings, though, have prevented him from pushing on and realising his undoubted potential, meaning few will mourn his departure from Camp Nou with any real emphasis.
It is further down the line, however, that he may really be missed, if he can make a smooth adaptation to life in Serie A while Pjanic falls victim to the malaise that has engulfed Barcelona these past months.
In any case, 18 months is too short a period to pass definitive judgement on a youngster who, through his brilliant performances in taking Gremio to the 2018 Copa Libertadores title and as an essential part of Brazil's 2019 Copa America triumph, has proven he can succeed when it most matters.
Arthur is not the finished article, and needs to hone his game off the ball to complement his almost flawless possession work; but he has the talent and, one hopes, the fire to prove to Barca in the coming months and years that they were foolish to let him slip through their fingers.