Zubi and Puyol leave and Barca in turmoil as Laporta waits in the wings

It is not often that the prospect of a Madrid derby in the Copa del Rey knockout competition gets overshadowed by events elsewhere, but that is what has happened in Spain on Tuesday.
FC Barcelona's decision to sack Director of Football, Andoni Zubizarreta, in the wake of the 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad on Sunday has sent a shockwave through the Spanish game and that shockwave produced its first after-effect shortly afterwards when former Barca captain, Carles Puyol, who had been working as Zubizarreta's assistant, announced he too was leaving the club.
With coach Luis Enrique openly questioned following his decision to leave both Leo Messi and Neymar on the bench for the first half in San Sebastian and even rumored to have been given an ultimatum that unless his side both win and produce a convincing display against Elche in the Cup on Thursday his job is on the line, Barca's current image is one of institutional chaos.
Even the future of Leo Messi at the club has started to be questioned, something that seemed impossible a year ago, but even his relationship with Luis Enrique is now under scrutiny. It even made headlines that Messi has started to follow Chelsea (a possible destination) on social medial websites.
Club President, Jose Maria Bartomeu, was openly criticized by some fans on Monday and it should be remembered that he only became president after Sandro Rosell was forced to resign over irregularities in the signing of Neymar and as such never won a popular vote himself.
The club is facing up to the reality that they cannot make any signings until January 2016. Thanks partly to Zubizarreta's sluggishness in the transfer market last summer in the summer of 2013, the squad is only going to be weakened further during that period as Xavi Hernandez and Dani Alves end their contracts in June with no possibility of signing replacements.
That leaves Barca facing up to at least two seasons of dominance by Real Madrid, who have got their act together in the transfer market, beating them to signings such as Tony Kroos.
Meanwhile former club president Joan Laporta is waiting in the wings, hinting that he will stand against Bartomeu at the next elections. Laporta had a good relationship with Puyol, whose popularity among Barca fans cannot be underestimated. It was Laporta who signed Frank Rijkaard and Ronaldinho and who enjoyed the warm relationship with Pep Guardiola that Rossell did not and Laporta is not shy of self publicity.
Wednesday sees a Madrid derby, but while Spain tunes in to watch Fernando Torres possible return to action, it will have one eye on events in the Camp Nou...and if that wasn't enough Sunday sees Barca entertain Atletico Madrid; if they lose that anything could happen.