End of an era for Rijkaard and Ronaldinho?

This was the question being asked throughout Spain on Monday morning.

 One year ago Rijkaard and Ronaldinho were on the crest of the wave, top of La Liga and reigning champions of Europe, with seemingly many years of success to come.

 Real were in legal and sporting chaos, with Ramon Calderon's victory in the presidential elections contested in the courts - and with Fabio Capello's expensive "post-Galactico" team convincing nobody, least of all the "Madridista" fans.

 What a difference a year makes in football. Calderon has put together a solid, talented and hungry side - whilst Barca have descended into hubris, self-satisfaction and apathy.

 Barca are now seven points behind Real, with only 38 per cent of the readers of Catalan daily Mundo Deportivo, according to an online poll, believing that Rijkaard's team can catch up.

 No wonder, then, that Monday's headline in Mundo Deportivo was "Horrible Year." That's exactly what 2007 has been for Barca.

 The two men in the eye of the Barca storm are Rijkaard and Ronaldinho.

 An online poll in Sport showed on Monday morning that 29 per cent of Barca fans are in favour of sacking Rijkaard now. The Dutch coach has hinted publicly that he will be leaving at the end of the season - if he manages to last that long.

 Indeed, Rijkaard might now be regretting not having left in June, when the Liga title was snatched away by Real by the smallest of margins.

 He is generally perceived as being too soft, not demanding enough, with his expensive stars.

 In particular, with Ronaldinho.

 Rijkaard was contemplating all week leaving the overweight Brazilian on the bench. In the end Ronaldinho was on the field for 90 minutes, though he turned in yet another lazy, lethargic display.

 Ronaldinho failed to get past his marker, Sergio Ramos, even once. Conscious of his declining physical powers, though still only 27, he ended up trying to fool the referee by diving.

 And many Barca fans ended up by jeering him.

 The local attack was only livened up when teenagers Giovani Dos Santos and Bojan Krkic came off the bench, belatedly.

 In the Sport online poll in which 29 per cent demand the sacking of Rijkaard, 40 per cent have opted for "selling one of the stars," which is really code for offloading Ronaldinho.

 Most Barca fans would probably be pleased to see the back of him, after a year of indolence, poor training, long journeys to Brazil - and rumours of a wild nightlife.

 The departure of Ronaldinho and Rijkaard now seems just a question of time.