He has however predicted a brighter future under new leadership and with plenty of young blood in the squad.

Bartomeu and his board of directors quit the club last week after six years at the helm in order to avoid a vote of no confidence from members.

They left a legacy of plenty of trophies but a steady decline in results and a dire financial situation.

“It was obvious the club was on a downward trend and that every year things were getting a little bit worse than the last,” Pique said after his side scraped a 2-1 win over Dynamo Kyiv in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

“We all know the situation the club is in right now. We’re going through a process of change which was badly needed.”

The club are currently in the hands of interim president Carles Tusquets, with elections due to be held within the next three months.

But Pique said the instability was no excuse for the team’s inconsistent performances of late.

Although they have a 100 percent record in the UEFA Champions League, the Catalans have made a terrible start to La Liga and have failed to win their last four matches.

“There’s no such thing as a transition year at FC Barcelona. We don’t have much time to make changes. But we need to make them if we are to improve,” he said.

“A new board of directors and president are coming soon and things will change in the next few months.”

Pique also admitted that his side are no longer among the top contenders to win the UEFA Champions League.

This is more evident in the light of their recent displays in the competition, above all the humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in August.

But the Spain international was optimistic about the future of the team, thanks to the emergence of exciting young talents such as Ansu Fati and Pedri.

“It’s normal that people don’t think we are candidates any more after the last few years, but all we can do is keep on working.

“We have a good team full of good people and we have a lot of talent,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot of new young faces who are bringing plenty of dynamism to the team.

“I can tell you from experience that the results will come soon. We believe we can still do great things.”(Reuters/NAN)