Barcelona pride themselves on judging their team on style as well as results but coach Ronald Koeman is struggling to deliver on either front following Monday’s 1-1 home draw with Granada.

The Catalans only salvaged a point thanks to a 90th-minute header from Ronald Araujo. Domingos Duarte put Granada in front after 85 seconds but the most striking thing was Barca’s direct style as they eschewed their trademark passing game and resorted to pumping crosses into the box.

Barca made 54 crosses into the area against Granada, 45 from open play, more than any team in one game in Europe’s top five leagues this season.

“What Barca is this?,” asked the front cover of Spanish newspaper Marca, describing their performance as “abysmal” while adding the team had “renounced their style”.

If last week’s 3-0 drubbing by Bayern Munich in the Champions League indicated that Barca can no longer compete with Europe’s elite, the scrappy draw against winless Granada was more worrying, a sign Barca no longer possess the tools to break down even ordinary domestic sides.

Koeman defended his tactics such as bringing on defender Gerard Pique to play up front and ending the game with four centre backs and two centre forwards, saying the team’s personnel and Granada’s deep defending left him with little choice.

“We can’t play tiki-taka if there aren’t any spaces,” Koeman said, referring to the popular description for the style of play the team perfected under Pep Guardiola, when they would routinely pass their opponents into oblivion.

Barca were missing six players through injury, including teenager Pedri, the most technical player left at the club following the departure of Lionel Messi.

“We know it’s maybe not Barcelona’s football, but this Barcelona is not that of eight years ago,” Koeman added.

The coach has been walking a tightrope and has an uneasy relationship with president Joan Laporta, who publicly revealed his reservations about the Dutchman at the end of last season.

Barca’s financial problems for now play into Koeman’s hands as they would struggle to pay his severance fee if they sacked him and find the money for a successor.

But the situation of a coach playing a style of football the president and supporters dislike while getting poor results seems unsustainable.