Thursday, July 22, 2010

Barça & Barça B – can we keep up with both?

This upcoming football season brings us a double dose of Blaugrana teams playing on the same weekend. Luis Enrique led the youthful Barça Atlètic, now known again as Barça B, to La Segunda for the first time since the late 90’s. The season, his side will face clubs that Guardiola and the first team know so well and can say were responsible for getting them relegated. With Barcelona focused on facing the likes of Valencia, Villarreal, Sevilla and Real Madrid, Barça B will be facing the likes of Real Betis, Celta Vigo, and Numancia along with recently relegated Xerex and Tenerife. Can fans keep up with both teams in the upcoming season?

For the diehard fan in us, we cannot wait to see Pep Guardiola lead his team towards the quest for
the third consecutive league title. However, we also have Luis Enrique and Barça B to look forward
as the team returns to Barça B for the first time since 1998-1999 season. For the diehard fan is us,
getting to watch these guys on a regular basis will be tricky since there is no coverage for La
Segunda games in the US. Best bet will be through internet streams or satellite broadcast of Barça
TV or local Spanish channels that televise those games but it will be nice to get back to back games
of Barça B followed by FC Barcelona in one day.

We should keep an eye out on Barça B this season since we get to see our younger players take on
the toughest competition they have ever faced in their young careers. It was not too long ago that
Barcelona was facing stiff competition from the likes of Real Betis and Numancia and now it will be
Barça B’s turn to face those teams along with clubs that just returned back from La Primera after one
season such as Tenerife and Xerex. We get to see the likes of Jonathan, Thiago, Muniesa, Fontàs,
Barta, Romeu and Rochina as they strive to make the move to the first team. Luis Enrique will have
his hands full if Guardiola decides to call up some of Lucho’s players to be part of the first team to fill in at times during next season.

Our hands will be full too in trying to keep with both teams over the same weekend for most of the
season. Hopefully both teams have a great seasons and the players from Barça B continue mature
and slowly integrate to the first team while Barça B stays in La Segunda at the same time. Just hope
it’s possible for us Cules in America to watch it as it happens because I sure wouldn’t mind a nice
day to kick back and watch both of those teams on the same day.