Barca's Team Of The Decade.

Barça kicked off this decade by becoming the first club to ever win the sextuple. Barça had a historic successful decade which saw the Blaugrana capture seven league titles, five Copa del Rey titles, two more UEFA Champions Leagues titles, two FIFA Club World Cups, and five Spanish Super Cups. With 2019 about to come to an end, the time has come to look back at the players that have represented the club during this decade and pick the best eleven.

Marc-André ter Stegen

Barça had a tough time finding their new starting goalkeeper when they let go of Zubizarreta in the mid-90s. Víctor Valdés though would be the one to carry the mantle and become Barça’s most successful goalkeeper ever. However, both he and backup and José Manuel Pinto left the club in 2014 and Barça signed Marc-André ter Stegen for €12 million in 2014 from Borussia Mönchengladbach, and also signed Chilean international Claudio Bravo from Real Sociedad.

Both Ter Stegen and Valdés helped Barça win a Champions League title during this decade. From the 2009-2010 season, Valdés also helped Barça win three league titles, three Spanish Super Cups along with one UEFA Super Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup before leaving the club in 2014. Ter Stegen’s arrival as the heir to Valdés, saw him be part of the treble side where he started in both Champions League and Copa del Rey Finals while Bravo was the league starter. He would start the UEFA Super Cup but would have to wait until the 2016-2017 season to become the overall number one goalkeeper after Bravo’s departure and would help the club capture two league titles.

Valdés would win three Zamora trophies, awarded to the goalkeeper with the lowest “goals-to-games” ratio, at the start of the decade, while Ter Stegen has yet to win one. Yet, that is more of a testament of the quality of defenders that played in front of Valdés at the time, compared to the quality of defenders available for Ter Stegen since his arrival. However, the one difference is that Ter Stegen is less likely to committing errors, unlike Valdés who was known to bungle things up on occasion. This was a tough decision to make but my choice would be Ter Stegen.

Dani Alves

Dani Alves’ inclusion was a no brainer. As one of the few players to win two trebles, he is simply the greatest right-back of this century and perhaps in football history. The club has failed to replace him since his departure in 2016, with Sergi Roberto and Semedo nowhere near his talent and contribution. From the 2009-2010 season, Dani Alves helped Barça win five league titles, two UEFA Champions League titles, three Copa del Rey titles, three Spanish Super Cups along with two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups.

Gerard Piqué

Another easy decision to make was selecting Gerard Piqué. He has been magnificent for Barça since his arrival in 2008. He is also one of the few players to win two trebles. He and Puyol were one of the great center backs partnerships in club and football history. Pique has managed to continue to excel with other center backs such as Javier Mascherano, Jérémy Mathieu, Samuel Umtiti and Clément Lenglet.

Since the 2009-2010 season, Piqué helped Barça win seven league titles, two UEFA Champions League titles, five Copa del Rey titles, five Spanish Super Cups along with one UEFA Super Cup and two FIFA Club World Cups. Only time will tell if he will become the club’s next president.

Javier Mascherano

Carles Puyol is the greatest defender to ever play for and captain Barça. However, the other best center back of this decade has been Javier Mascherano. Puyol retired in 2014 and his final years at the club saw him battle injuries and feature less, which allowed the midfielder to fill in his place and partner Piqué in the heart of the defense, especially the 2011 Champions League Final. Since his arrival to the club in 2010, Mascherano helped Barça win five league titles, two UEFA Champions League titles, five Copa del Rey titles, three Spanish Super Cups along with two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups. Mascherano would share playing time with the new signing Samuel Umtiti in 2016 before leaving the club he served so impeccably in 2018.

Jordi Alba

With respect to Adriano and Lucas Digne, this decade only saw Eric Abidal and Jordi Alba feature as genuine starting left backs for Barça. Unfortunately, Abidal’s health issues relating to his liver cut his career with the Blaugrana shorter than expected. He did start for the Blaugrana in the 2011 Champions League Final. Jordi Alba’s arrival in the summer of 2012 meant that he would be the starting left back and Abidal left the club in the summer of 2013. Since his arrival, Alba helped the club capture a treble as he became an essential part of the offense under the likes of Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde. Jordi helped Barça win five league titles, one UEFA Champions League title, four Copa del Rey titles, three Spanish Super Cups along with one FIFA Club World Cup. Although I consider Abidal a better left back than Alba, Alba was this decade’s best Barça left back.

Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta

It’s impossible to discuss Barça’s team of the decade without mentioning the holy trinity of Barça’s greatest midfield. Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta played a key part in making Barça, and also Spain, become one of the best teams in the World. Xavi and Iniesta bossed the midfield and helped create chances for the front three while Busquets handled the duties of a defensive midfielder in his own unique way of combining of intelligence and elegance in a position more known for physicality and brutality. Together, they helped Barcelona be major force the first five years of this decade. Busquets is the only player who still remains at the club following Xavi’s departure in 2015 and Iniesta’s departure in 2018. Ivan Rakitic was be the closest midfielder to crack the team of the decade and only time will tell if Arthur will be on the next Team of the Decade.

Luis Suárez

This decade saw Luis Suárez and David Villa lead the charge up front and score goals while helping the Blaugrana succeed domestically and in the Champions League. Both played and scored in a Champions League Final. However, David Villa’s time at the club was cut short by injuries and saw him score 48 goals in all competitions in three seasons. Meanwhile, Luis Suárez has scored 190 goals in all competitions since his arrival in 2014, while also winning the Pichichi and Golden Boot in 2016. Whoever succeeds him next decade will have big shoes to step into.

Neymar

As much as it hurts me to omit Pedro from this list, Neymar edges him for this spot. Both were parts of a famous attacking trio; MVP and MSN. Pedro scored in the 2011 Champions League Final, scored twice in the 2012 Copa del Rey Final, along with a memorable Chilena goal to seal the league title during the second treble season of 2014-2015, and his final goal for the Blaugrana was the game winner in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup. Pedro also scored five Clasico goals in five different games against Real Madrid. Pedro left the club having scored 99 goals in 321 games in all competitions.

Neymar left the club in an acrimonious way that left many Blaugrana fans unhappy. Before his departure, Neymar scored 105 goals with 59 assists in 186 games in all competitions. During his four years at the club, Neymar scored in the 2015 Champions League Final, scored in three straight Copa del Rey Finals, and one goal in the 2013 Spanish Super Cup that was the deciding goal to clinch the trophy, and he also scored three Clasico goals. Furthermore, during his time at Barça, MSN won the club’s second ever treble and scored 364 goals in 450 games. Neymar may not be beloved for how he left the club but his time at the club was unforgettable and worthy of being a member of the Team of the Decade. Who knows, he may be on the next Team of the Decade if rumors are true that Barça will be bringing him back this summer.

Lionel Messi

The club’s greatest player of this decade, this century, and in its entire history. He is one of the greatest ever to play the game. Five Golden Balls and Five Golden Shoes in this decade alone is a remarkable achievement. A valid argument can be made that he became the game plan/system for the managers after the departure of Pep Guardiola. Seven league titles since 2009-2010, two Champions League titles, five Copa del Rey titles, two FIFA Club World Cups and two UEFA Super Cups along with five Spanish Super Cups. He became the league’s all-time goal scorer and scored over 100 goas in the Champions League during this decade. It’s a pity that poor coaching has cost him more Champions League titles and here’s hoping we can enjoy Messi in the next decade as well.

Barça, Just OK is Not OK!

FC Barcelona are in first place in both the Spanish League and in their Champions League group. Even though they look good in the standings, their performance hasn’t been good at all. Barça still have issues to resolve and hopefully they can get it together after the international break or else we risk witnessing another disappointing season.

Even though the results do not show it, Barça keep regressing under Ernesto Valverde. The defense keeps leaking goals and the offense looks predictable, which is extremely reliant on Messi. The Blaugrana resemble a car in dire need of a tune-up as they struggle to fire on all cylinders. New signing Griezmann is struggling to click with the team, especially with Messi.

The bigger concern is whether Valverde can actually get the team to play better. Not one player has improved under his helm, so how can we expect him to improve the team. The blame doesn’t fall entirely on him seeing as the players also bear a brunt of the blame. Perhaps Pique needs to cutback on his non-football activities and focus on playing football and rest. Also, it would be nice to figure out why so many Barça players are coming down with muscle injuries.

It’s still early into the season, but Barça being just OK is not OK. Things have to change or else they will be heading towards another disappointing finish. The Blaugrana have been fortunate that Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid have also stumbled early on into the season but eventually one of them will get hot and if Barça don’t get their act together, they may have more concerns than just coming up short in Europe.

From Force to Farce, Lightning Need to Wake Up.

Last season’s playoff exit to the Columbus Blue Jackets by the Tampa Bay Lightning still stings. While I was visiting the team store, I cringed when I saw a puck for sale commemorating last season’s record 62 regular season wins. Last season was a painful and unbelievable experience for Bolts fans, including yours truly, where I just want this current season to end already so we can get to the playoffs. Nevertheless, we can’t think about the playoffs based on the Bolts sub-par start to this season, which is alarming and perhaps indicates that the Lightning have yet to recover from that disappointment.

Last night, the Lightning hosted the Colorado Avalanche following back to back wins on the road against Montreal and Boston. This felt like a home opener since this was only their second game on home ice since the puck dropped on October 3^rd. What the fans witnessed last night was a lifeless performance where Lighting looked second best for the majority of the game in a 6-2 loss. Even though they had many shots on goal, those shots were tame and the level of intensity was not there. This wasn’t the first time that the Bolts had lost badly this season, which begs the question if teams have learned how to play the Bolts courtesy of the Blue Jackets.

Since his hiring, Jon Cooper has been a phenomenal coach for the Lightning. The team is exciting to watch and the fans have a winning product on the ice. Nonetheless, it’s hard to ignore the fact that over the years, this team has failed to delivered in the playoffs. Last season’s first round sweep exit was devastating but not surprising since the warning signs were visible throughout that season.

Last season, the Lightning may have won 62 games, but the one main issue noticed by many was that the Lightning did not play focused the entire 60 minutes of a game. Eight games into this season, that same concern is still visible. Recently, Lightning Television broadcast analyst Bobby 'The Chief' Taylor stated that the Lightning need to start outplaying teams and not outscoring them. That’s exactly how last season played out with the Lightning either blowing out teams or staging a frantic comeback after being down a couple of goals to grab a victory. That may work during the regular season where you may face the team in November and then again in April. However, playoffs hockey is a best of seven playoffs series, so it’s not easy to pull off the same trick against a team over seven games during two weeks, and that’s what happened against the Blue Jackets in the playoffs last season.

The Lightning are still trying to outscore teams and not outplay teams without the same success as last season. However, when it isn’t working, one wonders if they are shell-shocked and thinking back to last season’s playoffs collapse. Jon Cooper and the players need to outplay teams the entire 60 minutes and come playoff time, they need to differentiate between regular season hockey and playoff hockey, where referees call the games differently. Before thinking of the playoffs, the Bolts need to be tough and cut down the penalties and the number of shots on their goal. This is a deep talented team and anything less than a cup is a disappointment as we rue the wasted talent at our disposal. It’s still early but the Bolts need to get their act together now and get over last season’s disappointment or risk facing more disappointment.

Where Have All The Oranje Strikers Gone?

Over many years, the Oranje have been blessed up front with superb strikers. During the good times and bad times, the Oranje always had players who were a threat up front. However, as the team continues its revival under Ronald Koeman, the lack of quality strikers is a concern. With Euro 2020 on the horizon, can Koeman overcome this concern or will it impact his work in returning the Oranje to international competitions.

• By Ibrahim Ayyub
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The Oranje have had a great success up front since their glory days of the late 1980’s. Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit spearheaded the attack during Euro 88. Dennis Bergkamp came on the scene during Euro 92 and later on with Patrick Kluivert becoming his partner in crime in the late 90s, they replaced the retired Van Basten and Gullit. The Dutch had such a dearth of talent in the 90s that saw them call up Pierre van Hooijdonk and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink along with Bergkamp and Kluivert for World Cup 1998.

The competition to play upfront was so intense that even the likes of Roy Makaay, 2003 European Golden Boot winner, wasn’t able to get sufficient playing minutes once Dennis Bergkamp retired after Euro 2000. Ruud van Nistelrooy had burst onto the scene following Bergkamp’s retirement, but he along with Kluivert, Hasselbaink and Van Hooijdonk couldn’t steer the team to World Cup 2002. Ultimately, the latter three’s playing time for the Oranje ended as Van Nistelrooy became the top gun for the Oranje. However, his reign would be short-lived after butting heads with the Oranje manager Van Basten during World Cup 2006 and he would not feature for the Oranje after Euro 2008. In the meantime, the likes of Robin van Persie, Dirk Kuyt and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar emerged on the scene for the Oranje as they, along with Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder, helped guide the Oranje to their third World Cup Final in 2010.

Unfortunately, the Oranje have struggled to replace Van Persie, Kuyt and Huntelaar prior to and subsequent to Koeman’s arrival as manager. Koeman has relied on Ryan Babel, who is in his early 30s, to lead the charge upfront. Even though he is in mid 30s, Huntelaar has been superb for Ajax during their own recent revival, so it was a surprise to see him left out of the Oranje side that features many of his current teammates.

OptaJohan

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322 - Robin van Persie scored 322 career goals in 695 games, including 50 for the Netherlands, making him the all-time top goalscorer for the Dutch national team. Farewell.

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1:54 PM - May 12, 2019

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It is disappointing that this Oranje revival comes at a time when there is a lack of excellent Dutch strikers. This decade alone has seen only four Dutch players lead the Eredivisie in scoring. Bas Dost, Memphis Depay, Vincent Janssen and Luuk de Jong. Only Memphis has been performing well for the Oranje but he is more of a 10 than a striker while the other three have failed to impress when called upon. Bas Dost is 30 now and seems to surplus to requirements, while Luuk de Jong is 29 and about to play in his fourth league in Spain with Sevilla, after playing in Holland, Germany and England. Vincent Janssen is 25 and his career stalled ever since moving to Tottenham in 2016 and is now starting a new chapter in Mexico with Monterrey which probably makes him an afterthought for now.

Time will tell if Koeman will continue to rely on Babel or will he entrust other players such as Wout Weghorst, Quincy Promes, Justin Kluivert to play up front. Who knows, maybe a new rising star, such as Donyell Malen, will appear and shine for the Oranje very much akin to Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong. In the meantime, perhaps Koeman should not ignore Klaas-Jan Huntelaar while he tries to solve this issue.

OptaJohan

✔@OptaJohan

34 - Prior to tonight's game vs APOEL Nicosia, Klaas Jan Huntelaar averaged a goal every 34 minutes of play for @AFCAjax in the 2019-20 season (4 goals in 136 minutes). Executor.

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1:53 PM - Aug 28, 2019

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Does Barça need Neymar or does Neymar need Barça?

Summer is upon us again which could only mean one thing; summer transfer gossip. The latest transfer rumor is Neymar returning to the Blaugrana just two years after paying his way out to join Paris Saint-Germain. Neymar’s exit right before the season was going to kick off left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Barça fans and the club’s directors. It seems now that Neymar has discovered the grass was not greener on the French side and he now wants to return to Barcelona. Neymar needs Barça but it gets the question, does Barça need him?

The last time a former Barça star returned to the Blaugrana was Hristo Stoichkov back in the 90s, so it’s not often a Barça star gets a second warm welcome. Sequels don’t usually work in football, so if the rumors are true about Neymar’s return, then are Barça banking on another MSN sequel. Perhaps the club thinks Neymar can help Messi and the rest of the team get stronger, but is this the right move?

Neymar’s Barça exit to join Paris Saint-Germain was a messy affair that left the club blindsided with the season kicking off in a short period of time along with threats of litigation over unpaid bonuses. Neymar even made a petty request to UEFA in having Barça banned from the Champions League. It’s hard to fathom that both sides now may let bygones be bygones and reunite again after what had transpired.

Neymar would benefit from joining Barça after his two years with Paris Saint-Germain that didn’t help him escape Messi’s shadow. Instead, he found himself in the shadow of Mbappé’s spotlight while courting controversy with his behavior on and off the pitch. Obviously, Barça would benefit financially, via Nike and others, from having Neymar back, but will his return benefit the club on the pitch? The club has been embarrassed the last two seasons in the Champions League and need to do something to boost optimism in the Blaugrana faithful.

Can Neymar be trusted in being professional on and off the pitch and help Barça achieve more glory in the Champions League? Or will Neymar’s return be full of drama and inflate the club’s already bloated high wage scale? There’s also the impact of his arrival on the future Ousmane Dembélé while the arrival of Antoine Griezmann? Neymar will always be part of Barça’s history for his part in MSN’s Barça’s treble but Barça’s doesn’t need him.

Time to fire Valverde now.

Barça’s once promising season went from treble dreams to a bitter nightmare end following their disappointing and gut-wrenching losses to Liverpool and Valencia in both Champions League and Copa del Rey. Blowing a three-goal lead in the Champions League in back to back seasons and then coming up flat against Valencia in the Copa del Rey can only mean one thing; it’s time for Valverde to go.

Valverde may be a good person but his time as Barça’s manager needs to end. Barça have been embarrassed twice in the Champions League under him by blowing back to back 3 goal aggregate leads. He was spared last season thanks to a domestic double where Barça only lost once in the league. However, this season turned out worse than last season.

Unfortunately, the club seems happy to keep Valverde around. After the 2-1 Copa del Rey Final loss to Valencia on Saturday, FC Barcelona’s president Josep Bartomeu defended Valverde and indicated that Valverde’s job was safe. “Valverde: He has a contract, he's the coach. This defeat is not the manager's fault. We had a lot of chances but the ball wouldn't go in. Sometimes you have all the shots, but what counts is scoring goals,” said Bartomeu.



Valverde has to be fired and hope the club can hire someone who for once will not waste Messi’s talents. His coaching is uninspiring and the fact is that he keeps getting outcoached in big games and Messi’s brilliance has saved him from further humiliation thus far. There is no defense in bringing Valverde back next season. He has shown that he is not a visionary with an inspiring project. Furthermore, he has not shown any confidence in our La Masia homegrown talent and has not shown he is true to the club’s DNA with his formations and strategy.


Valverde is the second highest paid manager in Europe and has not justified earning €23 million a year. He has shown he’s not up to the task nor is willing to improve. The club made a mistake in hiring him and need to rectify this mistake by hiring him now.

Time for the Lightning to Strike!

Playoffs time is upon us and for us Tampa Bay Lightning fans, expectations are high and anything but the Stanley Cup will make this season an utter disappointment. The team finished the season with the best record in the league and also tied the Detroit Red Wings record of most wins in a season. However, all of those accomplishments will amount to nothing if the Bolts fail to win the Stanley Cup. Moreover, failure to win the Stanley Cup will only further strengthen the whispers about  Lightning’s coach, Jon Cooper comparisons with another well-known coach in Tampa Bay Sport’s history, Tony Dungy, and will lead to calls for Cooper's head. 

There is a poor paraphrase of a line from one of William Shakespeare’s play that rings true today; “Expectation is the root of all heartache." Expectations are sky high for Lightning fans this season. Last year’s bitter playoffs exit to the Washington Capitals frustrated me and other Lightning fans. This was the second time in three season that the lost in the Conference Finals, the other being against the Pittsburgh Penguins, after reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2015. What made those eliminations so bitter was the fact that on both occasions, the Lightning lead the series 3-2 and yet failed to win one more game to advance to the Finals. Furthermore, both the Penguins and Capitals went on to hoist the Cup. 

After last year’s elimination, it was hard not to compare Jon Cooper’s shortcomings with that of another well-known coach in Tampa Bay sport’s history; former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy. Dungy had one of the best teams in the NFL but he could not get the team over the hump and guide his team to the Super Bowl. He was dismissed and his successor, Jon Gruden, coached the Bucs to the Super Bowl in his first season and won the big prize that many in Tampa Bay thought would never happen. A year later, the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004 under the coaching of John Tortorella.

Fast-forward to today and the Lightning are trying to reach the Finals for the first time since 2015 when they fell to the Chicago Blackhawks. Jon Cooper has been trying to return to the Finals again and after those two bitter eliminations to the Penguins and Capitals in recent history, this season felt that the promised land was within reach. Former General Manager Steve Yzerman has assembled a great team for Jon Cooper and Cooper has done a remarkable job of coaching the great talent at his disposal and made them contenders. This is one of the deepest teams that I can ever recall in Lightning history.

However, the Bolts are already down 2-0 to the Columbus Bluejackets who are coached by none other than John Tortorella. With the exception of the first period of this series, the Lightning have been outplayed and out-coached by the Bluejackets. Panic has already crept in the Lightning fan base and tonight’s game is a must-win for the Bolts if they wish to win anything this year besides the accursed President’s Trophy. It’s not uncommon to see teams rebound after being down 2-0 in a series; but it is not something that we have seen the Lightning do often in their history. Nonetheless, failure at this stage or in the Final will not erase doubts that Cooper is not the man to get this team over the hump. It’s time for the Lightning to strike or else it will be for whom the bell tolls for Jon Cooper and the Lightning.

Barça are Finally Ruthless.

Throughout this past decade, Barça have entertained us and disappointed us. Along with the highs, there have been lows that have frustrated the fan base. One of my major complaints about this team, dating from Guardiola to last season, was their lack of being ruthless. However, under Valverde, it appears that this team has figured out how to be ruthless at the perfect time.

Besides the treble season under Luis Enrique, Barça had this tendency to let up instead of be ruthless. Time and time again, we would witness Real Madrid go through a crisis while their manager is on the hot seat. A victory over their bitter rival would have sent the Blancos into turmoil. However, instead of going for the kill, Barça would allow Real Madrid to escape their clutches and grab a victory in El Clasico that would give them some momentum and avert disaster.

This year however, Barça finally discovered how to be cold blooded. Real Madrid had already fired one manager, Lopetegui, after Barça defeated them 5-1 at the Camp Nou back in October. Under Solari, Real Madrid were facing Barça in three matches while trying to clinch a spot in the Champions League Quarter-Finals, a spot in the Copa del Rey Final, and try to stave off elimination from the league chase. The final two matches were going to be played in Madrid’s stadium and any positive result was going to inspire them onwards.

Fortunately, Barça managed not to lose all three games while also subjecting Real Madrid to suffer back to back defeats to their arch enemy in front of their own fans.  The consequences of these results saw Real Madrid then crash out of the Champions League following a 4-1 crushing defeat at home to Ajax Amsterdam. As a result, Solari was fired and Zidane was brought back. However, the damage was done. Madrid’s season ended in March and they had nothing left to play for.

Barça finally showed that they knew how to go for the kill and proved it a few weeks ago when Barça also defeated Atletico Madrid to increase their lead atop of the league standings while Atletico’s league aspirations suffered a terrible blow. A loss would have reduced Barça’s league lead to just five points between them. Instead, it’s now an 11-point cushion and it would take a total collapse for the Blaugrana to not win the league title. Barça’s momentum carried on outside of Spain when they defeated Manchester United for the first time at Old Trafford in the first leg of their Champions League Quarter-Finals.

The quest for the treble still is alive and Barça need to remain sharp and focused as the season comes to an end. Hopefully they can continue to be ruthless and continue to go for the kill. This is their moment and they must seize it and never relinquish it, and they can only do that if they continue to remain ruthless.

The Coutinho Dilemma.

On January 6, 2018, Barça signed Coutinho from Liverpool for €160 million, making him the most expensive transfer in club history, and the Brazilian star signed a five-and-a-half-year contract with a buyout clause of €400 million. His arrival was welcomed by many Blaugrana faithful as part of Barça’s plan to build another great team for many years to come. Unfortunately, a year has since passed and not only has Coutinho failed to impress on the pitch, he is not even an automatic choice in the starting lineup. Should Barça consider offers and cash in on Coutinho or remain patient?

Last year, I had some concerns about the club going after Coutinho during the winter transfer window. The club had just signed Dembélé during the summer for a vast amount and a few months later, Coutinho was rumored to be the next expensive signing. I wanted to wait and see how the team would look when Dembélé returned from his injury before buying Coutinho. There were already doubts on how the team would function when Dembélé returned from his injury while at the same time, try to shoehorn Coutinho into the team with no proper preseason.

A month later, there were grumbles from the fans that Dembélé and Coutinho were not living up to their price tags. Just because their transfer fees were enormous, didn’t mean they were not going to need time to settle. History has shown us that many players need time to adapt to playing for Barça. Henry, Neymar, and Suarez took some time before they got going and both Dembélé and Coutinho should have been afforded some time, perhaps half a season, before being fairly judged on their performances.

A year later, Dembélé is now considered an automatic starter in the starting eleven up front with Suarez and Messi. Coutinho, on the other hand, has not only failed to earn a spot in the starting eleven; his spot in any lineup is still a mystery. Overall, Coutinho appears to be a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. Under Valverde, we are unsure of what is Coutinho’s best position is. Many hailed his arrival as Iniesta’s successor but it has become apparent that Coutinho is not a midfielder. His few Golazos were not enough to mask his inability to play in the midfield as he either got bullied off the ball often or failed to locate teammates by usually looking down before dribbling towards the box to attempt a thunderous shot on goal.

Of course, some supporters claimed that Coutinho was being played out of position. Folks have said Coutinho plays in the same position as Messi, so when Messi went down with an injury in October, I thought it was time for Coutinho to seize his moment and shine. But alas, Coutinho struggled in Messi’s absence and was soon relegated to the bench by Valverde. Earlier this month, I questioned what to do with Coutinho. Valverde has struggled to find the right formation to include Coutinho with Messi, Suárez and Dembélé, and the Brazilians seems destined to ride the bench for now. However, the bench was not what many had in mind when the club broke their transfer record for Coutinho. Ultimately, Coutinho has failed to shine up front, in the midfield, and in Messi’s absence, so it’s not entirely Valverde’s fault.

Can Valverde find a way to get more out of Coutinho or will the board live with the fact that they spent €160 million for a substitute? I don’t see the board firing Valverde just to accommodate Coutinho, if he is still getting the results and titles. RMC Sport journalist Daniel Riolo recently claimed that PSG may trigger Coutinho’s €400 million as retaliation to Barça beating them in the €75m signing of Ajax star Frenkie de Jong. Perhaps the club should not shy away from such interest if PSG or other clubs trigger the buyout clause or come in a with a big offer, and Barça use that money to reinforce the team with other signings such as Matthijs de Ligt. Being impatient doesn’t have its rewards, but in this situation, it would be rewarding.

Barça’s worst enemy continues to be themselves.

The winter break is over and Barça will be back in action as they resume their pursuit in conquering all three competitions. Their path consists of the likes of Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla in Spain, while battling Lyon and the other remaining clubs in the Champions League. However, the Blaugrana need to come to grips with their worst enemy; themselves.

The club’s start to the 2018-2019 season has been exceptional thus far.  Barça sit atop of the league table and won their Champions League group stage. However, a few bumps in the road due to on the field and off the field issues have to be resolved as they prepare for their second half of the season.



During the first half of the season, the big issue was Ousmane Dembélé. Fortunately, it seems the matter has been resolved. Yet, I feel it won’t be last time before we read another negative story about the young Frenchman. It’s not unheard of to see someone who is 21 and immature. Messi needed Pep Guardiola to tell him to change his diet habits at 21 and make him shine on the pitch. The club knew they were signing a young player who was not a model citizen at Rennes and Dortmund. Obviously, the lack of professional people managing and advising Dembélé is not helping and he would probably benefit from having an experienced agent to advise him properly. Hopefully Éric Abidal, currently the club’s football first team technical secretary, can be that father figure and take him under his wings to teach him to become more professional athlete and steer him from squandering his opportunity.



Another issue of concern is the manager himself, Ernesto Valverde. Last season, Valverde could hang his hat upon the fact that his team almost went unbeaten in the league and defended well which saw them capture the domestic double. Last season, the Blaugrana conceded only 29 goals. This season however, they have already lost twice and have conceded 19 goals after 17 games. Fortunately, the Blaugrana have kept a clean sheet the last four games and here’s hoping the trend of not leaking goals continues.

Nonetheless, under Valverde, the team is unbalanced with the midfield failing to support the backline. Some of his decisions when it comes to the starting eleven is also baffling, such as immediately starting players who have just returned from an injury. He also benches players after a good run of games and starts players out of the blue. Last season, there were complaints that he kept playing the starters for too long and didn’t rotate enough down the stretch after amassing a big lead in the league standings. This season, Valverde was rotating often which saw the team drop points during the first half of the season.

It is clear that Valverde has not settled on 4-3-3 and often reverts to 4-4-2 which at times has been dull to watch. This is Barça, not Athletic, and with the talent at his disposal, we should not be watching dull football. However, the main concern is that Valverde still seems to make the team become more conservative when they have the lead or he fails to adjust when the team is struggling to gain control on the pitch, with the loss to Real Betis as the perfect example with the bitter taste of being eliminated by Roma in the Champions League still lingering. That Roma elimination is a dark cloud that continues to hover over Valverde to this day.



Another major issue is what to do with Coutinho. Valverde does not consider him as a starter, due in large to Dembélé’s performances lately. With Valverde unable to play 4-3-3 or any other variation, the big signing Coutinho, and other signing Arthur, seem destined to ride the bench for now. However, the bench was not what many had in mind when the club spent €160 million for Coutinho. Nonetheless, Coutinho has failed to shine up front, in the midfield, and in Messi’s absence, so it’s not entirely Valverde’s fault. With any luck, Valverde can find a way to get more out of Coutinho or the board will live with the fact that they spent €160 million for a substitute.



Finally, Valverde needs to give more minutes to La Masia players. Carles Aleñá is a recent La Masia who has made the jump to the first team and here’s to hoping he gets to feature in all three competitions. No one is demanding that Barça B players be inserted into the starting lineups and play a full 90 minutes but with Copa del Rey on the horizon, we should see more of the youth in these games. None of the key starters should feature in the Copa del Rey in order to be rested for the league and Champions League which should be the main priorities this season. Chasing a treble, as much we love to win it, can be costly if it means coming up short in Europe because of fatigue from playing in Copa del Rey, again.

The board also has to do better in terms of protecting its players and investing in the squad. It was no secret that the stories of Dembélé being late to training were being leaked to the media and its unfathomable how this was supposed to improve the situation. Additionally, the club needs to improve on re-enforcing the squad.



Ajax Amsterdam’s Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt are players the club should be signing as heir apparent to Gerard Piqué and Sergio Busquets, who will be 32 and 31 by the time next season starts. Yet, it seems Barça will ultimately sign Adrien Rabiot and Jean-Clair Todibo instead. It is true that signing two of these four players could impact the youth players who want to make the jump to the first team. However, since these signings are going to be made anyways, then wouldn’t it be for the best to sign the finest talent available and not make another André Gomes/ Marlon type signing? The board needs to stop with the poor signings and not waste Messi’s final years with these types of teammates. Elections are a couple of years away but it would be nice for the new board to inherit a strong, if not the greatest, team like this current one did.

The league resumes today with a tricky away fixture to Getafe. Will Barça stop being their own worst enemy? Only time will tell. Hopefully we are not wasting Messi’s talent and time at the club.