Barça’s murky vision towards the future.

Last year, I wrote about my concerns regarding the future of Barça’s future with respect to the treatment of Barça B graduates on the first team. Now, that concern has grown as Barça’s vision towards the future seems murky with Barça B struggling and the first team not investing in the right players for the long haul.

We have witnessed Barça drift away from making sure Barça B and the rest of La Masia remain successful and be an important asset for the first team. Barça B is back in the third division where they are currently languishing in the relegation zone after a poor start to the season that saw them capture two wins from their first eight matches. FIFA also harmed La Masia after some youth players were barred from being with the Blaugrana, which caused the transfer ban in the first place. All in all, the club’s poor handling of the threat of a transfer ban affected the first team and the youth setup.

The transfer ban also caused Barça to go on a shopping spree last season prior to the ban taking effect. The Blaugrana brought in a lot of new faces. Some were good, some were bad, and some were injured who were hardly a factor. Of course, Barça went on to win the treble last season so everyone thought it was a great plan. Barça went ahead and signed Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan this past summer for this season, even though they will have to wait till January 2016 to play for the club. Following the number of injuries the club has suffered this season, along with the departure of Pedro, there is talk of even more transfers when the transfer window opens up again in January without any mention of calling up Barça B players to fill the void. Players such as Álex Grimaldo who should be deputizing for Jordi Alba is ignored for the likes of Mathieu and Adriano, with the latter being offered a new deal, while startlet Sergi Samper is also being ignored by Luis Enrique while Gumbau gets to train with the first much to everyone’s surprise since Samper is considered the rising star.

There has been some grumbling that Barça are distancing themselves from La Masia by solely relying on transfers. Young talent such as Adama and Halilović, who were considered rising stars for the first team, have been sent out on loan to another club. Moreover, Deulofeu and Denis Suarez are out on loan yet again. It’s hard to see how the B team will improve and gain promotion when the majority of the best talent are no longer there. Maybe it could have been different if the team did not suffer relegation which would have allowed those players to face the second best of what Spanish football has to offer. Of course, the bigger concern is no longer whether Barça B can win promotion back to the second division again but, whether they can avoid a second successive relegation. The good news is that there a lot of good up and coming talent from the lower ranks of La Masia. The bad news though is how good can they be for the growth and progress of the first team if Barça B are playing in the third or fourth division?

Another issue of concern was whether La Masia has become a source of revenue for Barça. Some argue that if selling these young talents can help bring in better talent than can help the first team, then so what? Sure, those young players may benefit from playing elsewhere and then can be brought back through a buy back clause or once the loan is over. Perhaps, that is a good argument however; it appears that the sale of these young talents contributes towards the shopping spree piggy bank. With any luck, the club learned from the Cesc transfer and will try to avoid making the same mistake of overspending on former youth players. Hopefully they do not forget about those players out on loan too.

Yet, the biggest concern for some of the Blaugrana faithful, including myself, is the future of Barça’s current squad. Is the club interested in a long term vision or just a short term quick fix? If we look ahead to the next three and five years, will Barça have the proper players available to continue to be contenders? In three years, Busquets, Rakitic, Pique, Luis Suarez, Messi, Turan, and Vermaelen will be in their 30’s. A few more years, those players will be either gone or retired. As of now, Sandro, Munir, Rafinha, Ter Stegen, Neymar, Bartra, Sergi Roberto, Bartra, Jordi Alba and Aleix Vidal will still be in their 20’s after three years with the latter two reaching their 30s in five years. Thus, Barça will be looking at another major shopping spree in the near future to restock their first team.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid, perhaps in anticipation of a possible transfer ban of their own, went ahead and made some interesting moves this past summer. They brought back Casemiro and Lucas Vázquez to the club from their loan spell and signed Danilo and Kovacic who all happen to be 24 or younger. Madrid’s current squad is currently stacked with young players such as Kovacic, Varane, Jesé, Casemiro, Carvajal, Isco, James Rodriguez, Lucas Vasquez, Cheryshev, Danilo, Nacho, and Kroos who are all in their early 20s and will still be in their 20’s in five years with the exception of the latter two, who will be hitting their 30s. Moreover, Gareth Bale is 26, Benzema and Marcelo are 27, Keylor Navas is 28, while Sergio Ramos and Kiko Casilla are 29. Only Ronaldo, Modric, Pepe, and Arbeloa have hit the 30 age mark. At the moment, it appears that Madrid have a better long term plan with a young talented squad than Barça, but then again, this is Madrid where players come and go at depending on Florentino Perez’s mood.

Nonetheless, it was those kinds of transfers that made some Barça fans question the logic of signing a 28 year old Arda Turan, who will be 29 when he makes his debut, when they could have signed a 21 year old Kovacic instead. If the club doesn’t trust the youth players, then sign younger players who can give you 5-6 years at least.

Ultimately, Barça needs to make sure they are taking care of their youth players properly so they can eventually be part of the first team while buying players so both can continue this club’s successful run. The club cannot rely on just the youth or just on transfers, but on both. Barça need to keep an eye out for the future. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “You may delay, but time will not.” Barça needs to reexamine their long term vision before it is too late and realize they are relying on the old guard with no clear new guard in sight.

Interview with FC Barcelona Historian Ángel Iturriaga.

Over the years, many have written books about FC Barcelona, its history, managers and players. However, not many have written encyclopedias about Barça’s players, coaches, trainers, and presidents throughout the club's history.  Ángel Iturriaga has the claim to fame of doing so, and Penya Member Ibrahim Ayyub was fortunate enough to interview Mr. Iturriaga and answer some questions about Barça’s history and future.

Ángel Iturriaga Barco is a gifted writer and historian, and also a Barça fan. He first publishedDiccionario de jugadores del F.C. Barcelona, back in 2010 and then publishedDiccionario de técnicos y directivos del F.C. Barcelona in 2011. 2013 was a busy year for him as he published Diccionario de jugadores de la selección española and collaborated with David Valero Carreras, on Paulino: el primer crac de la història del Barça, the autobiography about former Barça player, Paulino Alcántara. He has also helped me with his input on the Penya's  "A Look Back At Barça Legends" series. I am honored that Mr. Iturriaga was gratuitous enough to take time for this interview. 

What inspired you to become a sports Writer/historian? 

Ever since my childhood, I had a passion for history, especially contemporary history. I always felt the need to know what generations before mine did, something basic to understand the world in which we live in. The act of publishing my research was somewhat derivative of the same thing; in trying to share the knowledge with whoever shares the same concerns as mine.

How much time and research does it take to write these Diccionarios?

The Diccionarios (Encyclopedias) has been a slow process that I have been working on while doing other research. I have been accumulating data on players, coaches and managers of FC Barcelona for a long time. I published my first two Diccionarios after I managed a large volume of information and data that provided news to the club's history.

It's no secret that you are passionate about FC Barcelona, where does that come from?

Actually, the origins of my passion towards the club come from my father, who was passionate for Barça during the time he lived in the Catalan capital. He always spoke to me of the Barça of Kubala, of Cruyff and journey through the desert. Since childhood, all of this awoke in me with sympathy and curiosity for the club.

What FC Barcelona team was the one that you think was head and shoulders above the rest?

I think it's impossible to compare different time periods because we do not have sufficient data. I think we should mention the magnificent Barça of the twenties and fifties. Without them, the enormous club we know today would not have been successfully built. Yet, for footballing reasons, I think you have to go with Pep Guardiola’s Barça, a sublimation of the idea of playing style that has prevailed in the club since the seventies, the same style that Cruyff improved as a coach.

Who were your favorite FC Barcelona manager and player?

My favorite manager is Pep Guardiola. My favorite player, obviously, is Leo Messi, but I would like to recall a legend, without which nothing that happened after his time, would have been possible, Paulino Alcántara.

Where does FC Barcelona’s "Mes que un club" motto come from?

Traditionally, this stems from a speech given by Lluís de Carreras when he took over the presidency of the club back in 1968. It was a feeling that existed among many Cules but Mr. de Carreras was the first to express it publicly.

Is that still true today?

Certainly. The club is an institution that goes far beyond sports to have great significance in Catalonia, both socially and politically. This has been true since the beginning of the club's history, especially since Joan Gamper took over the presidency.

It seems that FC Barcelona has two playing styles, Cruyff and everyone else? What makes coaching this team difficult?

Since the seventies, FC Barcelona won major titles with only one style, the one imposed by people like Laureano Ruiz, Buckingham or Michels and subsequently improved by Cruyff, Rijkaard and Guardiola. The team has sunk whenever it moved away from that model, as we are seeing today. Children of La Masia have been trained with that style of play that no longer is being practiced today by neither the first nor the second team.

With all the legendary FC Barcelona players to choose from, why did you, along with David Valero Carreras, choose Paulino Alcántara?

Paulino is the first star in in club history. When David and I started working on this book, he was the top scorer in the history of FC Barcelona history only to be surpassed by Leo Messi today. His transcendence was beyond football because he featured in an era when the club was on the verge of disappearance. He made football became a popular sport in Barcelona, and the increase in fans that resulted from that, which made it possible for the club to survive.

When did the rivalry with Real Madrid take off?

In the twenties, Real Madrid already appeared to be a strong rival. However, during the fifties, Real Madrid was the second best team, after Atletico Madrid, from the capital of Spain. After the Kubala signing by the club, who was wanted by Real Madrid, and after the case of Di Stéfano, hostilities began as we know them today.

What went wrong with the Di Stefano signing?

It's a long story, a very convoluted case with many edges. Ultimately, Barça, who had the right to expect the player, the player had to renounce to the Barça president after some threats coming from the Franco regime. To further understand this subject, I recommend reading “El Caso Di Stéfano” by Xavier García Luque and Jordi Finestres and Sid Lowe’s“Fear and Loathing in La Liga” book.

How big of an impact was Cruyff's signing from Ajax?

Cruyff changed everything though he only gave a great performance in his first season. He brought modernity and color to the gray society during the final years of Franco. He managed to be the key man for the club in order to be able to win its first league title in over a decade and a half. His impact was absolute and his signing, in a way, was a symbol of the restoration of Catalonia’s democracy.

Will we ever see anything like the Hesperia mutiny again?

It is very difficult during this era for players with very different interests to all agree on something. We have seen it all in football, but I think it is almost impossible.

Do you agree with those who believe that the club is regressing back to the days of uncertain playing style following Cruyff's firing?

No doubt about it. The current leaders have a great resentment towards Cruyff, Guardiola and all that they both represent. They would like to win with a totally opposite style, although it has been demonstrated that this club can only achieve titles when they return to the Dutch style.

How important has La Masia's role been in the history of FC Barcelona in the past and present, and the future after the Transfer ban?

It has a huge significance. La Masia has been a blessing. It has really only been useful since the arrival of Cruyff, where all teams began to play in a certain way, with equal roles in all lower categories. La Cantera has been the nursery of the club; the pride of the Catalans. Since the arrival of Rosell as president, great masters of it, Capella, Benaiges, Alexanko, Amor, Òscar, Puig, have been dismissed, risking an end to an extraordinary model.

With Atletico winning La Liga last season and Valencia under the ownership of Peter Lim, is La Liga still a two team league?

I think not. Atletico is certainly a team that can already compete on equal terms with Barça and Real Madrid. The project of Valencia is equally interesting, although I think it will take a few years for it to fully materialize.

Has the intensity of media coverage and bias from both Barcelona and Madrid towards their teams, and their rivals, increased over the years or has it always been this way before the arrival of social media?

Absolutely. Since the fifties, the media coverage has increased, as football became a high profile sport and the media continued to spread it. From the seventies, there were already dozens of the media credited to cover one of the biggest games. Today, there are more than 200 types of media around the world covering every game of the top teams.

Did the success of Spain during their amazing run help bridge the gap between Spaniards and Catalans, especially with Catalans in favor of independence?

I do not think so. There was Catalan separatists who were glad to see men like Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets win a World Cup, but in no way did it influence their political visions.

Are there any upcoming books about FC Barcelona players or figures?

I am doing research on the political and social history of the club throughout history. You may have a publication in the future, but not anytime soon, because there is still a series of interviews to conduct that serve to retrieve part of the club’s memory.

Are you a member of a Penya?

I'm not a member although I have collaborated with some who are interested in issues that go beyond just the mere weekly match, as is the case with your Penya. I would encourage the Penyas to become more involved in the social life of the club and to be interested in knowing the history of the club, because to know where we're going, we must know where we come from.

Well Sir, I hope you accept our kind offer of making you an honorary member of Penya Barcelonista De Miami.

Oh, a big honour for me!! Thank you very much!!

If you are interested in knowing more about Ángel Iturriaga Barco, you can follow him on twitter - https://twitter.com/anituarco. He also has a blog dedicated to remembering the recent passing away of former football players - http://jugadoresfallecidosrip.blogspot.com.es/.  His books can be purchased from Amazon website for Spanish and US shoppers.

The Fate of Barça’s Future?

Back in April, FC Barcelona  displayed a huge banner in the Camp Nou prior to a league match kickoff that read “La Masia No Se Toca” which meant, La Masia is not to be touched. However, those words may have fallen on deaf ears under this regime. With the Montoya fiasco, following the Thiago fiasco, one has to wonder if the La Masia players wonder if their future lies elsewhere.

It’s been a difficult time for Barça fans what with the transfer ban and the way the club has been run by this current administration. It equally has to be tough for the Barça B players who are supposed to learn their craft from an dreadful manager such as Eusebio. The Blaugrana faithful used to take pride in watching players from the academy get called up. However, it seems that this club is more interested in picking players outside the club over those from within. So it is ironic that FC Barcelona’s response to FIFA transfer ban with the huge “La Masia No Se Toca” banner when they seem to be neglecting it as well.

The perfect example is the current situation with Martin Montoya. For the past few years, quite a few considered the young fullback as the heir apparent for Dani Alves. That belief was enhanced when Luis Enrique was brought on as the new first team manager. Montoya was a starter under Luis Enrique during their time together at Barça B. However, for reasons no one quite knows why, Barça decided to sign a nobody, Douglas, who has failed to show he is Barça material. Nevertheless, Montoya was put on the back burner and now he wants out in the winter transfer window.

Barça fans already had to go through Thiago leaving the club for Bayern and now Montoya is next to follow as another promising player who must play elsewhere. With the transfer ban still in effect, how can Barça afford to lose Montoya when Dani Alves is rumored to be leaving the club when his contract runs out at the end of the season. Douglas has been a nightmare of a signing where he struggled against S.D. Huesca.

Far more concerning for me is what will other players think about their chances with the first team? Deulofeu is out on loan again for the second year running and Adama is still working his magic with Barça B. You also the same situation with midfielders Denis Suarez and Sergi Samper. Denis is also on loan with Sevilla, with Deulofeu, while Samper is shining for the Barça B team. Barça did capture a diamond in the rough with Alen Halilović’s signing so the future looks bright for Barça.

However, it does not seem likely that these young players command starting minutes away anytime soon. Tello knew that and that is why he is playing on loan for Porto. Barça spent over 150 million euros this summer to strengthen the team and by the looks of things, they might need to spend some more next season if the transfer ban is lifted. Where does that leave the kids?

It’s easy for everyone to say that the kids need to be patient before their time comes. Montoya has been with the club for 15 years and he has had enough of sitting in the stands. I don’t blame players who are ambitious and want to play. Thiago did what he thought was the best for him, and if not for the injuries, he would he excelling with Bayern as he had when he was fit, and no one would fault him for making the move there.  Jonathan Dos Santos remained patient and loyal but no one wanted to play him and in the end, the club just wanted him gone.

My biggest concern is what are the Barça B players and the younger players thinking after what has transpired with Montoya. Do they think their future lies elsewhere? Just the other day, Eusebio lashed out on hisplayers following a loss and said they were interested in showcasing their talent for the winter transfer window. Well, to be frank, can you blame them?

Barça are currently a different system than the one Cruyff and Pep had installed. The same system that the youth players are supposed to be learning. So you have Luis Enrique playing a different style of football and you have Eusebio with his own style for Barça B. There is no clear cohesion from what the youth players are taught as they climb through the ranks. Barça hardly resemble the side that won the Champions League a few years ago while Barça B are hovering above the drop zone in the second division.

The idea of Barça B getting relegated would just be another step in the wrong direction for the club. People can say the players should be loyal. Sorry, but we have seen that both, clubs and players, are not loyal to one another. Figo was the Barça captain and he left for Real Madrid while Barça kindly showed Abidal the door. So spare me the loyalty speech.

In the end, the future of Barça’s future is not one to be messed with. This administration has made a mess of things during their time in charge and the way this Montoya situation has played out is alarming. If La Masia players see how the situations of Thiago, Jonathan Dos Santos and Montoya played out, how can we be sure that they are not thinking of an exit plan in the back of their minds. Better yet, can you blame them? You’d probably be weighing your options too if you were in their shoes since everything seems going backwards with Barça nowadays.

-@IBES16

In La Masia We Trust?

For years, many praised FC Barcelona’s youth academy as the back bone behind their success. The club has always made a point of having players from the youth setup be a part of the first team. Us fans have always pointed to the likes of Puyol, Xavi, Valdés, Iniesta, Messi, Pedro and Busquets as players who came through the La Masia ranks to become starters and key players in many triumphs. However, it seems that the talk of La Masia being significant is becoming more of folklore and a great marketing gimmick than actual fact. Worst of all, it seems that La Masia is becoming more and more irrelevant for Barça.

Barça fans, myself included, always relished mocking Real Madrid and their lack of belief in their youth setup. They had plenty of talented players in their academy but would end up selling them to other teams and not using them i.e., Soldado, Borja Valero, Negredo, and Mata just to name a few. Ultimately, Real Madrid have been financing their youth setup by selling their young talent and not profiting from these players on the pitch instead.

Back in November, history was made when Barça had an entire team on the pitch who came through the youth academy. For years, many praised FC Barcelona’s youth academy as the back bone behind their success. The club has always made a point of having players from the youth setup be a part of the first team with the likes of Puyol, Xavi, Valdés, Iniesta, Messi, Pedro and Busquets as players who came through the La Masia ranks to become starters and key players in many triumphs. Nevertheless, Barça seems to be following in their footsteps in terms of neglecting their youth. They may not be cashing in on them, as their arch rivals would, thanks to the loans deals with buy back clauses as was the case recently with Botia and Romeu. There was no strong likelihood that Barça ever planned to buy back Botia when he was on loan with Sevilla and now plies his craft for Sevilla while Romeu is still with Chelsea and he indicated he was in no hurry to return to Barça.

Back in February, I complained about how Barça was treating its youth players by promising them promotion to the first team without providing them adequate playing time. I argued that this was not helping them mature as players, but instead regress. Well, it looks like the powers that be at Barça realized the error of their ways and will implement another strategy. Thus, players such as Gerard Deulofeu, Montoya, Bartra and even Tello might be loaned out to other clubs to gain experience if rumors are to be believed. It sure beats sitting on the bench or in the stands.

On the other hand, this might not be a long-term problem. La Masia is being horribly mismanaged by the current regime. Under the supervision of Amor and the coaching of Eusebio, the quality of Barça B has regressed. Barça B finished their league campaign in the second division in 9th place; one place behind Real Madrid B. They managed to win 15 games out of 42 matches with only 4 victories in the final 19 matches. Tito hardly called up players from the B team to play with the first team so Eusebio had a full team to coach all season long.

Eusebio’s coaching of Barça B has been met with wide criticism. The criticism stems from not having the team play the right way; not getting the best out of his players; and not even using the players he is presented with. The club signed Edgar Ié and Agostinho Cá from Sporting Lisbon yet Edgar only began to feature recently after being medically cleared back in the fall while no one can really recall how many times Agostinho Cá has played. The fact that Eusebio was given another year extension just indicates that the club is completely out of touch with the youth setup or just don’t care.

10 players are rumored to be leaving the B team next season, including starlet Muniesa who was once considered a future defender on the first team. Then again, only Bartra and Montoya seemed to be the only graduates since Oleguer to be promoted and remain with the first team as defenders. On the other hand, those two might not be with the team next season. It does beg the question as to why haven’t Barça developed defenders, especially center-backs, from the youth setup.

Tito is not blameless in this matter either. His predecessor, Guardiola, always made it a habit of calling up Barça B players to train with the first team and also make an appearance with the first team. In his four seasons with the club, Guardiola called up youth players for the final league games once the league had been decided. During the treble season, Botia, Abraham, and Xavi Torres appeared in the final league match. Two years later, Romeu, Bartra, Fontas, and Jonathan Dos Santos got the same opportunity and at the end of last season, Pep had to rely on B players such as Cuenca and Tello because of injuries to others, and Bartra and Montoya also got to feature a bit. The only exception was the 2009-2010 season, where the league was won on the final match day.

Yet, Tito opted to stick with his regulars even though the league had been decided back in the spring, and some would say since December. With the league safely assured, where were the minutes for Gerard Deulofeu, Sergi Roberto, Rafinha, Ilie, and Dongou? Better yet, where were the minutes for Tello, Thiago, Montoya and Bartra but that’s another discussion.

When the club closed down the old Masia building and built a new facility, I wasn’t expecting the doors to also be slamming shut on Barça B players’ hopes of getting into the first team. As for the argument that there is no space for the current B players for the first team, then why is the club rumored to be signing players from other teams again such as Neymar. Unfortunately, this club has had mixed success with their transfers during the Rosell era so why not focus on players who know the system and will not cost a fortune. It should not be about marketability, but about performance.

Overall, this club would not be where it is today without its youth players. It was Puyol who was leading the team over the years. It was Valdés who came up big with key stops in those Champions League finals. It was Iniesta who scored that wonder goal against Chelsea. It was Busquets who filled in the midfield when Yaya had to play center back along with Pique in that Rome Final. It was Pedro who scored those big goals in important finals. Oh yeah, there is also this little guy who came through La Masia and became one of the greatest to ever play the game.

In conclusion, this club better pay attention to what is going on with Barça B. They cannot neglect its current state or else the club’s future will severely impacted. The foundation has been set for a prosperous future for Barça and they cannot afford to ignore it or mistreat it. If Barça fails to maintain the quality and integrity of La Masia, then the repercussions will be felt for many years. The club cannot afford to make La Masia irrelevant or just some marketing gimmick. This club is where it is today because of La Masia and the club best not forget it.