Barça head into the New Year with a great domestic advantage against their arch rivals, Real Madrid, and their closest rivals to the league crown Atlético Madrid. The 16 and 9 points cushion provides our beloved Blaugrana wonderful breathing room in their league conquest and allow them to focus on the Champions League and Copa del Rey. However, Barça should head into the new year with extra caution and not repeat past mistakes and beat themselves.
Cules are ending 2012 on a spectacular note as they find their club 16 points ahead of arch enemy Real Madrid. Lost in all of this is the fact that Atlético Madrid are 9 points behind. That too is a great lead but Barça need to remain focused the rest of the way especially with two difficult matches coming up against Espanyol at the Camp Nou and away to Malaga. Espanyol have found a new bounce in their step under “El Vasco” Javier Aguirre while Malaga defeated Real Madrid not too long ago and have conceded the fewest goals thus far in the league. A few hiccups here and there and their lead might shrink down again for Atlético to somehow catch up to them.
I have always been a firm believer that Barça’s biggest enemy is themselves. Last season showed us how Guardiola didn’t prepare for the season with a very difficult and congested fixture that sprung fatigue and injuries towards the end of the season. When Tito returns in mid-January (fingers crossed) he has to ensure that these mistakes do not play out again.
First, Tito has to cut down on the matches Messi is playing. Mission impossible, I know, but one has to consider the amount of wear and tear that Messi is racking up. Last season was a perfect example where Messi had finally hit the wall near the end and struggled against Chelsea and Real Madrid. Sure, the minor injury he picked up at Stamford Bridge didn’t help but you could tell that he and his teammates were almost running on fumes. Thus, Tito has to continue rotating his players, including Messi to keep them fresh especially with the treble on the horizon.
Another issue that has to be addressed is the dependency on Messi. We have seen the likes of Pedro, Alexis and David Villa struggle to get into rhythm, or minutes for the latter, and have not had the best of seasons when it comes to scoring. These upcoming Copa games have to be used for them to snap out of their funk and get their mojo back. Perhaps, they were focused on helping Messi break the Muller record but everyone’s hearts was in their necks when Messi went down in the Benfica match. That was a match he had no business playing in and was a perfect example for the others to step up and gain from those minutes. Had that injury been severe, how optimistic would you have been to know that those trio, along with Tello and a returning Cuenca, as the other players up front? We need those players to be sharp and in goal scoring form and not watch teams shut down Barça by hounding Messi.
Another issue Tito has to address is David Villa. Clearly the #7 is still #1 in many hearts of the Blaugrana faithful and many, including myself, wonder how long can Villa remain patient with his lack of minutes and starts? The last thing this club needs is unhappy players. Either sell him in January or start playing him. Sure, he doesn’t drop back and defend like Alexis but he does something that Alexis and Pedro cannot seem to be doing much of lately; scoring. The club says he will be a winter signing. Well, he better be used as such or else it will be a distraction for the media to keep addressing if he finds himself on the bench often.
Finally, the rotations should consist of the youth players getting more minutes. Bartra showed he can fill in for Pique and Puyol and is a better fit than Song as a centre-back. Let him get the occasional starts over Puyol and Pique to keep them fresh ahead of the bigger encounters such as Champions League where Puyol’s presence is much more vital. Same can be said for Montoya who has been sensational this season who might see more minutes if Dani Alves and Adriano keep picking up injuries. Thiago and Cesc are now healthy so that should mean Xavi and Iniesta should get a breather from time to time too along with Song giving Busquets some time off. We need our best to be fit and fresh for the big games.
Although it’s too soon to talk about the treble, it’s already on every Culet’s mind and New Year’s wish list. Tito has a deep squad so he has to make the most of it for all three competitions to be prepared for all situations and not drop points which will force Tito to keep using his starters more often. 2012 has had its share of ups and downs, with it ending on a positive note. Hopefully 2013 will have mostly more ups and fewer downs. For my 100th blog entry, I wish you and your family a Happy New Year and may 2013 be wonderful to you all.
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