Barça’s Ineffective Bang for their Buck

Barça defied the tough odds and gave us a memorable performance last week against Milan. The tide shifted from disaster to optimism and hope. We saw the old Barça that we were accustomed to seeing. The great win against Milan brought back hope and the mojo this team was lacking but also brought up a question regarding the club’s recent transfers.

FC Barcelona’s official website called Barça’s 4-0 victory a magnificent comeback. You can’t argue with them there. After all, the odds were against them and there were doubts following their lethargic displays against Real Madrid. There were talks of different lineups and formation, with one in particular from Mundo Deportivo indicating that Messi would be starting in the midfield. In the end, Tito and Roura went with what worked before, the usual starters and tactics under Pep.

There was the surprise of seeing Puyol on the bench with Mascherano starting in his place. Fortunately that Mascherano error did not haunt the team and cause a whole lot of second guessing either. Ultimately, the starting eleven got it done. Coincidentally, the starting eleven in that match where the same exact starting eleven that started that UEFA Champions League Final in Wembley against Manchester United back in 2011 with the minor exception of Jordi Alba starting in place of Abidal.

As the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and what we saw from that match that these guys could get it done when they played the old system. This lineup had won before and in the end, Tito and the players went back to the old system and it paid off. However, why was this system changed in the first place? Only Tito can answer that. The bigger question though is the fact that most of the club’s recent transfers were sitting on the bench with the exception of Jordi Alba.

Jordi Alba and his transfer was a god send for this team after Abidal’s health problems. The same cannot be said for the other transfers. These past two seasons has brought us new players such as Cesc, Alexis, Song and Jordi Alba. Yet, only Alba started. So what does that say about the club and its spending? These guys were signed to be an asset and help the club. However, where were they for the big game? They were on the bench and were a non-factor.

Every summer, fans discuss about the need to sign new players to help improve this team. Why was Song signed again? When will Cesc ever show us he can replace Xavi and not be a small cog in a large wheel? Will Alexis ever become a part of the solution or just a hard worker?  We have to depend on the old guard again but the investments in these players are not paying off and that is a concern when the club has to scout again and invest in new reinforcements for the club for next season. Right now, the club is not getting the maximum bang for their buck or Euros for that matter.