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.

Farewell, Don Johan.

Barça fans and football fans across the world were saddened by the news of the passing away of Dutch master, Johan Cruyff. His influences on and off the pitch were significant in Barça becoming a world power. Barça fans will forever indebted to “El Mister” for all that he has done for Barça. Thank you Don Johan, you will be missed.

For many of the Blaugrana faithful, the sad news that Johan Cruyff was no longer with us was difficult to fathom. Cruyff was our modern father that paved the way for the club’s successful era. Who knows where the club would be if Barça president José Luis Núñez did not hire him as Barça’s new manager back in May 4th, 1988. Now, as the club dominates the football world, our father figure will no longer be there to enjoy it.

Cruyff, the Barça player was amazing. He brought hope and faith to the Blaugrana fans and he repaid those believers with the club’s first league title in 14 years. His performance at the Santiago Bernabéu where Barça demolished Real Madrid 5-0 will never be forgotten. Many felt that same hope and faith when he was appointed as Barça’s new manager.

He ushered in a new era where success was expected. He won the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in his first season and the club would win at least one trophy for the following five years. He finally ended the wait for that elusive European Cup at Wembley in 1992. His “Dream Team” deserves its place in football history not just for their accomplishments, but for their unforgettable style of play that Rijkaard and Guardiola tried to duplicate with some minor tweaks during their successful eras.

Cruyff made us believe in this team and his pupils restored that faith when they were hired as Barça’s managers. We wanted to go back to that beautiful style that mesmerized us when we saw the great man coach from the dugout in his unforgettable rain coat while enjoying a lollipop in his mouth. He made it happen with reliance on homegrown talent and by signing some amazing world class players. That’s why I worry about the club when the likes of Iniesta, Messi and Busquets retire from the game and we are left to wonder who will replace them from La Masia.

Thank you, Johan, for relying on the likes of Chapi Ferrer, Sergi, and Pep from La Masia to be part of the first team. That’s why I always wanted to see the likes of Montoya and Bartra feature more for the club over the likes of Douglas and Vermaelen. Because that’s what Cruyff would have done. Those who grew up and breathed that system should be the ones getting rewarded by fighting for the team’s colors with the first team.

Thank you, Johan, for making football a work of art in motion on the pitch. Where it became more about entertainment than it was about results. That’s what differentiated Barça from Los Blancos. One team wanted to win by putting on a great show while the other seemed interested in just winning. Of course, there were some great results and some horrible results but it was best to lose playing this way than play not to lose.

Thank you, Johan, for showing us courage in the face of death. Cruyff underwent open heart surgery while managing the club. He recovered and then kicked his smoking habit while inspiring others to kick the habit with a clever television campaign of him kicking a box of cigarettes around and enjoying lollipops on the bench instead of puffing on a cigarette. So when we learned last fall that Cruyff was diagnosed with lung cancer, we hoped the tough, intelligent, and complex beloved legend would triumph yet again.

Sadly, his passing caught us off guard. In a way, it seems fitting that he would leave us at a time when Dutch football is regressing while no longer relying on “Total Football” that the Oranje was once famous for. He leaves us at a time when Barça have become successful without fully relying on La Masia and drifting from the entertaining style that we enjoyed for a more results oriented style. His vision and influence no longer appreciated in the two kingdoms where he was king.

In a 1977 interview with Dutch reporters Frits Barend and Henk van Dorp, Cruyff once said about playing for FC Barcelona:

“It is a challenge. But you know that when people cheer on a Sunday when you do well and you win, it means more to them than simply the pleasure of winning. It’s not just a game, football; it’s not just about the people on terraces. You know what struck me most when we won the championship? They didn’t say “congratulations”, they said “thank you”. That was really something. That will always stay with me.”

You will always stay with us, Johan Cruyff. Your memory and legacy will live on at FC Barcelona regardless of who is in charge. Thank you, Cruyff. You will be missed, Don Johan.

No Busquets, No Party.

When UEFA.com released its nominees for UEFA’s Team of the Year, one omission struck a nerve with the Blaugrana faithful. It’s not a team if Sergio Busquets is not part of it.

Busquets seems to be one of the most under-appreciated players of this era. Perhaps it is because his style of play on the pitch is so discrete that it is undetectable. It’s hard not to appreciate the hard and dirty work he puts in for the club in every match ever since his debut back in the 2008-2009 season. So when his name was missing from UEFA’s Team of the Year nominees, the Blaugrana fans protested and some even mocked the decision.

Sergio Busquets made his debut with Barça back in the 2008 summer friendlies during Pep Guardiola’s first year in charge. I won’t lie; I had no clue who he was and had to ask, “Is that Busquets’s kid?” when I first saw the name. His father, Carles Busquets, was Barça’s backup keeper, serving as Zubizaretta’s deputy who was mostly remembered for his blunders.

Nevertheless, the son of the goalkeeper whose back of the shirt only has his first name has done a great job in making a name for himself since his debut. He filled in superbly for the injured Yaya Toure at the start of the 2008-2009 season and I had no qualms with him remaining the starter after Yaya was fit. Barça were on a superb run at the time, so why tinker with it. Guardiola also preferred the younger player and Yaya left the club after 2009-2010 season.

Busquets was only 20 during that magical 2008-2009 season that saw the club win a treble. Again, he was just 20 when he started both Copa del Rey Final and Champions League Final and became one of the few players to ever win a treble. Fast forward to today and he is one of the rare few to win two trebles. Since his debut, he has won five league titles, three Copa del Reys, and three Champions League titles along with a World Cup and European Cup for Spain. Yet, Busquets seems to not get the love or the respect that he deserves.

Football fans keep bringing up the “Peek a Boo” incident against Inter in the Champions League Semi-Finals after Motta struck him in the throat with his arm. Motta had already been booked prior to that incident so his sending off was inevitable after that second bookable offense. Yet, Busquets was the villain for his actions. That is an odd reaction seeing as many of those same fans seem to worship Totti even though he was sent off for spitting at an opponent during Euro 2004 and Zidane, who also saw red for head butting Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup Final.

Busquets is one of those rare players who has a knack for being at the right place at the right time to recover the ball on the pitch while putting his body in harm’s way. Fans might prefer defensive midfielders who are swashbucklers and fly in with sliding tackles to win the ball. Give me Busquets who will be in the right place to win the ball back and then pass it to the right player in an instant while leaving his body in harm’s way. David Beckham received criticism after England’s elimination to Brazil in World Cup 2002 after he jumped to avoid a tackle and lost the ball that resulted into an equalizer from an ensuing counter attack for Brazil. Busquets though is the type of player that would do the opposite to protect his team.

Busquets also possesses superb skills with the ball where his one touch passes are mesmerizing and his first touch is sublime. The opening seconds of the most recent Clásico is a great example of his underrated skills. After the opening whistle blew, Busquets played the role of a matador with a cape to perfection when the bull, Gareth Bale, rushed at him to win the ball, only for the midfielder to drag the ball behind him in a manner much like the matador performing a “veronica” and elude the ball away from Bale.

Fortunately, there are those who do appreciate Busquets. Former Real Madrid manager and current Spanish National team manager Vicente del Bosque once said, “If I were a player, I would like to be like Busquets.” Guardiola paid Busquets the highest compliment possible when he stated, “If I was reincarnated as a player, I’d like to be like him. He’s the best defensive central midfielder in the world. Barça has a priceless player.” After UEFA announced its nominees for team of the year, former Barça player and teammate of Busquets, Éric Abidal said, “Those who have made the list have no idea about football because Busquets isn’t on it.”

Barça fans will forever be grateful for Busquets. This team is not the same without his presence and influence on the pitch. He may not get the recognition that he deserves and he might not care about such recognition. However, what is obvious is if there is no Busquets, there is no party. So the next time you watch a Barça match, pay attention to Busquets while operates and appreciate his body of work.

Barça’s South American Connection Leading The Way.

 

Barça bounced back from their loss to Real Sociedad with seven consecutive wins. Luis Enrique, after some controversy, sorted out a regular starting lineup but much of the credit goes to the front three of Messi, Neymar and Suarez for this win streak.

Things got ugly after that loss to Real Sociedad. Controversy about Lucho and Messi falling out afterwards perhaps changed things for the better. We finally got a fixed starting lineup for the big games instead of the guessing game by the fans, and probably the players, of who was going to start and not. We now have Mascherano to partner Pique in the heart of the defense while Rakitic is starting these big games alongside Iniesta and Busquets. It’s not mystery who the starters up front are; Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. Barça’s South American Connection.

True, Luis Suarez has struggled to get his goals but his assists have been valuable and his understanding with Messi and Neymar has been beneficial. Messi and Neymar have been clicking as well, as evident from their work against Deportivo. Messi leads the pack and Neymar and Suarez benefit from that and he benefits from their presence too. 

Stats Messi-Neymar-Suarez when they play together (1034 minutes in 14 games): - Messi: 13 G 3 A - Neymar: 9 G 1 A - Suarez: 3 G 10 A
— adil (@Barca19stats) January 31, 2015

It’s premature to think the problems are over. Far from it! This team is still struggling offensively to gel and seems heavily reliant on the front three. The midfield still needs to be more involved and influential because if the front three ever struggle or have an off day, then we will see another Getafe type performance. In general, there is always room for improvement and that is the case for Barça. Hopefully the team can keep this winning streak up and keep improving.

Barça Need to Get Back on Track.

Following consecutive defeats that saw them relinquish their top spot in the league standings, Barça are back in action with an away clash in Holland against Ajax Amsterdam. Luis Enrique has faced the music following his side’s disappointing performances against Real Madrid and Celta Vigo, and must get this team back on track or risk more pressure and criticism.

Lucho discovered how hot that seats gets in the Barça dugout. At one point, Barça were atop of the league standings with a commanding 6 point cushion ahead of Real Madrid. Now, they are in fourth place in the league and second in their Champions League group stage. Barça must taste victory today against Ajax Amsterdam to keep their pursuit of PSG for the top spot of their Champions League group and not be seeded second for the knock out stages.

Lucho was brought in to improve their style of play but that has not happened. Barça have been conceding goals in similar fashion as they have been the past two seasons. That 4-0 drubbing by Bayern still stings and we have seen this team struggle against teams ready to apply the pressure and be in front of Barça’s players’ noses ever since that heavy defeat. Barça used to be the one putting the squeeze on others by constantly pressuring  their opponents and winning the ball back. Now, they are on the receiving end of such treatment.

Lucho needs to abandon this tactic of playing fullbacks up front and having midfielders cover for them on the flanks while Busquets is left alone in the middle of the pitch as if he is on a deserted island. Barça needs to go back to the basics that made them successful. It is time to go back to the 4-3-3 and have players nearby to create a triangle formation where three teammates are nearby to help each other out. The occasional long ball is fine to keep the opponents honest with their off sides trap but the bread and butter of this team has been their style of one touch passes that we no longer see.

It’s also time to make every player work hard and be held accountable. Players must pressure to win the ball back and punish those who are sloppy. It’s also time to let the younger players play such as Bartra, Montoya, Sandro, and Sergi Samper. Mascherano was killed by Benzema and Celta Vigo’s goal came after he left his spot to contest a ball in the air, which he lost, and moments later, his absence was exploited for the goal. Dani Alves and Pique are a shadow of what they were five years ago and not sure how much longer they can be trusted. Busquets seems hurt or not at 100% so allow Mascherano and Sergi Samper to play his position while letting Rafinha and Rakitic play in place of the injured Iniesta and the aged veteran Xavi in the starting lineup.

The front three are slowly clicking but Lucho is wasting Messi by playing him farther and farther from the box. Keep him close to the box where and his teammates can work on their quick one touch passes much like the way they scored that Messi goal against PSG. Barça’s formula always worked as long as the right players are playing. The fact is we saw a Barça side play against Real Madrid with the same midfield from 2008-2009 and majority of the same players from last season’s Clásico.  That’s not progress but relying on the old guard yet again. Some will say that the club’s loss to Celta Vigo was unlucky since they hit the woodwork four times. We have seen them hit the woodwork often since the Chelsea elimination under Pep. That’s not luck, that’s a trend, or a bad habit, from not being clinical enough up front to go along with the poor defending from the back. Luck is no excuse since these are bad habits.

It’s still early in the season but with the way the club is losing off the pitch with their cases against Laporta and FIFA, they can ill afford to lose on the pitch. The pressure is on Lucho and he needs to take things back to basic or he will be in for a long season with us right beside him in anger.

Lucho’s Honeymoon is Over.

FC Barcelona’s loss this past weekend to Real Madrid was as disappointing as they come. After securing a dream start after scoring an early goal, the tide turned after half an hour and Barça never recovered again. Luis Enrique decided to change his team’s approach and that big gamble did not pay off. After just 12 matches, his honeymoon period is over and Lucho will now have to face the criticism that awaits him following his team losing in its two big tests of the season.

For 30 minutes, Barça seemed to be doing well. Luis Suarez’s debut kicked off with a great assist to Neymar for an opening less than five minutes into the game. Messi almost doubled the lead but for an amazing save from Casillas in the 23rd minute to keep 1-0. Unfortunately, Barça were being exposed at the back prior to that scoring chance thanks to typical clumsy Barça defending. Unfortunately, clumsy defending, a few minutes after that scoring chance, would result in a penalty by a handball from Pique and the penalty king Ronaldo stepped up and scored the equalizer. From there, the rest of the match is a blur.

The second half was the Barça that we had seen against Bayern and Atletico in the past two years. The Blaugrana were being bossed around and lacked energy and creativity to find a way back. They looked beaten mentally and physically. Prior to this match, I addressed some concerns I had with the way Lucho was coaching this team.Although they had not conceded a single goal in league play, they defender flattered to deceive. His starting back four was a mystery but the bigger mystery was staring Mathieu as left back over Jordi Alba. He also went ahead with Pique and Mascherano partnership even though it had been exploited by Real Madrid in the past.

The back four seemed great on paper but was poor on the pitch. Mathieu attacked well but did not offer anything in the final third of the pitch. Mathieu even admitted he was surprised he was asked to start as a left back. Pique was his clumsy self again while Benzema once again relished playing against Barça while matched up with Mascherano. Dani Alves did not lose the ball much in the final third of the pitch but did not contribute offensively much either. His defending was nothing to write about. It only got better when Madrid decided to sit back and counter attack with fewer numbers but watching Marcelo bypass him and Xavi was a rerun of past disappointments.

Lucho’s strategy was a failure when you consider the lineup he submitted. The same midfield trio of 2008-2009 cannot be expected to perform like that team did back then and cannot be expected to perform in his direct style of constant pressure. Xavi and Iniesta are not young men anymore while Busquets has been playing hurt for a while. Many thought Mascherano and Rakitic would play in the midfield with Iniesta but alas, Lucho stuck with the old guard and the wear and tear of the old guard was too much to bear.

The big gamble of going with Luis Suarez paid off with some great scoring chances for others but I would have preferred seeing Sandro start or even Pedro due to his familiarity with the players. It was asking a lot for Luis Suarez to get out there and know where his teammates would be and gel with them. That comes with time. More bizarre was watching Barça attack Madrid down Carvajal’s side of the pitch and ignoring Marcelo, who was exposed by Germany as Brazil’s weak link. We used to see Messi and Pedro attack Marcelo often to the point that Mourinho benched him for Coentrao. Yet, Messi and Luis hardly attacked that right side of the field.

Unfortunately, Barça’s own wrongdoing caused them to be down 3-1 and when that happened, Lucho showed us that he has no Plan B; he just swapped one player with another who played in the same position. Lucho’s press conference today made him seem defensive and petty at times when questioned about what happened on Saturday, and it’s only after nine league matches. There is a long season ahead of us but Lucho has failed in his first two big tests; PSG and Real Madrid. That does not bode well for him and this loss means that Barça will now have three other teams breathing down their necks. Barça must overcome this train wreck of a performance but the honeymoon period for Lucho is over. 

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.

 

Time to play Bartra.

Is there a Center-Back in the house? Barça’s great start to the season has suffered the disappointing news of losing both starting Centre Backs Puyol and Pique to injuries. Even though there was a need to sign another centre-back this summer, the club opted to sign another Defensive Midfielder who could play the role of a centre-back. Well, there is a young talented player on the bench waiting for his moment. The moment is now and it’s about time that the club played Marc Bartra.

First it was Puyol and then it was Pique. Barça fans have been accustomed to seeing their best players suffer an injury here and there over the years. However, we were not ready to see both our centre-backs out with injuries so soon. We went from a club that had two starting centre-backs and one young centre-back to basically one young centre-back in need of minutes with defensive midfielders sharing the load in the back. Marc Bartra has been patiently waiting for his chance to prove himself and the time has come.

I have never been a fan of Pep’s decision to rely on the likes of Yaya, Mascherano and Busquets playing in the centre-back position. Those were great ideas for a quick fix but not for the long term. As much as I enjoy watching Mascherano play, I think his time as centre-back should come to an end. The warning signs were there last season in the big matches where he was shown to be a liability such as his poor header clearance in the San Siro that lead to Prince’s goal against Milan; Ronaldo sprinting past him to scoring the game winning goal in the Camp Nou, not picking up Drogba during the counter attack that lead to Chelsea’s only goal of the game, his poor tackle on Lampard that resulted in a counter attack goal for Ramires; and more recently his poor clearance attempt in the second leg of the Supercopa. Just watching him partner Song against Spartak Moscow on Wednesday showed us that the club should have bought defenders to re-enforce the back four.

Mascherano has been a great player and person for Barça but he is not a centre-back. I don’t care that he helped the club win the Champions League when he started against Manchester United. A few good games do not wipe out a recent string of bad displays in big games. If his name was Oleguer or Rafa Marquez, fans would be all over him. The club should have bought a centre-back and I don’t believe the talk that the club never wanted to buy one because they have Mascherano so that’s why they bought Song. They wanted to get Thiago Silva or Javi Martinez but were scared off by the price tag. Unfortunately, they could have signed Botia, who is a former youth player currently on loan with Sevilla, Chico, former Barça B player who played for Pep and played a key part in helping the B team gain promotion and is currently playing for Swansea City, and Jan Vertonghen, former Ajax player who just went to Spurs for €12.5 million, for maybe half of the cost of one of those big named stars.

What’s been done has been done. Perhaps the club will sign someone when the winter transfer window opens or wait till next season when they go after the likes of Dortmund’s Hummels.  I hope the club does eventually sign a centre-back. I am tired of watching Barça repeat history by suffering from some dreadful defending too. We saw it during the final days of the “Dream Team” when Koeman was past it and it hurt this team. Rijkaard's last 2 years saw a lot of poor defenders around Puyol and now we are subjected to watching history repeat itself as we watch this team concede silly goals from poor defending. Pique still has his head in the clouds from time to time and Mascherano can't clear with his head and will get burned by a speedy forward.

If you think that this team wins on its offense alone, then look back at their triumphant Champions League titles and see how many blowouts they had in the semi-final stage, 0-1, 0-0 against Milan; 0-0, 1-1 against Chelsea; 0-2; 1-1 against Real Madrid. They relied on keeping clean sheets when they won those titles and not by winning 4-3 or 3-2 every game.

Barça’s legacy has always been on relying on their academy products. We have already seen that Montoya is ready to compete for the right-back position and in my opinion is the heir apparent to Dani Alves. Puyol was thrown in as a right back when he was young and he turned out alright. Chapi Ferrer, Pep, and Sergi were all thrown in as youngsters too and the “Dream Team” benefitted from it. Puyol was 21. Chapi was 20. Sergi was 22. Montoya is 21. I'm not saying bench Alves but I prefer to see Montoya start ahead of Adriano in that position and rotate with Dani Alves to give the Brazilian fullback some rest.

We have had a history of giving young players a chance. Xavi and Iniesta turned out alright. Messi turned out alright. Valdés turned out alright even with his odd brain farts. Busquets was how old again when he got to play ahead of Yaya? So it’s time to give minutes to Bartra. We've seen him play in Champions League games and Copa del Rey games before. He is a promising 6'0 centre-back who was also the captain of Spain’s national team at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup. More importantly, he showed us that he's no Fontas with his decisions and his thinking. He deserves to be playing and he deserves playing minutes now that the club is without any centre-backs. Unfortunately, we will never know unless we see him out there on the pitch getting the minutes in matches. Today, Barça host Granada and this is the perfect moment to get him out there and gain some experience and shake off some rust. The moment is now and it’s about time that the club played Marc Bartra and not another defensive midfielder in the heart of the defense.

 

Guardiola’s gambling habits regarding his lineups.

We have seen Pep Guardiola achieve great success in these past three seasons thanks to his vision, his assistants and a great squad of players. Yet, Pep has also achieved his success with some unorthodox team selections that showed us that he not a man afraid to gamble. What makes this is so strange that Pep is the type who likes to play it safe especially with his new plan on taking three goal keepers on every away match.

Guardiola can be called many things. A visionary, a motivator, a demanding but fair coach, but what about being called a gambler? Take for example Barça’s recent 2-3 victory against Milan in Italy. Barça had previously faced Milan in the first group stage match and the game ended in a 2-2 draw with Milan scoring both goals in the opening and dying seconds of the match. Pep fielded Mascherano and Busquets as his starting center backs since Pique was out with an injury and Puyol was still not match fit. No need to remind everybody what happened in the opening seconds of the game.

So it was rather surprising that when both teams met again this past Wednesday, Guardiola had Pique and Puyol at his disposal as starting center backs but opted to start Puyol as the right back in place of the suspended Dani Alves while Pique sat on the bench. No explanation was given by Guardiola as to why Pique was not in the starting lineup, let alone why he didn’t feature in the second half to help his side protect a one goal lead. Then again, it is not that surprising.

Fortunately, the team won 2-3 but Mascherano and Busquets played a part in Milan’s second goal with their poor efforts in the air. Mascherano’s header clearance fell short of eliminating a Milan threat and Busquets effort to head the ball came up short and failed to make up for Mascherano’s mistake. Of course, this is not to take credit away from Boateng who scored a splendid goal, but Boateng would have never seen the ball had either player dealt with the ball better in the first place.

Ultimately the gamble paid off but why did Pep have to gamble in the first place? He had both Puyol and Pique available to play as center backs. We all know Puyol played as a right back early in his career but the veteran leader has racked a lot of mileage on those legs and is asking a lot from the veteran. Why wasn’t Barça B’s Martín Montoya called up to play in Dani Alves’s place? Since last season, the 20 year old has shined for club and country. So why not give him the chance at a big stage? Even as a substitute?

Like I said before, Guardiola’s decisions are not that surprising. Over the years, Guardiola has gotten away with odd decisions with lineups. In his first season, we saw midfielder Victor Sanchez put in performances as a full back for a handful of league matches and Touré Yaya started as a center back over Caceres in the Rome Champions League Final. The following season saw Dani Alves and Maxwell start as midfielders before we saw Pep turn completely mad scientist and experiment with Busquets as a center back before starting both Busquets and Mascherano as center backs with the odd occasion of playing Barça B midfielder Jonathan Dos Santos as a right back in some Copa Del Rey matches. Thus, another title you can bestow on Guardiola is unpredictable.

Fortunately, his gambles have mostly paid off. That is what makes it so odd to see Pep gamble on Wednesday when he is also the type who likes to play it safe. Best example of this was his recent decision to travel with three goal keepers for every away match. The idea sprang because of Valdés’s injury prior to the first Copa Del Rey match of the season. Pinto was going to start the game against L'Hospitalet with Valdes as his back up. However, an elbow injury forced Valdes to miss the game. Fortunately, Guardiola knew he could call up Barça B’s Oier to make the short journey and join the team seeing as their opponents were only 7 km away.

However, Guardiola realized he was fortunate that Valdés’s injury occurred in the same region and not somewhere distant such as Sevilla, Madrid or Milan. According to reports coming out of Barcelona sports dailies, Guardiola will now travel with three keepers for every away match. Thus, if any of his first team keepers, Valdes, or Pinto, pick up an injury during training or while warming up prior to kickoff; Guardiola would have his Barça B keeper fill in as a substitute on the bench. If neither of the veteran keepers are hurt, then the “In case of emergency, break glass” Barça B keeper will not dress for the game and sit in the stands.

Therefore, it does come off odd for Guardiola to play it safe when it comes to traveling with an extra goal keeper but would still gamble on who will play in the back four. Of course Guardiola is the Puto Crack as the coach of the club. But I think many would agree with me that his gambling with who plays in the back four is a bit too much for our heart rates and blood pressure. Hopefully the days of Mascherano and Busquets lining up as center backs will be a thing of history but you never know with Guardiola; He could play someone else there instead.