Barça’s Ballon d’Or Winners.

With Messi about to be awarded his fifth Ballon d’Or, we look back at the previous Barça players who won this award.

Luis Suárez was the first Barça player, and the only Spanish player, to ever win this award back in 1960. Luis Suárez guided his team to the Spanish League title and the UEFA Fairs Cup (now known as the Europa League) double in 1960. He received more votes than Real Madrid’s Ferenc Puskás and Alfredo Di Stéfano who finished second and fourth respectively. The size of the award was noticeably much smaller back then compared to today’s version.

The next Barça player to win the award was the Dutch legend Johan Cruyff back in 1973. He had transferred to Blaugrana during the summer from Ajax after winning a Dutch league title and European Cup with Ajax so this award was more for his success with Ajax. However, he would win this award again after completing his first season, the 1973-1974 season, as a Barça player that saw the Blaugrana end a 14 year wait for a league trophy. This was his third and final Ballon d’Or after winning his first one in 1971.

Cruyff would be the Barça manager when the next Barça player would win the Ballon d’Or. In 1994, the Bulgarian striker Hristo Stoichkov became the third ever Blaugrana player to win this award over the likes of Roberto Baggio, and Paolo Maldini who finished second and third respectively. Stoichkov helped guide Barça to the 1993-1994 league title, the 1994 Champions League Final along with guiding his country to the 1994 World Cup Semi-Finals.

Three years later, Brazilian legend Ronaldo would win the 1997 Ballon d’Or following his successful 1996-1997 Barça season that saw him score 47 goals while helping his side win the Supercopa, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Cup. He would leave the club in the summer to join Inter Milan and receive the award a few months later. The same chain of events would take place in 2000 when Luis Figo was awarded the Golden Ball for his performances for Barça and Portugal and Real Madrid. Hence, why he received this award as a Madrid player.

Before the Figo betrayal, another Brazilian player would win the Ballon d’Or. In 1999, Rivaldo won this award following his superb 1998-1999 season for Barça and Brazil. Barça won the Spanish league title and Brazil won Copa America due in large to his performances. He was voted Copa America’s player of the tournament and a few months later, was awarded the Ballon d’Or.

Another Brazilian player would win the Ballon d’Or as a Barça player when Ronaldinho would win this award in 2005. He was also the third ever Brazilian player to win this award for his performances during the 204-2005 season that saw Barça end a six year wait to win a league title. He also helped Brazil win the 2005 Confederations Cup and received the Bronze Ball award as third best player in the tournament. His contribution in bringing the Blaugrana to prominence could never be forgetten and this award is a reminder of the magic and hope he brought to the club.

Thus, Suárez, Cruyff, Stoichkov, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho were the five Barça players to win and receive the Ballon d’Or as Barça players. Messi would become the sixth Barça player to win this award and the last to win this award in 2009 before it was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2010. Messi will be receiving his fifth Ballon d’Or today. No other player has ever won more than three. Barça fans have been blessed to have a player of his magnitude and the team’s success has seen Messi win this award in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.

Messi and fellow finalist Neymar seem likely to contend for this award in the near future. Team success however will be influential in whether or not these players will win it again. This year’s award is a “Job Well Done” reward for a superb 2014-2015 for Barça. Here’s to hopefully many more successful seasons.

Barça’s Historic Clásico Victories in Madrid.

 

Barça’s demolition of Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu was a thing of beauty. Even though it was not a “Manita,” it still ranks as one of the greatest wins on enemy ground.

Barça’s 4-0 win against Real Madrid was surprising and very pleasant for the Blaugrana faithful. It was one sided as Barça dominated their arch enemy on enemy grounds. We are used to seeing the Blaugrana clobber their arch enemy at the Camp Nou, but at the Bernabéu, well that’s a different story.

 

There’s the Johan Cruyff inspired5-0 victory during the 1974-1975 season which was one of the first “Manita” in recent history. Barça would claim another “Manita” during the “Dream Team” era but that took place at the Camp Nou. That team was managed Johan Cruyff.

 

The next big victory on enemy ground would take place during the 1998-1999 season. Barça were victorious in a back and forth encounter that ended in 2-3. Current Barça manager Luis Enrique scored the team’s second with the Brazilians Rivaldo scoring the opener and Giovanni scoring the game winner. This game is also remembered for the “Butifarra” goal celebration by Giovanni after he scored what ended up being the goal winner and thereby infuriating the Madrid fan base.

Ten years ago, we would see the Madrid fans give a standing applause to a Barça legend. Barça defeated Real Madrid 3-0 with Eto’o scoring the opener before Ronaldinho scored a brace in the second half. It was a one sided affair and the match is mostly remembered by Ronaldinho’s display of magic as he scored two amazing goals. After Ronaldinho scored his second goal, some Madrid fans got out of their seats to applaud the player. This was an act that had not occurred since Maradona’s goal in the 2-2 draw in the first leg of the 1982-1983 defunct League Cup.

Nevertheless, the most memorable result is the 2-6 victory during the 2008-2009 treble season. The buildup to this match was immense with both teams neck and neck in the standings and the league title was bound for whoever would win this match. Madrid took the lead before Barça scored three unanswered goals through Henry, Puyol and Messi. Madrid pulled one back early in the second half to make it 2-3 before Barça scored three another unanswered goals through Henry, Messi and Pique.

Pique was furious when Munir scoffed his chance at scoring the fifth goal during the last Clásico. Barça’s 4-0 win was too easy from the opening whistle and that was with Messi on the bench. Suárez and Neymar scored the first two goals in the first half before Iniesta and Suárez scored the other two goals in the second half. It could have been, and should have been, five had Munir converted on his chances or left his first chance to Pique to score from close range.

Those results are Barça’s “Manita” of big wins on their arch enemy’s grounds in recent history. Which one is your favorite?

Neymar and Suárez shining in Messi’s absence.

With El Clásico a day away, all eyes will be on the Spanish capital for tomorrow’s game. Messi has been cleared to return but the spotlight right now is shining on Neymar and Luis Suárez.

Many believed Barça would be in trouble when Messi went down with an injury back in September. Messi was the man who made things happen for the Blaugrana last season. He either scored, assisted or provided the superb pass that lead to the assist for Barça. His absence was going to be missed as he truly is irreplaceable.

Nevertheless, Barça managed to get by without the amazing player. Neymar took on the role as the man who had to pull the strings on the pitch and impressed as he tried his best to fill the void left by Messi’s absence. Not many can play like Messi but Neymar admirably played the role of goal scorer and playmaker in his own way that helped Barça. His partner in crime, Luis Suárez, also benefited from Neymar’s new role and both have carried the team on their backs which now sees them in first place in the league standings. Both have scored ten goals in Messi’s absence. Moreover, Neymar and Suárez are currently first and second in the Pichichi race as league top scorers with 11 and 9 goals respectively.

Of course, the world will be looking at Messi tomorrow. Yet, the spotlight will be on Neymar and Suárez if Messi starts the match from the bench. Messi’s inclusion for the Madrid trip might be mind tricks by Luis Enrique but then again, Messi is not the type to sit out a match, regardless of the match’s importance. I would prefer Luis Enrique to play it safe and have Messi come in the final half hour of the match against a tired Madrid side and cause havoc. With the lone exception of the Sevilla match, the team has done well with the Brazilian and Uruguay superstars and should be entrusted with our faith against their arch rivals if Messi does not feature. They have earned that truth.

The game tomorrow will not be won or lost if Messi plays or not. It will come down to mistakes. The outcome will be based on which counter attacking side will present the fewer scoring chances to their opponents and not squander their scoring chances. Also, this outcome will not decide the league title. We are still in November and last season showed us that the winner of the first Clásico did not fare too well down the stretch. A setback tomorrow will not be catastrophic towards to league title aspirations. It will only bring justified and unjustified heat from the media and fans but there’s still a lot of football left to be played.

What is certain is that if Barça win and both Neymar and Suárez perform well, then expect their names to surface as potential Ballon d’Or finalists with Messi. Both have had a magnificent 2015 thus far. The second half of the 2014-2015 season saw the duo score big goals in big games down the stretch that saw Barça capture a historic second treble. The first half of 2015-2016 has also seen them perform remarkably, especially during Messi’s absence. The results and performances speak for themselves. Tomorrow will be their final opportunity to shine in the spotlight before sharing it back with Messi. Do they have one last dynamic performance to give?

MSN Should Be Ballon d’Or Finalists.

Last season was a fantastic season for Barça and its fans. With the Golden Ball based on performances for 2015, Neymar and Suárez both deserve to be on the podium with Messi for the FIFA Golden Ball.

It’s that time of year again where we start debating who should be crowned the best footballer in the world. After a run of two years where Messi saw Ronaldo win consecutive FIFA Ballon d’Ors, it seems destined that Messi will be winning his fifth Golden Ball. So the debate is not so much who should win it, but rather who should be the three finalists for this award.

There’s no debate who had a better year in football in 2015. Messi lead his team to a treble and guided Argentina to the Copa America final. Even though he has been out with an injury since September, Messi’s 45 total league goals in 2015 was just matched by Ronaldo on Halloween.  One can only imagine what that tally would be if Messi was not injured.

Ronaldo did not win any team titles in 2015 but did win the European Golden Shoe for being the top scorer in a European league. He scored 48 during the 2014-2015 Spanish league season. Yet, he did not have that many big performances in Spain and in Europe in the big games. However, Neymar and Suárez did perform well late last season and now during Messi’s absence.

Neymar scored in every leg of the Champions League from the Quarter-Finals stage to the Final. That’s five consecutive games where he scored in a big game. Suárez scored memorable and big goals that also helped the club capture the treble. Those goals against away to Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain and the game winner against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou in El Clásico from Suárez were key goals for the Blaugrana during their pursuit of the treble.

However, with Messi’s injury, Neymar and Suárez have done a superb job in his absence. Neymar has filled in superbly in Messi’s shoes to guide Barça. Both players have scored 16 goals and provided 5 assists in matches without Messi. Those performances also meant that Neymar was the top scorer in the Spanish League with 11 goals with Suárez occupying 2nd place with 9 goals. Meanwhile, Ronaldo is in 3rd place with 8 and had two recent subpar performances against Paris Saint-Germain and his team is in second place in the standings behind Barça after his club lost to Sevilla 3-2 in a match that he also was a non-factor. Without a doubt, the second half of 2015 belongs to the Brazilian and Uruguayan superstars.

So yes, Messi deserves the Golden Ball this year. To even debate it is futile. However, the debate of whether Neymar and Suárez both deserve to be on the podium with Messi much like Xavi and Iniesta did back in 2010 is merited. MSN had a magnificent 2015 and all three deserve to be the FIFA Ballon d’Or Finalists.

Life Without Messi Not That Bad.

Barça’s life without Messi has been good so far. So far, the world has not yet ended as some predicted thanks to some players taking their game to another level. However, there is still room for improvement.

When we all saw Messi leave the Las Palmas match with an injury back in September, we were shocked. Messi seemed indestructible. Sure, he could suffer from fatigue or loss of form but it always seemed certain that Messi would be in the lineup on every match day. The injury though reminded us that Messi is human after all.

Barça did struggle without Messi a bit but the only slipup was against Sevilla which was a tough away loss. However, that loss and overall performances were not directly related to his absence. Barça’s Achilles heels this season seems to be their defending, or lack of which has resulted in the team giving up 8 goals in their last 6 with only one clean sheet. Even if Messi played in those matches, there was not much he could do to prevent those goals.

Luis Enrique and his staff need to find a way to get the team to defend like the way they did last season.  It’s not just on the coaching staff though. Players need to step it up during Messi’s absence. Those clean sheets from last season seem like a distant memory. The players need to revert back to the team that defended well and applied pressure all over the pitch. If the offense sputters, then it’s good to know the defense is there to keep them in the game.

Fortunately, some players have stepped it up. Neymar has done a great job being the team’s playmaker after injuries to not just Messi, but to also Iniesta and Rafinha, limited the team’s level of creativity. Neymar has dropped deep and gotten the ball and created for others. Luis Suárez has benefitted from Neymar’s performance and he too, has stepped it up with some big goals lately. 

Both now are top of the league scoring table with Ronaldo and it will only be a matter of time before Messi catches up to them when he returns next month.

Messi’s return will be a boost to the team. However, he can only do so much. The team still needs to do a better job of protecting its goal. Failure to do so will only waste the talent of Messi and the other two members of the trident.

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.

Barça’s Three Tenors Need to Revitalize their Mojo.

FC Barcelona dropped points for the first time since February. With PSG next, Barça’s Three Tenors need to get their mojo back.

For just the third time in 2015, FC Barcelona dropped points after this weekend’s Saturday 2-2 draw to Sevilla. This is a streak a majority of teams in the world would love to enjoy. However, this is La Liga where any lost points when both Barça and Madrid are chasing the title are never forgotten. Barça can calm some fears if they get past these next hurdle of matches with great results. However, in order for that to happen, Barça’s Three Tenors needs to get clicking again.

When Barça were running rampant after that Sociedad loss, most of the credit was aimed at Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. MSN seemed like an unstoppable force. Then, their progress stalled. Neymar went nearly two months without scoring a league goal. Suarez has done well scoring but seems to be misfiring as of late as evidenced against tough teams Celta Vigo and Sevilla. True, he did score the game winner against Real Madrid but he squandered chances to add to his tally in that game. The fact he has not given an assist in over a month is another concern. Messi will always be amazing but the fact he has playing with an injured foot has to be of some concern with the team heading down the final stretch.

Barça kick off a sequence of four tough matches this week. First up is Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday followed by Valencia at home on Saturday. Barça then host Paris Saint-Germain again on Tuesday before facing Espanyol in the Barcelona derby the following weekend. If Barça gets out of that unscathed, then the sky’s the limit. However, Barça needs to snap out of their recent funk and hope that the Three Tenors get their mojo back.

Redemption for Barça.

FC Barcelona got to exact revenge on Real Madrid for their loss earlier in the season and in the process, increased their lead atop of the standings to four points. The victory was a boost to the confidence of the Blaugrana and redemption for some.

When Barça lost in the Spanish capital to Real Madrid during week 9, Barça had a one point lead atop of the standings. They would soon lose the top spot to Madrid and struggle the rest of the 2014. They started 2015 off horribly when they lost away to Real Sociedad. Things changed from then on but there was still some doubt about Barça heading into this weekend’s Clásico.

This match was redemption for Luis Enrique and for some of his players. For the manager, many, including myself, criticized his unpredictable approach to coaching this team following that loss. He opted to keep his starting eleven a secret till right before kickoff and his tactics were all wrong after Real Madrid simply had their way against Barça. Fortunately, he got it right this time, now that he has settled on a starting eleven, following the urging from some of the players to stick with a consistent lineup after the fallout from that Real Sociedad loss. Since then, the team has played better than before and even a recent loss to Malaga at the Camp Nou did not create a sense of panic among the fans. Bad days happen and the Malaga loss was seen as a minor hiccup. Real Madrid sputtering at the same time probably helped keep the mood calm in Barcelona.

Credit is due to Luis Enrique and his assistant, Juan Carlos Unzué, for improving this team from last season’s team in terms of fitness and how to attack/defend set pieces. There’s no doubt that the level of intensity that Lucho brought to this team’ training sessions has been significant compared to the light training sessions under Martino last season. The opening goal from Mathieu was a set piece designed by Unzué who could not hide his happiness during the goal celebrations. It was reminiscent of the Guardiola times where the late Tito Vilanova designed set pieces and Puyol scored one of his trademark header goals against Real Madrid after Xavi recommended a minor change to Tito in the plans. The communication between manager and players have improved and the payoff has been on full display ever since.

Another player who gained some redemption from El Clásico was Jeremy Mathieu. In the first Clásico, Luis Enrique started the Frenchman as a left back in place of Jordi Alba. His performance was poor that day and he raised some eyebrows when he stated that he was surprised that the manager picked him as a left back on game day. That suggested that Luis Enrique did not train the team to play with Mathieu as the left back nor give him ample time to mentally prepare for the role. Fortunately, Mathieu got to start the second Clásico, this time as a center back, and not only did he play well on defense; he even got to score! I can’t think of a better way for someone to redeem themselves in such situation.

This match was also redemption of some sorts for Pique, Rakitic, Claudio Bravo and Luis Suarez. Pique has taken abuse over the past few years for his inconsistent form but he was bossing the back four during Barça’s win against their arch rivals. Although he did not score, Rakitic put in a superb performance to make up for that poor appearance as a substitute in the first Clásico where his awful corner kick, also his first touch in the game, resulted in a counter attack goal for Los Blancos. For Claudio Bravo, this was his first taste of victory against Real Madrid during his time in the Spanish league and made some key saves too.

Finally, the other star seeking redemption was Luis Suarez. His signing created some controversy and discontent amongst fans following his World Cup biting incident. His first competitive Barça appearance was in the first Clásico where he assisted on a Neymar goal early into the match before he was subbed off later because he lacked match fitness. It took him some time but the Uruguayan has found his scoring boots and has played a key role in the Barça transformation. After a difficult summer, scoring a game winner in a game of this magnitude goes a long way over winning over the hearts of the doubtful Blaugrana faithful.

Ultimately, we cannot conclude this without mentioning Messi. He was somewhat silent in the first half as he played wide. Yet, it was his free kick that Mathieu nodded in for the opening goal. In the second half, he playing in the center of the pitch which helped the midfield out and after Luis Suarez’s goal, he along with Neymar and Luis terrorized Madrid’s tired team with dangerous counter attacks. He has been amazing in 2015 and we hope he can keep it up down the stretch.

The fact they squandered so many golden chances in the final 20 minutes of the match will give Luis Enrique something to discuss at the next team meeting. They cannot afford to squander these types of chances, especially one such as the Neymar missed opportunity that saw Madrid score moments later. There is room for improvement and a result like this will keep the players’ egos grounded which might not be the case if the score ended 4-1. Ten games left in the league but at least Barça control their own destiny even with Madrid, Valencia and Atlético in pursuit.

Luis Enrique’s Flexibility Helping Barça and Himself.

It’s amazing how one’s future can change in a matter of weeks. It wasn’t that long ago when Luis Enrique was coaching for his job. Now, all is well for now at the Barça kingdom thanks to Luis Enrique being more flexible and listening to his players.

It takes two to tango and Lucho and the players are currently engaged in a wonderful tango that has seen the Blaugrana win 11 consecutive matches in all competitions. Coaching is a bit like dancing. One person leads and the other dance partner follows. However, there has to be an understanding between the one who leads and the one who follows. It cannot be a dictatorship where every command has to be obeyed and unquestioned or else a relationship will never fully blossom. The one who leads must be open to suggestions from their dance partner or else they will be dragging their feet in an ugly dance.

That ugly dance finally came to fruition on that cold night in the Anoeta when Barça lost to Real Sociedad 1-0. Messi and Neymar were rested since they arrived later from the winter break than the rest of the players because their manager gave them permission to do so. Barça were losing and both players came off the bench in the second half, but could not help guide their team to a comeback victory.

The storm that followed this loss was considered the storm of the century for Barça. Lucho’s neck was on the line as unfounded rumors that Messi was going to ask for a transfer began to grow. Fortunately, things changed for the better after that loss. Much of that has to do with Luis Enrique dropping the general act of insisting it was his way or the highway. Like what all good managers do, Luis Enrique became flexible and listened to his players. Suddenly, the new lineup every match stopped. Luis Enrique’s insistence of playing Messi in the middle of the attack, with the other two players up front coming inside to help Messi came to a halt. Messi and Neymar now play out wide with Luis Suarez, or Pedro, play in the middle. Midfielders went from covering the space left by the attacking fullbacks to actually being involved in the buildup of the attack.

It’s a good thing for both Luis Enrique and Barça that the manager dropped his “my way or the high way” act. Respect is a two way street and it seemed that Lucho thought it was a one way street and that this was about him and his way. Perhaps he thought he was inheriting a team that was in disarray and lacked discipline, like Guardiola did back in 2008, and had to be strict with them. He thought wrong since last season’s disappointment came down to poor coaching from his predecessor, a difficult emotional time for players dealing with the loss of their former manager Tito Vilanova, and in house controversies such as Sandro Rosell’s resignation, Neymar’s signing, and Messi’s tax case along with the board’s treatment of Messi with poorly made comments about a possible new contract.

Fortunately, the rumors of Luis Enrique possibly getting fired brought a change to his approach and it has been working. Suddenly, Messi is back to his dominating self and the team no longer look lost out on the pitch with 11 consecutive wins, especially three against Atlético Madrid. A perfect example of the change of atmosphere at the club was when the players asked Lucho to tell the club to cancel the friendly that was going to take place in Qatar. With the friendly taking place in Qatar, a few days before the away fixture to Athletic Club, Lucho probably thought it was poorly timed too. In the end, the friendly was canceled and Barça tasted victory on Athletic’s turf for the first time since 2010.

Of course, this does not mean the club is now perfect without any weaknesses but there is a contrast to how they were performing before and after that loss to Real Sociedad. Barça are still heavily reliant on the front three, but at least the supporting cast around them seem to have an understanding of their roles on the pitch. They appear more confident and more prepared than before. Moreover, it seems that Luis Enrique has an understanding of what his role is too. A manager is not just about winning, but also about listening to his players and finding the right solution for everybody. So far, Luis Enrique has done just that and only time will tell how far this approach will carry this team, with next week’s Champions League clash against Manchester City will be a litmus test for both manager and players.

First Year Struggles of New Barça Strikers.

Luis Suarez’s sluggish goal scoring start to his Barça career has been a bit disappointing, but at the same time, he is not the first to do so either. Compared to other new Barça goal scorers, he’s actually doing quite well.

FC Barcelona is a unique club. Unique when it comes to being coached and unique in how the team plays. That is why not every great player does well after joining the Blaugrana. We have seen the likes of Vítor Baía, Zambrotta, and Hagi arrive at Barça and then fail to impress. Goal scorers are also not exempt from this list. From Mark Hughes to Maxi Lopez, and even Ibrahimovic to some, Barça has seen its share of disappointing strikers.

In all fairness, Luis Suarez did not get to fully integrate with the team before the season started. Because of his idiotic and gross misconduct during the World Cup, Luis Suarez was banned for the early part of the season. That killed any chance of gelling with his new teammates and new team style but he has slowly improved his performances since his debut in El Clásico. Yet, some are a bit upset with his lack of goals. However, when compared to other Barça goal scorers debutants, there is no reason to be upset.

Here are the statistics of first year Barça goal scorers after their first 19 matches for the Blaugrana:

Thierry Henry: 7 goals & 8 assists.

Ibrahimovic: 12 goals & 4 assists

Pedro: 10 goals and 1 assist

David Villa: 11 goals & 5 assists

Alexis: 8 goals & 2 assists

Neymar: 6 goals & 9 assists.

As for the Uruguayan international, he has scored 6 goals and provided 11 assists in his first 19 matches. So, if one wants to compare, Suarez is basically following in the footsteps of Neymar in terms of goals scored. It’s true the other names on that list have scored more, but then again, all of them, with the exception of Henry, played during Pep’s era where the team was considered one of the best in the world.

 

Nevertheless, keep in mind that Luis Suarez’s goals and assists combined were the most when compared to those other players. He may not be scoring as much, but he has been directly involved in 17 goals in his 19 matches. That is more than those players did during their first 19 matches.

Last season, we were told to be patient with Neymar and look how good he has been this season. So let’s be patient with Luis Suarez too. After all, it could be worse; Santi Ezquerro only scored one goal after joining Barça fall of 2006-2007 season.  So let’s hold judgment till after the season has concluded.

Lay Off Luis Suarez.

Luis Suarez’s first season with FC Barcelona has not been all fireworks. Although expectations were high for Luis Suarez, his performance thus far is not as disappointing to justify the criticism he has received. In fact, you could say he is doing just as well as other Barça strikers before him have done at this stage in their first season.

Yes, the huge price tag of Luis Suarez’s transfer perhaps raised expectations of the numbers of goals “El Pistolero” would score this season for the Blaugrana. Thus far, he has only scored six goals as a Barça player. For some fans, that is a disappointing number of goals. However, let’s not be too harsh on the player. He has struggled at first but his signing was not just about goals; it was about making the team better.

First of all, Luis Suarez did not get a proper summer preseason under his belt and was not allowed to play with the first team till October. Obviously, the blame entirely lies with him for getting punished by FIFA for his stupid act and yes, he should have been in better shape while serving his FIFA ban. However, his performance for the first team after serving his ban, has been beneficial for the team.

He has scored 6 goals and provided 11 assists in his first 19 matches as a Barça player. He also added another assist yesterday in Barça’s Copa del Rey victory over Villarreal on Messi’s opening goal. Some will point out that Suarez has been a disappointment with those six goals but has he?

When you look back at other forwards who played upfront for Barça in their first season and compare their numbers to Luis Suarez’s number, you will not notice a big difference in terms of production. Courtesy of @Barca19stats, Pedro scored 10 goals and had an assist in his first 19 matches. David Villa scored 11 goals and had 5 assists. Alexis scored 8 goals and had 2 assists in his first 19 matches and Neymar scored 6 goals and had 9 assists in his first 19 matches. Heck, even Thierry Henry had 7 goals and 8 assists in his first 19 matches.

Thus far, Luis Suarez has been directly involved in 17 goals in his first 19 matches. That is more than those previously mentioned players had done in the same time span. To say he has disappointed by not scoring more goals is a bit harsh. Pedro grew up in this system and played with Xavi and Iniesta at the peak of their careers. David Villa had experience from playing with that superb midfield during their Spanish National team days. Suarez, like David Villa, had to accept from being the go to guy for goals and to be Messi’s right hand man. Furthermore, the midfield is being utilized differently under Luis Enrique along with the sad realization that Iniesta and Xavi are not as great as they were a few years ago.

Meanwhile, you could say Suarez’s numbers are similar to Neymar’s numbers. If Cruyff, and others, said to give Neymar time to adapt then surely the same should also be said for Suarez. So please, let’s lay off the guy for now. His off the ball movement along with his work rate in recovering balls have been impeccable. He, Neymar and Messi have been performing well together ever since that awful loss to Real Sociedad back in January which has resulted in Barça’s current ten match winning streak. So, let’s ease off in criticizing Suarez and appreciate what he brings to this team.

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’s Misleading Resurrection.

After a 7 game winning streak, some were thinking Barça were back. This nice winning streak has Barça back on the right tracks but there’s still room for improvement for Luis Enrique and his players. Ignoring the need for improvement though could be costly.

Barça’s resurrection, or rejuvenation, came after their last loss away to Real Sociedad right after the winter break. The days following that loss turned into a hurricane for the Blaugrana after Messi did not show up for training and then followed Chelsea on Instagram. Amazing how social media can create a storm of controversy. Suddenly, Messi was on his way to Chelsea and Luis Enrique’s job was on the line before the current Barça president Bartomeu informed the world that early elections would take place at the end of the season.

The Copa del Rey matches against Elche and the league match against Atlético were supposed to be the “make or break” time for Luis Enrique. Well, Barça had no problem defeating Elche and were pretty impressive against Atlético, who did not resemble the Atlético of Cholo that we were used to after last season’s six encounters. Perhaps this turmoil brought the change that was needed. Since then, the trend of Luis Enrique’s different lineups ended, and we seem aware of who will start in the big games. Seven straight wins are impressive but let’s not forget that three of them were against Elche and another was against Deportivo who are fighting relegation.

The other three matches were against Atlético Madrid. Last season, Barça faced Atlético six times and could not defeat them once. Yet, Barça managed to defeat them three times in one month. The league win was impressive. The Copa victories were a different story. Atlético were a different side during those Copa matches. They defended well and Barça struggled to generate much offense. It looked like the Barça we had accustomed to watching; heavily reliant on the individual brilliance of the front three without the influence of the midfield.

In the first leg, they had only four shots on target from twelve and only one in the second half before Messi scored on the rebound after his penalty was saved. The second leg saw Barça concede very early but punish Atlético for their leaving much too space for Barça to score twice from counter attacks thanks to the great talents of Messi, Neymar and Suarez. After a wrongful penalty decision allowed Atlético to tie it up, Barça dodged a bullet when Alba handled inside the box and then raced down the pitch to set up the third and final goal of the evening.

Even though it was a memorable win, questions were left unanswered. What is the midfield’s role under Luis Enrique? On Wednesday, the team had 49% possession before the halftime whistle blew and who knows how bad it would have been in the second half if Gabi had not been sent off during halftime. Even with the extra man advantage, Barça failed to generate scoring chances in the second half.

That self-reliance on the superb front three from Luis Enrique will be either his route to success or his downfall. Messi, Neymar and Suarez have played together 1034 minutes in 14 games. Between them, they have scored 25 goals and provided14 assists. Luis Enrique seems content with Barça abandoning the Cruyff Total Football style of play and going with his own style which has worked for now.

Barça’s January started off rocky and ended in a flourish. They seemed fortunate to face an opponent three times in a short time span, Elche and Atlético, and will also face Villarreal three times since they are their Semi-Finals opponents of the Copa del Rey. It helps get you familiar with your opponent and can play to your advantage, or exploit your weaknesses as we saw last year against Atlético. Barça kick off February by hosting Villarreal at home twice in both league and cup fixtures in the next ten days before facing the likes of Athletic, Malaga and Levante before traveling to the UK to face Manchester City. We’ll know by then if this resurgence is for real or short lived but there is a need for improvement and Luis Enrique cannot rest on his laurels thinking everything is alright.

La Liga’s disciplinary committee lacks discipline.

La Liga has found itself in another ridiculous situation when it comes to players’ lack of self-control and the league’s failure to properly discipline them. If the league wants to set an example by punishing players, then they need to wake up and revamp its disciplinary committee. January saw the return of La Liga football after the winter break and we already have seen some players commit terrible acts on the pitch that are worthy of a lengthy ban. Yet, we are left wondering why that is not the case. Ronaldo was given a two match ban after getting sent off against Cordoba last week for losing his mind and kicking and punching Edimar when the score was 1-1.

Many were not surprised that he was not given a lengthy ban. La Liga has always been known to be lax when it comes to disciplining players, especially those from the big clubs. A few days ago, we saw two bizarre incidents in the Copa del Rey clash between Atlético Madrid and Barça. In the second half, Arda Turan lost his cool, after getting fouled by Dani Alves, and proceeded to pick up his boot off the ground and toss it at the linesman. If that was not bizarre enough, what happened next was even more bizarre. The referee gave Arda Turan a yellow card. Perhaps if the boot had struck the linesman, it would have warranted a red.

Don’t be surprised if Arda Turan will not be punished for this outrageous conduct since the referee report will show that the player was booked. The league’s disciplinary committee relies on the referee’s final report which in itself is a problem and not on secondary evidence. During that Cordoba Real Madrid match, Ronaldo had earlier gotten away with punching Cordoba player Jose Angel Crespo. Even though everyone else saw it, the three officials on the pitch did not and he was not punished for it. Better yet, it was not even taken into consideration when the two match ban was handed down by the disciplinary committee. Thus, if the referee did not report it, it did not happen and will not be taken into consideration.

The league’s disciplinary committee needs to adopt the Premier League’s model when it comes to punishing players for aggressive conduct. Former La Liga troublemaker, Diego Costa, was recently given a three match ban for stamping Emre Can, even though the referee did not spot it. The FA’s decision mentioned that “[t]he incident was not seen by the match officials but caught on video.” Another perfect example was when FIFA rightfully banned Luis Suarez for biting Giorgio Chiellini, even though the referee failed to spot the disgusting act, thanks to what they saw on video. If this measure is good enough for FIFA and the Premier League, then it should be good enough for La Liga to adopt. La Liga’s disciplinary committee needs to become strict if it really cares about its young viewers who are watching their games.

Ronaldo has been sent off five times during his time with Real Madrid. Out of those five, four were for aggressive conduct and he got away with just a booking when he and Godin engaged in a quick slug fest during the Spanish Super Cup. Perhaps it’s time the league cracked down on players by increasing the ban on repeat offenders to act as a deterrence or else we will continue to see players get sent off for aggressive conduct; that’s if they do get sent off like what we saw with Arda Turan. Allowing a player to get the same punishment for the same type of aggressive conduct over and over again for losing their cool does not send a proper message to the players and the fans is not acceptable.

In conclusion, La Liga’s disciplinary committee needs to get with the times and rely on video evidence. If the referee failed to punish Turan for what he did, then they need to rectify that problem themselves. Furthermore, the league’s disciplinary committee needs to punish repeat offenders in a stricter manner to deter players from losing their calm. The league needs to be conscious of its image both across the world and domestically or continue to be mocked for lacking the discipline to get things done right.

Will there be an inevitable divorce between Barça and Messi?

A week ago, there was panic in Barcelona over the comments made by Messi and his father about his future with Barça. A week later, we are celebrating Messi becoming the all-time goal scorer in Spanish league history and UEFA Champions League history. It has been all smiles for Messi but the question remains; will there be an inevitable divorce between Barça and Messi? History has shown that it is likely.

First of all off, congratulations to Messi on breaking two historic scoring records. Messi made his debut ten years ago and it was unfathomable that he would go on to accomplish so many feats with the Blaugrana. Where he ranks amongst the greatest players of all-time is up for debate. What is not debatable is that he is Barça’s greatest player of all time.

Barça have had many great players over the years and the majority share one thing in common; unhappy exits from the club. Throughout the history of the Blaugrana, many big name stars have exited the club for different reasons. It is very rare to see players retire as Barça players. Paulino Alcántara, Rexach, Migueli, Luis Enrique and Puyol are just some that come to mind that did. Some players in their mid-30’s, such as Cesar Rodriguez, left where their services were not needed and the players felt they still had some football left in them . Pep was 30 and wanted to play in other leagues. Kubala, the man the Camp Nou was built for, retired as a Barça player to become a youth manager before becoming the first team manager. However, his Barça coaching career did not last long and he was dismissed. Kubala wanted to still play for Barça but the club was not interested and he became a player manager for Espanyol where he teamed up with Real Madrid legend, Alfredo Di Stefano.

Barça’s first ever Golden Ball winner, Luis Suarez, exited the club because of financial reasons. The club had to cash in on their star player after they fell upon hard financial times. One of Barça’s first superstars, Josep Samitier, starred for Barça between 1919-1932. Unfortunately, he would become the first in a long line of Barça players who clashed with the board and left the club as a result. Samitier and the club had their differences and he left to join Real Madrid.

Maradona and Schuster both clashed with egotistical Barça president Núnez in the 80’s that saw Maradona get sold to Napoli while Schuster followed in Samitier’s path and joined Real Madrid when his contract ended. Others, such as Michael Laudrup and Romario had differences with Barça manager Johan Cruyff. Romario was off loaded after being in Cruyff’s doghouse following the 1994 World Cup success, while Michael Laudrup also joined the ranks of former Barça players to depart the club and join arch rivals Real Madrid. Laudrup was not selected by Cruyff for the 1994 European Cup Final because of the foreign players quotas at the time, so he joined Real Madrid the following season when his contract ended. There is also rumor that another reason why Cruyff dropped him was that Laudrup was fooling around with Cruyff’s daughter. Cruyff also had his problems with Barça president Núnez who ultimately fired the legendary manager.

Brazilians were no exception either after Romario. Brazilian legend Ronaldo also left the club after just one season after contract negotiations for a new contract fell apart and Inter ended up breaking the transfer fee record for him. Rivaldo on the other had problems with both the board and the manager Louis van Gaal and in the end, Rivaldo’s contract was terminated when Louis van Gaal was brought back to manage the club for a second stint. Ronaldinho went from savior to persona non-grata after many, including manager Pep Guardiola, thought he had lost his way and had become a negative influence on Messi. Brazilian born but Portuguese naturalized Deco had a quiet exit and joined Chelsea.

Even during Pep Guardiola’s era, Barça still had messy divorces with star players. This was however because of the manager, and not the board. Pep Guardiola tolerated the likes of Eto’o and Ibrahimovic for one season before ridding them from the club following clash of personalities. Even the return of the so-called prodigal son, Cesc Fábregas, lasted a few season before he was sold to Chelsea. More recently, Victor Valdés’s exit left a bitter taste for many Blaugrana faithful. Valdés never indicated his reason for leaving but there were whispers that he was not fond of the current Barça board, especially after not hiring his choice of goalkeeper coach when the position became available.

In a rarity, Hristo Stoichkhov left the club twice during the 90’s. The first time because of a deteriorating relationship with manager Johan Cruyff, and he was sold to Parma. He returned when Bobby Robson was the manager but his second exit, this time because of another Dutch manager, van Gaal, where the manager’s tactics were criticized by the Bulgarian Golden Ball winner. Hristo would leave the team and play in different countries before concluding his career in the MLS.

So what about Messi? Will he remain a Barça player till the day he retires or will he end up playing elsewhere else? As much as I am a football romantic, I am also a realist. History has shown us that the chances of Messi retiring as a Barça player are slim. Not one Barça Golden Ball winner has ever retired with this club. The comments from Messi and his father served as a warning shot to the board to not mistreat the player. It also enforced the belief that Messi will never leave the club unless the club wanted to sell him first. Hopefully, the next Barça board to take over from this inept board, and soon,  will make sure Messi stays with the club for a long time…….before he leaves Barça near the end of his career to play in Argentina for his childhood club, Newell’s Old Boys. At least that way, it will not be a messy divorce.