The Future of Dani Alves with Barça.

Dani Alves is entering the final months of his career as a Barça player. His contract ends at the conclusion of the season. He is free to talk to other teams since January as he was hoping to stay with the Blaugrana. That might be different as of last week since both, the club and the player, differ on terms for a new deal. Either a compromise must be reached or this relationship will come to a sad end.

Dani Alves will go down in Barça’s history as the greatest right back to have ever played for the club. At one time, he was considered one of the best in the game. However, those days feels like a distant memory. He was such an offensive asset in the past as he partnered with Messi down on the right flank while the club won all those titles under Guardiola. When Barça captured the league and Champions League double in 2010-2011 season, Dani had 18 assists. However, he has not reached double digits in league assists since the 2011-2012 season. Furthermore, we have been witness to his gradual decline over the years with no hopes of improvement as he has become more known for his ineffective crosses as a running gag with followers.

Charts courtesy of Sarah Khoury @SarahKhoury2

Last week, Barça president Bartomeu and Dani Alves’s agent, Dinorah Santana, sat down for one last meeting to try to come to an agreement after initial talks began following El Clásico. Santana, also Dani’s ex-wife, spoke to the media from the passenger seat of her car, after that meeting ended, to inform the public that no deal had been reached. She disclosed that the fullback was seeking a three year deal and that Barça offered a new contract based on conditions. Santana stated, “Barça said three years if the player plays at least 60 percent each season, if he doesn’t, it won’t continue year-on-year.” She added, “That for me is not three years. It is one year”.

VÍDEO: Ya puedes escuchar las declaraciones de la agente de Alves tras la reunión con el Barça http://t.co/JgJa4DEM7f pic.twitter.com/kVveU8HhGZ
— Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) April 8, 2015

Santana was not finished. She then mentioned that she had spoken with Barça presidential candidates about his future. “I’ve spoken with some of the presidential candidates at Barça and they’ve told me think differently.” She was now trying to use political propaganda against this current board. That makes sense seeing as the club seems to be only attracting bad publicity and this would be another setback for them come elections time.

Alves' agent: "I've spoken with some of the presidential candidates at Barça and they've told me think differently."
— SPORT English (@Sport_EN) April 9, 2015

Santana told the world that Barça offered Dani Alves a 1+1+1 deal, but Barça countered that they had offered him a 2+1 deal instead. It was the classic he said, she said between two parties negotiating. The problem was Santana was taking this to the media in hopes of winning public sympathy. Santana stated that Dani Alves was sad, although he sure caught many fans off guard when he later posted a photo of himself on Instagram smiling with his pants at his ankles. If a photo is worth a thousand words, then that photo was the epiphany of dropping the ball at the worst moment in terms of garnering more sympathizers on his side.

Tw Alves: "Life is a great game and I'm a small player #goodvibealways #lovelife" [danid2ois] pic.twitter.com/goIbqYiikU
— barcastuff (@barcastuff) April 9, 2015

This unexpectedly turned into a game of Poker when Santana tried to use other teams’ offers as leverage against the board. Barça cannot sign new players thanks to the FIFA transfer ban, so if Dani Alves leaves, the club is stuck with Montoya and Douglas as the only first team fullbacks for next season. Santana tried to use that to her client’s advantage when she said, “Dani has a concrete offer on the table for a three-year deal plus the option for an extra year with a better wage than he has here and a signing on fee.”

By no means am I a fan of this current Barça board. I detest them and want them gone. However, they were right to balk at this proposal. Just because Barça are in this predicament because of the transfer ban does not mean that they should held hostage and be forced to give Dani Alves the deal that he wants. If other teams have offered the fullback a three-year deal with better wages, then call their bluff in this poker game. How can you justify giving Dani Alves a raise when he has regressed over the years?

Furthermore, this month’s issue of Four Four Two had an article indicating the top 50 paid footballers in the world. Dani came in 16th with a weekly salary of £182,341 (roughly $268,000 a week). Mind you, Philip Lahm came in 43rd, earning $210,000 and makes you wonder who really deserves a raise but that is a different story. The fact that Dani Alves thinks he can force the club to give him a raise since they cannot replace him till 2016 is not exactly in the club’s best interest. They are planning on giving the likes of Pique, Jordi Alba and Neymar new wages in the near future and that budget cannot be feasible if includes paying Dani more than what he is earning now.

If Dani Alves wants to stay, then accept the new deal. He once posted on his Instagram account, “… felicidade está nas coisas mais simples e não em notas de cem” which basically means happiness comes in the simplest things, and not in $100 bills. Well, Dani, practice what you preach! If he does not want to play for Barça next season with his current salary, then thanks for the memories and good luck wherever you go.

Dani Alves commented that he will think about his future after the season is over. However, if both sides want Dani to remain, then he should accept the offer or else the club will go with a platoon of Montoya and Bartra at that position (forget about Douglas), or even 3-4-3 formation till the transfer ban ends. That’s a four month gamble risk till Barça can sign new players in the January 2016 winter transfer window. Since Dani Alves is suspended for the upcoming match against Paris Saint-Germain, we will get a glimpse of life without Dani. There is still time for both sides to reach to some sort of an agreement and the current Barça offer seems fair enough. If Dani Alves wants to stay with Barça, then he should accept the offer and not try to bluff his way into a raise.

Ibrahim Ayyub – @IBES16

* Special thanks to Sarah Khoury for the Dani Alves charts. You can follow her on her twitter @SarahKhoury2 for statistical charts regarding FC Barcelona and their players.

No Club For Old Men?

Barça suffer two consecutive defeats in a week and suddenly Barça are in a crisis. It’s too soon for me to scream out the sky is falling but there have been signs of fan displeasure regarding Barça’s style of play. Tata Martino has made some changes but perhaps the one change he should consider is initiating a youth movement. In other words, time to give less minutes to Puyol and Xavi.

Sport mentioned yesterday that Puyol was still not 100% fitfor their Copa match even after he hadknee drained a few days ago. Meanwhile, Barça’s new system has made Xavi a shadow of his former self. Xavi’s performance and assists have decreased the past few seasons and it’s no coincidence that is when his Achilles problems began to plague him. Clearly these guys are not the same players from a few years ago. 

Sandro Rosell’s presidency has ushered in a new era for FC Barcelona where it could be deemed as a ruthless business approach. Nevertheless, their off the pitch ruthlessness has not correlated with their on the pitch structure of the football club. They seem reluctant to get away from the past. Perfect example, last season’s epic performance against Milan featured the same lineup that won the Champions League Final at Wembley with the minor exception of Alba starting in place of Eric Abidal.

Is it time for Barça to start focusing on the younger players and put the likes of Xavi and Puyol on the bench on a permanent basis. Puyol is 35 and his body can be the Catalan version of the image of the classic game “Operation” while Xavi is 33 and seems more interested in passing the ball sideways nowadays. As much as I love those legends, perhaps Barça needs to look to the future and not be stuck in the past. 

Barça already lost one phenom, Thiago, because someone like Xavi played in 60 games last season while the young player could hardly feature. Barça has a rough in the diamond in Marc Bartra who has performed well when called upon which merited him a call up to the Spanish national team. However, he has to play second fiddle to Puyol and Mascherano, who happens to be 29. Meanwhile, his fellow colleague, Montoya, is also finding it a tough go to get minutes while he plays second fiddle to Dani Alves and Adriano. Dani Alves is 30 and Adriano is 29.

Players with determination and ambition also want minutes. So Barça have to ask themselves, can they afford to lose more younger players and lose a piece of their future? Or will they still clutch to the past by playing players who might not be up to the task anymore? Now, unlike Rosell, I’m not a heartless guy. I would love to have both players stick around till they retire when they hit 40, albeit with different roles. Perhaps Puyol can start the occasional game here and there, at center back only, whereas Xavi should also start the occasional odd game but more importantly, I can see how useful he would be in games where Barça would require his presence to protect a lead by allowing them to stay in control in the final 15-20 minutes of a match.

Other teams are getting younger and Barça need to realize that it’s just not the style of play that they have been far too deeply reliant on, but it’s their reliance on the old guard as well. Barça have to move with the times and keep the squad young and fresh and not lose their young players to other teams. It’s not an easy decision but Barça need to start looking ahead or else they might find themselves stuck in the past.

Barça’s Young Defenders’ Quandary.

Another season with a new manager yet the outcome for Barça’s young defenders Martin Montoya and Marc Bartra remains unchanged.  The duo have been rotating their seats with the bench and the stands. With the season now rolling into the insane cycle of two games a week, these young players have to play. The club cannot take for granted that since they came through La Masia, these players will not complain and seek an exit. Such wishful thinking could lead to familiar problems yet again.

Thiago was a perfect example of players exhibiting ambition by seeking a new change in order to gain minutes. Many assumed that Thiago would stay put and accept being a bench player who hardly features since he came through La Masia and thus, was loyal. The club then saw the young phenom pack his bags and head to Bayern Munich. Barça face the same dilemma with their two young defenders Montoya and Bartra. Both have hardly featured this season when they should be.

It’s no surprise that there have been media reports that the young players are upset at their lack of playing time which is why they are reluctant to sign new deals with the club. Some would say that they should be patient and their moment will come. Some attributed that same argument to Thiago and complained that he should have been patient like his peers Xavi and Iniesta. However, those two did not have legends playing ahead of them and actually made more appearances at Thiago’s age than he did.

Bartra has also been rotating from bench and the stands. He is the number one choice if either Pique or Mascherano get hurt. Yet, he has not played since representing Spain this summer. One would expect the club to learn from last season’s mistakes of not giving the young defender more playing time to prevent him from making an appearance in case of an injury to one of the center backs, while in a rusty condition. Based on the situation, I thought Bartra did the best that he could against Bayern seeing as he was not constantly playing. However, if Puyol is to make a healthy return, where would Bartra’s minutes come from?

Yesterday, Montoya was on the bench and Bartra was in the stands collecting rust yet again. The club made the big mistake of not signing center backs this summer and so they need to rotate as much as they can in a season as this where the calendar is congested with far too many games without ample time for rest. This is when you depend on the youth to give the veterans some games to rest and keep everyone healthy.

We will soon see whether Tata will go ahead and implement those moves. If not, then expect these young players to continue to be frustrated and perhaps seek an exit in the winter transfer window. That could spell trouble for the club and could also cast a negative reflection for the young players with Barça B who might contemplate their futures too.

Barça paying for transfer neglect.

An apparent need for Barça to strengthen its back line was discussed plenty this past summer. Yet, here we are, another season without any viable re-enforcements to protect Valdés’s first line of defense. Consequently, we have seen our beloved Barça continue their habit of conceding soft goals much to the dismay of many players and fans alike. Doubts about this club’s problems disappearing anytime soon have crept up again which begs the question why was this problem not addressed again.

Two summers ago, Barça were going to sign a center back and it didn’t happen. This past summer, Barça huffed and puffed and were going to sign a center back and it didn’t happen. We have a new manager and we’re seeing the same mistakes happening plaguing Barça’s defending. Cheap soft goals conceded at the end of a half or close to the final whistle have raised doubts if this club can eradicate last season’s performances against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

The Champions League kicks off this week and with it, comes the difficult calendar that sees Barça playing featuring in plenty of midweek games which cuts down on the valuable rest between matches. Rotations of the players is vital to preserve the players but our back four are down to just five players now that Jordi Alba is out of action for three weeks. Thus, we’re stuck with Dani Alves, Montoya, Pique, Mascherano, Bartra and Adriano with the return of captain Puyol supposedly near the corner. Will this be adequate for the club to compete in all competitions or will they sign some new players to strengthen the back four? If so, the question would be who?

Sandro Rosell and Zubizarreta better start looking into this issue. Many would mention names of players but perhaps the club needs to re-examine their scouts. Why is it that the likes of Porto and Dortmund can sign players that many clubs become obsessed in signing while Barça buy the likes for Alex Song? I don’t expect Puyol’s return to cure the problems and that is why Barça needs to address this issue now in time for January or for next season.

Barça cannot allow this pattern to continue. Failing to address this issue yet again is a recipe for disaster and Barça have already been warned. Failure to do so is unfair to the fans and the players when the talents of Messi, Iniesta, Neymar and others are wasted because this team cannot protect a lead. Zubizarreta and the club are on notice; fix this issue.

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.

 

Changes Need To Be Made At Barça.

The shocking 4-0 loss to Bayern Munich rocked the foundation of FC Barcelona last week. Sure, there had been hiccups along the way this season but this was a colossal wake up call for the Blaugrana. Issues have to be addressed from the top all the way down to the players on the pitch. Changes have to be made with regards to transfers and the change of guard with regards to the veterans at the club. By no means am I saying this is the end of era but perhaps the cycle has run out and the club needs a transformation.

Bayern Munich’s 4-0 victory was a bitter pill to swallow albeit a deserved victory for the German club. Sure, there were some iffy calls and perhaps Barça’s Wembley dreams would still be alive if those goals were disallowed. Nevertheless, Barça’s effort that night was one to forget. Barça just never really got it going in the second half of the season. Barça hasn’t caught fire these past few months. Better yet, it’s safe to say the match hasn’t been struck. Last week, their lackadaisical showing cost them dearly.

Football simply comes down to scoring goals and defending well. If you can do either one well, then you have a chance at winning. If you fail to do either properly, then you will fail miserably. That was exactly what we saw in Munich last week. After that final whistle blew in Munich, the calls for end of an era started rearing its ugly head ahead once again. However, the same was said last season and the club once again was chasing a treble till last month.

Spanish media referred to “Era” as “Cicolo” which can also mean cycle. I think cycle is a better term to use here. The team has had a great run, cycle, but some changes need to be made for this team to continue to remain among the best. It first starts with club president Sandro Rosell. Rosell has made this club follow other clubs’ model with shirt sponsors, tours, deals with Arab sheiks and so forth. However, it would be nice for the club to actually sign players that the club needs and not gimmicky players who are midfielders but probably can be defenders. The club lacked a center-back and the club did not sign anyone during the summer break and are now paying the price. Rosell has to learn from this season’s mistakes and not repeat them again.

The other issue is Tito Vilanova. His coaching has come into question recently with regards to lineups, tactics and substitutions. One fatal mistake was not giving Montoya and Bartra more minutes and now, these two are set to start in the second leg of Bayern tie after gathering rust following a handful of appearances since January. What caught the ire of the fans the most was his choice of using his first substitution in the 83rd minute after the game in Munich was out of reach. Was that an indication that he did not trust his bench and subsequently, has he lost the team by ignoring the non-starters as a result?

Furthermore, Rosell and company will have to discuss with Tito whether or not his health will prevent him from coaching next season. If so, then they better start preparing their list of candidates for the coaching seat of FC Barcelona. If he does feel healthy to return, then he has to ensure that some changes will have to be made. This past weekend’s draw against Athletic displayed how Tito does not have a “Plan B” and would rather stick with “Plan A” even though it has been known to be ineffective at times. Why did he bring on Iniesta when he could have brought on another defender and have him play alongside Song to congest the midfield and support the back four?

If Plan A is not working, then sticking with it without any minor changes is not an upgrade either. Sticking to the same style is not a step in the right direction when it costs you points and victories. Perhaps he should take a page from Rijkaard’s book where for that one season he had van Bommel partner Motta or Rafa Marquez as the two defensive midfielders. If Barça keeps making the same defensive errors, then it is on him to address those problems and not ignore. As my buddy told me after Sunday’s draw, Pique is one of the most undisciplined players the club has when it comes to errors, so address it and make him better.

Sadly, I think the upcoming season will see a changing of the guards. Puyol may be retiring because of his numerous leg injuries while Valdés wants to leave the club in 2014 and Barça might want to cash in on him this summer. Also, Xavi’s legs cannot allow the legend to play week in and week out anymore. As I mentioned in the past, Achilles injuries are impossible to overcome and perhaps it’s time to slowly put him to the pasture, i.e. the bench. Xavi simply cannot play week in and week out and next season will be no exception where the club will play more midweek league matches. Xavi just doesn’t perform like he used to and most of the time, the possession and passing is more of keeping the ball than delivering that well placed sublime through ball for opponents. Rarely do we see those assists like the one he provided Villa with against Milan.

Barça cannot afford to rely to on the old guard to always be there. A perfect example would be the late 80’s/early 90’s Boston Celtics and the current Boston Celtics who relied on their veteran players on their last legs for far too long much to the detriment of the team.  Barça needs to mix it up with veterans and youth along with players in their prime. So it’s time for Puyol and Xavi to be slowly taken out of the lineup and have the team entrusted to other players such as Bartra, Thiago or even Cesc (why was he signed again?). FC Barcelona needs to start planning for the future without destroying the future.

Yet again, we are also witnessing a tired team with Messi fighting through a Semi-Final with an injury while other players seem to be sluggish and short of freshness. The talk of the club shortening the squad next season has to be re-examined after what we witnessed down the stretch the past two seasons. We need quality depth and quantity in depth.

Furthermore, a lot of attention was given to the fact that FC Barcelona have struggled recently without Messi. Some would blame it on Messi being greedy. I blame this more on the manager. It is no coincidence that Barça became more Messi reliant ever since he started trying to break goal scoring records left and right. I am not blaming it on Messi but perhaps bad habits set in with the rest of his teammates because they were interested in assisting Messi break records and haven’t shaken off the bad habit. I long for the days when Messi, Villa and Pedro were the M-V-P trio that scored 98 goals combined in the 2010-2011 season (22 goals for Pedro, 23 for Villa and 53 for Messi). Again, have they forgotten how to score or were too occupied in making sure Messi broke every record that it became a bad habit that resulted in most players standing idle as they watched Messi.

I haven’t completely given up on Barça’s chances on overturning this 4-0 result. Bayern has 6 players who are one booking away from missing the Final. Perhaps, that will be on the back of the Bayern players’ minds and slightly make them a bit more cautious. If the score is 2-0 at the half, then Barça has a strong chance. If they are losing of it is a scoreless draw, then expect a long ahead.

Overall, the era is not even close to coming to an end. It just needs some minor tinkering here and there from the top to the bottom. It’s time the club changed the mentality on how things are done in the front office and on the field. We cannot afford to waste the talent and youth of some of these players. This club can do better and should be better.

 

Barça Needs To Re-examine Its Youth Policy.

Barça keeps praising the fact that their recent success is because of its reliance on its youth setup. Puyol, Xavi, Valdés, Iniesta and Messi all came through La Masia and helped the club become what it is today. However, young players who have been promoted to the first team from the youth setup recently have been ignored and neglected and this is a worrying trend that might become a problem in the near future.

This season was the commencement of a new era following the departure of Pep Guardiola. Tito Vilanova has stepped in and done well after the disappointing result in the Supercopa. The league is basically theirs to lose while they continue their quest for the treble. With such a commanding lead atop of the standings, one would expect Tito and his assistant, and current interim manager, Jordi Roura to rotate the players into the starting lineups.

Although rotations have been occurring with everyone, not named Messi ,being rested occasionally, a certain group of players have been slighted. Barça B defenders Montoya and Bartra seem to have been left out of the mix. They had featured occasionally a few months ago but neither has seen minutes in 2013.

These players are considered first team players and not Barça B players. Thus, they cannot feature for the B team anymore. However, if they are not even dressing for games, their talents are going to waste. This a pressing concern because the club has made it a habit to hold on to Barça B players by promoting them to the first team. However, that tactic appears to be stunting player development rather than aiding it.

Jonathan Dos Santos is a perfect example of promoting a Barça B player to the first team when the possibility of him playing is impossible. He is a midfielder who has the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Cesc, Song and Thiago ahead of him so minutes were going to be hard to come by. He could have went on loan to another team but refused to do so. That was a mistake on his part as he is basically forced himself out of action. Cuenca played it smart after he accepted to go Ajax Amsterdam on loan than stick around and fight for scraps of minutes. Jonathan Dos Santos should have done the same.

Nevertheless, Montoya and Bartra do not face the same the logjam in their respective positions. Montoya is a brilliant fullback who has to contend with Jordi Alba, Adriano and Dani Alves for minutes. There was no excuse not to see him start a few games here and there recently in order to give those three full backs a breather. Bartra is an up and coming center back who will obviously take a back seat to Puyol, Pique and Mascherano in his respective position. However, the minutes have been hard to come by for him when the club’s league position allows for it. Yesterday was the perfect example where Bartra could have started against a Granada side that had only scored 22 goals in 23 matches. Instead, Bartra found himself sitting in the stands.

These two defenders should be playing more often to gain experience so they can be ready to leap into action in case a player suffers an emergency. Instead, they are being left out of the lineup and are collecting rust. These were players who were promoted and cannot find minutes. The big cause for concern is that the club will be repeating the same mistake next season if the stories are true that Sergi Roberto and Thiago’s brother, Rafinha, will be promoted next season.

Barça needs to stop putting in the players’ contracts these conditions that promise B players to be promoted to the first team. Their promotion is met with plenty of sitting around and lack of playing time. This also affects Barça B when they keep losing their best players to the first team and suffer without those players who would be gaining plenty of minutes over sitting in the stands.

If Barça is that concerned about losing their young players, then they need to re-examine their policy. Promotion without gaining experience is not a step forward. Perhaps the club has to accept that the only way to keep players happy and gain experience through minutes is by loaning them out.  If staying with Barça B is not an option, then loaning them out to other clubs should be looked into. I don’t want to see Bartra, Montoya, Tello, Sergi Roberto and Rafinha sitting on the bench or in the stands next season. Experience is the best form of education and these players will never excel if they continue to be given few minutes here and there.

 

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.