Barça Lost in Transition.

Barça’s transition from the last regime to the new regime under Laporta is off to a horrendous start. Poor performances and results in La Liga and in the Champions league along with the loss of Messi has not made the Blaugrana faithful happy. Things were supposed to improve but instead, things are getting worse with no optimism on the horizon as long as Ronald Koeman remains.

Barça’s elections were supposed to usher in a new era under President Laporta. What we didn’t expect was for Barça to hang on to Koeman and lose Messi. Back in November, I wrote that

Elections can’t come soon enough. The longer Koeman stays in charge, the more hopeless this season feels for the fans, and for the players. A fresh start is needed with a new board and a new manager because the results are not there to save Koeman. Koeman was presented as the solution, but he’s become part of the problem.

Almost a year later, and Koeman continues to be part of the problem. Koeman has an abysmal record in big games while subjecting us to horrible football. Laporta should have fired Koeman during the summer but he did not because firing Koeman would result in Barça having to pay him €12 million. Nonetheless, this is the same club that haven’t paid Koeman’s predecessors Quique Setién and Ernesto Valverde after they were fired. Because money is tight, Laporta stuck with Koeman and informed the fans “Ronald Koeman will continue as Barca coach. We feel he deserves a certain amount of confidence for many reasons.”

Well, nothing has happened that reinforces that confidence or justifies holding on to Koeman as a manager. Barça have been awful in La Liga and the Champions League under Koeman. Last month, Koeman said “Thanks to me, this club has a future.” Well, if he meant an uncertain future, then he has done a marvelous job.

After Laporta won the Barça presidential elections, he promised us things will be different. “Before, if we lost, nothing happened, but with me there are going to be consequences.” Well, the consequences thus far have been that we lost Messi and replaced him with Memphis Depay, Kun Aguero, and Luuk “more dangerous than Neymar inside the box” de Jong. Well, things sure are not different, things are worse and we have yet to see any consequences; just videos from Laporta asking for support from us.

The transition from the rotting decaying Rosell/Bartomeu era to the Laporta era is one mired in confusion and frustration. Are Barça afraid of firing Koeman because of money? That didn’t stop them with Valverde and Setién, so let Koeman get in line and sue. Eventually Barça will be financially settled and can afford to settle those cases out of court. It sure beats hanging on to Koeman and risk early elimination from the Champions League and make it harder for his successor, Xavi or Francisco Javier García Pimienta (whose firing from Barça B is still a puzzling decision) or anyone else, to help this club finish in La Liga’s top four and qualify for the Champions League. There has been enough damage done under Koeman and this transition will never launch if he stays in charge.

Barça’s Difficult Cleanup Underway.

 

Barça’s upcoming season is just around the corner, and the first under new president Joan Laporta with a full summer under his belt. However, anyone thinking that Laporta will bring a quick fix is sadly mistaken. Many, including Laporta, are now fully coming to grips of the dire condition this club is in financially, and that it is in need of a lengthy major cleanup.

Unless you’ve been in a coma for the past few years, it should come as no surprise that Barça is a financial mess. The club is drowning in debt thanks to many bad financial decisions by the previous regime, which is affecting how the club can prepare for the new season. La Liga’s President, Javier Tebas has warned the club that they will not be able to register Messi and the new signings unless they get under their salary cap. This requires shedding a lot of dead weight and bad contracts.

Unfortunately, not every player is on board when it comes to accepting a reduced salary and the pandemic is making is tougher to offload the deadwood. Laporta faced the same situation when he first became president of Barça back in 2003, and it took him a whole season before all the players deemed surplus were gone. This time around, the players he is trying to offload are ridiculously high earners, and some of them are also injury prone. Good luck finding any takers, or suckers, for players such as Umtiti, Coutinho, Griezmann and Pjanic in today’s football world.

Laporta’s first important challenge is cleaning up this toxic mess. He was successful the first time when he had the likes of Ferran Soriano by his side to steady the ship. We shall see if Laporta has surrounded himself with a proper crew to perform this difficult cleanup. However, don’t kid yourself into thinking that this will be a quick fix because this cleanup will take time, and unfortunately, time is not a luxury the fans have.

Barça Clause delivering gifts.

You better watch out.
You better not cry.
You better not pout.
I'm telling you why.
Barça Clause is coming to town.

Barça, the club that keeps on gifting to other clubs. Over the years, Barça have become jolly old Saint Nick, by sending gifts in terms of money, blown leads, and points. Three straight seasons where Barça fans felt like they only got coal in their stockings.

Year one of Mister Valverde, Barça almost went unbeaten in league. Paid Liverpool about €160 million for Coutinho, and enjoyed a three-goal aggregate lead against Roma, only to squander it in Rome. It felt like a fluke, but the worst was yet to come.

Year two of Mister Valverde, Barça win the league again. Semi-Finalists once more in Champions League Football. Defeated Liverpool 3-0 at the Camp Nou, only for them to gift that lead and lose 4-0 at Anfield. Coutinho was a non-factor, while Liverpool used the €160 million to sign Virgil van Dijk and Alisson to go on and win their 6^th Champions League title. Proceeded to lose the Copa del Rey Final to Valencia which allowed them to celebrate their first domestic achievement in a decade.

Year three of Mister Valverde, he didn’t make it past January. Setién was now the man, although were dumped out of Copa del Rey by Athletic, and lost El Clasico in Madrid, Barça enjoyed a two-point lead before the pandemic break.  Barça gifted the lead back to Madrid and finished five points behind Los Blancos as runners-up. Champions League is all that’s left with Barça an away goal advantage following their 1-1 draw in Naples. Will they overcome Napoli or gift them a spot in the Quarter-Finals?

Messi sees what the board has been doing.
It’s unsure how much more he can take.
He’s seen the board do more bad than good.
So please Barça, be good for goodness sake!

What will Barça do after Messi’s Last Dance?

ESPN’s The Last Dance miniseries about the one and only Michael Jordan was well received by many when it aired recently. The miniseries discussed Michael Jordan’s career and his final season with the Chicago Bulls. Of course, talk on Barça social media was how much they looked forward to a similar miniseries made about Lionel Messi when his playing days are over. Yet, as much as I look forward to enjoying a miniseries about Messi, I am also concerned of about Barça after Messi’s last dance with the Blaugrana.

The idea of Messi walking away from football struck a nerve last December when Messi addressed the media after winning the Ballon d'Or for a record-breaking sixth time. Messi said, "I'm aware of how old I am. And I enjoy these moments so much because I know that retirement is approaching. Time flies." Barça fans have been under the illusion that Messi was eternal and would play on forever. Yet, that December night woke Barça fans from their stupor and made them realize that nothing lasts forever.

All good things must come to an end, and the day Messi walks off the pitch as a Barça player will be one of the most gut-wrenching days as a fan. Messi has been representing the Blaugrana for almost 20 years, ever since his arrival from Argentina as a young teenager who made his way through La Masia ranks before reaching the first team and becoming a married 32-year-old man who is also a father to three children. Throughout those years, the one constant was Messi representing FC Barcelona. Eventually, we will have to bid farewell to Messi when the wonderful magician walks off the pitch as for the final time as a Barça player. However, is the club ready for when that day arrives?

Since I started following my beloved Blaugrana, I have seen a couple of great eras and great players come and go. The club survived after they sacked Johan Cruyff and survived after Pep Guardiola left the club in 2012. The club survived after Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho departed the club. But there is a cause for concern about of FC Barcelona after the departure of Messi.

The Chicago Bulls never tasted success before Michael Jordan’s arrival and have not since his departure. The Bulls allowed their successful coach, Phil Jackson, and Dennis Rodman to walk away while trading Scottie Pippen to Portland. The Bulls began a new era with Toni Kukoč as their best player with the hopes of enticing other players to join their team. However, players ignored the Bulls and their history and opted to join other teams while the Bulls slowly slid into an abyss of failure. Also, the successful Boston Celtics of the 80s paid the price for not having players ready to step in for Larry Bird and Kevin McHale when they retired in the early 90s and would struggle for many years until becoming competitive again. I am concerned that Barça seem to be following in the footsteps of the Bulls and Celtics regarding future planning of the squad at the moment and when Messi retires. Luis Suárez and Gerard Piqué are both 33, and Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba are both 31. While Frenkie de Jong seems to be Busquets’ successor, the club still lacks the necessary successors for those other players, and for Messi as well.

The grand plan of former Barça president, Sandro Rosell, was for Neymar to be Messi’s heir apparent, either after they sold Messi or after Messi left the Blaugrana. However, that plan went down in flames when Neymar opted to join Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in 2017. Barça received quite the windfall, €222 million, from Neymar’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain but the club squandered that fortune on expensive transfers that have failed to deliver. Barça splashed €105 million on Ousmane Dembélé whose bad luck with injuries have frustrated the fans. Coutinho cost €145 million and lasted a season and a half before being sent out on loan. Meanwhile, Liverpool used that €145 million to sign Virgil van Dijk and Alisson and win the Champions League.

While looking ahead to determine what signings Barça need to make, one has to wonder how dire is Barça’s current economic situation when they cannot afford to sign Neymar or Inter’s Lautaro Martínez without selling other players first. They were able to gobble up players before, but now, Barça seem to have tightened the belt across their waist twice. Will they have the financial capability to sign other “Cracks” when Messi leaves or is the financial hole they’ve dug themselves into is far too deep to crawl out from?

We lived through this financial mismanagement under Joan Gaspart’s presidency and it took Joan Laporta a year to clear the club’s deadwood. Elections are next year and will the next Barça president have the funds needed to replace Messi and strengthen the team? Moreover, will the next Barça president be brave or crazy enough to contemplate the thought of selling Messi to recoup the funding needed to pay off the club’s debts and sign new players. Besides Messi, the only players that could warrant a big transfer value are Marc-André ter Stegen, Arthur Melo, Frenkie de Jong and a healthy Ousmane Dembélé.

If Messi walks away, careful planning will be needed to usher in the new Barça project. This club will always rebound but the appropriate decisions need to be made to ensure a smooth transition to life without Messi and not become what Manchester United and A.C. Milan are today. Failure to do so will be catastrophic for this club.

Barça continues to be a Circus.

Although the circus no longer comes to town, Barça have a done a great job in making sure the circus is still alive and well for the entire football world. The month of February saw the Barça board and the team perform quite a few circus acts. Consequentially, that caused mixed emotions from the Blaugrana fans and followers consisting of eye-rolls, anger and bitter disappointment.

It all started in early February when Barça’s sporting director, Eric Abidal said in an interview that the Barça players were not satisfied nor worked hard under previous manager Ernesto Valverde. That drew an immediate rebuke from his former teammate, Lionel Messi who dared him to back up that statement and name names. Whenever Messi responds to comments made by the board, you know it’s bad, and it once again showed the poor management by this club.

When that storm quietly died down, the equivalent of a hurricane hitting a volcano happened when the Cadena Ser radio network reported that the Blaugrana paid a social media company  €1 million to attack those who are against the board such as future presidential candidate Victor Font, former Barça players Carles Puyol and Xavi, former Barça player and manager Pep Guardiola, and even some Barça players such as Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique. The club immediately denied the story but as of March 3, 2020, president Josep Maria Bartomeu has yet to face the media and give us some real answers. Perhaps that €1 million could have been put into good use elsewhere, like bringing back former Masia player Takefusa Kubo and not letting Real Madrid outbid us for the Japanese Messi.

In between those two circus acts, we were informed that winger Ousmane Dembele’s return from injury was a quick act because he suffered another injury and was ruled out for six months after undergoing successful surgery on a hamstring injury. With the team short on players, what does the Barça board do? They sell two forwards, first teamer Carles Perez and Barça B player Abel Ruiz, and also loan out center back Jean-Clair Todibo. Perhaps this was their magic act of less is more.
But Barça did have a trick up their sleeve and managed to sign Danish international Martin Braithwaite from Leganes after paying his €20 million buy-out clause. So why did the club spend €20 million on a player who can only play league games when they could have saved €20 million and relied on Carles Perez and probably Abel Ruiz if he ever had a call up with the first team? The juggling act of the club when it comes to roster decisions continue to baffle many.

On February 22, 2020, Barça fans were afforded the chance to see Braithwaite in action for the first time against Eibar. However, it was the fans who were the spectacle of the Camp Nou, and not the team, when prior to kick-off, man fans waved white handkerchiefs and chanted "Bartomeu, resign!" for about seven minutes before the game finally kicked off. The message from the spectators to the ringmaster was heard and seen by the world. Barça though won 5-0 with Messi providing a great performance by scoring 4 goals while Braithwaite came on as a substitute and played a key role in setting up the final two goals which gave the fans short term amnesia as the club were back in first place in the league table.

Whatever jubilation the Blaugrana faithful were feeling was evaporated when Barça played Napoli to a 1-1 draw last Tuesday. The match saw Busquets get booked which meant he would miss the second leg. With the team already short a midfielder for the return leg, Arturo Vidal decided to be a clown by getting a late red card. After the game, the usually quiet Busquets hinted at how poorly assembled this team with his comment “We are a little short at the moment.”


This past weekend, Barça were to perform the impalement art by being knife throwers at the reeling and spinning Real Madrid. Instead, Barça failed to deliver and took a pie to the face by losing to Real Madrid 2-0 and relinquishing the league lead back to their arch rivals. We have been watching this circus act since 2010 when Sandro Rosell became the Barça president before stepping down over the Neymar transfer saga before Bartomeu succeeded in becoming his successor in 2015. Since then, it’s been more of bring in the clowns as the club wastes away Messi’s talents. In a few months, we will see if Bartomeu and this board will step down in the summer for early elections. If they don't, they may be successful in making us watch this circus become a carnival.

Barça, Just OK is Not OK!

FC Barcelona are in first place in both the Spanish League and in their Champions League group. Even though they look good in the standings, their performance hasn’t been good at all. Barça still have issues to resolve and hopefully they can get it together after the international break or else we risk witnessing another disappointing season.

Even though the results do not show it, Barça keep regressing under Ernesto Valverde. The defense keeps leaking goals and the offense looks predictable, which is extremely reliant on Messi. The Blaugrana resemble a car in dire need of a tune-up as they struggle to fire on all cylinders. New signing Griezmann is struggling to click with the team, especially with Messi.

The bigger concern is whether Valverde can actually get the team to play better. Not one player has improved under his helm, so how can we expect him to improve the team. The blame doesn’t fall entirely on him seeing as the players also bear a brunt of the blame. Perhaps Pique needs to cutback on his non-football activities and focus on playing football and rest. Also, it would be nice to figure out why so many Barça players are coming down with muscle injuries.

It’s still early into the season, but Barça being just OK is not OK. Things have to change or else they will be heading towards another disappointing finish. The Blaugrana have been fortunate that Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid have also stumbled early on into the season but eventually one of them will get hot and if Barça don’t get their act together, they may have more concerns than just coming up short in Europe.

Does Barça need Neymar or does Neymar need Barça?

Summer is upon us again which could only mean one thing; summer transfer gossip. The latest transfer rumor is Neymar returning to the Blaugrana just two years after paying his way out to join Paris Saint-Germain. Neymar’s exit right before the season was going to kick off left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Barça fans and the club’s directors. It seems now that Neymar has discovered the grass was not greener on the French side and he now wants to return to Barcelona. Neymar needs Barça but it gets the question, does Barça need him?

The last time a former Barça star returned to the Blaugrana was Hristo Stoichkov back in the 90s, so it’s not often a Barça star gets a second warm welcome. Sequels don’t usually work in football, so if the rumors are true about Neymar’s return, then are Barça banking on another MSN sequel. Perhaps the club thinks Neymar can help Messi and the rest of the team get stronger, but is this the right move?

Neymar’s Barça exit to join Paris Saint-Germain was a messy affair that left the club blindsided with the season kicking off in a short period of time along with threats of litigation over unpaid bonuses. Neymar even made a petty request to UEFA in having Barça banned from the Champions League. It’s hard to fathom that both sides now may let bygones be bygones and reunite again after what had transpired.

Neymar would benefit from joining Barça after his two years with Paris Saint-Germain that didn’t help him escape Messi’s shadow. Instead, he found himself in the shadow of Mbappé’s spotlight while courting controversy with his behavior on and off the pitch. Obviously, Barça would benefit financially, via Nike and others, from having Neymar back, but will his return benefit the club on the pitch? The club has been embarrassed the last two seasons in the Champions League and need to do something to boost optimism in the Blaugrana faithful.

Can Neymar be trusted in being professional on and off the pitch and help Barça achieve more glory in the Champions League? Or will Neymar’s return be full of drama and inflate the club’s already bloated high wage scale? There’s also the impact of his arrival on the future Ousmane Dembélé while the arrival of Antoine Griezmann? Neymar will always be part of Barça’s history for his part in MSN’s Barça’s treble but Barça’s doesn’t need him.

The Coutinho Dilemma.

On January 6, 2018, Barça signed Coutinho from Liverpool for €160 million, making him the most expensive transfer in club history, and the Brazilian star signed a five-and-a-half-year contract with a buyout clause of €400 million. His arrival was welcomed by many Blaugrana faithful as part of Barça’s plan to build another great team for many years to come. Unfortunately, a year has since passed and not only has Coutinho failed to impress on the pitch, he is not even an automatic choice in the starting lineup. Should Barça consider offers and cash in on Coutinho or remain patient?

Last year, I had some concerns about the club going after Coutinho during the winter transfer window. The club had just signed Dembélé during the summer for a vast amount and a few months later, Coutinho was rumored to be the next expensive signing. I wanted to wait and see how the team would look when Dembélé returned from his injury before buying Coutinho. There were already doubts on how the team would function when Dembélé returned from his injury while at the same time, try to shoehorn Coutinho into the team with no proper preseason.

A month later, there were grumbles from the fans that Dembélé and Coutinho were not living up to their price tags. Just because their transfer fees were enormous, didn’t mean they were not going to need time to settle. History has shown us that many players need time to adapt to playing for Barça. Henry, Neymar, and Suarez took some time before they got going and both Dembélé and Coutinho should have been afforded some time, perhaps half a season, before being fairly judged on their performances.

A year later, Dembélé is now considered an automatic starter in the starting eleven up front with Suarez and Messi. Coutinho, on the other hand, has not only failed to earn a spot in the starting eleven; his spot in any lineup is still a mystery. Overall, Coutinho appears to be a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. Under Valverde, we are unsure of what is Coutinho’s best position is. Many hailed his arrival as Iniesta’s successor but it has become apparent that Coutinho is not a midfielder. His few Golazos were not enough to mask his inability to play in the midfield as he either got bullied off the ball often or failed to locate teammates by usually looking down before dribbling towards the box to attempt a thunderous shot on goal.

Of course, some supporters claimed that Coutinho was being played out of position. Folks have said Coutinho plays in the same position as Messi, so when Messi went down with an injury in October, I thought it was time for Coutinho to seize his moment and shine. But alas, Coutinho struggled in Messi’s absence and was soon relegated to the bench by Valverde. Earlier this month, I questioned what to do with Coutinho. Valverde has struggled to find the right formation to include Coutinho with Messi, Suárez and Dembélé, and the Brazilians seems destined to ride the bench for now. However, the bench was not what many had in mind when the club broke their transfer record for Coutinho. Ultimately, Coutinho has failed to shine up front, in the midfield, and in Messi’s absence, so it’s not entirely Valverde’s fault.

Can Valverde find a way to get more out of Coutinho or will the board live with the fact that they spent €160 million for a substitute? I don’t see the board firing Valverde just to accommodate Coutinho, if he is still getting the results and titles. RMC Sport journalist Daniel Riolo recently claimed that PSG may trigger Coutinho’s €400 million as retaliation to Barça beating them in the €75m signing of Ajax star Frenkie de Jong. Perhaps the club should not shy away from such interest if PSG or other clubs trigger the buyout clause or come in a with a big offer, and Barça use that money to reinforce the team with other signings such as Matthijs de Ligt. Being impatient doesn’t have its rewards, but in this situation, it would be rewarding.

Barça’s worst enemy continues to be themselves.

The winter break is over and Barça will be back in action as they resume their pursuit in conquering all three competitions. Their path consists of the likes of Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla in Spain, while battling Lyon and the other remaining clubs in the Champions League. However, the Blaugrana need to come to grips with their worst enemy; themselves.

The club’s start to the 2018-2019 season has been exceptional thus far.  Barça sit atop of the league table and won their Champions League group stage. However, a few bumps in the road due to on the field and off the field issues have to be resolved as they prepare for their second half of the season.



During the first half of the season, the big issue was Ousmane Dembélé. Fortunately, it seems the matter has been resolved. Yet, I feel it won’t be last time before we read another negative story about the young Frenchman. It’s not unheard of to see someone who is 21 and immature. Messi needed Pep Guardiola to tell him to change his diet habits at 21 and make him shine on the pitch. The club knew they were signing a young player who was not a model citizen at Rennes and Dortmund. Obviously, the lack of professional people managing and advising Dembélé is not helping and he would probably benefit from having an experienced agent to advise him properly. Hopefully Éric Abidal, currently the club’s football first team technical secretary, can be that father figure and take him under his wings to teach him to become more professional athlete and steer him from squandering his opportunity.



Another issue of concern is the manager himself, Ernesto Valverde. Last season, Valverde could hang his hat upon the fact that his team almost went unbeaten in the league and defended well which saw them capture the domestic double. Last season, the Blaugrana conceded only 29 goals. This season however, they have already lost twice and have conceded 19 goals after 17 games. Fortunately, the Blaugrana have kept a clean sheet the last four games and here’s hoping the trend of not leaking goals continues.

Nonetheless, under Valverde, the team is unbalanced with the midfield failing to support the backline. Some of his decisions when it comes to the starting eleven is also baffling, such as immediately starting players who have just returned from an injury. He also benches players after a good run of games and starts players out of the blue. Last season, there were complaints that he kept playing the starters for too long and didn’t rotate enough down the stretch after amassing a big lead in the league standings. This season, Valverde was rotating often which saw the team drop points during the first half of the season.

It is clear that Valverde has not settled on 4-3-3 and often reverts to 4-4-2 which at times has been dull to watch. This is Barça, not Athletic, and with the talent at his disposal, we should not be watching dull football. However, the main concern is that Valverde still seems to make the team become more conservative when they have the lead or he fails to adjust when the team is struggling to gain control on the pitch, with the loss to Real Betis as the perfect example with the bitter taste of being eliminated by Roma in the Champions League still lingering. That Roma elimination is a dark cloud that continues to hover over Valverde to this day.



Another major issue is what to do with Coutinho. Valverde does not consider him as a starter, due in large to Dembélé’s performances lately. With Valverde unable to play 4-3-3 or any other variation, the big signing Coutinho, and other signing Arthur, seem destined to ride the bench for now. However, the bench was not what many had in mind when the club spent €160 million for Coutinho. Nonetheless, Coutinho has failed to shine up front, in the midfield, and in Messi’s absence, so it’s not entirely Valverde’s fault. With any luck, Valverde can find a way to get more out of Coutinho or the board will live with the fact that they spent €160 million for a substitute.



Finally, Valverde needs to give more minutes to La Masia players. Carles Aleñá is a recent La Masia who has made the jump to the first team and here’s to hoping he gets to feature in all three competitions. No one is demanding that Barça B players be inserted into the starting lineups and play a full 90 minutes but with Copa del Rey on the horizon, we should see more of the youth in these games. None of the key starters should feature in the Copa del Rey in order to be rested for the league and Champions League which should be the main priorities this season. Chasing a treble, as much we love to win it, can be costly if it means coming up short in Europe because of fatigue from playing in Copa del Rey, again.

The board also has to do better in terms of protecting its players and investing in the squad. It was no secret that the stories of Dembélé being late to training were being leaked to the media and its unfathomable how this was supposed to improve the situation. Additionally, the club needs to improve on re-enforcing the squad.



Ajax Amsterdam’s Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt are players the club should be signing as heir apparent to Gerard Piqué and Sergio Busquets, who will be 32 and 31 by the time next season starts. Yet, it seems Barça will ultimately sign Adrien Rabiot and Jean-Clair Todibo instead. It is true that signing two of these four players could impact the youth players who want to make the jump to the first team. However, since these signings are going to be made anyways, then wouldn’t it be for the best to sign the finest talent available and not make another André Gomes/ Marlon type signing? The board needs to stop with the poor signings and not waste Messi’s final years with these types of teammates. Elections are a couple of years away but it would be nice for the new board to inherit a strong, if not the greatest, team like this current one did.

The league resumes today with a tricky away fixture to Getafe. Will Barça stop being their own worst enemy? Only time will tell. Hopefully we are not wasting Messi’s talent and time at the club.

Messi still the best sans Ballon d’Or.

It’s that time of the year where the Ballon d’Or is presented to the best player in the world. Once again, Messi was not the winner. It was no surprise that someone else won the award, and this year, the winner of the Ballon d’Or was Luka Modrić. The only thing that was surprising was seeing Messi finish fifth in the voting which was an insult to a player of such magnitude.

Messi will always be the best footballer on the planet. Everyone knows what he accomplished last season. However, it was obvious that the Ballon d’Or was going to be given to a player who shined in the Champions League and the World Cup and Modrić satisfied both requirements in the eyes of the voters.

Nonetheless, is Modrić really the best player in the world? Ever since 2010, I wondered if the Ballon d’Or was an award given to the current best player in the world or was it for the best performing player of the calendar year? The criteria have never been clear but no one can truthfully say that Modrić is a better player than Messi.

History has shown us that the best players don’t always win the individual awards. Michael Jordan was the best in his sport when he won those six NBA titles, yet he was the NBA MVP in four of those seasons. while Charles Barkley and Karl Malone were the other two. Nonetheless, we do not need an award to remind us that Messi is the best and he was never one for personal accolades. His goal is team success while his performance on the pitch is enough to do the talking for him.

Time for Barça To Step Up.

Messi’s injury means that the Blaugrana will be without their leader for a few weeks. This is the time for both the manager and the players to step up. They must seize this opportunity and make the most of it.

Rarely is an injury a blessing in disguise, but perhaps Messi’s injury can be used by Valverde and the players to step up and be less dependent on Messi. Messi’s injury is a short-term injury but the Blaugrana have the talent to be good and be competitive.

For far too long, we have heard that Barça is reliant on Messi and cannot function without him. Well, he will be absent for today’s Champions League clash against Inter and for this weekend’s El Clasico. Although we would prefer he was playing in these games, his absence cannot be used as an excuse.

Although we may deem him as Immortal, Messi is still human and can suffer injuries. If he suffers another injury in the future, and hopefully not an injury that rules him out for a lengthy period, then this would be preparation for the day that we hope that never comes. It’s time for the players to stop hiding and time to shine. Dembélé can play on the right, which is his preferred side, so he has no excuse now not to play there, unless Valverde says otherwise. Folks have said Coutinho plays in the same position as Messi, then it’s time for him to show it. Midfielders cannot rely on passing the ball to Messi and watch. Defenders need to be more alert and stop leaking goals.

Valverde must adapt from being conservative whenever the team has the lead and just go for the kill. He has the weapons. It’s high time he used them and what better time than now. Messi is irreplaceable, but this team can manager without him in the short term. Hopefully they will not use Messi’s absence as a crutch, but instead, use it as a launch pad to shine in his absence.

Time for Barça to get it right.

Barça ended the season with another domestic double under new manager Ernesto Valverde. However, instead of celebrating this achievement, many of the Blaugrana faithful felt disappointed. Many would consider a domestic double a resounding success. However, their lack of success in Europe, whereas their arch rivals celebrated a three-peat was a reminder of Barça’s underachieving while wasting the talent of its best players. Lessons have to be learned from past mistakes in order for Barça to improve. A team that has Messi should be conquering the world, and not settling for domestic success while coming up short in Europe. However, the poor planning by the club’s board and their manager has hindered this team from returning to their place of being the best in the world.  With Iniesta now gone, the board once again finds itself trying to replace a key player much like Neymar’s departure last summer.

Last season, the Blaugrana failed to recapture the league crown and then had to find a replacement for Neymar late in the summer transfer window. They hired Ernesto Valverde as Luis Enrique’s successor and spent over €180 million on the likes of Démbéle, Duelofeu, Semedo and Paulinho in the summer and then over €130 million on Coutinho and Yerry Mina during the winter transfer window.

After a brutal defeat over two legs against Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa, the outlook for the season looked uninspiring. Instead, the Blaugrana went on a historic unbeaten run that came to an end in the penultimate fixture of the season but saw them celebrating a domestic double. Nonetheless, the bitter elimination in the Quarter-Finals stage of the Champions League by AS Roma, after squandering a 4-1 aggregate lead stung. Many blamed player fatigue as a result of Valverde not rotating and resting his players during the season.

Although Valverde captured the double in his first year as Barça’s manager, many, including yours truly, did not enjoy how he managed the season. His lack of resting players, and conservative approach when leading, cost him and his lack of using the new signings down the clutch and ignoring youth players was also puzzling. The club spent a fortune on Paulinho and Démbéle and the Brazilian featured in 44 minutes in the first leg and none in the second leg against Roma and Démbéle only played in the final five minutes of the second leg loss. The big signing Démbéle was good enough to start a crucial second leg against Chelsea but only featured in 5 minutes against Roma over two legs? Valverde’s decisions of who to play and not to play left many fans confused and a repeat of that next season with the new additions will not be acceptable.

 

Madrid is succeeding because of the midfielders that the club was interested in but passed on them. Barça could have signed the likes of Modric, Isco, Kroos and Asensio, but instead signed the likes of Alex Song, Andre Gomes, Paulinho and Douglas. With Iniesta gone, Barça must make signing midfielders a priority. They seemed ready to spend €100 on Antoine Griezmann and fortunately, that deal never happened and the Blaugrana instead went out and signed young Brazilian star, Arthur, to ensure he comes in this summer along with midfielder Arturo Vidal, winger Malcom and defender Lenglet.

Fortunately, Barça have been successful in offloading players who were considered dead wood. Paulinho went back to China and Aleix Vidal went back to Sevilla, while Digne, Gomes and Mina all are at Everton. Iniesta will be hard to replace and we need a midfield that creates chances for the front three and not rely on Messi on doing their work. I would have preferred if the club signed someone like Thiago or Christian Eriksen but we will see come December if the club will pursue




Additionally, the club has to answer for the mismanagement of their youth. Barça B were relegated to the third division so now our future stars will have to focus on trying to win promotion back to the second division. It would have been ideal for the B team to be in the second division and get call ups to the first team here and there. However, it would have also been ideal for Valverde to give more minutes to B players too. In his first season, zero minutes were given to B players in the Champions League and only five minutes were given in the league. That goes against everything the club stands for, especially when this board reminded us “La Masia No Es Toca”. Hopefully young starlets such as Riqui Puig will get called up this season.

Finally, the club needs to start ignoring Copa del Rey. The main objective every year should be the Spanish league and the Champions League. Obviously winning another treble is every fan’s dream, but in terms of preference and importance, the Champions League should always trump the Copa del Rey. Barça have won the last four Copa del Rey trophies while Real Madrid have won the last three Champions League titles. There’s no debate in which trophy fans would prefer?

Barça winning the Champions League means getting to play in the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. Winning the Copa del Rey means getting to play in the Spanish Supercopa, which is already guaranteed if Barça win the league. As much I would love to see the Blaugrana win a third Treble, the Copa del Rey has become a burden with starters losing out on much needed rest because of their participation in this competition. Real Madrid has benefitted from exiting the Copa del Rey early and used that extra rest to their advantage while Barça players end up being exhausted in April because they are stretching themselves thin in all three competitions.

Another season is upon us and Barça can add another trophy today by capturing another Supercopa. Hopefully Barça will finally steady the ship and stop disappointing. Repeating the same mistakes will only guarantee more disappoint so one can only hope the board and Valverde get it right and stop wasting the talents of Messi and others.

Cillessen’s Questionable move to Barça.

Many were surprised when Barça decided to sign Jasper Cillessen from Ajax Amsterdam this most recent summer transfer window. The Oranje keeper went from a team that recently struggled to achieve success both on the domestic and European stage, to a team that is expected to win every possible trophy. Although Cillessen is upgrading the quality of his team, is this move a downgrade for his career?

• By Ibrahim Ayyub
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When FC Barcelona was forced to decide between keeping the Chilean Claudio Bravo or the German Marc-André ter Stegen, the club decided to bank on the German as their keeper for the future. Bravo was in his thirties while ter Stegen is still a young pup in his early twenties. It was the right move for the club to cash in on Bravo by selling him to Manchester City since they had their goalkeeper of the future. However, eyebrows were raised when Jasper Cillessen was rumored to be Bravo’s replacement instead of some aging veteran.

Barça have a history of signing Dutch players from the days of Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens back in the mid 70’s to the vast number of players in the 90’s and this century. One of the players signed during the 90’s was Dutch goalkeeper Ruud Hesp. He was the starting goalkeeper when Louis van Gaal was in charge as Barça captured back to back league titles. So it is not unchartered territory for Cillessen as he begins a new chapter in his career as a Barça goalkeeper.

Sadly, the contrast of quality between Ajax Amsterdam and FC Barcelona is not debatable. Cillessen leaves a club that is going through tough times as they usher in a new era now that Frank de Boer is no longer the manager. Furthermore, Cillessen also endured two disappointing years for both club and country where his performances left a lot to be desired. Of course, an argument could be made that the supporting players in front of him were not blameless either.

Nonetheless, when Cillessen joins his new Barça teammates for a training session at Ciutat Esportiva, he will undoubtedly be surrounded by a better supporting class consisting of world-class players. Unlike Ajax, he will have better defenders playing in front of him and other players that are game changers. His usual training session will consist of facing superb players such as Iniesta, Rakitic, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez that will no doubt test him and, hopefully, help him become a better player.

However, this move seems puzzling since Cillessen is signed to be ter Stegen’s backup. In Spain, the backup mainly features in the Spanish cup, Copa del Rey. The only way the backup goalkeeper will play in the league or the Champions League will be if the starter is injured or is performing poorly. Right now, ter Stegen is the starting goalkeeper for Barça in both the Spanish league and the Champions League. Therefore, Cillessen is expected to start the Copa del Rey matches, which amounts to 9 matches a year if Barça reach the final.

It is doubtful that Barça manager Luis Enrique will repeat what he did the last two seasons when Bravo featured strictly in the Spanish league while ter Stegen featured in Copa del Rey and Champions League. This time around, the manager plans on using ter Stegen for the Spanish league and Champions League, which is why Bravo asked to be sold. Both goalkeepers wanted to be the league starters, and the club opted for youth.

Cillessen was the starting goalkeeper for the Oranje during World Cup 2014, but it is hard to believe that this move to Barcelona will ensure he remains first choice. Oranje manager Danny Blind recently relegated Cillessen to the bench and started Jeroen Zoet in Holland’s most recent matches against Greece and Sweden. Was the decision made because of Cillessen’s recent poor form or with an eye to the future? Ultimately, Cillessen’s chances of being the Oranje starting goalkeeper seem slim if he is going to be sitting on the Barça bench for the majority of the season.

The last three seasons, Cillessen made 33, 42, and 44 appearances for Ajax in the Eredivisie and in European Competition. He will be lucky if he manages to make 10-15 appearances for Barça this season. Perhaps Luis Enrique will surprise us and use Cillessen more but for the moment, Cillessen is there in case of an emergency. As this is being published, ter Stegen has suffered a knee injury that will see him miss two weeks. Thus, Cillessen will now get to start in two league matches and one Champions League match.

Barça did the right thing in signing Cillessen as a security blanket for ter Stegen. He has the right pedigree for the position. However, Cillessen is too young to be a security blanket when he can be a starter elsewhere. Time will tell how this move works for Cillessen and his future. He should make the most of this recent opportunity, and also his time with Barça. Yet, he should also keep his options open for his future and seek an exit if a better opportunity presents itself.

Farewell, Don Johan.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Barça Chasing History On The International Stage.

For the fourth time ever, Barça are participating in FIFA’s Club World Cup since its incarnation. Another successful conquest would be a vital accomplishment in the club’s long history regarding their short history of winning on the international stage.

Before FIFA decided to launch the FIFA Club World Cup in 2005, football fans were entertained by the Intercontinental Cup which pitted the champions of Europe against the champions of South America. It was the Super Cup of Super Cups for us football fans. It started out as a home and away two legged cup clash that then became a one match final held at a neutral site in Japan.

Even with Barça’s rich football history, they only featured in this competition once during the 20th century. That was during the Johan Cruyff “Dream Team” era in 1992 after Barça finally ended their long wait and won the European Cup against Sampdoria. Barça would face Brazilian side São Paulo back then in Japan and took the early lead through Hristo Stoichkov. However, the very talented, and in my opinion historically underrated, São Paulo side equalized in the first half and scored the game winner in final 15 minutes of the match. Thus, Barça were denied their first ever Intercontinental trophy.

Barça’s failure to win another Champions League meant only Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid were the only Spanish clubs to win the Intercontinental trophy. Real Madrid won it a record three times while Atlético won it once even though they were European Cup runners-up because European Champions Bayern Munich declined to participate. The trophy back then was considered too dangerous to play for because of the tendency of South American’s clubs to play rough and dirty in these matches.

Barça’s long wait to win another Champions League title ended when they defeated Arsenal in 2006 under the management of Frank Rijkaard. This triumph meant that Barça booked their first ever ticket in the new FIFA Club World Cup where they defeated Mexican side Club America 4-0 to face another Brazilian club, Internacional in the final. Unfortunately, Barça’s long wait in capturing this elusive trophy would have to continue as they fell to their Brazilian foes 1-0. Barça’s two bites at the apples were denied by Brazilian opposition much to the Blaugrana faithful’s chagrin.

However, Barça proved that the saying “Third time’s a charm” is true when they finally captured their finally ended their wait in 2009. Under the guise of Pep Guardiola, Barça won their first ever treble and then continued their winning ways by capturing the UEFA and Spanish Super Cups. All that was left was for the club to end their hoodoo at this stage and bring home the sixth and final cup of the “Sextuple”. Barça defeated another Mexican side, Atlante, in the Semi-Finals before facing Argentinian side Estudiantes in the final. Barça were down before halftime and it seemed that Barça were going to miss out on this trophy for the third time. Fortunately, the Blaugrana did not relent and  Pedro scored in the 89th minute to level the score and thus became the first player to ever score in all six competitions. Messi’s legend grew when he scored the game winner in extra time with his chest and was awarded the player of the tournament.

Finally, Barça had captured the missing piece for their museum. They would not wait too long to add another one as Pep and the players were back in 2011 after defeating Manchester United, just as they did in 2009, in the Champions League Final. Barça defeated Qatari side Al Sadd 4-0 while resting a few of their key starters. The venue was Japan and Barça’s opponent in the Final was Brazilian side, Santos, which featured a 19 year old Neymar. There was some concern as to whether Barça can end their short comings against Brazilian sides in this competition with the bitter taste of 1992 still in the minds of many fans. Whatever concerns existed were soon eradicated when Barça demolished Santos with three goals in the first half alone through Messi, Xavi and Cesc. Messi scored his second in the second half for Barça’s fourth and final goal of the Final. Messi would win his second player of the tournament which no other player has ever accomplished in this competition’s brief history and also matched Pedro in becoming the second Barça player to ever score in all six competitions.

So here we are in 2015 and once again, Barça are back in Japan. Their Semi-Final opponents are Asian Champions League winners Guangzhou Evergrande who are coached by former Brazil’s World Cup winning manager, Felipe Scolari. Scolari was once rumored to be the next Barça manager if the Blaugrana had fired Rijkaard during his first season in charge. Fortunately that did not happen and the rest is history. Also featuring for the Asian champions is former Real Madrid player, Robinho, so we will get to see another duel between him and Messi which was widely debated in the Spanish media during Messi’s early years. Messi is also only one goal away from tying another Argentinian, “El Chelito” César Delgado as the competition’s top scorer with 5 goals.

If Barça succeed in defeating Guangzhou Evergrande, they will face Argentinian side River Plate in the final. It’s not too often teams from the world’s two biggest Clásicos get to face one another. In 2000, Real Madrid lost to Boca Juniors in Japan and now the other two Clásicos teams might face one another. There will be a reunion of some sorts if both teams meet in the final since former Barça player and teammate to some of the current Barça players, Saviola, is now a member of River Plate. Saviola was a member of the 2006 Barcelona team that came up short.

Barça will be chasing history and making history this week. Success would mean they would be the only side to ever make it to a fourth Final and also become the first club to win the FIFA Club World Cup for a record third time. This would also mean that they would be only one title behind Real Madrid who won this trophy last year. A loss in the final however would also make them the first side to ever lose in a final twice. But before we think ahead to the final, Barça also have to make sure they do not become the first European side to fail to make it to the final if they fail to handle their business against Guangzhou Evergrande.

Luis Enrique and his players are hungry for success and this trophy will help quench their thirst for more titles. Barça are about to embark on a new adventure where unwritten pages of the next chapter in their history book are about to be typed. Here’s hoping they fill those pages with success and new records.

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?