All Hail Raphinha.

The Blaugrana Faithful are enjoying this great start by their beloved Barça. With a new manager, and a young star blossoming in front of our eyes, hopes were high. Barça’s great start to the season has been a wonderful surprise, but the bigger surprise has to be the player leading the charge when most expected him gone; Raphinha.

Barça fans were enthusiastic about the upcoming 2024-2025 season. Hansi Flick was hired to be the man in charge. Lamine Yamal was coming off winning Euro 2024 with Spain where he was voted Young Player of the Tournament, and Barça signed former youth player Dani Olmo, who shined at Euro 2024. Barça fans were also enthusiastic about the possibility of the signing of another key player from that triumphant Spanish side, Nico Williams at the expense of Raphinha being sold to another club.

Fast forward to today, and all the enthusiasm has been rewarded with Barça being league leaders and doing well in the Champions League. The Nico Williams transfer never went through, but thankfully Raphinha has not made us think of Nico once. So far this season, in just 12 matches in La Liga and Champions League, Raphinha has scored 9 goals and has 6 assists.

Raphinha could have easily sulked and complained about his situation and future at the club. Instead, he has been very professional and it had to be noticed by his teammates when they voted him to be one of the captains of the team. Raphinha has been sensational and will be wearing the captain’s armband in El Clasico at Madrid. If Raphinha continues to shine like this, it won’t be long before we start comparing him with other Brazilian Barça legends such as Romario, Ronaldo, Rivado, Ronaldinho and Neymar.

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.

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.

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.

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?

Neymar and Suárez shining in Messi’s absence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

MSN Should Be Ballon d’Or Finalists.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Life Without Messi Not That Bad.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Barça’s murky vision towards the future.

Last year, I wrote about my concerns regarding the future of Barça’s future with respect to the treatment of Barça B graduates on the first team. Now, that concern has grown as Barça’s vision towards the future seems murky with Barça B struggling and the first team not investing in the right players for the long haul.

We have witnessed Barça drift away from making sure Barça B and the rest of La Masia remain successful and be an important asset for the first team. Barça B is back in the third division where they are currently languishing in the relegation zone after a poor start to the season that saw them capture two wins from their first eight matches. FIFA also harmed La Masia after some youth players were barred from being with the Blaugrana, which caused the transfer ban in the first place. All in all, the club’s poor handling of the threat of a transfer ban affected the first team and the youth setup.

The transfer ban also caused Barça to go on a shopping spree last season prior to the ban taking effect. The Blaugrana brought in a lot of new faces. Some were good, some were bad, and some were injured who were hardly a factor. Of course, Barça went on to win the treble last season so everyone thought it was a great plan. Barça went ahead and signed Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan this past summer for this season, even though they will have to wait till January 2016 to play for the club. Following the number of injuries the club has suffered this season, along with the departure of Pedro, there is talk of even more transfers when the transfer window opens up again in January without any mention of calling up Barça B players to fill the void. Players such as Álex Grimaldo who should be deputizing for Jordi Alba is ignored for the likes of Mathieu and Adriano, with the latter being offered a new deal, while startlet Sergi Samper is also being ignored by Luis Enrique while Gumbau gets to train with the first much to everyone’s surprise since Samper is considered the rising star.

There has been some grumbling that Barça are distancing themselves from La Masia by solely relying on transfers. Young talent such as Adama and Halilović, who were considered rising stars for the first team, have been sent out on loan to another club. Moreover, Deulofeu and Denis Suarez are out on loan yet again. It’s hard to see how the B team will improve and gain promotion when the majority of the best talent are no longer there. Maybe it could have been different if the team did not suffer relegation which would have allowed those players to face the second best of what Spanish football has to offer. Of course, the bigger concern is no longer whether Barça B can win promotion back to the second division again but, whether they can avoid a second successive relegation. The good news is that there a lot of good up and coming talent from the lower ranks of La Masia. The bad news though is how good can they be for the growth and progress of the first team if Barça B are playing in the third or fourth division?

Another issue of concern was whether La Masia has become a source of revenue for Barça. Some argue that if selling these young talents can help bring in better talent than can help the first team, then so what? Sure, those young players may benefit from playing elsewhere and then can be brought back through a buy back clause or once the loan is over. Perhaps, that is a good argument however; it appears that the sale of these young talents contributes towards the shopping spree piggy bank. With any luck, the club learned from the Cesc transfer and will try to avoid making the same mistake of overspending on former youth players. Hopefully they do not forget about those players out on loan too.

Yet, the biggest concern for some of the Blaugrana faithful, including myself, is the future of Barça’s current squad. Is the club interested in a long term vision or just a short term quick fix? If we look ahead to the next three and five years, will Barça have the proper players available to continue to be contenders? In three years, Busquets, Rakitic, Pique, Luis Suarez, Messi, Turan, and Vermaelen will be in their 30’s. A few more years, those players will be either gone or retired. As of now, Sandro, Munir, Rafinha, Ter Stegen, Neymar, Bartra, Sergi Roberto, Bartra, Jordi Alba and Aleix Vidal will still be in their 20’s after three years with the latter two reaching their 30s in five years. Thus, Barça will be looking at another major shopping spree in the near future to restock their first team.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid, perhaps in anticipation of a possible transfer ban of their own, went ahead and made some interesting moves this past summer. They brought back Casemiro and Lucas Vázquez to the club from their loan spell and signed Danilo and Kovacic who all happen to be 24 or younger. Madrid’s current squad is currently stacked with young players such as Kovacic, Varane, Jesé, Casemiro, Carvajal, Isco, James Rodriguez, Lucas Vasquez, Cheryshev, Danilo, Nacho, and Kroos who are all in their early 20s and will still be in their 20’s in five years with the exception of the latter two, who will be hitting their 30s. Moreover, Gareth Bale is 26, Benzema and Marcelo are 27, Keylor Navas is 28, while Sergio Ramos and Kiko Casilla are 29. Only Ronaldo, Modric, Pepe, and Arbeloa have hit the 30 age mark. At the moment, it appears that Madrid have a better long term plan with a young talented squad than Barça, but then again, this is Madrid where players come and go at depending on Florentino Perez’s mood.

Nonetheless, it was those kinds of transfers that made some Barça fans question the logic of signing a 28 year old Arda Turan, who will be 29 when he makes his debut, when they could have signed a 21 year old Kovacic instead. If the club doesn’t trust the youth players, then sign younger players who can give you 5-6 years at least.

Ultimately, Barça needs to make sure they are taking care of their youth players properly so they can eventually be part of the first team while buying players so both can continue this club’s successful run. The club cannot rely on just the youth or just on transfers, but on both. Barça need to keep an eye out for the future. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “You may delay, but time will not.” Barça needs to reexamine their long term vision before it is too late and realize they are relying on the old guard with no clear new guard in sight.

Barça’s Three Tenors Need to Revitalize their Mojo.

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

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

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

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

Barça Must Remain Focused.

Back from the international break, Barça must remain focused as they enter the final and most difficult part of the season.

Yesterday’s 1-0 victory against Celta Vigo showed that Barça cannot ill afford a lapse in concentration against any opponent. Barça face a tricky month where they are playing a match twice a week. They will have to be focused for both the Spanish league crown and the UEFA Champions League.

The powers that be have our beloved Blaugrana playing the likes of Sevilla, PSG and Valencia in consecutive order this month. PSG will be missing some starters for the first leg and hopefully Barça do not take them lightly. The memories of Barça getting beaten by a Milan side missing a few of their starters in the 1994 Champions League Final still lingers.

What is certain is that Barça can somewhat calm their nerves, if Barça manage to obtain a victory in Paris by a big margin. This crazy month will be key in how Barça will finish the season. There are only 9 matches left and I have always been a firm believer that the season always comes down to the final five matches. They cannot win any titles this month but they can lose one or both of them this month.

Barça control their destiny and hopefully players like Neymar, and Dani Alves find their mojo and we see the dangerous Barça team we saw after the Real Sociedad loss. We cannot keep relying on Messi on bailing this team out every month, especially with his current foot injury. The final months of the season are upon us and we need every player to stay focused on and off the pitch.

Neymar’s Alarming Second Half Slump.

For the second season in a row, Neymar’s form has been disappointing. Although last year’s dip was expected, this year’s slump is surprising.

Last season, I discussed the difficult challenge that awaited Neymar during the second half of his debut season for Barça. History has shown us that most recent Barça transfers have sizzled in the first half of the season only to fizzle in the ensuing second half. Sadly, history repeated itself when Neymar joined the likes of Ibrahimovic and Cesc in disappearing in the second half of the season.

The reasons, or excuses, for Neymar’s slump were because of the injury he suffered back in January along with the never ending controversy surrounding his transfer that affected him mentally. I suggested he should have been benched back then but of course, it is rare to find a manager not named Pep Guardiola who would dare to bench an expensive signing. Sadly, Barça and Neymar’s season both fizzled out in disappointing fashion.

However, this season was supposed to be different. With a year under his belt, Neymar was supposed to have gotten used to playing for Barça,and in Europe, and showed signs of improvement. It had happened with Henry during his time with Barça, and Neymar was off to a great start this season. However, we are now witnessing consecutive slumps by the Brazilian superstar at a time when the club really needs him.

The Three Tenors were an unstoppable force but suddenly, it has become the Messi & Company show. Barça are entering the most crucial stage of the season and Neymar needs to find his groove back. Without a doubt, it is frustrating for him and for the fans. We all want a fully functioning Barça team causing havoc. For that to happen though, Neymar needs to cool it with the on field squabbles with opponents, and the off field distractions and just start playing better. Messi may be amazing, but as we witnessed yesterday, and the second half of last season, he still needs the players around him to step up too. Hopefully Neymar finds his groove back soon.

Bravo Barça but Room for Improvement Still Exists.

FC Barcelona got their revenge against Real Madrid and keep making 2015 a memorable year. However, there’s still room for improvement for Barça.

It always feels good whenever our Blaugrana win El Clásico. It’s even better when it’s at the Camp Nou towards the end of the season. It’s even better when the victory means Barça now have a four point lead atop of the league standings. It’s still premature to talk about a possible treble but they do control their destiny for the league crown and it was announced today that the Camp Nou will be the venue for the Copa del Rey Final which only enhances their chances. Additionally, their opponents in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals will be PSG, so Barça will get to face a familiar foe in their quest for the Champions League title.

Nevertheless, Barça’s performance, as good as it was in El Clásico, still has room for improvement. One of the big concerns this team has dealt with during the season is of them not being cutthroat enough. During the game, Barça squandered numerous scoring chances to add to their lead. There was the Neymar miss moments before Real Madrid equalized and then the squandered chance after being up 2-1 to put this game to bed. Barça already should have learned from their missed penalties against City and Villarreal but nonetheless, they kept missing chances and allowed Real Madrid to stay alive in the game.

This penchant for not finishing teams off needs to be improved if they want to make it to the Champions League Final. Goals are a precious commodity in the knock out stages so they can ill afford to miss scoring chances or else they will suffer an ugly fate such as their elimination by the hands of Chelsea back in 2011-2012 Champions League Semi-Finals. When the game is close, Barça cannot miss chances to add to their lead or else one slip up and suddenly Barça are the ones leaving the party early.

Additionally, as good as Barça’s defending is on set pieces, they still continue to concede goals. Since the New Year, Barça have kept clean sheets in just four league matches. Furthermore, they have only had two consecutive matches with clean sheets and that was back in January. Now it’s true they have conceded the fewest amounts of goals in the league, but since February, they have only kept two clean sheets in all competitions. Bad habits can become a trend if this is not addressed just as the team is heading down the homestretch.

The international break will give Luis Enrique and his staff ample time to go over these issues and keep working on keeping their players fit and ready. One can hope that the players did not let this result get them carried away in thinking that there is no need for improvement. Neymar’s form lately has been off and reminiscent of his drop in form last season too. We cannot have the likes of him and others suddenly not hitting all cylinders. Lucho will have his work cut out for him in making sure everyone’s form is superb for these next two months. Until then, savor the flavor and then get back to work when the players come back from international break.

Barça’s Failure to Finish Off Teams Must End.

Barça’s recent first leg ties in both Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League saw the Blaugrana victorious in both clashes. Yet, their failure to finish off their opponents is a habit that must come to an end.

Barça’s 2015 continue to be one full of progress ever since that loss to Real Sociedad with the minor hiccup of the Malaga loss. Whatever experimentation Luis Enrique was doing in the first half of the season has been abandoned. He and the players seem to have made strides in making this season a memorable one. They have one foot into the Copa del Rey Final after defeating Villarreal 3-1 at the Camp Nou in the first leg of their Semi-Finals clash.

Barça’s success in cup competitions continued last week when Barça traveled to the UK to face Manchester City in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie and returned to Barcelona with a 2-1 victory. Both cup victories were a boost to the morale of the team and its fans. However, both victories also left a small bitter taste of disappointment among the fans.

For you see, in both matches, Barça were awarded a penalty towards the end of the match. Yet, both times, they failed to convert from the spot. Neymar missed from the spot against Villarreal and Messi missed from the spot against Manchester City. Moments like those must not be squandered.
If Neymar had scored from the spot, and assuming that Villarreal would not have still scored before the final whistle, the final score would have ended 4-1 and all but ended the tie right there. Villarreal would have needed to win the return leg 3-0 to advance, but instead, a 2-0 result would suffice for them. If Messi had converted from the spot, Barça would have left with a 3-1 win and with an important three away goals advantage. Of course, two away goals are still valuable since this means Manchester City will have to attack, because a 2-0 win would be enough to see them through to the next round. No doubt Barça will look forward to Manchester City playing to attack and not sit back and defend.

Some may construe this as whining. “Hey, your team won; be happy!” Oh I am happy. This is about Barça not finishing teams off. The Blaugrana had two chances to kill off teams in the first leg of a cup tie which could have afforded them a chance to rest some players in the second leg as they remain on course to challenge for the treble. If Barça do not somehow collapse to Manchester City at the Camp Nou, they will be fighting for the Champions League title with seven other teams. Barça better not squander golden chances to finish off teams when the opportunity presents itself. With Real Madrid only two points ahead of them in the league standings, now is the time for Barça to develop a knack of going for the kill for the rest of the season especially with El Clásico is right around the corner.

Luis Enrique’s Flexibility Helping Barça and Himself.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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