Is Barça on the Right Path?

This season ushered in a wind of change with a new manager who has no ties to Barça’s philosophy or had any ties to the Michels-Cruyff Oranje style football. However, one has to wonder if the club is headed in the right direction in all aspects of the club. Change is always good, only for the betterment of the team.

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Barça has always been recognized for having a vision in how the team should play from the first team down to the youth level. It always made it easier for young players to make the transition from the youth setup to the Barça B team to the first team. This vision launched under Johan Cruyff and Guardiola restored it to some extent when he took over as manager too. However, that vision seems to be lost at the moment.

Barça B have struggled under manager Eusebio and quite frankly, have failed to impress as well. Barça B used to be fun to watch under the helm of Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique and also won. However, ever since Eusebio was hired to take over Barça B, results and performances have been disappointing. One Barça acquaintance once told me that the most alarming thing about Barça B under Eusebio has been the lack of progress from players under his coaching. You have to really think hard as to when was the last time you saw a player actually do well under him and not regress.  With the likes of Rafinha and Deulofeu out on loan, it’s hard to fathom who else will go on loan next year?

Barça’s recent defeat to Ajax also made me wonder if the B players were better off playing for someone like Frank de Boer over at Ajax than for Eusebio. Eusebio’s style is not exactly one that is faithful to the first team style that we have been accustomed to seeing. However, that Ajax loss also made me wonder how good is it for this club to play Tata Martino’s style of football when the younger players are taught to play a different style of football. So not only do we have the youth playing an odd system under Eusebio, they are going to be exposed to yet another system if they ever get promoted to the first team to play for Tata Martino.

Barça’s vision seemed simple and plausible in the past. Everyone played the same system so they would not have a tough time adjusting when they get promoted. Now, it’s a whirlwind of exposure for the young players. They are taught one style at a very young age, and then are introduced to an uncertain and unpopular style when they make it to Barça B and exposed to yet another different style if Tata Martino is still around with the first team.

Even the basketball team seems a shadow of itself. It once went from a powerhouse in Spain and Europe to just an average side. The team dropped the ball in taking care of the basketball team who are still sponsor-less this season. There is a reason why this club has been successful for the past decade. They had a vision which applied to all levels at the club. However, that vision seems to be lost in the midst of Camp Nou renovations talk, sponsorship deals talk, bad press against the president and slow movement in resigning players.  It seems this club is more interested in the Bottom Line than it is with the direction of the team.

If Barça want to remain one of the powerhouses in Europe, let alone the world, then they need to go back to the basics. In order to do that, they need to go back to having a clear philosophy and vision of how Barça should be playing. You can change managers and players, but you should never change the vision and philosophy of what is Barça.

 

Barça Needs To Re-examine Its Youth Policy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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