Give Abidal A Chance.

With all this talk about changes and players leaving, there is one player who deserves a second chance with Barça after winning a second chance at life. Barça’s biggest Achilles heel this season was poor performance by their defensive back four.  Those poor performances stemmed from the absences of Puyol and Abidal. Abidal has had a difficult year ever since he had to fight his battle against cancer. Now that he is back, there is talk that he won’t be brought back for the upcoming season. However, with all that this club went through this season, Abidal deserves a chance to win a spot on this team for the upcoming season.

Abidal’s amazing return to action this season has been well documented. It was courageous and inspirational. Prior to his medical problems, Abidal was well liked for his on pitch performances as a left back and as a center back. Abidal though became a beloved icon for his courage battle in beating cancer and his inspirational attempt to return to the playing field. Abidal has laughed at the face of death not once, but twice.

Obviously, what Abidal went through this past year took a toll on his body. You don’t need a medical degree to know that Abidal was not going to be back to his old self anytime soon. His return was going to take time. However, it is disheartening to read rumors that the club is not interested in having Abidal back for next season.

I understand that the club wants to make some changes with the roster but I don’t agree with the club asking Abidal to quit and take a position with the club. I am a firm believer that Abidal still has something to offer. Perhaps Rosell and Zubizarreta should give Abidal a chance to win a spot on the team during the summer preseason games. If he shows he is fit enough and can play at this level, then he deserves a shot on the team. On the other hand, if he struggles or seems to have a lost a step, then the club would be justified in asking Abidal to retire and take a position with the club or allow him to play for another club.

Abidal has been through a lot these past two years. The least the club could do for him is just give him a shot and see if he still has what it takes. Right?

 

Changes Need To Be Made At Barça.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Barça’s Ineffective Bang for their Buck

Barça defied the tough odds and gave us a memorable performance last week against Milan. The tide shifted from disaster to optimism and hope. We saw the old Barça that we were accustomed to seeing. The great win against Milan brought back hope and the mojo this team was lacking but also brought up a question regarding the club’s recent transfers.

FC Barcelona’s official website called Barça’s 4-0 victory a magnificent comeback. You can’t argue with them there. After all, the odds were against them and there were doubts following their lethargic displays against Real Madrid. There were talks of different lineups and formation, with one in particular from Mundo Deportivo indicating that Messi would be starting in the midfield. In the end, Tito and Roura went with what worked before, the usual starters and tactics under Pep.

There was the surprise of seeing Puyol on the bench with Mascherano starting in his place. Fortunately that Mascherano error did not haunt the team and cause a whole lot of second guessing either. Ultimately, the starting eleven got it done. Coincidentally, the starting eleven in that match where the same exact starting eleven that started that UEFA Champions League Final in Wembley against Manchester United back in 2011 with the minor exception of Jordi Alba starting in place of Abidal.

As the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and what we saw from that match that these guys could get it done when they played the old system. This lineup had won before and in the end, Tito and the players went back to the old system and it paid off. However, why was this system changed in the first place? Only Tito can answer that. The bigger question though is the fact that most of the club’s recent transfers were sitting on the bench with the exception of Jordi Alba.

Jordi Alba and his transfer was a god send for this team after Abidal’s health problems. The same cannot be said for the other transfers. These past two seasons has brought us new players such as Cesc, Alexis, Song and Jordi Alba. Yet, only Alba started. So what does that say about the club and its spending? These guys were signed to be an asset and help the club. However, where were they for the big game? They were on the bench and were a non-factor.

Every summer, fans discuss about the need to sign new players to help improve this team. Why was Song signed again? When will Cesc ever show us he can replace Xavi and not be a small cog in a large wheel? Will Alexis ever become a part of the solution or just a hard worker?  We have to depend on the old guard again but the investments in these players are not paying off and that is a concern when the club has to scout again and invest in new reinforcements for the club for next season. Right now, the club is not getting the maximum bang for their buck or Euros for that matter.

March Madness Always A Wonderful Time Of The Year.

March Madness is upon us once again. The annual survival of the fittest in College basketball has commenced and already has had its share of upsets and surprises and Cinderella stories. The competition is unique and provides us with a month where we get to see the heavy weights and the small fries face off against one another where victory is never guaranteed. Without a doubt, March Madness is the most wonderful time of the year….right after Christmas, sometimes.

March Madness has been great to watch and now that I live in Spartan country, I am more invested in watching it. I have been following March Madness ever since I was exposed to it when I was 10 years old and Duke went on to win their first title under coach K. It seems like yesterday that the 1999 Final Four was held in my hometown in Saint Petersburg, Florida where the team I grew up rooting for, Duke, lost to UConn in the final. I was able to go see the teams practice for free and see others schools’ fans, students and alums root for their schools. It was without a doubt a memorable experience and was glad to have enjoyed a part of it. Just wish Duke hadn’t lost to UConn.

Me and my friend checking out Final Four practices

There is something unbelievable about this tournament that other sporting events cannot deliver. 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament is unparalleled in any other sport. Do or Die. It is indeed the survival of the fittest. One bad performance can be enough for a team to crash out and dash their hopes and dreams. The uncertainty and the unpredictability of it, is one important aspect of this tournament. This competition wouldn’t be this memorable if each edition of March Madness had the top seeds advancing to the Final Four. Instead, we have seen David slay Goliath on numerous occasions.

Valparaiso upset architects, father and son.

Over the years, we have witnessed great upsets such as when Richmond eliminated Syracuse, Weber State eliminated North Carolina, Hampton eliminated Iowa State, Santa Clara eliminated Arizona, Valparaiso eliminated Mississippi, Princeton eliminated UCLA, George Mason eliminated UConn, Gonzaga eliminated Stanford and Florida, Virginia Commonwealth University eliminated Kansas, to N.C. State pulling off the greatest upset in defeating Houston in the Final. There are so many that I apologize if I forgot to mention your school.

                              Jimmy V after NC State won the title.

If you love rooting for the underdog, then March Madness will not disappoint either. This competition has also given us a share of Cinderella stories. Gonzaga were a Cinderella story back in in 1999 when they eliminated Minnesota, Stanford and Florida before falling in the Elite Eight. George Mason had a memorable run when they defeated the likes of Michigan State, North Carolina, and UConn to make it to the Final Four. Virginia Commonwealth University defeated the likes of USC, Georgetown, and Kansas before falling to Butler in the Final Four. If there ever was a great Cinderella story, then Butler wins that prestigious label hands down.

Butler's Cinderella Run

Not too many teams can brag about making it to consecutive Final Fours, let alone consecutive Final Four National Championship Finals. Butler managed to do that in 2010 and 2011. Butler made it all the way to the Final Four when they defeated the likes of Syracuse and Kansas State to get into the Final Four where they eliminated my beloved Michigan State University Spartans in the National Semi-Finals before losing to Duke by 2 points in the National Championship Final. Butler defied the odds again the following year when they defeated the likes of Syracuse and Florida to make it to the Final Four yet again. They eliminated fellow Cinderella story, Virginia Commonwealth University in the National Semi-Finals before falling to UConn by 8 points in the National Championship Final.

We have already seen our share of upsets this year. Florida Gulf Coast eliminated Georgetown, Harvard knocking off New Mexico and La Salle knocking off Kansas State in the first round of March Madness. You can’t take anything for granted. Gonzaga were a top seed this year and were nearly beaten in their opening game before Wichita State sent them home packing a few days later. How times have changed. Back when I was a teenager, Gonzaga were a Cinderella team defying the odds and now there are the top seed being upset by another team donning the Cinderella label.

This truly is an uncanny tournament where most people don’t even know the majority of the players let alone where the heck some of these schools are located. Yet, people still tune in to watch. I am from Florida and I never heard of Florida Gulf Coast. I didn’t knew they were just south of my hometown. There is something about young kids playing to win a title …and earn a big pay day when they head to the NBA. This is the tournament that introduced us to future NBA legends such as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, Isaiah Thomas, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and Dwayne Wade after guiding Marquette to the Final Four.

Dwayne Wade working his magic before his Heat days

We are almost down to 16 teams now. This tournament kicked off on Tuesday and the majority of the teams have been eliminated. So sit back and watch to see which team will be the next Cinderella story and which player will become a future NBA legend. There will be nail biting buzzer beating shots and some heart breaks along the way. May the best team win indeed.... and here's hoping it's Michigan State.

Here's to Coach Izzo bringing MSU another title

Gut Check Time For Barça.

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Although we are only in February, the next few matches are essential in how Barça’s season plays out. They face a serious chance of being eliminated from Copa del Rey tomorrow.  They also face an uphill battle in their UEFA Champions League knock out tie with AC Milan.  Thus, the Blaugrana face a difficult test and we can only hope they show enough courage, character, and determination to overcome these upcoming important matches. If not, then their season is over by mid-March. It’s gut check time for Barça if they want to continue their quest for the treble.

The euphoria we were enjoying as we entered this new year was delightful.  Barça had the league all but wrapped up and could shift their focus to the cup encounters in their quest for another treble. Nevertheless, the chances of a treble could be out of the window as soon as tomorrow. Barça’s 1-1 away draw to Real Madrid was disappointing based on the number of absences in Madrid’s lineup. Mourinho now heads to the Camp Nou with his team that has scored 2 goals in their last three visits.

This is a must win game for the club. A high scoring draw eliminates them and they need to win to avenge last season’s loss in what was Mourinho’s first ever victory at the Camp Nou.  They cannot afford to let Real Madrid get a boost of confidence but they have squandered their opportunities to pile on Real Madrid before and let them off the hook. Will history repeat itself tomorrow?

Barça’s disappointing 2-0 loss to Milan is also a difficult obstacle to overcome. They have the players and the pitch to do it. They have defeated Arsenal at the Camp Nou following disappointing first leg results at the Emirates. They need to go out there and scores plenty of goals while keeping a clean sheet.

So Barça have their work cut out for them. If they fail to eliminate Madrid and Milan, then their season is over what with their great lead atop of the standings. It’s time for the players and Roura to display the intestinal fortitude to show they are the best in the world and get the results needed. If not, then we might not have much to look forward too since the league is all but wrapped up. The taste of success will be bitter sweet if that’s all that this side will be celebrating come June.  It’s time for them to get it done.

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.

 

Pep to Bayern Munich Makes Plenty Of Sense.

So Guardiola decided to let the world know his next coaching destination. Some expected this decision to come in the summer, not January, but Pep is going to Germany. Although many thought he would be in the Premier League or Serie A, Pep will be heading to the Bundesliga. I always thought Bayern Munich was good fit for Pep. It appears Pep thought so too.

Bayern are one of the biggest clubs in Europe and in the world, in terms of history, financial strength and current standing as one of the powerhouses in European football. Although Barça have won two of the last four Champions League titles, Bayern played in the two other finals that Barça did not participate in, albeit they lost those two finals. So Pep is walking into a well-established team that has its house in order.

Some though are still surprised that he went to Bayern. Why? Look at the team he is going to inherit.  Pep is going to a team that has great talent and financial clout. Additionally, how many Bayern players were linked to Barça as potential transfers during Pep’s era at the club? Robben was linked to the left winger position but Madrid were not going to sell him to their arch enemy. Ribery was supposedly going to be signed by either Barça or Madrid which never happened. Lahm was linked to left back position and Mario Gomez was also one of those numerous strikers linked to the club for his aerial goal scoring capability. So if you can’t get them, join them.

Of course Pep’s problem will be communication with the players unless he picked up German and English while living in New York.  He is going to a heavy weight in the German league that can compete for a treble every season for the three years that he will be there.  It will not be a pressure free environment because the expectations at Bayern are always high, especially after what the disappointments they have been through these last three years. I also wonder if he going to tolerate having Uli Hoeness sit on the bench at home matches. I remember seeing him on the bench next to Klinsmann when Barça went to Munich for their second leg Champions League Quarter-Finals tie and it struck me as very odd and a nuisance. I doubt Pep will be tolerating that sort of thing when he’s there.

Now some wonder why didn’t Pep sign for three years when he was at Barça. Pep was hired when the club was going through some turmoil. Just a few months after it was announced that Pep would replace Rijkaard, then president Laporta survived a vote of no confidence before he was to step down a year later after his term ended. Thus, there was some uncertainty at the presidency level of the club so he wasn’t walking into a cushy job where he was going to be working with the same people for a long time. I also don’t think he was a fan of Sandro Rosell and wanted to see how things would work out with a new president and my gut feeling tells me that they didn’t see eye to eye. Perhaps, he knew staying at Barça was a very tough job and ultimately would end ugly which reminds of that great line uttered in The Dark Knight“You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

Now the bigger concern is whether Pep will raid Barça for talent and only time will tell. It sure will be awkward to see him represent any other FCB except our own. He will be with them for three years and then, he will see if that Manchester United job is available. It seems that’s the job Pep has always wanted and I don’t think he was ever going to join Manchester City because Pep is not the type to upset fans and jump ship to United. Also, Chelsea’s way of handling managers probably made that job too toxic for his liking. Bayern makes sense for now. If the United job is available, Pep will go for it.It’s not going to be a cushy job because there are high expectations at the German club much like Barça Pep will be up to it and if he ever faces Barça in the future, then we’ll applaud him prior to kick off and then hope Barça beats Bayern.