History does not favor Del Bosque and La Roja

Spain punched their ticket to the 2014 World Cup a few days ago where they will get to play against the best of the world for the World Cup. This also means that Vicente Del Bosque will also get the rare chance to manage his team to a second consecutive World Cup crown. However, the odds are against Del Bosque as he faces an onerous challenge to do where others have failed before him.

Del Bosque and Spain have a tall task ahead of them. The last team to repeat as World Cup champions were Brazil back in 1958 and 1962. A few teams have appeared in consecutive finals but failed to win both times. Argentina back in 1986 and 1990 along with Brazil 1994 and 1998 come to mind. Both teams failed to repeat with Argentina under the helm of the same manager while Brazil had a different manager in their second final.

Carlos Bilardo was the man who helped guide Argentina to their second World Cup title back in 1986 against Germany. He did not step down following that glorious moment for himself and his country, and four years later, his team made it to the World Cup final where they faced Germany yet again. In what was one of the most forgettable finals ever, Germany defeated Argentina to dash Argentina’s hopes of repeating as champions.

Brazil won their fourth World Cup crown back in 1994 and were back in the final four years later in 1998. Carlos Alberto Parreira was the man who steered Brazil to success in 1994 but would coach Saudi Arabia for the 1998 edition. Instead, it was Mário Zagallo, who actually was part of the 1958 and 1962 Brazil teams, that steered his side to the World Cup final before falling to the hosts, France. Parreira did get another shot at winning it with Brazil in 2006 but that team came up short.

More recently, Marcello Lippi attempted to guide the Italian national team to a second consecutive World Cup final, following their World Cup triumph in 2006. However, Lippi and Italy would also fail in repeating as champions as they could not even advance from the group stages. All three countries saw their attempts at repeating come up just short or crash and burn, and Del Bosque can afford to learn from those three managerial counterparts.

If there is anything you can criticize Del Bosque for, it could be on his reliance on the old guard. Many thought he should have dropped Fernando Torres after World Cup 2010 but there he was scoring in another European final two years later and participating in last summer’s Confederations Cup as well. Many believed that Del Bosque should have used the Confederations Cup to test his younger players and not subject his veterans to another busy summer.  Surely that was the downfall of Lippi when his faith in the old guard, while disregarding young talent, did not pan out four years after winning their  World Cup.

Thus, Del Bosque will have to think hard about which players he will take to Brazil this summer. Does he stick with David Villa and Torres, or move on and put his hopes on the likes of Negredo and Michu? Will he use Cesc more often than Xavi and will he start César Azpilicueta over Arbeloa? It is a fine line between depending on veterans and over relying on them. Many believe Parreira made a grave mistake after he opted to go with the veterans in World Cup 2006 and not with the young players that participated and won the Confederations Cup the previous summer.

Furthermore, Del Bosque also has to be worried about fatigue and compliance. For some of his men, this will be their second World Cup, and sixth tournament if you count Confederations Cups as major tournaments. That is a lot of wear and tear on those players who have been representing club and country in over 70 matches a year. Will they have the energy to compete for another World Cup title?

Better yet, are they still hungry for another World Cup crown? Bilardo’s Argentina  were lively and threatening in 1986 but appeared bloated and lethargic four years later. We saw recently how Real Madrid came out flat after winning the league title under Mourinho while Barça fans still recall how their team under Rijkaard became complacent after winning the Champions League. The feeling of working hard and finally achieving the goal you have long strived for is rather unique and irreplaceable. It is also much more difficult to duplicate that motivation after you had already tasted success. Can Del Bosque take some comfort that the sting from Spain’s 3-0 loss to Brazil in the Confederation Cup Final could provide him with players hell bent on revenge?

The World Cup is 236 days away. That’s plenty of time for Del Bosque to decide on what path will he take. Will he avoid making the same mistakes that other managers have made in the past and select younger players who have not featured for Spain and are hungry to duplicate the same success that their idols have attained? Many envy to be in the position of Del Bosque however, I see it as a daunting position to be given the task that many have failed to overcome. History is against him but perhaps Del Bosque can learn from where others have failed and perhaps make Spain can surprise us once again.

Rosell Should Not Ignore Warning Shot.

The most recent attempt by Barça socios to bring a “motion to censure” against FC Barcelona president Sandro Rosell ended before it could start. Although Barça have been performing well for the Blaugrana faithful to enjoy, there are many who are also growing weary of Sandro Rosell’s presidency.

2016 will be when Barça has its next presidential elections. Sandro Rosell has till then to add to his legacy as Barça president. His legacy as a successful president with regards to triumphs by his teams is well documented. His legacy as a popular president with his leadership is another thing altogether. Rosell has made mistakes during his presidency that it was not a surprise that a “motion to censure” was actually brought forward.

Fortunately for Rosell, the motion died when those who brought it forward realized that they needed signatures from 15% of the socios and not 5%. Rosell had recently proposed increasing that number but he was bailed out by a change in the law from a few years ago that made it mandatory for clubs to request such as a high number of signatures.

I am not an admirer of Sandro Rosell so I was glad that this motion was brought forward. No, I am not advocating that he should be dethroned and be forced to step down immediately. Instead, I was hoping that this motion would actually put him on the hot seat and make him re-examine some of the decisions that he has made in the past and deter him from repeating those mistakes in the future.

One of the main faults of Rosell has been his selfish pursue of using the presidency to exact petty revenge against former Barça president Joan Laporta. I mentioned that in my column last week that some allege this agenda by continuing to go after Laporta and making sure Johan Cruyff did not have a role to play in this team is what drove Pep Guardiola out of the club.  It is quite sad that this club currently has a cold relationship with Cruyff, Frank Rijkaard and Guardiola who are responsible for the four Champions League titles.

Obviously some Barça fans are not too thrilled with Rosell being investigated for allegedly receiving kickbacks and his handling of such allegations with responses that were not well thought out in advance. There are many who are dismayed by how he has decided to place the Qatar Foundation logo on the shirt and furthermore, not make it the most expensive deal in the world. There’s also the reaction of how they have poorly handled some of their own players’ departures such as Abidal, David Villa and Thiago.

So Rosell managed to avoid being put on the hot seat and face a real test of whether or not he is still popular as he once was back in 2010. One can only hope that this not makes him feel more invincible but instead, makes him see the error of his ways. Rosell has created a big wedge among the Blaugrana faithful and it’s time he makes amends for some of the mistakes he has already made and bridges the gap.

Llorente? Why Not?

Not too long ago, rumors that Barça were interested in Fernando Llorente were circulating by the Catalan press because Llorente was not featuring much for Juventus. In the past, this rumor would have been shot down by many but today? Perhaps it is a rumor to give it some thought.

Llorente on FC Barcelona's radar? That was the case not too long ago based on the usual transfer gossip we see in the media. I’m from the old school Culé mentality that believes FC Barcelona should have a forward who has height and the ability to score headers much like Julio Salinas did for Johan Cruyff and Patrick Kluivert did for the numerous Barça managers that he played for and even Henrik Larsson did  for us under Rijkaard. Those were players who used their height to their advantage and also could set up their teammates with scoring chances thanks to their passing.  Simply put, these guys were not just there to use their heads for goals but to also create scoring chances for others.

Unfortunately, we have not seen those types of players signed by the club for a while. Now I know, I know, Barça did sign Ibrahimovic. That is true; however, Ibra was more interested in scoring aerial karate kicks types of goals instead of using his head. He could have been that extra threat that Kluivert excelled in whenever he bothered to show up. Nonetheless, Ibra and his ego resulted in his downfall and speedy exit from the Blaugrana.

I have also heard the usual argument from fellow Cules that our club’s style is not built for those types of players. I disagree. I am a firm believer that you can get any player to adjust to your team as long as they have the right talent and attitude and can also keep their ego in check. I have always wanted the club to sign someone like Miroslav Klose or Fernando Llorente.  Furthermore, this club is playing a different style of football that we are used to seeing so perhaps the Llorente option should be revisited in the future if he is available.

I still remember seeing his performance as a substitute in Spain’s World Cup match against Portugal. The 6 foot 3 forward stepped onto the pitch and definitely changed the game. His presence created problems for the center backs and allowed his teammates to enjoy some breathing room on the pitch , which was non-existent prior to his introduction to the game. He is what Barça could use against teams that park the bus as we saw against Celtic recently.

In all likelihood, this transfer will never happen, not even on loan. But with Tata Martino’s arrival, it definitely is not a farfetched idea to sign someone who has experience playing with these guys on the international level. Unfortunately, this will only continue to torment me like the club’s lack of interest in signing Klose as this decade’s version of Henrik Larsson. But it would be nice if the club put some thought behind it.

In Rosell We Trust?

Sandro Rosell’s era as FC Barcelona president has seen the club enjoy success on the pitch with domestic and international titles. However, Rosell has not been enjoying the same success off the pitch. His presidency has been clouded with controversial decisions that have finally reached a limit with certain club members. It seems that for some members, the time has come for Rosell to face the music with a censure motion to be served upon Rosell and three of FC Barcelona Vice-Presidents tomorrow.

Just to set the record straight, I have never been a fan of Sandro Rosell. I despised him the minute he stepped down as FC Barcelona Vice-President and published a tell all book to sully then President Joan Laporta and reveal dirt about the club such as their flirtation with firing Frank Rijkaard during his first season and replace him with Luiz Felipe Scolari and Rijkaard not wanting Ronaldinho to be signed. I wouldn't expect that from someone who loves the club. He sure didn’t look flattering in that BBC documentary “The Inside Story” where he came off a bit drunk with power along with acting as if he was the president at times while also coming off as a whiner  exhibiting the victim mentality that Barça fans were associated with in the past when he was complaining about referees robbing Barça. I never understood his comment that clubs run by president in a dictatorial manner was a successful approach since he complained that Laporta was doing the same thing after Rosell stepped down.

I was planning on writing this blog as part of the third and final chapter of my summer trilogy following “In La Masia We Trust?” and “In Tito We Trust?”. However, Tito’s unfortunate news of his cancer returning made me put off lambasting Rosell until now. In Rosell we trust? Based on the reaction of Blaugrana faithful inside the Camp Nou and on the social media, I guess not. Rosell promised a lot of things with transparency being one of the main promises. However, his presidency so far has been clouded with many deals that have not been transparent.

As much as the club has been successful on the pitch during Rosell’s presidency, his term has been very controversial. Some of the decisions that he made range from changing the rules in becoming a member, “Socio”, of the club to the Qatar Foundation sponsorship deal forced upon the club without members voting on it first. Some also blame him for Pep Guardiola walking away from the club while others complain that he has used his presidency for applying petty revenge against Laporta. The idea to allow a Madrid based media company to handle Barça TV turned out to be a bad idea when a video leaked Xavi’s off the record comments about Real Madrid which embarrased the player.

Furthermore, the club under his era has seen some awful decisions when it comes to players such as selling David Villa for peanuts while reneging on a promise to bring back Abidal and allowing him to leave which meant the club lost a positive and rallying influence in the clubhouse. By the way, Abidal has looked great for Monaco thus far. The Thiago fiasco that saw him join Bayern Munich because the lack of minutes for the young player resulted in his buyout clause to significantly decrease was also poorly handled. The way the youth setup is being run by bringing back Eusebio and not buying a centerback the past two seasons.

For a president, his actions have resulted in a lot of foot in mouth moments such as when he said the club would reduce spending by no longer allowing color printing and his poor responses to that poor excuse of an interview with TV3 when he was questioned about receiving payments from Brazilian friendlies. He also has enraged some of the fans with his decision to replace the Camp Nou with a new stadium proposal, lying about his ties with the Boixos Nois, allegedly contemplating suing a Socio for his tweets about his presidency, making excuses about Thiago’s buyout clause being misreported by the media, his lack of action against the media whenever Pep and the players were attacked but not when he was, lack of transparency about the Neymar transfer payments, and the list goes on and on.

Well, it seems that many have had enough of Sandro Rosell and his shady ways of running this club. The group “Go Barça” which consists of FC Barcelona Socios will bring a censure motion to against Rosell and Vice Presidents Jordi Cardoner, Josep María Bartomeu, Javier Faus, and Carles Vilarrubí. The people at Total Barça have a great story describing the reasons behind this action from “Go Barça”. It seems that the final straw was Rosell’s interview about the Brazilian friendlies payments controversy. So this action will be presented tomorrow which requires obtaining signatures from of 5% of the Socios which amounts to about 7,000 Socios. Of course, Rosell had already proposed changes to that measure by raising that percentage to 15%. It seems like he saw the writing on the wall but won’t have a chance to implement in time.

So brace yourselves fans; this is going to get ugly. Laporta-Cruyff fans versus Rosell fans and the mud-slinging and accusations will be tossed left and right. Pity that this could tarnish a great start by the club but sometimes the fans cannot accept or tolerate a presidency that is run on broken promises and lack of transparency. Rosell should know, he was allegedly one of the behind the scenes players in Laporta’s Censure Motion. Like the old saying goes, “What goes around, comes around” and it is Rosell’s turn to sit on the hot seat and see who jumps ship.

 

La Liga’s Big Two ~ Politics Only Hurts Themselves.

Over the years, Barça and Real Madrid have had their battles on the pitch through their players and off the pitch through the clubs’ hierarchy. More recently however, both clubs have been engaging in political battles to their own detriment. The politics are damaging their own clubs on the pitch for now and the future.

A new La Liga season is upon us and with that comes the usual talk about the El Clásico sides fighting for the title, although Atlético Madrid has earned the right to enter the mix this season. As usual, we will be bombarded by the usual unsubstantiated rumors and gossip from both cities’ press, which never hides their allegiance to the big two. However, we are also witnessing a strange phenomenon where both clubs are engaging in political warfare that is only damaging to themselves and not to their rivals.

Mourinho and Iker Casillas’s falling out was one of the world’s worst kept secret during last season. It was normal to expect Casillas back in the starting lineup for this season. However, that has not been the case as Casillas has been relegated back to the bench this season. This relegation came amid rumors that some of the Madrid directors were not too pleased with his role in the breakdown of the Mourinho relationship with the players, clubs and fans. Madrid directors can feel that they are off the hook after Casillas suffered an injury in their first Champions League match and can now watch Diego Lopez play in all competitions until Casillas returns. Yet, it does beg the question of why would the club treat an icon like Casillas this way and still expect him to stick around.

Moreover, Madrid displayed another decision that smacked of the clubs’ hierarchy making the on field decisions. Gareth Bale was signed by the club without a proper preseason this summer to stay fit. Instead of bringing him along gradually, Madrid opted to start him from the get go. Sure, he notched a goal in his debut before he had to be replaced when the fatigue factor kicked in. So it came as no surprise when Bale suffered an injury while warming up over the weekend for his next league start. Madrid’s decision to show off their star player without giving him proper time to get in shape was misguided and dangerous to their own players’ health. Perhaps they should let the manager make these decisions.

Barça too have had their own self-inflicted wounds due to the political stance of the clubs’ hierarchy against the last Barça president Joan Laporta and Barça icon Johan Cruyff. Sandro Rosell’s agenda has driven a wedge between the fans as he continues to wage his battle against Laporta. Some would say that this same agenda is the reason why Guardiola is currently managing Bayern Munich. As former Barça handball player and potential president candidate, Enric Masip, recently lamented the poor relationship Rosell has with former Blaugrana managers. Masip was obviously alluding to the fact that this current Barça president does not get along with the three managers who helped guide Barça to Champions League success.  One would expect the complete opposite after the success Cruyff, Rijkaard and Pep brought to the club.

Some also attribute the club’s hierarchy as the reason why Victor Valdés is looking for a new team for next season. Apparently, Valdés wanted Spain’s national team goalkeeper coach, José Manuel Ochotorena, to hold the same position with Barça when the position became available last summer. However, the club, via Zubizarreta, shot that option down and instead hired José Ramón de la Fuente. The reason behind that purported decision stemmed from Ochotorena’s Real Madrid past. Of course, José Ramón de la Fuente’s Barça history probably also played a part in his hiring. So the club’s ideology has probably cost them the best keeper in their entire history and that is a position that took over a decade to replace.

Will other players jump ship if Rosell continues to have his way and continue to drive the wedge deep between the fans? The decision not to bring Abidal back for at least one season smacked of ignorance and disgrace. Furthermore, Iniesta did not sign Barça’s first renewal offer and one of my friends did remind me that Iniesta’s best friend and the guy he sits next to on every flight is none other than Valdés.  I’m sure they’ve had a few things to discuss about the club’s hierarchy.

In the end, it would be best if the directors of clubs would do their jobs and not engage in deciding who starts and who sits. Also, it wouldn’t hurt if those same directors would exercise some proper judgment and lead the club without engaging in petty revenge to the detriment of the supporters. These types of decisions only reflect poorly on the club and can be detrimental to their own image. For now, only time will tell before we see the lasting impact of both clubs’ behind the scenes antics.

Barça’s Young Defenders’ Quandary.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Barça paying for transfer neglect.

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

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

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

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

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