Barcelona’s Russian roulette:A midfielder, or shoot yourself in the foot.

I am not an aficionado of tabloid press. Transfers periods are usually the most annoying months for me. Still, this is a period of team building for every club and it is always interesting to expect how every team will approach the challenges of the following season.

As for Barcelona, The needs are obvious. They need a center back and a defensive midfielder. Nothing more and –almost- nothing less. That’s why I was against the Cesc adventure. I like Özil. Yet, if I will ever feel excited about him moving to Catalonia, it will be probably because it brings a hope that Barcelona may forget about Cesc once and for all. 

It was a more urgent need before signing Adriano. Now that pep is considering Abidal as an option in the center, the team can survive with what’s available in that department. Puyol and Pique will keep being the first options at least at the beginning of the season. Milito is the third option and first cover. Then Abidal and a bunch of youth who will get some playing time to show their readiness. Who knows? In a perfect world, a center back can cement the defense structure once and for all. In the real life, spending millions is not a tempting option when you can avoid being a perfectionist.

Barcelona played one of the longest seasons last year. After playing till the last day of every competition one year before, they started the following season early playing the super cups in Europe and Spain, then the liga where they were unable to secure the title till the last moment, Clubs world cup in Asia (December), Copa del Rey till an advanced stage, Champions’ league till the semifinals. Then most of the players packed to Africa to play a world cup where the core of Barcelona’s Squad played all the way to the final. Back to Catalonia, those who survived were invited to ride a long –messy- trip to Asia for some friendlies joined by the shadows of some exhausted world cup contributors –beside the Spanish players. Arrived home and out to Seville to play first leg super cup while Spanish players were pulled out of their beds to wake up in Mexico. Couple of training sessions. Super cup’s second leg for those who can walk. Season kickoff. 

If that sequence inspires anything, it should be: Injury threat. No one wish that to happen for any player in any club. Yet, managers need to take that as a serious possibility. Scouting Barcelona’s squad, there is only one outfield position Barcelona can’t handle an injury. The holding midfielder. If Busquets picks an injury, Pep will have to put on his jersey and step in. 

Alternatives? Pique, who can play as a Holding midfielder. I fact I label him as a potentially world class holding midfielder. But his role as a center back is too crucial to sacrifice, especially that Puyol is not young anymore, Milito is still under the observation after his injury crises. Xavi? Even when he was younger (more fit physically) he did not master that position enough to avoid buying edmilsons and Yayas. Yet, even if he can serve there, can the club sacrifice his role in front? 

Oriol Romeu is a player with promising potentials. Yet, Promoting him to the first team- without signing a holding midfielder –will breach one of the key guidelines to introduce a youth to the big theatre. A newly promoted player must not be considered as a starter during his first season with the first team. Last season I was against signing a left wing as long as we have Henry. Having Henry and Iniesta as left wingers, made it comfortable for me to put my bet on an unpopular Pedro, regardless of all the arguments that opposed that suggestion. This season I was against signing Cesc because we have first options like Xavi, Keita and Iniesta, and we even have Messi, Busquets, and Pedro. All can perform in the center midfield. That makes me willing to bet on Thiago and Jonathan dos santos. I wouldn’t have done so if they were to be considered starters or even direct subs for the starters. 

Mind you, a youth may prove his worth and dominate the moment he gets his chance in the first team, A.K.A Busquets. But that has to come later after he actually starts getting playing time, not before that. The best stories last season were Busquets and Pedro. There were no expectations on them, which meant less pressure. Bojan is a demonstration on what happens if a player gets his promotion too early. He blooms slower. 

Barcelona fans demand more youth player in the squad. It sound sometime as the stamps collectors need to have more of the same. But to expect that the fans will be as patience with the youth as they are excited to promote them is an illusion. Club supporters may sit around a table wearing suits and ties discussing who to promote first, but the moment the team lose they borrow the butcher’s knives and jump seeking the youngest head on the pitch as a scapegoat. Giovani was the victim of this habit two years ago where he was whistled and booed because Ronaldinho decided to focus on his nightlife. Last season, Busquets was the delicious flesh on every table. A player like Xavi can handle such pressure, though fans barely complain about his performance after a long history of success (and because he rarely plays an average game?). Youth are players with high expectations and no history. That makes them easy to disappoint. Then earn rejection. 

Only a team that perform exceptionally can provide a healthy environment for the youth to gradually gain confidence and grow to meet the expectations. A team facing crisis usually hand the youth to the results chaos and fans frustration. Playing in front of a hundred thousand angry eyes staring at you when you miss pass, miss time a tackle or just don’t do miracles to save the team. Create a squad that can secure a solid performance, independent of the youth contribution, and the youth will always make you feel that “the new signing was not necessary, look at the youth we have”. Depending on youth in tricky moments will make you wonder “What happened to the talented youth we have?!”

Youth players should be introduced gradually to the first team. Oriol Romeu needs that gradual transition. But again, what if Busquets got injured at the beginning of the season? What if Xavi or Keita or Iniesta got injured forcing Busquets to play in an advanced position? The young boy will be called to take a huge responsibility, playing one of the most complicated positions in Barcelona’s system. 

It’s for the best of Oriol Romeu that Barcelona signs a holding midfielder. He will still have the chance to play for the first team, and when he doesn’t he will still have a place in the Second division league to play on weekly bases. One extra season playing thirty games in the second division will no doubt help his growth more than playing handful number of games for the first team. Even if he proved a ready-to-shine form, we must not forget that Keita is getting old. Barcelona can sell him next season and hand his role to Busquets, with Romeu joining the new holding midfielder in that department. 

Last season, there were lot of fans who were praying that Busquets get injured just to see Yaya playing. If Barcelona start the season without buying a holding midfielder, all Barcelona fans will light candles during the games praying that Busquets stay fit. There will be arguments about –ironically- Barcelona’s Busquets dependency! 

If you ask me, that’s like playing a Russian roulette with five bullets in the revolver and spinning it while aiming the muzzle against your head. You can hope you hit the sixth –unloaded- slot when you pull the trigger. If it happens, you can consider yourself extremely lucky, but never a brilliant.

Posted by Ramzi on 06:11. Filed under Articles, Barcelona, Football, Ramzi, transfers . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0