Fc Barcelona new signing Ibrahim Afellay, the challenges and the opportunities. And copa del rey draw.

"The transfer of Ibi Affelay is not a surprise of course. He has been playing for the main squad since he was a teenager, so the past few years he was waiting for his big transfer.

To be honest I expected him to end up at a team like Tottenham, Fiorentina or Hamburger SV: Good teams, but not the top due to his injury proneness. So I think he got a really good opportunity with his transfer to Barcelona!

Last year he became the captain because of his experience and influence on the game of PSV. His added value to the results of PSV is enormous, we really notice a difference between the games when he plays or not. However personally I am not sure how he can compete with players like Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi.

After all these seasons I really hope he will make it at Barcelona. He is a person that will always speak with the press / public and he always looks for a creative and offensive opening. I wish him the best for the future of his career and I really hope to see him return to Eindhoven at the end of his career."

That’s how Dick Koster, the administrator of PSV Eindhoven group on Facebook views Afellay's transfer to FC Barcelona.

The remark about being “injury prone” is no doubt a very important one. I didn’t follow him on regular bases so I didn’t miss his absence when it happens. But we leave that for FC Barcelona’s Medical staff. They proved their excellence in the past few seasons beyond any doubt.

It is also true that he will be employed in an Iniest-ic role, and that’s where he has to prove his worth. As I already mentioned even before the official announcement, it is unlikely that he will fit as a backup for Xavi as initially rumored. Though, Pep doesn’t need that backup because the best players who can take Xavi’s spot are already availably in the squad. Will he succeed to compete with Iniesta and Messi? Unless if you believe in miracles, that’s not on the table. If he can compete with Pedro and Keita, that’s huge! Because that’s exactly what Barcelona need. A utility player who can play that Dual role Iniesta does between the midfield center and the flank. Tactically, this is becoming more and more a crucial piece in the puzzle. Beside Iniesta, Barca had no one to tick all the boxes needed to fulfill that role; Neither in the first team, nor among the youth.

The big challenge he will face, is that there is no place for “ok” or average players in the current squad. There is no time for a long adaptation period as club demands are urgent. There is also no room to add another player of his caliber to the squad as long as he is counted in the first team basket. No room for redundancy. In an extremely demanding environment like FC Barcelona, he need to pick himself fast, adapt fast, and gain the thrust of the fans and technical department in no time. The learning curve he enjoyed at PSV is never attainable at Barcelona. If he disappoint in his first few matches, he can –unfairly- expect a Chegrnskiy syndrome where the fans start whistling him in the stadium ruining the broken pieces of his confidence. If he disappoints the coaches (proving he need more time to adapt than the club can afford) he will not have another chance. The club needs a player with such profile who brings instant unquestionable quality to the table. There is only a room for one player, and now Afellay is already reserving that seat, blocking the way for any new alternatives.

The youth players will invade the vacancies available to strengthen the squad further. Those youth provide enough squad players for the team to use in less demanding matches, and they need all the time possible to collect minutes of experience to grow. That’s why the term “Squad player” is becoming inappropriate to address any player Barcelona signs. Afellay will have to prove he can perform as an indispensable first team player. There are other options in the market roaming for an opportunity to hijack his place.

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In another note, Copa del rey draw took place yesterday. The path to the title goes like this: