Barcelona youth, the new Xavi, the new Iniesta
We continue our quest in Barcelona’s youth treasures. In the previous part we listed the Goalkeepers and defenders, and now we move to the department of Xavi, Iniesta and Pep Guardiola before them, Barcelona’s Holly zone: The midfield
Buying Mascherano had no impact on the youth opportunities, as Busquets versatility keep the chances of every youth as promising as ever. Yet, buying Afellay after Mascherano made things a bit trickier. In the other hand, owahoo! The youth ranks are flooded by promising midfielders and the competition between them will get bloody! This is the department where we will witness lot of painful moments with quality midfielders finding their way out of the club.
No doubt, Jonathan dos Santos (JDS) and Thiago Alcántara are dominating the pole positions for a while now. Thiago is the one who will get the promotion ticket first, and for many reasons. While Jonathan’s contract keeps him in the club till June 2012, Thiago’s new contract was structured in a smart way forcing Barcelona to a “Take it or leave it” situation. Barcelona need to promote him to the first team to extend his contract till 2013 and his buyout clause to 30 M, or else his contract expires summer 2011 while his buyout clause is 10 millions till then. In the other hand, there is a good argument that Thiago’s skills are more needed this season than JDS discipline. Thiago is no doubt a player with a talent of massive destruction. Yet, he needs to mature and he needs to get ride of his sloppiness that cause lost possession too often. That is exactly what Barcelona can’t tolerate. I always say that the most important thing for youth to break through is self confidence. With Thiago, it’s probably the opposite as he is over confident sometimes, trying tricks that don’t worth the effort nor the risk. Less confidence may serve him a lot for now, till he improves his decision making. But make no mistake, he is the deal.
Jonathan in the other hand is a more reliable player at the moment in a way that he always tries to play out of troubles by keeping it simple. I believe he is overshadowed by Thiago’s free style most of the times. He reminds me of the underrated Xavi who –for years- was the player serving in the shadows of other players. The kid is quality. Though, since Thiago’s new contract where the Alcántara started to enjoy more time at the first team than the Mexican, the later suffered a slight drop in form (and probably in moral as well). One can only hope that this is temporarily. If he pass this stage and bounce back, this will only make him –mentally- stronger. And that is a need for a first team player. It will be nice to send him Iniesta’s biography for more inspiration about patience and unconditional dedication. Is it the Dos Santos family curse to always pay the tax of favors toward another youth? Let’s only hope that neither Jonathan is a Giovani, nor Thiago is a Bojan.
But let’s not forget that Pedro and Busquets came relatively from no where while everyone was busy talking about Bojan and Thiago and co. Are there any names at Barca B who may surprise us all with an accelerated development? You bet.
Oriol Romeu tops the list of “Don’t you forget about me!”. One of the most complete midfielders in the youth ranks currently. He struggled with some injuries, but he is capable of finding his way to the first team without notice. Afellay’s transfer created more complications as it will keep Busquets in the holding midfielder position to rotate with Mascherano instead of taking Keita’s role next season leaving a space for Romeu. But the Oriol talent is beyond the holding midfield role as he can play almost anywhere in the midfield. In fact, he is probably the best youth to inherit Keita’s role if the aging amazing midfielder leaves.
He will not be noticed for the rest of this season. He might not get a chance in the preseason next summer, but you have to keep Sergi Roberto’s name in your mind. If this boy keeps on developing at the same rate he showed so far, he will make you forget them all. This is a midfielder for the future.
Goal scoring midfielder is always a dream to have at Barcelona. Martí Riverola is one of the main candidates to serve that role. Only time can tell if he will end up being a starter or a game changer, but he will no doubt get his chance in the first team. Another factor that gives him an edge is the fact that he is an absolute product of Barca’s youth academy. At the age of six, he joined the club and walked all the way from the bottom of the farm to Barcelona B squad. If he continues his journey to the first team, that will be considered as a victory for La Masia. I don’t think Pep will waste the chance to achieve that if Riverola kept on showing the qualities we know by now.
Thiago will be the first to earn a promotion to the first team. He can only hope that Afellay perform amazingly on the flank leaving some playing time for the youth in the midfield. Jonathan will keep having his sneaking minutes in the first team but will continue serving Barcelona B for the rest of the season. The preseason next summer which include a tour in USA will give more opportunities for the Mexican and the rest of the youth to promote their services. Based on that, and the conditions of the first team (who stay and who leave) the promotion queue will be structured.
The chain of midfielders in the youth ranks is endless. Prepare yourself for heart breaking news as some of them will have to take a Cesc-path and leave to clubs where they can find more playing time. One ca only hopes Barcelona succeed to keep the most talented, and the most qualified to serve the team on the long term. It is a very complicated process, if you are in Pep’s position what will you do?
The final part will discuss the young forwards and an overall take on the Squad of the future.Till then, feel free to share your own opinion.
Posted by Ramzi
on 14:56.
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