Barcelona youth coverage reaches its final part. After covering Goalkeepers and defense in part one, then the midfield in the second part, we move to the final stage:

Offense

Barcelona’s current system demands certain type of players to serve offense. We can classify the offense needs in two categories:

1) Players capable of playing a dual wing/inside-forward role.

2) What I like to call “Total Football Strikers”.

We will follow the same method we used in the first two parts, scouting the first team needs to figure the opportunities available.

In the first team, there are already quality players to serve the first category for many seasons to come. Messi (exactly 24 years old by the end of this season), and Pedro (same age as Messi) are long term knights for the squad. 

Bojan (21 by the end of the season) is another quality-under-observation player for the future if he completes his learning curve steadily –I see more future for him as a converted inside striker than a nine. Afellay (25 years old) will be an option if he ticked all the boxes. 

Jeffren is a talent that I’m not so optimist about at the moment. He is injury prone, and if the medical staff has no solution for that, his future at the club is in serious doubt. 

Iniesta proved –unlike the common belief- that he can offer world class performance from the flank. 

We must not forget Villa who is a better inside forward –Henry style- than a striker. Even Maxwell and Adriano are capable for that advanced role. There are no reasons to be concerned about Barcelona’s offense on the flanks for the short term. But if we take in consideration that one of the mentioned names has to play as a striker (Messi/Villa), two of the names are yet to confirm their validity for the future (Jeffren/Bojan) and two of the options are better as midfielders (Afellay/Iniesta), we can open a path of hope for Barcelona’s reserve players to break through to the first team.

Are their quality players for that category at Barcelona B?

Generally speaking, most of Barcelona B players who can play on the wing are at the same age or older than the first team players. Unlike the other departments (Keepers, Defenders, Midfielders) there isn’t a continuity queue that go smoothly in a balance with age, time and experience. 

Víctor Vázquez and Jonathan Soriano are the first to be noted. The first was considered once the best attacker in the youth squad that included Messi. He was that good. Then an injury at the worst time hammered his progress (to prove again the unpredictability of youth progress). He is struggling to catch up, and one can only hope he get more playing time at the first team this season to show his progress. I am still a believer in Vázquez and I think if he makes a comeback, Barcelona will have a world class player to count on for a long time. But if we take in consideration the players available in the first team, it is highly unlikely, and that’s a shame. 

Soriano gives you a feeling that he is a quality reserve player who will struggle to get anywhere further. Besides, he is more a center forward than a wing. Both seems too settled to their role in the reserve and Pep showed little interest in offering them time (compared to other youth). But we all know Pedro’s tale and there is always a chance that another Pedro may spark his talent anytime. Will they have a chance in the first team this season? It is highly unlikely. The other options available are a bit too old to catch up the progress of younger players.

There is no doubt that this is one of the most demanding positions in Pep’s system. Pep knew exactly what he wanted since day one. I tend not to talk about the Ibrahimovic experience anymore for obvious reasons. Yet, we have to track Pep’s approach toward the kind of strikers he was looking for in order to understand the needs of the future. And for the record, I had –and still have- the same belief as Pep regarding this case. In other words, he was not wrong –IMO. He was just unfortunate.

Pep needed a striker who has Eto’o’s qualities in terms of aggression, work rate, and well calculated runs into the area to finish. But at the same time, he felt the need of having a striker who can open to the flanks, work as a false nine, and play inside the box when needed. Such additional qualities are as crucial for Pep’s platform to work because it creates more fluidity and positions interchange between offense players where everyone is capable of playing every where. It also solves the complexities appear every time the fluidity of the team is damaged by opponents’ tactics or players’ form. It offers a standard offense mechanism that is less dependent on spaces and possession. It helps countering the ultra defensive tactics where the players suffer to find spaces to exchange passes and dribble the ball to the net.

After the first season at the club, Pep became more certain of his demands. The offense worked perfectly there because the offense trio complimented each other and covered each others deficiencies. Yet, in many occasions, the lacking was too obvious for a coach like Pep to ignore. Against Chelsea for example, the absence of Henry who used to play the inside forward role led to an offense sterility where only luck and controversial referring helped Barcelona to overcome. There was a need for something different to counter offense predictability. Pep was looking for a forward who can clone this one:

Pep Guardiola captained Barcelona when they lost 4-0 against Van Basten’s Milan in the historical champions’ league final (Though the striker didn’t play that match). Van Basten’s quality dominated Europe at that period of time and even while suffering a knee injury, he was able to perform at a level that put him at the top of the best strikers List. In my opinion he is the most complete striker ever –and by a margin.

It is a given that finding the new Van Basten is like searching for Aliens in Space. But if there is a player who could be considered as a work-in-progress to come close to Marco's level, that’s the player Pep demanded and Barcelona bought.

There were valid concerns about Ibrahimovic work rate and attitude. Will he learn to do his defensive role? Will he become more a team player than a solo performer? I do think Henry’s tale at Barcelona provided Pep with a hope that there are possibilities. The risk was high, but the potentials –if worked- were immense. Things started well –when at the beginning of the season it was more about individual quality than personal conduct. Then an injury at the wrong timing created the first challenge. In that grey area between Ibra’s attitude and Pep’s man management damage happened and fed the stream of concurred interests leading to offloading the player.

Currently, Barcelona’s offense could be described as lethal, but not perfect. Having Villa forced Pep to use Messi as a (false) nine. I think that was an intelligent decision. But it was more dictated option than a selected one. Villa is a better player in Henry’s role, so he plays there. He added the quality Barcelona missed last season where Henry was in a comma and Pedro was still finding his way to the selection. Pedro is just getting better and his current form makes him a definite starter. Messi simply plays where the other two can’t, ‘cause when in the right form he performs brilliantly anywhere.

The team is back to square one where the system represents an offense of massive destruction-as long as it rolls. The defect there is that this system lacks the diversity needed to do things differently when needed.

As already noted, it is not easy to find a complete striker who meets all the demands of the position at Barcelona. The back up plan is to have a poacher –Target man, A.K.A Larsson- on the bench and a more versatile striker as a starter. Barcelona B provides no interesting names at the moment for any of the mentioned positions. The most qualified alternatives are already older than those available in the first team. I had lot of expectations on Rubén Rochina, but it seems he is struggling to comeback after his injury. Nolito is a bull (Tevez-ic) type of forwards, but he has one foot and an arm outside the club already (He is not a rare talent anyway). So, generally speaking, Barcelona may count on Bojan to do part of the job for the future, but they will still need to look elsewhere for a striker who can complete the offense puzzle.

This offense drought in the reserve team is not permanent, and Barcelona fans should be unconcerned about it. Deep inside the youth veins a very exciting generation is in progress. The likes of Gerard Deulofeu, Gael Junior Etock, Mauro Icardi and Alain Richard Ebwelle are just samples of what is coming next. And you can smell excitement in the air. It is hard to predict who will keep on progressing to meet expectations, but any of the candidates can end up being the new revelation for Barcelona’s offense in the coming years. I cant wait till the mentioned four earn their promotion to Barcelona B.

Per marcos_c suggestion through Football Mood Twitter, the image bellow is an attempt to rate some of the reserve players and their chances in the first team. I took a wide range of conditions in consideration, but by no mean I take this presentation as a definite roadmap. Players’ progress is an extremely unpredictable matter. 

1) Rubén Miño Peralta

2) Martín Montoya Torralbo

3) Andreu Fontàs Prat

4) Sergi Gómez Solà

5) Carles Planas Antolínez

6) Marc Bartra Aregall

7) Marc Muniesa Martínez

8) Oriol Romeu Vidal

9) Jonathan dos Santos Ramírez

10) Thiago Alcántara do Nascimiento

11) Sergi Roberto Carnicer

12) Martí Riverola Bataller

13) Jonathan Soriano Casas

14) Víctor Vázquez Solsona

15) Rubén Rochina Naixes

Finally, big thanks for Anonymous_69, a regular contributor, who in the comments session suggested writing about Barcelona’s best selection and about Youth future at the club that ends here (Links to part one, and part two). All comments and suggestions are always welcomed and appreciated. 

 

Villa’s move to Barcelona is so far the most exciting transfer for the summer. A player who scored 129 goals and created 53 in the past 5 years for Valencia joins the Catalan offense armada. Spanish media published dozens of articles about the definite departure of Ibrahimovic because he will not have a place in Barca’s lineup while some-me included- considers Villa acquisition as the best news for Zlatan. But what can we expect from Barcelona offense next season?

There was a general dissatisfaction between Barcelona’s fans when you ask them about the offense line performance of last season. Such dissatisfaction usually targets the newest kid in the building A.K.A Zlatan Ibrahimovic, especially after the inflated values stamped on his transfer. No one can argue that Zlatan was not the greatest of them all and if he is seriously considering winning the champions’ league he needs to improve his contribution with the club. Yet, with the declination of Henry and injury owes of Iniesta, I couldn’t resist thinking of Eto’o’s performance the season when Ronaldinho and Deco disappointed while watching Barcelona’s performance in 2010. 

I usually stress on the need to structure a permanent offense presence at the highest point possible on the field. If the team is defending, that offense reference has to position the threat in line with the opponent’s last center back. In the final third –when the team attacks- a permanent presence in the box with sufficient support is a must. One of the reasons I doubted that Brazil will win the world cup was the lack of support inside the box where only Fabiano can cause damage –beside set pieces. One of the points I voiced regarding Spain is that to win the world cup they need to have Torres in the selection with Villa. Time confirmed that.

“Offense wise, Kaka’s form will be vital to link midfield with offense and guarantee change of play which will be important against parked buses Brazil will face. Yet, the most notable concern is the lack of players who can create threat inside the box. Something they may need if the opponent left no spaces for the Brazilian forwards to demand the ball in the space or shoot from outside the box. Only Fabiano can get advantage of Maicon and Bastos crosses. That’s why I think it was better to use a player like Baptista who can serve better than Elano the system Brazil is using.”

"After the game against Switzerland, Vicente del Bosque modified the selection slightly to solve problem number one: Lack of offense presence inside the box. He counted on Torres as a striker with Villa exposing the spaces."

In his first season, Henry struggled to fit the role requested as a left wing. In the second season he had his best performance at the club. It was not just about adaptation. It was not only because the team as a whole performed better which is a need for any forward to meet the expectations. It was basically because his role was modified. Eto’o’s Henry played the role of Ronaldo’s Rooney for Manchester United. He was a player who creates spaces, shake defense line and open to channels (left). He was the first player to run forward exposing the space and demanding the ball upfront, supporting Eto’o when the team retain possession. Eto’o was the player who took advantage of that work (synchronized with the work of the group) and did what he like to do most: scoring (without ignoring his immense contribution otherwise). That’s why shuffling the lines forward when retaining possession was smooth and timed. 

The second alternative applied in 2009 was having Yaya-Keita-Xavi in the midfield with Iniesta-Eto’o-Messi playing upfront. Regardless of the impression that “Iniesta does not score so he can’t play on the flank” the team eventually scored the same rate of goals with this alternative as they did using the first one. The keys of success for this alternative were 1) With Iniesta moving to the midfield more often to contribute in the buildup, Messi had to work less in that department (than he had to do in the first alternative, Henry-Eto’o-Messi), so he was able to demand the ball closer to the opponents’ area. 2) Eto’o’s style for being a player who likes to demand the ball behind the opponents’ lines which forced the opponent defense line to be more conservative to create spaces behind (ultimately created more spaces between the lines to move the ball forward. When the team attacked the box Keita was the player who supported Eto’o in the box. He didn’t score lot of goals but he pulled the defense attention and created spaces for Messi and Eto’o to operate.

Barcelona Tactics last season were subject to lot of discussions. Was it 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-1-3-2, 4-2-4, 4-1-4-1, 4-4-2, or simply a 4-3-3 is not what matters most. The loss of Henry meant the 2009th first alternative is not valid anymore. Pedro is a good player. But he wasn’t able to serve that offence dynamics in his first season. He can’t serve as a “station” holding on the ball and giving time for the players to reposition, instead he accelerate the tempo even when there is no sufficient support, squeezing the options and spaces instead of creating them. Besides, he is a typical Barca player whose first priority is the ball, not the field dimensions. Sometimes running into the space upfront even if you get no passes serve the team much more than moving deep and doing a Xavi. Remember that substitution del Bosque made in the world cup final (Navas for Pedro)? That’s exactly what I mean regardless of my opinion about starting Pedro in the first place then subbing him that early for Navas. But it shows What Pedro is good at, and what he is not as good. No doubt, he was one of the best performers for Barcelona last season, and one can only expect him to get better next season. But the point here is not about his individual qualities but the contribution he makes with the system in hand. Pedro’s inclusion –as Ibra’s inclusion- required system modification. Such changes take time to turn fruitful. 

The absence of Iniesta either for injury or lack of form (even when he played) ruined the advantages of the second alternative. He wasn’t in the midfield to assist Xavi nor he was on the wing/midfield to contribute in the buildup keeping Messi upfront. That situation forced Messi to contribute in the midfield more than he did before and kept him a bit far from the offense department. Ibra in the other hand is not an Eto’o who enjoys playing between the defenders waiting the pass in the space. He is a forward who like to touch the ball more often and if his teammates didn’t deliver it to him he will come all the way to get it. The output was a Barcelona offense playing in the midfield. When the team succeeded to shuffle the lines forward everyone was happy. Interestingly-for example- that the games Keita scored his goals were the games where Ibra produced his finest performances with the club. Coincidence?

Ibra generated some of the complexities of Barcelona’s offense. But he wasn’t THE complexity. Lot of theories took place last season and it went so far that I had to make a long rant in one of my posts responding to one of the most popular arguments: Bojan should have played against Inter instead of Ibra. When Coincidences support an argument there is no place for logic. Which is pretty much the case here. But later on, the upgraded accomplished version of Bojan dressed in a Spanish kit proved otherwise against Switzerland and later against Holland (none of them were even close to Inter’s quality). 

The first thing to expect for last season is that ibra will not be sold. Hear me Sandro? The second thing to expect is that the complications of last season will not exist. Zlatan took a whole season to adapt. Pedro is improving every time he blinks his eyes. Bojan already announced that for next season he will not be the squad child anymore, he feels like a man;-) The best thing ever happened to Messi was losing the world cup because that will generate him with enough hunger for the following four years. And there is a Villa in the villa. 

Villa will no doubt be the player who can complement Ibra most and both can create acres of spaces for Messi. The three players will create offense triangles more than an offense line. Messi behind both Villa and Ibra is one. Ibra being the head of the triangle while setting offense then pulling the defense put of position for Messi and Villa to demand the ball behind the defense is another. Ibra playing behind Messi and Villa then crushing into the box is an option as well. There are countless options and it will be up to pep to decide how to approach every game. The three players are assists generators. The three players can create spaces and can expose them. The three players –if you analyze their attributes- complete each other like the colors of a painting. There are lots of reasons to feel excited about this offense troika.

But while hailing the fantastic three, let’s not forget the excitement of the fantastic four when the club signed Henry to join Messi, Ronaldinho, and eto’o (Though, I wasn’t that excited, but that another story). We all know how that tale ended up. Will the fantastic meet the expectations this time?

This is the the interview content without my own opinion. Followed by my five cents and impressions:

"Villa can play in the center or on the left wing. Wherever he has played, he has always scored. Villa is a player who moves well, and creates space. Let's hope he'll continue scoring and that he'll be happy here."

"We thought that signing a player just to let Alves rest every now and then wasn't right. Abidal can play as centre-back, that's why we preferred to sign Adriano. Adriano is very versatile. He is 24-25 years old, he knows the league, and has a lot of energy. A great transfer."

"I'm not aware that we're interested in Alou Diarra as possible substitute of Touré. We're looking for someone with the profile of Touré. Or we could play Keita in that position. It will depend on the finances."

"Touré is a unique player but he wanted to leave. He is a big loss for us. We've done all we can to make him stay but I understand he wants to play more. I thank him for what he has given us and I hope that he will find what I wasn't able to give him."

"Chygrynskiy? I know I'm alone on this one but I didn't want to sell him. The president said we needed to sell for economic reasons. The sale of Chygrynskiy was needed to pay the salaries of the employees? They told me something like that. The economic criteria of the president and the club are moreimportant than my opinion. So I understand the sale of Chygrynskiy. I'm just an employee of the club. I feel part of the new structure of the sport’s area but the club made the decision. I'm a man of the club. Although it might not seem like that with people suggesting I'm deciding everything around here" 

"It has been an immense pleasure to have worked with Henry. We keep good memories from his time at the club. I wish Henry all the best in New York."

"We plan to loan out the same players as last season. Today, I've talked with some of them."

"Will Marquez leave? That's possible. He will make the decision. I cannot guarantee him a lot of playing time."

Ibrahimovic and his agent will choose what they think is best for his future. He has to be a key player. We've talked. Last season he did very well. I didn't ask anyone to try and sell him. 

I'm delighted Bojan continues and that he proved me wrong at the end of last season. I hope this year I will be able to give Bojan the playing time he deserves.

Signing Cesc would cost us a lot. And I understand that because he's important for Arsenal. If Arsenal doesn't want to negotiate for Cesc, we can't negotiate. We want Cesc, but it seems Arsenal and Madrid want him too. I don't know how things stand now.

Small squad? Well, we don't have a penny left, so we can't sign new players. Maybe we'll have a couple more, plus the youth. I'm not worried about a small squad. I'm working better this way. Maybe we need something in midfield but Cesc is expensive.

Abidal could be an option as center-back. Besides, we also have some youth coming. (Keita as a Holding midfielder as mentioned above).

We need to be competitive again. We need to make ourselves small to be great again. We'll try to defeat Madrid with modesty and enthusiasm. Last season, both could have won the league. Time will judge on next season's league. 99 points vs. 98, that's a small difference. It's about details, as in the CL semis. Winning the league will again be very difficult. We will have to compete for every victory.

I have a lot of faith in the players of the B team. Their promotion is great news. Luis Enrique and his team did an incredible job. There are great players in the B team but they are the ones who should do it now.

We will try for the B team to play before the first team so people can first go and support them.

Not even drunk I would have believed two years ago that Pedro and Busquets would win a world cup, a trophy I don't have. We will see how the world cup will affect our players and performances. The players and I want to repeat last season. I don't feel that world cup as mine. It's exclusively the world cup of the players and the coach. It has been a long process. It's not right to exclusively link Spain's world cup win with Barça. There are many other factors involved.

Spain friendly on 11 Aug? It wouldn't be logic since they only return from vacation 9 Aug but the federation decides. What if I'd give them two more days of holiday?

"I don't know why the press always speculates I'm having a bad relationship with the president. Last year Laporta, now Rosell. The new structure has been decided by the club. The president listened to my opinion, but the club makes the decision. I don't feel left alone. Manel [Estiarte] is here, Tito, the players. And I'll keep on calling Johan when I need advice.

I'm very happy and thankful to be able to continue another year. I don't make any promises, only that we will work hard. I feel more comfortable working with a short-term contract. I need to know there's a good understanding with the players. I asked the board for a one-year contract but the years don't really matter. The day I feel I can't make the team work, I leave. The president talked about the stability of a long-term contract but results are the only guarantee for stability. 

There won't be a problem with my renewal this year. There are no elections, so things will be calmer. The renewal was postponed because the president had 1000 things to do. We closed a deal in few minutes. There are few clauses.

I prefer short-term contract and I'm grateful the board has respected my wish. There's no better place than here.

It would be good the president meets with Cruyff because he has been an important person in the history of the club.

Cruyff should always be linked with Barcelona. Something went wrong. Johan doesn't deserve this. He'll talk with the president.

"I don't think the hours of the games will change. The television stations are deciding, they have the right to do so"

Fining me is just bad for them. The images are there. They're not saying the truth, fine or no fine. They falsified the referee reports and I guess they can't go back now.

"Mourinho? The more good players and coaches, the better for the Liga. His character? Every has his own."

Pep interview shed some lights on the overall environment in the club at the moment and the team to expect for next season.

In a way, he confirmed what we’ve been repeating on this blog since a while. He is considering Villa as a quality option on the left flank –something the world cup already demonstrated. Its also good that they took in consideration that we can’t sign a pure backup for Alves. I would have preferred a player who can play both as a Right back and a Center back instead of Adriano as that would have met our direct needs without other modifications. But in the post where we welcomed Adriano I mentioned that there might not be any good option in the market to fit that demand. So we signed Adriano. 

Pointing out that Abidal is an option for the center back is also good. But it’s yet to be seen how far we can use two offense oriented fullbacks with only a holding midfielder in front. We can’t do it Spain’s world cup way, because it means changing the whole structure. There are numerous options; we will come to that in another article about next season tactical potentials. Keita is another name that Pep mentioned to enhance some positions’ depth. It’s true that he can serve as a holding midfielder. But if Hleb will be loaned (as pep said regarding all ex-loaned players) then beside the youth, Keita is the only available backup for Iniesta and Xavi. To count him as a backup for Busquets as well is a bit too much. Moving Messi to play deeper in some games is an option. But that will not provide the minimal depth needed. Signing a midfielder is a must. And I am sure we will. 

Also, glad to know that Adriano was Pep’s choice. I had no doubt about it for the kind of utility players Adriano is.

Marquez is leaving. It seems inevitable. I would have liked to keep him for one more season especially that he can play as a Center back and as a holding midfielder. But Pep can’t give him any guaranties. Fair enough.

Talking about guarantees, the same thing applied on Ibra. I am a believer in Ibra’s qualities, a player who was the backbone for different teams in different leagues playing different styles. His attributes makes him the best combination of offense pivot for Barcelona. At the same time, we are talking about a coach who achieved everything for the club so far, the coach who brought this player in the first place. It’s a challenge for the coach to create the perfect structure to benefit from this immense kit he has in his squad. It’s also a challenge for the player to fight to prove his worth. If Ibra and his agent demands any guarantees, they can’t expect any. If Ibra wants to stay and succeed, no one can stop him. Nor even a club president hiding in the bush waiting for an opportunity. If he wants it easy, Man city is out there. 

Talking about determination, take Bojan as an example. If a young child-like Krkic had the patience and spirit to keep working for his spot, Ibra need to know the requirements of being in a big club like Barca. That psychological remark pep made about Bojan was extremely smart. You can imagine Bojan’s moral now. There are no automatic starters. Let the battle begins. 

In the same context, Pep enlightened us more regarding Yaya’s case, though it was not that mysterious. He is a great player. He lost the starting role for a player who performed better. It was a matter of form more than being a matter of quality. He wanted the guarantees Pep can’t and shouldn’t give. He picked another choice where he felt it fits him better. Good luck. 

I will not comment about Cesc. While his praise for Henry is a given. A player who was a crucial member in the squad that brought the best of Barcelona in the history of the club.

Chygrynskiy’s transfer brings us to the work environment in the club this summer. Regardless of how we evaluate the player’s qualities, there are some issues about the transfer that bring lot of concerns to the table. Pep didn’t want to sell him. And it seems he was not completely convinced regarding the economic needs behind selling him “The sale of Chygrynskiy was needed to pay the salaries of the employees? They told me something like that.”. Rosell approached the case from a position where Pep can’t actually win an argument: “The economic criteria of the president and the club are more important than my opinion.” When the president says if we don’t sell we bankrupt, what can the coach argue about? At the end of the day he is “just an employee of the club…Although it might not seem like that with people suggesting I'm deciding everything around here".

Chegrnskiy’s transfer can barely pay the salaries of Messi and Bartra. That tells enough. There should have been some other ways to pay the salary of the clubs plumber for one month other than selling an asset that the coach feels he can be great for many years, especially if you take in consideration that the money arrived couple of weeks later. 

No doubt, Pep is taking the “professional employee” profile here. He is not in a conflict with the current board. But it’s safe to say that he is not as empowered and its not the same friendly environment. He didn’t waste a chance to take his position in the cruyff-Sandro case. Not only that but this comment is interesting:

“I don't feel left alone. Manel [Estiarte] is here, Tito, the players. And I'll keep on calling Johan when I need advice.”

He barely has a clue about some operations that he is contradicting himself Sandro-style. In one sentence he says we don’t have a penny and in another he says Cesc is too expensive (which means that there is more than just a penny in the pocket but just not enough for Cesc-60M price tag). “Maybe we need something in midfield but Cesc is expensive.” Is the best remark he made. It’s still too easy to get confused, we had 50 million-Adriano= 40 Millions + any new transfer we make (sell). May be Sandro was just bluffing when he said we have 50 M, but it can go both ways: 5 million instead of 50, or may be 500. 

Yet, if we will not sign, we must not sell. And maybe we must not be as enthusiastic to loan out every player we can.