Which Position To Strengthen Now?

by: Anurag

Barcelona's signings of Maxwell and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have filled up the voids left fullback and striker positions respectively. However, at least one more player needs to be bought, to give the squad enough depth to compete for six trophies.

Barcelona's signing of Ibrahimovic has been criticised in the media, and the club has been accused of overpaying to get their man. The fee paid may also have decreased the budget available dramatically.

The questions that come to mind are - now what? Which position is remaining? Which player(s) to sign now, to make the treble winning team a sextuple winning team?

To answer these, we must look at the positions Barca employs and the players and backups available for each.

Goalkeeper: Not a problem. Victor Valdes proved last season that he is reliable in the biggest of games. A few errors notwithstanding, VV was immense last season, and justified his new contract. Jose Pinto is an adequate replacement. Jorquera is disappointing however, and could be discarded in favour of youth keepers Oier Olazabal and/or Mino.

Right Full-Back: Daniel Alves. The fittest player in La Liga, he played exactly 4614 minutes last season. That was the most for any player in the squad. Barca were lucky, however, that he was never injured. In the event of his absence, El Capitan Carles Puyol is a solid replacement, while back-from-loan Henrique can also play in that position if required. In other words, this position is covered.

Central Defense: Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique are rocks in central defense, ably supported by Rafa Marquez. Martin Caceres, however, has left on loan. Gabriel Milito has still not recovered from his long term injury, while Henrique has not exactly impressed in his first two preseason games.

Marc Muniesa and Andreu Fontas of Barca Atletic are good backups, however. Also, in dire straits, both Eric Abidal and Yaya Toure can cover for this position. Though this is a possible problem position, it seems unnecessary to spend on another backup. A young signing is a strict no-no in my opinion, as this could stagnate the development of Muniesa and Fontas, who are both brilliant prospects.

In my opinion, Barcelona should gauge the performance of Henrique during the remaining pre-season games before considering signings for the central defense position.

Left Full-Back: Covered with the signing of Maxwell. Earlier, Barcelona only had Eric Abidal for this position. Now, they have two able players who can give each other strong competition for this last position in defense. If really needed, Muniesa can also pitch in for this position. Covered.

Defensive Midfield: Yaya Toure had made this position his own last season until he was forced to cover for central defense towards the last few games of the season. He was replaces by Sergi Busquets, who started the Champions League final, and in general was impressive last season.

Though this position is looked on as a problem position by many, I feel this is unnecessary. Agreed Toure will be out for 1.5 months during the African Cup of Nations, but we have a very impressive replacement for him in the shape of Busquets. Also, Marquez and Maxwell can also play in this position. In my opinion, covered, but possibly problematic.

Central Midfield: Xavi and Iniesta, the Gods of midfield. With these two controlling play, Barcelona never really had a problem keeping the ball and beating teams, not only with 5-0 scorelines, but with 65:35 possession ratios.

Problems occurred when Iniesta was injured. With his injury, the creativity of Barcelona's midfield was reduced to half. Though Busquets and Toure can cover for this position, neither is really of the same class as Xavi or Iniesta. The bottomline is that Barcelona would fail miserably if either of them was injured/suspended.

This is a definite problem position, despite the presence of four backup players in Busquets, Toure, Keita and Jonathan. Not because of the numbers, but because of the amount Barcelona depends on this position, and because of the sheer quality of Xavi and Iniesta. Any replacement that Barcelona has seems inadequate if try to compare with the first choice players.

I will be coming back to this position later, when I put forth my verdict at the end of this piece.

Right Wing: Lionel Messi, the best player in the world and also the key cog in the Barca machine. He has made the right wing his own, either cutting in and shooting lethally with his feared left foot, or dribbling through the entire opposition to provide a killer pass for the strikers.

There is no denying that Barca were very lucky that this man did not suffer a single injury during the previous campaign. He was ever present and immense throughout the season.

It is impossible to find a backup of equivalent quality, as such players are rare. However, for the sake of argument, he was backed up by Bojan and Pedro, both Barca youth products. Is this a problem position? Whenever Messi is unavailable. Can anything be done about it? Not really. There is no backup that would come even close to Messi's quality in the event of his unavailability.

Striker: Earlier this summer, Barcelona bought Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He is the man for this position, strong shots, good aerial ability and excellent technical ability. With the supply that he will get at Barcelona, Ibra will doubtless perform brilliantly.

He is also backed up by a good young prospect in Bojan and the old but reliable Thierry Henry. This position is pretty much secure.

Left Wing: Henry was excellent last season in this position. He is backed up by Iniesta and Bojan. There is also a possibility that Gai Assulin will be promoted this season, which means he will be added to the list of backups as well.

This is however, one of Barca's weak points. Henry, though still great, is not getting any younger. The left flank just does not possess as much steel as the right one, which has Messi and Alves. However, there is some backup in Iniesta, Bojan and possibly Gai for this position. Maxwell has also played a few games at this position for previous teams.

Verdict: The positions that look dangerously thin in terms of numbers are central midfield and the left wing, both of which have very little backup.

Since Iniesta can be moved to the left wing when needed, Barcelona do not really need to be too concerned about quality in that position. However, shifting Iniesta will leave a hole in midfield that will be difficult to fill.

There is also a possibility that defensive midfield could be stretched dangerously thin during the ACN, when Toure and Keita leave.

My recommendation is this - a cheap, versatile midfielder, who can play in both central midfield and defensive midfield, and would not really mind being benched for a large proportion of matches. A left winger would also be a welcome option, as this would free up Iniesta to be used only for the central midfield role.

Possible Candidates

• Patrick Vieira: Strange as this may sound, Vieira would be a good signing. He is old, which means he is a short term replacement and will not affect the youngsters in the squad. He is cheap, which is required. He is also highly experienced.

• Hernanes: Reportedly available for 10 million euros, Hernanes will be a decent replacement for either Xavi or Iniesta when desperately needed. However, he is young and this could affect the youth players who will be looking forward to breaking into the team in the near future.

• Angel di Maria: He would be a good backup for left wing. However, it is very unlikely that he would play second fiddle to Henry, as 2010 is World Cup year and he would want to break into the Argentinean national side, which is not something that can be achieved from the Camp Nou bench. However, he is a good player and Barcelona also have first option on signing him from Benfica, as part of Keirrison's loan.

• Jan Vertonghen: He is a player who is extremely versatile. He can cover the entire defense line as well as defensive midfield. A good, cheap signing. An added advantage is that he plays for Ajax, which employs a 4-3-3 similar to Barca's and will thus adjust quickly.

La Masia : Where Champions are Made

by: Anurag

The team that lined up to collect the Champions League winners' medals in Rome was special.

Special because of their scintillating performances throughout the season.

Special because never had they given up their philosophy of playing good, attacking football.

Special because they were the first Spanish team to do the treble.

But this team was special for another reason. It was the team with the maximum number of homegrown players, who were taught the beautiful game and nurtured into talents in an 18th century estate right next to the gigantic Camp Nou stadium.

The team was Barcelona, and it was special because of La Masia, the most legendary youth academy in the world.

La Masia, which means "estate" or "country house" in Catalan, was built in 1702. It was originally a country residence. When the Camp Nou was built right next to it in 1957, La Masia was remodelled into the club's social headquarters and inaugurated in 1966. In 1979, it became the residence of youth players who lived and plyed their trade at Barcelona.

It has become so legendary, that Barcelona's youth academy is now known simply as La Masia.

At La Masia, children are brought up to play the most beautiful version of the beautiful game. They are taught the skills that are necessary to make them into legends. And truly, many of these children are now household names in world football.

"The player who has passed through La Masia has something different to the rest, it's a plus that only comes from having competed in a Barcelona shirt from the time you were a child," says Pep Guardiola, Barcelona manager and La Masia graduate.

"[In the youth academy] you feel the colours, the club and its crest. Above all it's about values, not only in football but on a personal level. I think the fans feel more connected to the team because of all of the home-grown players," says Gerard Pique, another La Masia graduate.

Sporting director Txiki Begiristain sums up La Masia's importance by saying, "The kids here are brought up to demand victory even in friendly matches. Take a look at Lionel Messi, he's from Argentina but he comes with the stamp of La Masia; he was formed in our house."

Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Puyol, Pique, Busquets, and Valdes all started the Champions League final for Barcelona. They all had one thing in common—they were brought up and made into world class talents by La Masia. The substitute bench also had its fair share of La Masia graduates in Bojan, Muniesa, and Pedro.

By contrast, Manchester United had only three players in the entire squad who were from their youth academy: Paul Scholes, John O'Shea and Ryan Giggs. These statistics show the gulf in class between the two academies.

It is also interesting to note the number of quality players who have come through La Masia's ranks over the years. Josep Guardiola, Guillermo Amor, Barjuan Sergi, Cesc Fabregas, Fran Merida, Jose Reina, Ivan de la Pena, and Luis Garcia are just some of the names that form this list.

There are a few foreign players in Barcelona, agreed. Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o, Dani Alves, Seydou Keita, Yaya Toure and Gabi Milito being among them. But when you see the homegrown players to foreign players ratio, you begin to realise how good La Masia truly is.

The ratio is exactly 1:1, which means the team contains as many homegrown players as foreign players. No other Champions League team has such a high ratio of homegrown players.

I have heard many complaints from Barcelona's critics that they are successful because they have many superstars. It would be nice if they just sat back and realised that these stars have, in fact, been carefully nurtured, honed, and sharpened into the world class talents that they are by the legendary youth academy of La Masia.

Is Lionel Messi the Best Player in History?

Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently stated in a press conference that his team's biggest star Lionel Messi is the best player in the history of the beautiful game.

The fact that Laporta has given Messi the cut above greats like Maradona, Pele, Zidane and Cruyff has irked many. Many have even charged him with disrespect towards the legends. But how can they blame him?

What the people criticising Laporta for his remarks keep forgetting is that at 22, Messi has already achieved far more than any of the above named players did at that young age (barring, perhaps, Pele, who had won the World Cup with Brazil when he was just 17 years old).

He has already won three La Ligas, one Copa del Rey and one Champions League with Barcelona and an Olympic gold medal with Argentina.

He scored his first professional goal at the age of 17, won his first professional title in the same season and he was also selected as both the FIFPro and World Soccer Magazine Young Player of the Year for three years running from 2005–2008.

What they also forget is that at this age, Messi has already taken up the mantle to be the face of the club he represents. It is an undeniable fact that when a person thinks of FC Barcelona, the first person that comes to mind from the current team is Messi.

Which of the above named players have, at such a young age, been the face of their respective clubs? Which of them has already been indispensable to the team they represent? And, most importantly, which of them has ever won the treble? The answer is, of course, none.

At 22, Diego Maradona was still hopping clubs. He joined Barcelona when he was 23, and never won the Champions League or the La Liga. Two years later, he demanded a transfer to Napoli, and there, at 26, Maradona finally came into his own.

Zinedine Zidane scored his first professional goal at the age of 19, which was the age at which Messi scored a hat-trick against Real Madrid. He did not win any trophies until he was 23, when his team, Bordeaux won the 1995 Intertoto Cup.

Johan Cruyff won his first Cup and League double with Ajax when he was 20 years old. At this age, Messi had already won two La Liga titles with Barcelona, and been part of the team that won the 2006 Champions League.

Pele was, arguably the closest to Messi in terms of achievements at such a young age. He won his first World Cup trophy with Brazil in 1958 and his second in 1962, at the ages of 17 and 21 respectively. However, Pele spent his career in the Brazilian League, which everyone will admit, was never as competitive as the leagues in Europe.

Which brings us back to whether Messi is the greatest player in history. Certainly, if we go by his age, no one can deny that Messi has had the best career of any other football legends.

But it would still be very early to say that his career would remain as glittering and lustrous throughout. Anything can put an end to a footballer's career - an injury here, a few poor games there and good players are often forgotten.

However, it is fair to say that if Messi improves, or even maintains the level his game is currently at, he would definitely become the unquestionable best player in history in the not-so-distant future.

anurag

Why Lionel Messi Deserves the Ballon D'Or

FC Barcelona's 2008-09 season was the most incredible in their history. They became the first Spanish team to win the coveted treble of the La Liga, Champions League, and Copa del Rey.

While the main reason for their success was that the team gelled together perfectly as a unit, there were over the course of the season many stellar individual performances which helped the team on its way.

The most memorable of these was Andres Iniesta's stunning injury time equalizer at Stamford Bridge that saw Barcelona progress to the Champions League final.

But there was one player who stole the show throughout the course of the season. One little Argentinean wizard, who dominated proceedings from start to finish.

Lionel Messi.

The statistics of Messi’s dominance are staggering indeed. Messi contributed 38 goals with 24 assists in all competitions. That makes him directly responsible for 62 of the team's 156 goals in all competitions. He was also the Champions League's top scorer with nine goals.

But the statistics are not the only measure of Lio's brilliance throughout the season. He has risen to the occasion in almost every big match. In the first El Clasico against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, Messi was "tactically" fouled throughout the game by a Real team that saw this as the only way to stop him.

But it was Leo who sealed the game with a delicate chip over Casillas' head, which had Cannavaro crashing into the post trying to keep it out.

Against Lyon and Bayern Munich, in the Champions League Round of 16 and quarterfinals respectively, Messi was devastating. In the two home games, Messi scored three goals, and made two assists as Barcelona demolished the French champions 5-2 and the German champions 4-0.

In the second Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu, Messi was in his element. Shifted to a comparatively unfamiliar role in the centre of the park in order to take advantage of Madrid's comparatively slow central defenders, Messi ripped them apart.

He scored two goals and made one exquisite assist to round off a superb Barcelona performance that saw them run out 6-2 winners.

Against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, as time was running out for Barcelona, it was Lionel Messi who supplied that fateful pass to Andres Iniesta, which Iniesta buried into the top corner to send Barcelona to Rome.

The highlight of the season was the Champions League final in Rome against Manchester United. Many people had billed this as a Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo clash. However, when the match started, it was obvious who was in control—Messi.

His dribbling through the centre of the park often forced the Manchester United defenders to foul him in threes and fours. And each time after he was brought down, Messi was first to his feet and ready to run more.

He capped his performance with a superb arching header from Xavi’s cross that left Van der Sar completely stranded and the Manchester United fans looking on in horror. Barcelona won that match 2-0 and consequently, lifted the third trophy to complete their treble.

Other notable performances of his include a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid, two goals against Racing after coming off the bench to secure a 2-1 victory and the Copa del Rey final, where he scored one goal and made two assists.

In spite of being injured for three months during the 2007-08 season, Messi was the runner-up for the Ballon d’Or. He also ran Manchester United ragged with his thighs heavily bandaged. Unfortunately for him, on that night, he was the only Barcelona player who was in inspired form, and the team was dumped out of the Champions League 1-0 on aggregate.

Argentina coach Diego Maradona has said that Messi is his direct successor. Marcelo Lippi, Jurgen Klinsmann, Guus Hiddink, and even Alex Ferguson have all acknowledged that there is no player like Lionel Messi in the world today.

And the most frightening thing for oppositions is that Messi is only 22 (tomorrow). He has at least 10 more years in front of him at the top level. If the saying that footballers peak between 27 and 31 is true, then Messi is still five years from his peak. Can anyone imagine just how good Messi will be then?

There is no question about who deserves to win the Ballon d’Or award this year. After winning the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey, with a contribution of 38 goals and 24 assists, it would be a major shock if anyone but Lionel Messi lifted the coveted trophy.

Anurag

What Barcelona Should Do This Transfer Summer

With La Blaugrana's transfer kitty of 30-35 million euros and sporting director Txiki Begiristain's assertion that he intends to buy three or four quality players, it seems it is going to be a summer of both entries and exits at the Camp Nou.

Last season, we had seen a strenghtening of the full-back and defensive midfield areas with the signings of Dani Alves and Seydou Keita respectively. Both these players went on to perform well and contributed in no small part to the treble success.

However, the other two signings of Aliaksandr Hleb and Martin Caceres can mildly be called "flops", with neither of the two players really able to contribute on the pitch.

As a treble winning team, it seems difficult to envisage that Barcelona have any weak links. But over the course of last season, careful observation reveals the following chinks in Barcelona's armor:

Defense: This season's major concern for Barcelona has been the lack of defensive cover, especially in the left back area, where Abidal and Sylvinho are the only players that Barcelona had.

With Milito injured and Caceres unpredictable, there were only three reliable candidates for the CB role, Pique, Puyol and Marquez. And with Marquez injured and Alves suspended for the Champions League final, it was left to Yaya Toure and Pique to fill in the CB slots while Puyol covered in for RB.

Luckily Alves never got injured last season, but Barcelona cannot rely on luck for another year. The defense has to be strengthened in this window, and it is the absolute priority.

Eto'o: Pichichi runner up and scorer in the Champions League final. With that on his CV, it seems hard on Eto'o to call him a weak link. But it is true, that for the last three months of the season, the only way Eto'o seemed to be able to score was if the goal was handed to him on a platter.

Sorry, that sort of finishing cannot be acceptable at this level. Particularly poor games of his include the 2-1 away defeat against Mallorca, during which his performance was atrocious. Barcelona need to get rid of him, and quickly.

The left flank: Henry has been really good this season, no doubt about it, none at all. But once again, what happened when he got injured? Barcelona shifted Iniesta to LW and had to shuffle around the strongest midfield in Europe. Not ideal.

Which brings us to whom Barcelona have to buy. With the first eleven looking pretty strong, it is my belief that Barcelona should focus mainly on buying a quality striker, a brilliant left back, and one player to cover in midfield. The ideal candidates for these roles are:

David Villa (striker): Villa is a consistent striker with lots of goals in him. Despite being in an average club like Valencia, he managed to get himself to third on the scoring charts. A top draw buy for a club that has two aging strikers in Eto'o and Henry. Price: 50 million euros plus Bojan, Caceres (loan).

Yuri Zhirkov (Left Back/Wing): "Russian Ronaldinho", enough said. Zhirkov is a brilliant player and would solve Barcelona's left wing woes. He can play at left wing or at left fullback.

Having him would have another advantage because then Alves on the right flank could be given a few games off while Zhirkov would create havoc, similar to what Alves creates, down the left wing, and also keep to Barca's style of having one wing back patrolling up and down and the other three defenders sitting back to cover him. A great purchase for 25 million euros.

Filipe Luis (Left Back, second option): In case CSKA Moscow are unwilling to let Zhirkov leave this summer, Filipe is a good replacement. He is a Deportivo La Coruna left back, Brazilian, 23 years of age.

The disadvantage of having Filipe is that Alves would have to work far harder throughout next season, because he is not a wing back, but a purely defensive player. Nevertheless, he would be a good purchase for less than half the price of Zhirkov. Price: 10-12 million euros.

Javier Mascherano (Midfielder): A brilliant signing in all respects. Masch can play as a DM or a CM. He would provide the perfect fall back plan during the month long African Cup of Nations which will see Yaya Toure and Seydou Keita away on national duty.

He also provides a lot of rotation options for midfield, without actually weakening it in any way. But a hurdle, and a major one at that, is his price. Rafael Benitez is refusing to let him go for less than 50 million.

Players out:

Samuel Eto'o: Sorry, but with his inconsistent form, refusal to sign a new contract and ridiculous behaviour on and off the pitch, he has to leave. Txiki Begiristain has recently placed a tag of 60 million on his head, but I think a more realistic figure would be 25-30 million euros.

Aliaksandr Hleb: Done nothing of note at all. It would be a big risk to keep him. His role at the club is so insignificant now, that he was not included in the Champions League final lineup. Youth players Muniesa and Botia were selected ahead of him, so his time is definitely at an end. Price: 10-15 million euros

Eidur Gudjohnsen: His peak has been reached, and now he is no more than a squad player really. He has also made barely any contribution this season. There is no real chance of him having any future at the club.

Jorquera: No future at the club, with Valdes renewing his contract and Pinto doing very well in Copa games.

Bojan and Caceres (loan): Bojan on loan is reportedly the reason why Valencia are willing to accept the deal for David Villa.

By: Anurag