Which B team player could be promoted?

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that four Barcelona Atlètic players could still be promoted to the first team this season.

They are central defenders Marc Muniesa (17) and Andreu Fontàs (19 - picture) and attacking midfielders Jonathan dos Santos (19) and Thiago Alcántara (18).

Although it first was generally believed that one of the two centre-backs would move up, this could now change because of the transfer of Ukrainian central defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy and the good performances of Jonatan and Thiago over the past weeks.

Read more:
Muniesa and Fontas could be promoted
Jonathan hopes to be promoted to first team
Jeffren promoted to first team

Marquez and Iniesta travel to Monaco

Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola announced earlier today a list of 24 players for the European super cup game against Shakhtar Donetsk Friday evening at 8:45 pm.

The list:
Valdés, Pinto
Alves, Henrique, Puyol, Piqué, Márquez, Fontàs, Muniesa, Abidal, Maxwell
Touré, Keita, Xavi, Gudjohnsen, Busquets, Iniesta, Jonathan
Messi, Ibrahimovic, Bojan, Henry, Pedro, Jeffren

Milito, Iniesta and Márquez are recovering from injuries, although the last two will travel to Monaco. Four Barcelona Atlètic players make the list although six players will still have to be excluded from the final list on Friday. The team will fly tomorrow morning to Monaco.

24 players included in Athletic list

Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola announced earlier today a list of 24 players for the super cup game against Athletic Bilbao tomorrow evening at 10 pm.

The list:
Valdés, Pinto, Jorquera, Oier
Alves, Henrique, Puyol, Piqué, Fontàs, Muniesa, Abidal, Maxwell
Touré, Keita, Xavi, Gudjohnsen, Busquets, Jonathan
Messi, Ibrahimovic, Bojan, Henry, Pedro, Jeffren

Milito, Iniesta and Márquez are recovering from injuries. Five Barcelona Atlètic players make the list although six players will still have to be excluded from the final list tomorrow. Barcelona Atlètic goalkeeper Oier has yesterday and today been training with the first team.

Barcelona had an early training session this morning at 9 am and will have a last training at 11:30 am tomorrow.

Henry included in Athletic list

Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola announced earlier today a list of 19 players for the super cup game against Athletic Bilbao tomorrow evening at 10:00 pm.

The list:
Valdés, Pinto,
Alves, Maxwell, Abidal, Puyol, Piqué, Fontàs, Muniesa,
Touré, Keita, Xavi, Gudjohnsen, Busquets, Jonathan
Bojan, Pedro, Jeffren, Henry

Milito, Iniesta, Ibrahimovic, Márquez and Messi are recovering from injuries. Henrique and Jorquera are left out of the squad, while four Barcelona Atlètic players make the list.

The team will travel tomorrow to Bilbao, leaving the Camp Nou at 11 am.

Txiki on Cesc, Mascherano and Chygrynskiy

Speaking to the club's official media, Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain commented on some names that have been linked with a move to Barcelona.


Cesc
"It depends on what you are willing to spend. If we will invest a lot of money, he could come. But we don't know how big the investment should be since we didn't yet ask Arsenal about him. If the asking price would be exaggerated, we won't try to sign him."

Mascherano
"I don't like to exclude any of the players we like and that we believe can improve our squad."

Chygrynskiy
"He is a very good option, but at the right price. We have made an attempt and we will continue to try, but only if we consider the price to be reasonable, otherwise we won't do it."

Youth players
"We have the fortune that our youth policy is working so well. Muniesa, Fontás, Jonathan... They are all having a great pre-season. They are once again showing how extraordinary the youth structure is. Besides, it is easier for homegrown players to adapt to the way of playing than it is for those who come from elsewhere. We should take advantage of that. I think they are more than likely to play a role."

Read more:
Intensified talks with Cesc could lead to bid
Laporta on Cesc, Messi and Ibrahimovic
Chygrynskiy only option as centre-back

Muniesa and Fontas could be promoted

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona Atlètic centreal defenders and Spanish youth internationals Marc Muniesa (17 - picture) and Andreu Fontàs (19) could be promoted to the first team this summer.

Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola would have made clear to the club that in case it wouldn't be possible to sign Shakhtar Donetsk central defender Chygrynskiy (read more here), they shouldn't look for alternatives. Guardiola would then prefer to count next season on B-team players Muniesa and Fontàs.


Read more:
Four youth players flying to the United States
The Wembley Ramble, Back to the future.
Chygrynskiy only option as centre-back

Barcelona's wage structure

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona's wage scale has six levels:



GROUP A
Messi

GROUP B
Henry
Ibrahimovic

GROUP C
Alves
Xavi
Iniesta
Puyol

GROUP D
Valdés
Touré
Márquez
Keita

GROUP E
Bojan
Piqué
Jorquera
Pinto
Busquets

GROUP F
Pedro
Víctor Sánchez
Muniesa
Jeffren

Looking forward to the last transfer window month

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo looks ahead to the last month of the summer transfer window.


Central defender
With the transfer of Shakhtar Donetsk defender and Ukrainian international Dmytro Chygrynskiy (22) having become unlikely because of the player's participation in a Champions league qualifying game, Barcelona could decide not to sign another centre-back and to count on Henrique and youth players Muniesa or Fontàs.

Midfielder
Signing another midfielder seems at this moment the priority of the club, with Liverpool defensive midfielder and Argentine international Javier Mascherano (25) and Arsenal midfielder and Spanish international Cesc Fàbregas (22) on top of the list. A player with a back-up profile like Poulsen is not an option.

Left winger
With a transfer of main target Franck Ribéry not being possible, a transfer of a left winger is not a priority because the alternatives don't convince. Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21) could be an option if he cannot reach a renewal agreement with Valencia this summer. Other rumoured options like Di María, Robinho or Arshavin seem far off at this moment. Homegrown players Pedro, Jeffren or Gai are expected to get their chances.

Read more:
Transfer of Chygrynskiy becomes unlikely
Mascherano or Cesc
Mata will use Barcelona offer to get pay rise

Four youth players flying to the United States

The youngsters flying to the United States:

Andreu Fontàs and Marc Muniesa (above)
Jonathan dos Santos and Jeffren (below)

The Wembley Ramble, Back to the future.

The Wembley Ramble, Back to the future.

This team WILL win more leagues, This teamWill win more Champions leagues, And its not an impossible fantasy to say that this team WILL win the treble again one day.

Its the "WILL'' of confidence. Having the youth academy of Barcelona, the WILL turns to inject unpredictable future with lot of certainty. Without delay, lets introduce our boys who turned to men:

Montoya: Very good when it come to driving the gear forward, with decent defensive qualities He may end up being our new sergio, but on the right. Yet I don’t expect him to have lot of impact before 2 years from now.

Dalmau: Decent fullback. I believe having montoya and Delmau means that we will need no more Alves transfers anymore to cover a righ back weakness. At least one of them will turn to be a starter as an Alves heir.

Rueda: Not the flashy kind of midfielders as it seems. But will be a good utility midfielder. Yet, he needs to be more focused on improving passing skills if he wants to graduate from Barcelona university.

Espasandin: First game performed better than the next. But he is 24 years old. So I assume that he is just a player to strengthen Barcelona athletic.

VicSan: I said it before that he is not a CB. A DM or even a FB, but he is definitely not a CB. His versatility is his main strength. Yet, he really needs to improve dramatically to survive. Having busquets and co makes me feel he will have it tough to survive in this team. Hope he hide some surprises, Good ones.

Assulin: He showed some signs of talent. In general he was fine. But let’s forget the "new Messi" expectations or else he will be evaluated harshly as the time goes by. He does the pressure in the midfield and on opponent defence. He seemed to be more a pace-y type of players than being a skilful. He is not an option for the flank this season as some Barcelona fans expected before, still too early Even though he will have some playing time. He plays in a position where we have lot of youth to compete with, but some flashes along the two games showed his real potentials, one of the guaranteed cards for the future. Patience, Patience.

Jeffren: This guy causes me lot of stress while watching him. He milks all the cows at the farm perfectly and then kicks all the milk to the soil. His damn last touch! He is talented, he is skilful and he has the Bull style that makes him my primary hope for the flank on the long term. But he needs to put more focus on his last pass. After the dribbling, running, whatever, he just takes the last touch for granted. If there is a reason why pedro was selected for the first team last summer over jeff, its that. If he can reserve more of his Focusing Karma till the last moment, he will be the big thing this season. He has the "it" to give the Busquets impact. A player to watch.

Pedro: He knows its make or break this season, and he seems to be up for it. There is more pressure on him than any other young player at the moment, beside Bojan. He plays on the flank, where we have other youth. He took the primary chance by being promoted last season. So time is not on his side. But what we have seen in the past two games generate optimism regarding the future of the lad. Not sure how long will it takes him till (if) he becomes a starter. But at least he will turn to be a quality player to create depth. He is polishing a killing instinct in front of the goal. Having him, Jeff, Bojan and Gai was the main reason why I wasn’t so excited about signing a pure wing this summer. It would have been disastrous in my opinion because we would have lost at least two of our young guns. Henry and Iniesta are in the first row, Then Bojan and pedro in the second row, then Jeffren, then Gai. We do NOT need a left wing.

Rochina: Huge. I wondered for a moment why did we sign Keirrison? (just for a moment, though). In the first game, His first few minutes were bad. Then he started to show why he is one of the promising lads we have. He has lot of potentials to play with his back to the goal. Exchange passes Masiah style. Good positioning. Have the confidence and courage (may be some ego and arrogance as well - Hopefully). Good on the flanks as well. I would have preferred him playing the "9" position in the second game while Bojan plays on the flank, because that’s how I see it happening few years from now. I believe Pep wanted to test him on the flank in the second game after using him at the centre in the first. He holds the ball too much sometimes. He wasn’t one of the most impressive boys over the two games, but I predict fast improvement. Keep an eye on this guy. You will not regret.

Fontas: To have massive number of talented midfielders at Barcelona youth academy is nothing new. But to have that number of talented defenders is pretty surprising for me to be honest. No wonder botia was loaned out and caceres is in a big trouble. This guy was the best surprise in this tournament. Coming from no where and planting the seed of hope in our heart. Not ready for big times yet, but now we know him by name.

Krkic: I still expect more. He scored two goals in two games. He showed more maturity and lead the young team upfront. I really hope he get more opportunities to play this season than last season. He needs it and he has what it takes to be there on the pitch. He has the clinical finish of a striker, but I prefer him on the flanks. With all the talent he has, it’s still a challenging situation for him to cement his role at Barcelona. That’s why the coming season will be “The one” for Bojan. He needs that mean mentality to be able to dominate his opponent. The talent is there, the skills as well. But there is an impression of fragility that you get while watching him which he needs to overcome in order to make it on the highest level. I wish he does. And it has to happen this season. Lot of pressure on him, something I don’t like because he is still a kid and we must not forget that. Yet, high expectations, recent signings, and the mine of massive talents we have at the moment dictate this situation. A great talent for the future, but future starts today.

Dos Santos: The bright future is calling this boy. I dare to say the future of Barcelona at the midfield. Dictates tempo, sew the passing canvass perfectly. Good pressure on the opponent midfield. Demanding the ball in the right space. I believe he will be a copa del rey starter this season. From there on, only his performance will decide to what extend he will be used in the liga games. Yet, not a player to promote to the first team at the moment. He needs to play week in week out, and that’s only available at Barcelona athletic.

Saying all that, it’s important not to repeat the Dos Santos-senior mistake again with any of the new youth players. Patience is needed. I hope we will not see a day when Barcelona fans whistle against any of the new youth, Regardless of their performance. I hope we will not have a “Jeffren Vs Pedro”, “Gio Vs Thiago” environment where the fans feel the need to burry one just because they worship the other. It happened before with the “Gio Vs Bojan” case and it had an impact on the Mexican boy. We do not want to lose a new talented player. EPL teams are robbing enough. Playing all the youth we selected at Wembley causes lot of concerns for me already.

Moving to the veterans:

Muniesa: Alright, he was caught out of position in some cases. There was some lack of chemistry in the box with his compatriots, but its all understandable. I said it before and I say it now. Since Iniesta’s debut, No one impressed me since the first moment the way this guy did. And in this tournament he cemented his place for the trip to USA, and for some more action next season. A natural leader, Puyolish style. Solid, confident, and needless to say that he has the passing thing, Pique flavour. I will be extremely shocked if few years from now, this guy didn’t contribute with pique creating the best CB duet Barcelona ever had.


One last ramble:

Henrique: Well, he is also a young player. Lot of anxiety shadowed his performance in the first two games that I can’t really evaluate his potentials He needs more time to express himself. He has the calmness and the passing skills that caceres lack. Had some good moments but his overall performance was not something to praise. I will save some ink, so he better get advantage of that and inspire me, or else…


Caceres: Chocolate and Chicken, I like both. But not together in the same dish of course. The guy has massive potentials – the Chicken- but not exactly for Barcelona- The chocolate. For Barcelona the ability to defend spaces is vital. Positioning is crucial. And Passing excellence is a must. Unless if nothing revolutionary happens, I hate to say it but he may not have a future in this team. I always supported him because for his age he still has the time to progress and overcome his defects. Yet, when I scan the youth defenders we have, I believe it may not worth keeping him. He may need two seasons to become ready. Muniesa within two years may reach a level caceres will never dream about. Henrique may also exceed caceres potentials with time, and he is more versatile. Hope he proves me wrong but unless if he will be employed as a left backward, I can’t see him a Barcelona Player for long. Even as a left back, he still has a lot to learn, and we have quality youth to count on, as well.

Pinto: Solid back up for valdis, but even if it’s a friendly game, you are not allowed to show of. What a bad attitude and lack of focus in the first game. No surprise that Guardiola benched him in the second game, using the third and first keepers along the two halves.

Gudjohnsen: If we signed no midfielders, this guy must stay.

Yaya: He insists on proving my point. He seems to be tied to a tree by playing as a defensive midfielder, which forbids him from releasing all his supernatural potentials. He is a quality Defensive mid, but when Pep uses him as a Centre midfielder for a sequence of games, there will be no way back. That comprehends the Mascherano transfer if it happens. In between Mascherano and Xavi, this guy will upgrade this team to a new level. He can defend, he can pass, he can shoot, he can dribble, he can run into the box creating two towers with ibra for the Alvis-iniesta crossing machines, and he can score as well. A perfect Box-to-Box midfielder whom we can’t afford losing as a Defensive midfielder till we get a quality replacement there.

Beside, he Will boost the overall squad quality and depth by moving to his natural position.in the midfield with all the rotations of Iniesta/Xavi, Yaya/Keita, Mascherano/Busquets, and Upfront with Iniesta/(Henry or Bojan), Ibra/(Henry or Bojan), Messi/(Pedro or Jeff or iniesta/Ibra if needed) added to all the string of youth players. Not a very popular options basically because people usually fear change. But I will keep nagging on it till it happens. Sue me.

Ramzi Tanani

Four youth players will travel to US

Barcelona has officially announced that, besides twenty two first team players, four Barcelona youth players will travel to the United States for the training camp.

Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) as well as Uruguayan international Martín Cáceres (22) are not included in the list pending loan deals to other clubs.

The full list includes Valdés, Pinto, Jorquera, Puyol, Alves, Víctor Sánchez, Piqué, Márquez, Henrique, Abidal, Maxwell, Xavi, Touré, Keita, Busquets, Gudjohnsen, Iniesta, Henry, Pedro, Messi, Bojan, Ibrahimovic, Muniesa (17), Fontàs (19), Jonathan dos Santos (19), and Jeffren (21).


Read more about several of these players here

Which B team players will travel to the US?

Catalan sports papers Sport and El Mundo Deportivo claim that several Barcelona youth players could travel with the first team to the United States.

Eleven youth players already took part in the training camp in England. Both papers assure that Barcelona Atlètic wing attacker Jeffren Suárez (21) will be one of the players that will continue to work with the squad over the next week.

Barcelona's official website meanwhile announces that four Barcelona Atlètic players took part in this morning's training session with the first team: Marc Muniesa, Andreu Fontàs, Jonathan Dos Santos and Jeffren. This could mean that those players will travel with the first team to the United States tomorrow although the official list will be announced later today.

Read more:
Barça B: Pre-season starts
Jeffren could be promoted this summer
The new faces

Barça B: Pre-season starts

Catalan paper Sport reports that Barcelona Atlètic's season is underway after beginning pre-season training yesterday. The pre-season started a week later than planned after a training camp in Ireland (read more here) was canceled due to lack of players. Several Barça B players had been included in the first team's England tour. (read more here)

The team of 18 players took part in medical and physical tests at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper before participating in the season's first training session. Of the 18 players, only 7 were returning Barça Atlètic players from last season's squad.

For the next part of the pre-season manager Luis Enrique is expected to have back Barça Atlètic players who were a part of the first team's English tour. Espasandin, Rochina, Gai Assulin, Fontas, Montoya, Rueda, Dalmau, Muniesa & Jonathan dos Santos are expected to rejoin Barça Atlètic. While others like Jeffren may continue with the first team in the upcoming U.S. tour.

The only other absences were Thiago Alcantara and Romeu, who are still with the Spanish U19 team at the U19 European Championships. (read more here)

Read more:
The new faces
Barça B - Official: Jaume Sobregrau (Huesca)
Barça B - Official: Ivan Benitez (Las Palmas B)

The new faces

right back defender Martín Montoya (18)

right back defender Albert Dalmau (17)

central defender Marc Muniesa (17)

central defender Andreu Fontàs (19)

left back defender Víctor Espansandín (24)

defensive midfielder José Rueda (21)

attacking midfielder Jonathan Dos Santos (19)

winger Jeffren (21)

winger Edu Oriol (22)

left winger Gai Assulin (18)

centre forward Rubén Rochina (18)

Eleven youth players will travel to London

Barcelona has officially announced that, besides seventeen first team players, eleven Barcelona youth players will travel to England for the training camp.

The eleven players are: right back defenders Martín Montoya (18) and Albert Dalmau (17), central defenders Marc Muniesa (17) and Andreu Fontàs (19), left back defender Víctor Espansandín (24), defensive midfielder José Rueda (21), attacking midfielder Jonathan Dos Santos (19), wingers Jeffren (21), Edu Oriol (22) and Gai Assulin (18) and centre forward Rubén Rochina (18).


Read more about several of these players here

Ten youth players to start pre-season with first team

Ten Barcelona youth players underwent today medical tests at the Camp Nou stadium. Barcelona has officially confirmed that these footballers will start the pre-season with the first team tomorrow.

The ten players are:
right back defenders Martín Montoya (18 - 5th picture) and Albert Dalmau (17 - 2nd picture), central defenders Marc Muniesa (17 - 4th picture) and Andreu Fontàs (19 - 3rd picture), left back defender Víctor Espansandín (24), defensive midfielder José Rueda (21), attacking midfielder Jonathan Dos Santos (19), wingers Jeffren (21) and Gai Assulin (18) and centre forward Rubén Rochina (18).

Seven Juvenil players promoted to Barça B

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that seven Juvenil A players will be promoted to Barcelona Atlètic next season:

central defender Marc Muniesa (17), left back defender Planas (18), defensive midfielder Oriol Romeu (17), midfielder Polaco (19), attacking midfielder Jonathan dos Santos (19 - picture), winger José Luis (18) and centre forward Rubén Rochina (18).

The paper claims that Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola is closely following Muniesa and Jonathan, the brother of former Barcelona player Giovani. Besides the seven mentioned players, three other players would start the pre-season with the B-team and might stay depending upon their performances: right back defender Martín Montoya (18), midfielder Maestre (18) and wing attacker Ilie (18).

Read more:
Barcelona's Spanish U-17 Stars
Barça B: An introduction to Ruben Rochina
English and Italian clubs monitoring Barça youth

Three youth players to start pre-season in London

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that, because of injuries and international games, Barcelona can at this moment only count on fifteen squad players for the trip to London and that several Barcelona youth players will therefore start the pre-season with the first team.

Since Barcelona Atlètic central defenders Albero Botía (20) and Andreu Fontàs (19) are playing an international tournament with the Spanish under-20 national team, Barcelona Juvenil A central defender Marc Muniesa (17) would certainly take part.

Barcelona Atlètic attacking midfielder Thiago (18 - picture) and Barcelona wing attacker Gai Assulin (18) would also have a big chance to join in.

Read more:
Muniesa will start pre-season with first team
Barça B: Thiago rejected Chelsea offer
Gai: "I believe one day I'll reach the first team"

Barcelona planning six transfers

Catalan newspaper Avui claims that Barcelona wants to sign six players during the coming transfer wiondow.


Goal. Third goalkeeper Albert Jorquera (30), whose contract expires in 2010, is seriously considering to leave this summer. If this happens, it's not yet sure how he will be replaced: either a new goalkeeper will be signed or Guardiola will count more on one of the Barcelona goalkeeepers, Oier Olazábal (19) or Rubén Miño (20).

Defense. Bayer Leverkusen central defender Henrique (22) will return from loan while central defender Martín Cáceres (22) could leave on loan for one season. It's not clear when central defender Gabriel Milito will have fully recovered from his knee injury.

Barcelona is looking at the option of signing a back-up for right back defender Daniel Alves and will certainly sign a left back to replace Sylvinho, whose contract expires and won't be renewed. Barcelona Juvenil A central defender Marc Muniesa (17), who can also act as left back, will start the pre-season with the first team and could stay afterwards.

Midfield. Attackers Eidur Gudjohnsen (30), whose contract expires in 2010, and Alexander Hleb (28) could be sold or included in a transfer deal. If one or both of them leave, a new midfielder will be signed, while Barcelona attacking midfielder Thiago (18) also has a chance of being promoted.

Attack. Barcelona will certainly buy a player for the left wing, with Bayern Munich attacker Franck Ribéry (26) being the main candidate. Valencia forward Juan Manuel Mata (21 - picture) would be another option. Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola wants to sign a centre forward. Three names would be on the list: Atlético Madrid forward Diego Forlán (29), Valencia forward David Villa (28) and Lyon forward Karim Benzema (21).

Read more:
Guardiola wants larger squad and new players
Barcelona plans few changes in the summer
Txiki talks about the summer transfer market

Busquets, Bojan and Muniesa win youth award

Barcelona players Sergio Busquets (1988) and Bojan Krkic (1990) and Barcelona Juvenil A player Marc Muniesa (1992) have won a Golden Fútbol Draft 2009 Award.

The Fútbol Draft trophies are the most prestigious Spanish awards for youth players between 16 and 21 years old.

Busquets won the golden award as right central midfielder, Bojan as centre forward and Muniesa as left central defender. Former Barcelona players Fran Mérida (Arsenal, 1990) and Iago Falqué (Juventus, 1990) won a silver award as left central midfielder and attacking midfielder respectively.


see a list of all winners (golden, Silver and Bronze XI) here

read more:
Ten youth players nominated for prestigious award