End of an era, or bump in the road?
FC Barcelona has been heralded as the greatest team to have ever played the game for five years now. So why were they so poor last night? How were they humiliated by Bayern? What the hell went wrong?
Misfortune
One cannot underestimate the run of bad fortune that has plagued the side this season. The emotional impact of Èric Abidal’s cancer on the squad last season was difficult to bear. While such tragic events often galvanise a group of players and tighten the bonds of friendship, it also diverts focus and inflicts trauma that inevitably affects player performance on the pitch. Even more so as Abidal’s presence on the field proved to be irreplaceable. He was a rock in defence and an aerial threat that was so often lacking this season. How many soft goals from set pieces could have been prevented this season with “King Èric” holding the fort?
Captain Carles Puyol has additionally been sidelined for much of the season. Plagued by a series of injuries, Puyol’s absence cannot be highlighted enough. When fit he marshals the backline with steely determination and controlled aggression that was nowhere in evidence in his absence. He crucially conducts the backline and barks orders at one Gerard Piqué, who always looks a little lost without his mentor. While clearly past his peak, Puyol’s commanding presence was sorely missed in many games. He is the one player who will be almost impossible to replace as Barcelona trys to build for the future.
The fact that head coach Tito Vilanova was struck down by the same disease as Abidal this year cannot be overstressed. Barcelona hit the ground running this season and embarked on a series of performances that dazzled oppositions and fans alike with many people forgetting to miss Pep. A two month spell after Christmas saw the head coach hospitalized and left the Barcelona juggernaut rudderless. The worst spell of performance in many years followed and the team looked jaded and leaderless and to be frank, complacent. Many players obviously feared for their colleague and realized there is more to life than football. Other squads had no such philosophy. Losses to AC Milan and Real Madrid seemed to signal a turning of the tide in terms of dominance. The cracks were beginning to show.
Failure to Act
Any team that suffered injuries to players of the caliber of Messi, Puyol, Mascherano, and Adriano at this crucial stage in the season is bound to feel the pinch, but failure to take action when warning signs were on the horizon has meant a sudden collapse. In similar fashion to the Spanish economic crisis, failure to implement change sooner has made the fall from grace all the more sudden, and all the more insufferable.
The centre back crisis at Barcelona is no new concept. Puyol is far too old and prone to injury to be depended upon. Piqué is capable of great things but is becoming increasingly more inconsistent and fallible. Abidal, who was often used to shore up the hole at the back in the past, has been out for over a season, and during the last two transfer windows was laid up in hospital. Javier Mascherano has the heart of a lion and can pull off a bone crunching tackle when needed, but the fact remains that he is a midfielder and too small in stature to succeed at this level. Marc Bartra may make it in the future but even at age twenty-two, he has had no first team experience and looks far too meek and slight to be depended upon. When observing teams with young solid and confident centre backs such as Marquinhos at Roma and Raphael Varane at Madrid, one cannot excuse Bartra’s performances based on tenderness of years. The centre back problem has been exacerbated by the height of the full backs Alves and Jordi Alba. Essentially there is no aerial strength and that is why they are punished time and time again. Thiago Silva was on the market last summer, however a failure to sign such a crucial asset was missed. And may never present itself again. If FC Barcelona, the most popular team on the planet, cannot afford to sign a star player, something is seriously amiss.
Messi’s brilliance has papered over the cracks in this side for two seasons, for not only is the defence coming up short (pun intended), the forward line is experiencing a grueling goal famine. Goal tallies from Pedro, Alexis Sánchez and David Villa have scarcely touched double figures. Too often they hang on the wing and take a touch and pass the ball backwards. Where is the aggression? Where is the will to take on their man or make a beeline for goal? Or to take a shot, God forbid. Furthermore the total lack of any aerial threat must also be acknowledged and questioned. When one cast a glance back to the star-studded forward line of Henry, Messi, and Eto’o, one wonders how we slipped so far without realizing it. Messi has been bailing out the boat for seasons – but it has been sinking none the less.
Tragic Performance in the Transfer Market
Cáceres, Hleb, Chygrynsky, Henrique, and Keirrison are not household names yet the Barcelona board considered them worthy of millions of euros. And while they all belonged to the previous directorship, newer transfers that have not delivered include Ibrahim Afellay, Alexis Sánchez, and Alex Song. It must be noted that Cesc Fàbregas and David Villa have not lived up to their hype, for whatever reason. It doesn’t even bear remembering the catastrophic deal that saw legend Samuel Eto’o along with 45 million odd euros leave for Inter with Zlatan Ibrahimovic arriving. The Swede departed the following year for a paltry 25 million to be paid in installments by AC Milan. This must go down in history as the most horrendous business done in the history of sport. Eto’o went on to shoot Inter to Champions League glory the next season. Ibrahimovic continues to be the top scorer at every team he plays for. When one considers the talent the club has let go since the Guardiola era; Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Henry, Ibrahimovic a pattern appears. The aggressive talented, tall players have no place at this club. The meek shall inherit the earth – and the Barcelona jersey. While Guardiola inherited an epic squad from Rijkaard, Tito has inherited a depleted, more one-dimensional side due
to Guardiola’s poor performance in the transfer market.
Obsession
Barcelona has three obsessions; possession, the 4-3-3 formation, and development of home-grown talent. These have turned from healthy foundations on which to build the philosophy of the club and team upon into an obsession.
Having the lion’s share of possession is a positive thing. However, when the ball is being moved from wing to wing and is passed backwards more than forwards – then something is wrong. When they move the ball with lightning pace and surgical precision like they did against Milan, they are unplayable and a joy to watch. However, too often players seem afraid to lose the ball and merely play the safe option. The defence splitting pass is not risked for fear of losing the all too precious ball. Count the amount of times the players on the wing such as Alba, Sánchez, Pedro, and Alves tip the ball back instead of running for the touchline, bearing down on goal or charging past their marker. The lack of bodies to aim at in the box is also a factor. To score a goal, players have to commit. Commit to a run, commit to a pass. Commit to something other than blind faith in possession.
The 4-3-3 formation has served the club well since its introduction in the Cruyff era. It has yielded multiple titles and helped the world fall in love with their attacking brand of football. It has however left them vulnerable at the back and at times a tad predictable. Every other team in Europe, including the Spanish national team, plays with two pivots in midfield. This formation has led to too many defeats by inferior opposition and a side of this caliber should have a plan B option when things are not going to plan.
Grooming home-grown talent is something to be proud of and a huge part of both the club’s success and its identity. No other club in the world invests so much money or effort into their academy or produces such giants of the modern game. However, when certain positions are not being grown, they must be purchased. It may be a generation or a millennium until La Masia produces another golden generation of such stellar quality as Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, and Puyol. In the meantime, use the financial resources of the club to plug the gaps.
Conclusion
In many ways Barça’s season is all the more impressive by virtue of the fact that they will soon claim another La Liga crown. This title is in many ways more impressive than a Champions League win as it requires consistency in a year when fate has thrown up many a hurdle to test the team’s mettle. The future is also potentially bright and I predict that with the likes of Piqué, Messi, Iniesta, Tello, Fàbregas, Thiago, and Deulofeu in the squad, this side will continue to be a giant of European football for the remainder of the decade – provided the club are willing and able to make the relevant changes. Anything is possible with the closest thing to a footballing god on our side. And luckily he has pledged his future to the club for many more seasons before he returns to Argentina. As fans I am sure we will make a similar pledge and enjoy many more future successes.
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