Some incredibly disorganised thoughts about the past season:
horse race
I think Guardiola is absolutely correct when he says that Barca would not have reached the highs they hit this season without being pushed so hard by Real. In fact, Perez's spending spree was probably the most effective form of motivation money could buy for the Barca players, who'd won every single trophy they competed for by the end of 2009.
Winning the league this season was particularly satisfying for this Cule because I was so fearful at the beginning of the season that Real's spending (and hitting upon a good coach, seemingly by accident) would take them past Barca, who could never live up to the glories of the season just gone and would falter under the strain of trying. Once again, I'm eating my words and loving every bite. It certainly wasn't easy, and in patches I thought Real were the more likely champions, but in the end Barca's consistency (both collective and individual) and defensive solidarity won out.
elections
I've never hidden my dislike for Joan Laporta. As far as I'm concerned, the sooner the man stops speaking for the club, the better. However, to give the guy his due, he definitely left Barca in much better shape than he found it in, institutionally, financially, and on the sporting front. (Not difficult, given how the Gaspart era ended, but Barca have had very good years under Laporta.)
For now, the trend of me disliking the president looks set to continue, as Sandro Rosell is currently the presumed front-runner. My dislike of Rosell began long before this election season and has its roots in some of the proposals he put forward as vice president during Laporta's first term. It was cemented by his recent comments on the question of membership. On this issue, I highly recommend Ramzi's post, which lays it out better than I could. I'll just say that to limit membership goes against everything I believe Barca should stand for.
signings
How you can recognise a geeky Barca fanatic: when they're more excited by the kids graduating from the youth system than they are by big name signings. This has been me for the past 3 or 4 seasons. I'll just quickly mention a few names I'm looking forward to seeing more of next season: midfielders Jonathan Dos Santos and Thiago Alcantara (both born of Brazilian parents, but Jono plays for Mexico and Thiago plays for Spain at youth level), as well as defenders Marc Muniesa and Martin Montoya (both Spanish).
Moving on to signings, of course Villa is a fantastic striker who will score tons of goals, but he's 28. I can't help feeling Barca brought him a season later than they should have. Still, more than glad to have such a reliable goalscorer who will fit easily into the Barca system.
As for the midfield, if Yaya Toure leaves it will be a very sad day indeed, but I do understand his desire for more playing time. He'll need to be replaced, and my preference is for someone versatile like Keita who can play as a central or defensive midfielder. Lord knows who that will end up being at this point.
Ideally, I would also like one more defender. Alves, Puyol, Pique, Milito, Abidal and Maxwell are all fine, but from there things get a little dicey, and that's not good enough.
standout performers
Leo Messi: 47 goals and 14 assists in 53 appearances. The (ridiculous) stats say it all. Except they don't. He makes everybody else play better, not only because of the passes and runs he makes, but because he attracts defenders like few other players on the planet. Rightly so, because - and it's been this way since 06-07, really - when nobody else has anything, and the game looks like petering out, he's the one who makes it happen.
Xavi: As Guardiola said, best midfielder in the history of Barca. Insanely consistent, absolutely tireless, and the best passer of the ball in Europe.
Puyol: At the beginning of the season, people thought his career was over. Please. A tremendous competitor with the work ethic of a true pro and the physical conditioning of a man ten years younger. He'll be around for a while yet.
Pique: Has good enough feet to play striker, can pass like a midfield general, and somehow keeps up with CRon in full flight when in defence. I don't get him. Whip-smart, too, underneath the bluster.
Pedro: I had no idea he could play like that. Fortunately, I'm in some pretty good company there, as nobody but Guardiola seemed to have any clue. Pedro Rodriguez was about to be shipped out when Guardiola came on the scene at what was then Barca B 3 years ago. And now he's scored 23 goals for Barca in his first full season. Could maybe use a little more composure at times when being harried, but that's just a nitpick. Good with both feet, tactically disciplined, tracks back like his life depends on it, no ego to speak of. What else can you ask for?
guardiola's bias
Guardiola's pro-La Masia agenda is obvious. I think he might even admit it if you bought it up. As much as I approve of the idea of a team mostly made up of youth team grads, I was initially very skeptical of the practicalities involved. Well, surprise surprise, I was wrong and he was right. Players like Sergio Busquets and Pedro Rodriguez made the step up seamlessly, and of course Guardiola was lucky enough to inherit the likes of Xavi, Puyol and Messi. Would a team with 8 home-grown starters be possible without the tremendous luck of inheriting such a golden generation of players? Probably not. But equally, the explosive development of Pedro and Busquets would not have been possible without Guardiola's championing.
(Hey, look at that, all the standouts I named above are La Masia grads. Hm.)
a longer view
I hadn't actually thought about this until El Pais reminded me - Barca have won 10 league titles in the past two decades (1990-94, 97-99, 04-06, 08-10) to Real's 6 (94/95, 96/97, 00/01, 02/03, 06-08). Barca only have 20 league titles in total. I think if any statistic illustrates the way Johan Cruyff the coach (and the 'Godfather'/mentor) changed Barca for the better, it's probably that one. Cruyff's an infuriating man at times, but he deserves every accolade for his vision and achievements.
Showing posts with label transfers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label transfers. Show all posts
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Monday, May 26, 2008
Barca news round-up: transfers and all that
Negotiations with Manchester United over (Barca youth academy grad) Gerard Pique are said to be almost complete. The player has passed a medical in Barcelona and if all goes well the signing should be announced soon. [I am very pleased by this signing. Decent price, good player coming home, everybody's happy. Think of it this way: we're paying ManU for the experience he's gotten during these years away; experience he probably wouldn't have had if he had stayed.]
Seydou Keita of Sevilla has also passed his medical and completed personal negotiations with the club. Because Barca are going to pay his 14 million euro buy-out clause, Sevilla should not be a problem, since they gave him permission to go and have the medical. [Sevilla drive a hard bargain, as always. Great player, pleased to have him, especially given our needs in midfield.]
Thierry Henry reveals that he has spoken to Pep Guardiola and been told that he is wanted for next season. [Needless to say, I am very pleased by this.]
There are murmurs in the press that the board are unhappy with Messi's decision to go to the Olympics, which has been considered a 'lack of commitment'. [I'm sorry, but the board can go screw themselves. To accuse Messi of a lack of commitment to the cause would be laughable at best. Besides, he's under 23 years old, so they have no legal leg to stand on. So what are they going to do, sell him?
There's a good editorial in El Mundo Deportivo (and I don't use those words too often) on the subject.
Additionally, I would argue that showing a lack of commitment to one's national team would actually be a bad sign, of a player lacking in motivation and desire for glory - see Ronaldinho and Copa America.
Having said that, I do hope he gets in some pre-season time with Barca, since he'll have to get used to playing with quite a few newcomers.]
Edmilson gives a farewell press conference, bowing out gracefully in his usual frank style with a few thought-provoking comments and even a few tears. He's off to Villarreal. I wish him luck with his future endeavours. The official site has a look back at Edmilson's four seasons at the club.
Ronaldinho, on the other hand, has gone on vacation. So we might not even get a farewell press conference from him, let alone a farewell game, which would be a massive pity given his place in the history of the club.
[Next up, end of season awards, and a requiem for R-E-M.]
Seydou Keita of Sevilla has also passed his medical and completed personal negotiations with the club. Because Barca are going to pay his 14 million euro buy-out clause, Sevilla should not be a problem, since they gave him permission to go and have the medical. [Sevilla drive a hard bargain, as always. Great player, pleased to have him, especially given our needs in midfield.]
Thierry Henry reveals that he has spoken to Pep Guardiola and been told that he is wanted for next season. [Needless to say, I am very pleased by this.]
There are murmurs in the press that the board are unhappy with Messi's decision to go to the Olympics, which has been considered a 'lack of commitment'. [I'm sorry, but the board can go screw themselves. To accuse Messi of a lack of commitment to the cause would be laughable at best. Besides, he's under 23 years old, so they have no legal leg to stand on. So what are they going to do, sell him?
There's a good editorial in El Mundo Deportivo (and I don't use those words too often) on the subject.
Additionally, I would argue that showing a lack of commitment to one's national team would actually be a bad sign, of a player lacking in motivation and desire for glory - see Ronaldinho and Copa America.
Having said that, I do hope he gets in some pre-season time with Barca, since he'll have to get used to playing with quite a few newcomers.]
Edmilson gives a farewell press conference, bowing out gracefully in his usual frank style with a few thought-provoking comments and even a few tears. He's off to Villarreal. I wish him luck with his future endeavours. The official site has a look back at Edmilson's four seasons at the club.
Ronaldinho, on the other hand, has gone on vacation. So we might not even get a farewell press conference from him, let alone a farewell game, which would be a massive pity given his place in the history of the club.
[Next up, end of season awards, and a requiem for R-E-M.]
Thursday, May 22, 2008
should they stay or should they go?
All signs point to major changes in the Barcelona squad next season. My (massively long, as it turns out) two cents on who should be staying and who needs to be ushered out the door below.
Keep in mind, though, that I haven't taken any economic considerations (e.g. selling X will get us some cash to spend on Y) into account.
Defence
Victor Valdes - had some blunders, but overall a decent season. The problems in defence cannot be entirely attributed to him. Keep.
Albert Jorquera - unfortunate to have missed so much of the season through an ACL injury. To be honest, though, he only ever plays cup matches and has never given Valdes a run for his money. Has signed a recent extension though, so barring any surprises he'll be staying.
Jose Manuel Pinto - Haven't played too many games, but has looked decent when he has been given opportunities, and his impressive record in the Primera before he came to Barca has convinced me that he deserves a chance. But with Jorquera having signed an extension not too long ago, I'm fairly sure he will get sent back to Celta.
Gabi Milito - his ACL injury was a massive blow. Started the season brightly and quickly cemented a leadership role in the team. His form dipped towards the end of the season, but in my opinion he was a solid purchase. Keep. (Get well soon, Gabi!)
Rafael Marquez - Rafa is that endangered species, the cultured centerback who can put in the tackles and pick out a pass. When he's on, he's brilliant. But he's been injured far too much in the last two seasons, and - more importantly - his commitment to the cause has been lacking. (Staying in Madrid to party after the Clasico defeat? Last nail in the coffin.) Sell, much as it pains me, and much as we'll struggle to replace him.
Carles Puyol - Poor old Captain Caveman. As Rijkaard once said, he's often the only man shouting in the desert in this Barca side in recent years. His commitment is unquestionable, and this team cannot do without him. Keep - or there will be rioting in the streets.
Gianluca Zambrotta - has never really hit the heights that he once reached for Juventus and Italy. It's a shame, really, because he is clearly a classy defender who can also go forward intelligently. I would love for him to stay, but all signs point toward him leaving to go back to Italy.
Sylvinho - couldn't get into the team at the start of the season when Abidal was on form, but when he did play he did a decent job. A positive influence on the younger players off the pitch as well, so I'm pleased to hear that he is negotiating a contract extension.
Lilian Thuram - still undeniably classy, but his legs have clearly gone. I would like him to stay if only because of the positive influence he has within the dressing room, much like Henrik Larsson did, but it doesn't seem possible. Will most likely be allowed to walk away.
Eric Abidal - started the season so well and ended it so badly. I'm not quite sure what happened, to be honest. He's clearly a great athlete and a wonderful player when on form, but his head went walkabout during the second half of the season. Keep - let's just hope he can get himself back on track.
Oleguer Presas - has had a horrible season, much of it disrupted by various injuries. Most fans seem to be in favour of booting him out the door, but I think he's a handy guy to have around, even if he gives me hives when he plays at right-back. Remember, he played quite a lot at center-back a couple of seasons back and that worked out okay. No idea what's going to happen to him. It's not like we'd get decent money if we sold him, and I doubt he's on much in terms of wages, so we might as well keep him around. (I confess, part of me is saying this because I want to see the book group him and Guardiola would inevitably end up forming.)
Midfield
Xavi Hernandez - this season was vice-captain Xavi's tenth at Barca. He is now the player who has appeared the most times for Barca in European competition, and inching up the all-time appearances list as well, having overtaken Pep Guardiola. One more personal record - he has scored 9 goals this season, many of them crucial. Aside from that, his passing was as dependable as ever, although he did not always manage to escape the malaise when the team were slumping. Keep, of course.
Eidur Gudjohnsen - hasn't played as much as he would have liked, and when he has played his performances have been uneven. Has shown his potential as a midfielder in some games, but in others he still looks to be on a different wave length to his team mates. Surely unhappy with being on the bench so often, a good offer would probably persuade him to leave. I'll miss him, but - sell.
Andres Iniesta - one of the most underrated players in all of Europe. I said in my review of last season that he'd come of age then. Well, if last season was his coming of age, then this season has seen him add to his already extensive set of skills and step up as one of the quiet leaders of the team while others floundered. (A minor complaint, but I do wish he'd cut out the blatant diving. It's unbecoming of a player as good as he is.) He's only 24, but has already racked up an astonishing 200 appearances for the club. Keep - he's going to be a club legend.
Edmilson - Poor old Edmilson. I can clearly remember him being a decent holding midfielder who specialised in man-marking creative players out of the game, not too long ago. A series of injuries have meant that he only played a few games this season, and that when he has played he has generally been awful. That combined with a certain ill-timed outburst this season means that he is sure to be off-loaded. Sell.
Deco - ah, Deco. He has always inspired adoration and frustration from me in equal measure. Injury problems have dogged him this season, but when he has been fully fit he has generally played well, and Barca have no other players who can do what he can. But at the same time his off-field problems have been well-documented. The booking that he picked up in the game against Valencia (most likely deliberate), forcing him to miss the Clasico was probably the last nail in his coffin. I would like for him to stay, if only because I can't see how we're going to replace him, but he's clearly going to leave. It's a shame that it has to be on such a bad note, after all he's done for Barca during the good times.
Toure Yaya - a brilliant first season where he won over the fans with his tremendous power, skill, work rate, and above all his commitment to the cause. Not going anywhere unless the Powers That Be have a sudden attack of insanity.
Forward
Santiago Ezquerro - also known as '...who?' Poor Santi. His move to Barca pretty much halted his career in its tracks, although he did get some nice silverware, a decent salary and a lot of free time in return. It's probably best for all parties involved that Santi finds a club where he's not stuck behind a 17-year-old in the pecking order. Sell.
Giovani Dos Santos - a tricky one, this. He's clearly extremely talented, and capable of being a team player. On the other hand, he's a habitual diver (and terrible at it, too, which makes it even more embarrassing), can be frustratingly individualistic, and is reportedly well on the way to diva-dom even before he's gotten good enough or famous enough to earn the attitude. His flirtations with other clubs is also unbecoming for a young player, especially one who comes from the cantera. I'd like to give him another season to impress, but if he's set on the cash being offered elsewhere, then that's just too bad.
Bojan Krkic - phenomenal. Least we all forget, he's just 17 years old. Ten goals and countless fearless performances have made him an idol of the fans, and rightly so. I am wary of too much pressure being put on his shoulders too soon, though. It is entirely unreasonable to expect someone so young and inexperienced to carry the front-line, and we all need to remember that before we criticize him. The only problem I can see is that he's a bit too lightweight right now so defenders can just bully him off the ball. Hopefully there's still a growth spurt in him somewhere - the bulking up can be done easily enough. Do I even need to say it? - Keep.
Leo Messi - worryingly, another injury-ravaged season for poor Leo. He was absolutely amazing from about September to December, when he got injured. We only got to see his brilliance in patches after that. Looked increasingly depressed as the end of the season approached even as he battled on determinedly while many around him faltered or simply gave up - and who can blame him, especially since he's so close to Ronaldinho, Deco and Frank Rijkaard, all of whom are leaving? Keep - unless the board likes the idea of being chased out of the city by an angry mob.
Samuel Eto'o - yet another unfortunately injury-ravaged season for Sammy. That, added to the after-effects of the African Cup of Nations, meant that he really lost form towards the end of the season, but even so his strike rate - 16 goals in 16 league games - is pretty amazing. The way he missed the Clasico, though, really made me angry (even though he's one of my favourite players) and lowered his standing amongst the fans considerably. On the other hand, he's still only 27, and I have faith that he can recover his form. Remember, he scored 71 goals in 100 appearances with us. While his sale would raise some money, how much would it take to buy a striker who could boast the same efficiency? Keep - at least for one more season.
Thierry Henry - while Henry has gotten a lot of abuse for his perceived inadequacies this season, I have actually grown from a sort of half-mocking fondness to quite liking him. His professionalism and refusal to get involved in dressing room infighting in particular has been commendable. (Also, this is not often said, but he sure works far harder in defence than Ronaldinho did.) Sure, some of his comments have been perceived as whining, but think about it - he's new to the league, he's unexpectedly (due to the injury to Eto'o) had to play far more games than his dodgy back is supposed to be able to handle, and he's had to adapt to Barca's way of playing. 19 goals in 39 appearances isn't actually that bad a return, in the end, and he showed some signs of finally starting to adapt towards the end of the season. I think he deserves another chance.
Ronaldinho - I've changed my mind about Ronnie so many times this season. Every time I think 'that's it, that's enough' he comes back and produces something on the pitch to make me think otherwise. I'm sure a lot of Barca fans feel the same way, if the home crowd at the Camp Nou are any indication. But finally, I think that really is enough. No one can deny what he's done for the club, and no one can deny that he's still potentially one of the greatest players ever, but I think the time for an intervention at Barca has passed. If he is to rescue his career, it will have to be somewhere else. It's sad that yet another Brazilian superstar has to exit by the back door (Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo...), but I simply can't see any other way. I'll write a longer tribute to his time at the club when the transfer goes through, but it certainly feels like I've already been saying goodbye to Ronnie for months, if not years.
By the way, most of the spine of the 04-06 side are up for contract renewals next season. Just something to think about.
And it might be a good idea to upgrade Messi's contract, too. He's not going around asking for a contract that matches his present status because he is Cule through and through and because he's not a jerk, but given that his present contract was signed before he became a regular starter, it probably needs an update.
Speaking of which, the board better have a professional contract drafted and ready to be signed by Bojan as soon as he turns 18. No one is snatching him away.
Even by the most conservative estimates (and taking into account possible new promotions from the B team) we are going to need at least 6 or 7 new players. This is going to be an interesting transfer window, that's for sure.
Keep in mind, though, that I haven't taken any economic considerations (e.g. selling X will get us some cash to spend on Y) into account.
Defence
Victor Valdes - had some blunders, but overall a decent season. The problems in defence cannot be entirely attributed to him. Keep.
Albert Jorquera - unfortunate to have missed so much of the season through an ACL injury. To be honest, though, he only ever plays cup matches and has never given Valdes a run for his money. Has signed a recent extension though, so barring any surprises he'll be staying.
Jose Manuel Pinto - Haven't played too many games, but has looked decent when he has been given opportunities, and his impressive record in the Primera before he came to Barca has convinced me that he deserves a chance. But with Jorquera having signed an extension not too long ago, I'm fairly sure he will get sent back to Celta.
Gabi Milito - his ACL injury was a massive blow. Started the season brightly and quickly cemented a leadership role in the team. His form dipped towards the end of the season, but in my opinion he was a solid purchase. Keep. (Get well soon, Gabi!)
Rafael Marquez - Rafa is that endangered species, the cultured centerback who can put in the tackles and pick out a pass. When he's on, he's brilliant. But he's been injured far too much in the last two seasons, and - more importantly - his commitment to the cause has been lacking. (Staying in Madrid to party after the Clasico defeat? Last nail in the coffin.) Sell, much as it pains me, and much as we'll struggle to replace him.
Carles Puyol - Poor old Captain Caveman. As Rijkaard once said, he's often the only man shouting in the desert in this Barca side in recent years. His commitment is unquestionable, and this team cannot do without him. Keep - or there will be rioting in the streets.
Gianluca Zambrotta - has never really hit the heights that he once reached for Juventus and Italy. It's a shame, really, because he is clearly a classy defender who can also go forward intelligently. I would love for him to stay, but all signs point toward him leaving to go back to Italy.
Sylvinho - couldn't get into the team at the start of the season when Abidal was on form, but when he did play he did a decent job. A positive influence on the younger players off the pitch as well, so I'm pleased to hear that he is negotiating a contract extension.
Lilian Thuram - still undeniably classy, but his legs have clearly gone. I would like him to stay if only because of the positive influence he has within the dressing room, much like Henrik Larsson did, but it doesn't seem possible. Will most likely be allowed to walk away.
Eric Abidal - started the season so well and ended it so badly. I'm not quite sure what happened, to be honest. He's clearly a great athlete and a wonderful player when on form, but his head went walkabout during the second half of the season. Keep - let's just hope he can get himself back on track.
Oleguer Presas - has had a horrible season, much of it disrupted by various injuries. Most fans seem to be in favour of booting him out the door, but I think he's a handy guy to have around, even if he gives me hives when he plays at right-back. Remember, he played quite a lot at center-back a couple of seasons back and that worked out okay. No idea what's going to happen to him. It's not like we'd get decent money if we sold him, and I doubt he's on much in terms of wages, so we might as well keep him around. (I confess, part of me is saying this because I want to see the book group him and Guardiola would inevitably end up forming.)
Midfield
Xavi Hernandez - this season was vice-captain Xavi's tenth at Barca. He is now the player who has appeared the most times for Barca in European competition, and inching up the all-time appearances list as well, having overtaken Pep Guardiola. One more personal record - he has scored 9 goals this season, many of them crucial. Aside from that, his passing was as dependable as ever, although he did not always manage to escape the malaise when the team were slumping. Keep, of course.
Eidur Gudjohnsen - hasn't played as much as he would have liked, and when he has played his performances have been uneven. Has shown his potential as a midfielder in some games, but in others he still looks to be on a different wave length to his team mates. Surely unhappy with being on the bench so often, a good offer would probably persuade him to leave. I'll miss him, but - sell.
Andres Iniesta - one of the most underrated players in all of Europe. I said in my review of last season that he'd come of age then. Well, if last season was his coming of age, then this season has seen him add to his already extensive set of skills and step up as one of the quiet leaders of the team while others floundered. (A minor complaint, but I do wish he'd cut out the blatant diving. It's unbecoming of a player as good as he is.) He's only 24, but has already racked up an astonishing 200 appearances for the club. Keep - he's going to be a club legend.
Edmilson - Poor old Edmilson. I can clearly remember him being a decent holding midfielder who specialised in man-marking creative players out of the game, not too long ago. A series of injuries have meant that he only played a few games this season, and that when he has played he has generally been awful. That combined with a certain ill-timed outburst this season means that he is sure to be off-loaded. Sell.
Deco - ah, Deco. He has always inspired adoration and frustration from me in equal measure. Injury problems have dogged him this season, but when he has been fully fit he has generally played well, and Barca have no other players who can do what he can. But at the same time his off-field problems have been well-documented. The booking that he picked up in the game against Valencia (most likely deliberate), forcing him to miss the Clasico was probably the last nail in his coffin. I would like for him to stay, if only because I can't see how we're going to replace him, but he's clearly going to leave. It's a shame that it has to be on such a bad note, after all he's done for Barca during the good times.
Toure Yaya - a brilliant first season where he won over the fans with his tremendous power, skill, work rate, and above all his commitment to the cause. Not going anywhere unless the Powers That Be have a sudden attack of insanity.
Forward
Santiago Ezquerro - also known as '...who?' Poor Santi. His move to Barca pretty much halted his career in its tracks, although he did get some nice silverware, a decent salary and a lot of free time in return. It's probably best for all parties involved that Santi finds a club where he's not stuck behind a 17-year-old in the pecking order. Sell.
Giovani Dos Santos - a tricky one, this. He's clearly extremely talented, and capable of being a team player. On the other hand, he's a habitual diver (and terrible at it, too, which makes it even more embarrassing), can be frustratingly individualistic, and is reportedly well on the way to diva-dom even before he's gotten good enough or famous enough to earn the attitude. His flirtations with other clubs is also unbecoming for a young player, especially one who comes from the cantera. I'd like to give him another season to impress, but if he's set on the cash being offered elsewhere, then that's just too bad.
Bojan Krkic - phenomenal. Least we all forget, he's just 17 years old. Ten goals and countless fearless performances have made him an idol of the fans, and rightly so. I am wary of too much pressure being put on his shoulders too soon, though. It is entirely unreasonable to expect someone so young and inexperienced to carry the front-line, and we all need to remember that before we criticize him. The only problem I can see is that he's a bit too lightweight right now so defenders can just bully him off the ball. Hopefully there's still a growth spurt in him somewhere - the bulking up can be done easily enough. Do I even need to say it? - Keep.
Leo Messi - worryingly, another injury-ravaged season for poor Leo. He was absolutely amazing from about September to December, when he got injured. We only got to see his brilliance in patches after that. Looked increasingly depressed as the end of the season approached even as he battled on determinedly while many around him faltered or simply gave up - and who can blame him, especially since he's so close to Ronaldinho, Deco and Frank Rijkaard, all of whom are leaving? Keep - unless the board likes the idea of being chased out of the city by an angry mob.
Samuel Eto'o - yet another unfortunately injury-ravaged season for Sammy. That, added to the after-effects of the African Cup of Nations, meant that he really lost form towards the end of the season, but even so his strike rate - 16 goals in 16 league games - is pretty amazing. The way he missed the Clasico, though, really made me angry (even though he's one of my favourite players) and lowered his standing amongst the fans considerably. On the other hand, he's still only 27, and I have faith that he can recover his form. Remember, he scored 71 goals in 100 appearances with us. While his sale would raise some money, how much would it take to buy a striker who could boast the same efficiency? Keep - at least for one more season.
Thierry Henry - while Henry has gotten a lot of abuse for his perceived inadequacies this season, I have actually grown from a sort of half-mocking fondness to quite liking him. His professionalism and refusal to get involved in dressing room infighting in particular has been commendable. (Also, this is not often said, but he sure works far harder in defence than Ronaldinho did.) Sure, some of his comments have been perceived as whining, but think about it - he's new to the league, he's unexpectedly (due to the injury to Eto'o) had to play far more games than his dodgy back is supposed to be able to handle, and he's had to adapt to Barca's way of playing. 19 goals in 39 appearances isn't actually that bad a return, in the end, and he showed some signs of finally starting to adapt towards the end of the season. I think he deserves another chance.
Ronaldinho - I've changed my mind about Ronnie so many times this season. Every time I think 'that's it, that's enough' he comes back and produces something on the pitch to make me think otherwise. I'm sure a lot of Barca fans feel the same way, if the home crowd at the Camp Nou are any indication. But finally, I think that really is enough. No one can deny what he's done for the club, and no one can deny that he's still potentially one of the greatest players ever, but I think the time for an intervention at Barca has passed. If he is to rescue his career, it will have to be somewhere else. It's sad that yet another Brazilian superstar has to exit by the back door (Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo...), but I simply can't see any other way. I'll write a longer tribute to his time at the club when the transfer goes through, but it certainly feels like I've already been saying goodbye to Ronnie for months, if not years.
By the way, most of the spine of the 04-06 side are up for contract renewals next season. Just something to think about.
And it might be a good idea to upgrade Messi's contract, too. He's not going around asking for a contract that matches his present status because he is Cule through and through and because he's not a jerk, but given that his present contract was signed before he became a regular starter, it probably needs an update.
Speaking of which, the board better have a professional contract drafted and ready to be signed by Bojan as soon as he turns 18. No one is snatching him away.
Even by the most conservative estimates (and taking into account possible new promotions from the B team) we are going to need at least 6 or 7 new players. This is going to be an interesting transfer window, that's for sure.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Farewell to Thiago Motta
It always pains me to be writing about the departure of a canterano, a player who came up through the youth system of the club. Thiago (pictured above with fellow canterano Messi and good friend Ronaldinho) appeared more than 100 times for Barca B before he was promoted to the first team in 2001.
The fact that during 6 seasons in the first team he only managed 138 appearances tells its own story about his misfortunes. It wasn't that he lacked talent. Far from it. In fact, Rijkaard has repeatedly said that he sees himself in the characteristics of the young Brazilian, which is high praise indeed. If you're reading my blog, you probably don't need reminding of Rijkaard's excellence as a player.
In retrospect, the comparison takes on a sort of tragicomic quality. Poor old Thiago was the Barca player most often slated for a bad performance by the fans, along with Oleguer (although they appreciated his fighting spirit). That was when he managed to get on the pitch, and stay there. The last qualification is necessary because he has an impressive habit of picking up red cards, often through little fault of his own, although he does have a formidable temper. The two occasions I remember best were both plain old bad luck - one featured a swan dive and a great acting performance from Diego Milito, and the other resulted from two bookings, both of which originated from fouls committed by other players:
(From another article by Sid Lowe): He got the first yellow for a foul on Valeron, which was actually committed by Cocu. And Motta, the No. 23, got his second and a red for another foul on Valeron, committed by Oleguer, who ever-so-confusingly wears 32.Make no mistake, he is a very talented player. Ironically enough, he was probably closest to the ideal holding midfielder who could both pass and tackle that Barca have been looking for until Yaya Toure came along. Thiago has turned in some great performances for the team in the past, including significant contributions towards Barca's Champions League win in 05-06. However, I believe the club eventually lost confidence in him due to his far too frequent injury spells. In the Rijkaard era, no matter how much Frank liked him, he was simply unavailable for selection far too many times.
Thiago Motta will be missed at Barca, especially by the Central and South American faction of the Barca dressing room, to whom he was a great friend. I will borrow the words of his most earnest champion while he was at the club - Frank Rijkaard himself - to wish him luck for the future:
Motta "can be a success in any team", the coach said. "He is a player with a lot of talent and great possibilities. I hope that this change will do him good."
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Barca 07-08: Introducing the new faces
Yes, after much procrastinating, I've finally written the long-overdue post welcoming the new signings to the club, including 2 'graduates' from the B team.
"Pressure? Pressure is what you feel when you're about to die or when you might go to jail; when you have no money, no food. But feeling the pressure while playing soccer? I've been playing since I was 17. I've played many games, some bigger than others. That's the way it is."
Name: Thierry 'Titi' Henry (France)Age: 30
Position: forward
Squad number: 14
Transfer: 24 million euros from Arsenal
What's there to say? It's not as if anybody will be unfamiliar with his characteristics and abilities. Fabulous forward with ego to match, but there are doubts over how much longer he can kept it up due to a series of injuries last season. Has not looked convincing on the wings, but is undoubtedly a classy center forward.
"You can play hard football without a lot of fouls. It seems to me that lately some games turn into a physical battle where technique comes second. As a defender I think that what is most important is to earn respect inside the first 18 metres and commit as few fouls as possible so that your team does not suffer."
Name: Eric Abidal (France)Age: 28
Position: leftback
Squad number: 22
Transfer: 15 million euros from Lyon
The leftback position has been a bit of a problematic one in recent years for Barca, and Abidal has been signed to remedy that problem. He's strong, quick, and very experienced, able to get into good positions defensively while getting forward a bit in attack.
"I know what it means to play with an advanced defence, but I think if you are well-positioned then the risks are not so great. The key is to be focussed, well-placed and to have good communication among the back four, especially when the team has the ball."
Name: Gabriel 'Gabi' Milito (Argentina)Age: 26
Position: central defence
Squad number: 12
Transfer: 17 million euros from Zaragoza (rising to 20.5 million depending on trophies)
'The Marshall' as he's known has experience and temperament that belies his relative youth. He was turned down by Real Madrid supposedly on account of a failed medical, but has performed well consistently for Zaragoza ever since signing for them, and indeed captained the side. A lot of Barca fans joke that the club went him for because he looks just like our captain Carles Puyol. There is a bit of a resemblance, even in playing style, but I think where Milito perhaps isn't as good in sheer physicality, he's got a better sense of positioning despite a relative lack of pace. Great header of the ball too, even though he's only 1.79ms tall.
"My target was to play among great players in a big European club and I’ve managed to achieve that today. But the job is not done yet, because I have set myself even bigger objectives. I know I will feel comfortable but I have come here to achieve even bigger things."
Name: Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast)Age: 24
Position: central midfield
Squad number: 24
Transfer: 9 million euros from Monaco
Toure was signed to fill the club's problematic defensive midfield position, but he's really more of a central midfielder who can tackle and head the ball. So far, he's taken to the holding position well, and shown that he's got skill as well as strength. Whether the position will suit him over the long run remains to be seen.
“I have always compared myself to Messi but he is a football superstar and I am just starting. Of course I’d like to be like him one day.”
Name: Giovani 'Gio' Dos Santos (Mexico)Age: 18
Position: wing forward
Squad number: 17
Transfer: from Barca B
Actually, Barca fans like to compare Gio to Ronaldinho more. He even looks a bit like the Brazilian, and scarily enough plays a bit like him too. Of course, he's got some way to go, and his decision-making could be better, but he's got pace, strength, and sublime skill to spare, not to mention an audacity and confidence that Messi didn't have at his age.
"I have had two very good years and did not expect any of this," he said. "I am very conscious of that and it is for that reason that I am staying calm and am excited by the way things are going."
Name: Bojan Krkic (Spain)Age: 17
Position: forward
Squad number: 27
Transfer: from Barca B
As Cesc Fabregas once said, if you're a teenager and you're playing for the Barca first team, you'd have to be the best in the world in that age group. So the fact that a 17 year old is going to be playing for Barca this season tells you something about him. Bojan has amazing goalscoring statistics in every single age group for Barca and at U17 level for Spain. He's simply got the instinct for goal that very good strikers have (personalised in archetypical goal-poacher, Pippo Inzaghi), not to mention skill and pace to burn. The only problem is that he could be a bit taller, but the kid's only 16, so there's hope for that yet.
(All currency in euros.)
In: Henry (24 million, Arsenal), Toure (9 million, Monaco), Abidal (15 million, Lyon), Milito (17 million, Zaragoza), Bojan (free, Barca B), Gio (free, Barca B) = 65 million
Out: Saviola (free, Real), van Bronckhorst (free, Feyenoord), Giuly (3.2 million, Roma), Lopez (2 million, Moscow), Belletti (5.5 million, Chelsea) = 10.7 million
Total outlay: 54.3 million euros
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Barca news: inconveniently timed international dates edition
Excitingly enough, competitive football is back in La Liga. Here's what's been going on ahead of Barca's opener away against Racing Santander.
squad news
The international break came and went with the fans holding their breath for no further injuries, and thankfully that's exactly what happened.
Unfortunately, Gabi Milito will not be available for selection for the first game against Racing Santander, since he has a suspension from last season which will be carried over, thanks to a yellow card in his last game for Zaragoza which carried him to the five-card threshold. It's a pity for Gabi, who received fairly good reviews for his 30-minute cameo in Germany, but it's just as well, as he's only played those 30 minutes of pre-season action, and the minutes he played for Argentina against Norway were at left-back (criminal misuse, surely).
squad news
The international break came and went with the fans holding their breath for no further injuries, and thankfully that's exactly what happened.
Unfortunately, Gabi Milito will not be available for selection for the first game against Racing Santander, since he has a suspension from last season which will be carried over, thanks to a yellow card in his last game for Zaragoza which carried him to the five-card threshold. It's a pity for Gabi, who received fairly good reviews for his 30-minute cameo in Germany, but it's just as well, as he's only played those 30 minutes of pre-season action, and the minutes he played for Argentina against Norway were at left-back (criminal misuse, surely).
Other absentees include Edmilson with his long-term injury, and Gudjohnsen who is still struggling to get fit. Bojan Krkic is busy taking the U17 World Cup by storm, and Gio Dos Santos doesn't get his Spanish citizenship papers until the 28th of August, so he can't play until then. And then there's Deco, who was not quite fit but came through 90 minutes for Portugal fine, so it looks like he might actually start alongside Iniesta. Seems kind of insane given Xavi's excellent preseason form, but I guess psychologically it's good for Deco to see that he hasn't been left out of the team's plans for the season.
Speaking of injuries and Barca's absent captain, Puyol did turn up to get his photo taken for UEFA the other day along with Edmilson. This was not in fact the first time Puyol met the new arrivals, as he has been diligent as ever and hobbled in on his crutches (hopefully having taken the journey by car first, although with him you never know) to come and greet the new guys on the first day of training with the full squad before the tour.
There's some news on his recovery as well, featuring hilarious quotes from the poor club doctors trying to stop Puyol from overworking himself. Even given what they're saying though, I doubt he'll try to make one of his early comebacks, since the knee is a delicate area when it comes to recovery. It's probably better to play it safe for the sake of his career, since he's already increasingly injury-prone.
It looks like Henry will start on the bench in favour of the old school trident, which is a move I'd entirely approve of except for one thing: Eto'o had to fly to Japan for Cameroon's game against the host nation, and he looked really tired during the game. Then he had to fly back, and he hasn't looked fully sharp in preseason anyway, so I'm a bit worried. Having Sammy back to full fitness would beat signing anybody, but it's been a year since he got that horrible injury and I suppose we just have to be patient with these things.
Projected starting line-up: Valdes; Zambrotta, Thuram, Marquez, Abidal; Toure, Deco, Iniesta; Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Messi
transfers
I've already paid tribute to the departing Belletti, but I didn't mention that Maxi Lopez has also left, for FC Moscow in a deal worth 2 million dollars. I think his entire transfer was a bit of a mistake by Barca, and the player himself desperately needed more time in the Argentinian league before moving abroad, let alone to a club like Barcelona where he was expected to step for Henrik Larsson. This is a good move for him to develop as a player, as he was never going to do that sitting on the bench, and I'm glad to see him going out on a good note. He'll join 3 other Argentinian players at the Russian club, including rising star Maxi Moralez, who had such a great U20 World Cup just a few months ago to help Argentina bring the title home for a record 6th time.
But back to Mr Lopez. I will always treasure the memory of his one great game for us: 04-05, Champions League round of 16, Barca v Chelsea, scored one and set one up to win the game: the definition of an impact substitute. Thanks, Maxi, and good luck.
It was good to see an article in Sport (and you won't read that phrase very often) defending the possibility of Deco fighting his way back into the starting 11, after all the negative press he's gotten for stating that he'd leave if the club didn't require him anymore. Yes, he sometimes says stupid things, and his behaviour last season hasn't always been exemplary, but I've been over why Deco must not be sold so many times on this blog, I'm starting to sound like a broken record.
More than the positive reasons I've stated before, there's the fact that if he does go, Xavi and Iniesta will have no cover, and that's a recipe for disaster if I've ever seen one. Even with Deco there, I think we could still do with another midfielder to fully cover those 2 positions. (At this point, I kind of miss Mark van Bommel. He was never that great for us, and his playing style is not always pleasant, but he's a true Barca supporter, and at least he added some steel in midfield that we badly missed last season.)
other news
I'd like to note that Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Messi and Henry have now all come out and more or less said that they'd accept being benched for some games, if not happily, then out of respect for the decision-making powers of the coach. Let's see how well this goes. Personally, and I'll elaborate on the reasons for this in a later post, I'm part of the growing group who want to stick by R-E-M up front, at least at first.
Congratulations to Frank Rijkaard for being the second longest serving coach of Barcelona, at least in terms of consecutive years, just after a certain legendary Dutchman by the name of Johan Cruyff. Couldn't happen to a nicer man, and I mean that in terms of both the honour and the baggage that goes with it. Speaking of which, the official web site has a nice interview with him.
(My favourite Figo quote - other than the tragicomic irony of 'white babies, salute the champions', of course - is his comment after his first acrimonious return to the Camp Nou in a white shirt. Describing the fun-packed experience of being pelted with all sorts of objects and an atmosphere which was said by Roberto Carlos to be the most intense he had ever played in, he said sarcastically that it was: "...one of the richest experiences of my life.")
former Barca players section
Congratulations are due to Ludovic Giuly, who won the Italian Super Cup with Roma by beating Inter 1-0 off a De Rossi penalty.
Congratulations are also due to Henrik Larsson's Helsingborg, who got a fairly good result by drawing their UEFA Cup qualifier 1-1 away to Irish club Drogheda United. I don't even need to tell you who scored (again) to put the Swedish club in the lead before their opponents clawed one back, do I? The second leg is being played on the 30th of August.
By the way, there's a great new interview with Henke in the Times. I'm honestly so pleased that he's enjoying the twilight of his career so much and indeed still making a valuable contribution to his team. It will be interesting to see what kind of player his son Jordan makes.
former Barca players section
Congratulations are due to Ludovic Giuly, who won the Italian Super Cup with Roma by beating Inter 1-0 off a De Rossi penalty.
Congratulations are also due to Henrik Larsson's Helsingborg, who got a fairly good result by drawing their UEFA Cup qualifier 1-1 away to Irish club Drogheda United. I don't even need to tell you who scored (again) to put the Swedish club in the lead before their opponents clawed one back, do I? The second leg is being played on the 30th of August.
By the way, there's a great new interview with Henke in the Times. I'm honestly so pleased that he's enjoying the twilight of his career so much and indeed still making a valuable contribution to his team. It will be interesting to see what kind of player his son Jordan makes.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Farewell to Juliano Belletti
In a move that surprised many people, Barcelona rightback Juliano Belletti has been sold to Chelsea for 5.5 million euros.On the Barca end of things, out of the group of players who were said to be expendable (Motta, Ezquerro and Gudjohnsen being the other names on it), Belletti was the one who would have proved most useful had he decided to stay. But he had very publicly stated his displeasure at losing his starting place to Zambrotta last season, so perhaps a change was for the best.
This is also quite a surprising move by Chelsea, at least from where I'm standing. Mourinho's distrust of attacking fullbacks is well known, and Belletti is nothing if not a defensively dubious attacking fullback.
He'll probably be better than the likes of Glen Johnson, leaving Michael Essien free to return to his midfield duties, but it's hard to see how Belletti fits into Mourinho's big picture. And it's not like he hasn't seen Belletti's defensive problems first hand: the unfortunate rightback scored an own goal in the Camp Nou against Chelsea in 04-05 and his marauding runs forward in the return leg left him stranded upfield, leaving Damien Duff and Eidur Gudjohnsen free to give Chelsea an early 3-0 lead. So my question is: did Mourinho sign him? Or was this more the idea of the sporting director or Peter Kenyon? It will be interesting to see how he gets on in the Premier League.
But back to Barca. Juliano Belletti joined Barcelona as part of the 04-05 revolution that revitalized the team, going on to win La Liga twice. He played more than 100 games and contributed heavily with his effective attacking runs forward to the team's success. I always liked him for that attacking verve, even though as I've already pointed out he is defensively fragile.
During his time at Barca, Belletti also participated in the campaign that saw Barca win the Champions League for only the second time. I think if you ask Barca fans for their most vivid Belletti memory, it would have to be the goal that gave us victory over Arsenal in the final, which was his only goal for the club.
That goal was a personal release for Belletti, who had been relegated to the bench in favour of Oleguer for most of the games during that season and had only come on as a substitute in the final. The look on his face captured on the wonderful photo above sheds some light on what it meant for him personally. For Barcelona, it meant the culmination of a rebuilding process which had finally lifted the club back on top of Europe, 14 long years after the last time.
So the 'hero of Paris' departs. Good luck, Juliano. And thank you.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Barca news round-up: from the sublime to the slightly ridiculous
It has gotten to a certain point in both my study semester and the season that my workload means I'm no longer able to keep up with all that goes on in La Liga. So no more general news round-up posts until I get the time again. There will be a couple of posts about transfers in general before the season starts, but I'm reverting to mostly talking about Barca, Argentina and sometimes Villarreal. Well, and Real. It is an interesting season from their perspective. So, onto the Barca news.
The first item is unfortunately an unhappy one, as a good man central to the history and development of Barca for many, many years has died. Honorary Vice President Nicolau Casaus, who was vice president of the club in the time of Nunez's long reign at the club, led an extraordinary life, much of it dedicated to the club he loved. He worked tirelessly to expand the network of supporters clubs exponentially in his time, and was the man who bought one Diego Maradona to the Camp Nou. His life story is well worth reading if you're at all interested in Barca. His time at the club was before I became a supporter and I was amazed and very impressed at the kind of life he'd led.
A great man by all accounts, and (as the Spanish King wrote in his telegram) a great ambassandor for the club, since he was a 'gentleman' who aptyl demonstrated the ideal face of the relationship Barca would like to have with wider society.
a few words on the tour
The positives and negatives of touring have been discussed to death by now, and I won't rehash all the arguments here. My own position is that I broadly agree with Lilian Thuram: commerical tours - let's not mince words here, that's their major function - are a necessary evil. They also serve a more positive function, with the charity work done by the club while on tour (yes, all the song and dance is a bit much, but at least it's doing some good) and the Catalunya tourism board apparently making use of the occasions to promote the region.
(Sidenote: I understand when people say that our conceit and self-righteous posturing annoys them. That's fair enough. But is it actually better to do nothing at all or to at least try to do something good, even if it's done in an obnoxious way, and perhaps not always with the purest of intentions? Reasonable people can disagree on this one. Sure, sometimes it can go too far, especially when Laporta opens his mouth, and seem like a parody of itself, but I personally find it difficult to cope with the idea that it's somehow bad to aspire to something. Anyway, rant over.)
Now, let me detach that chip from my shoulder. Ahem. Back to the original point: I can tolerate the idea of a tour this time around, because only a few of our players had an international tournament during the summer, but what I hear about next season does not make me happy, given that Euro 08 will affect almost as many of our players as the World Cup did. We'll see what happens, but my patience with the board is quickly running out over this issue, and I'm not the only one.
By the way, the Chinese press reports that none of the boys were caught out clubbing in Hong Kong, even with the extra time granted to them by the rescheduling of the game. If true, good for them.
Further positives, this time relating to the mini-tour of Scotland: according to at least 2 articles I read, our PR staff are excellent, and our players (Zambrotta and Thuram in this case) were courteous interviewees. These may seem trivial to you, but as I've said before, these things are important to clubs like Barca and Real, and it's always reassuring when I read that the club is run in an organised and sane manner, which is the memory of the chaos of the Gaspart years haunting me as much as anything else.
On the football front, the most widely-reported aspect of the tour has to be the emergence of Gio Dos Santos, who is so far top scorer of the pre-season with 4 and has impressed everytime he came on. He's undoubtedly talented, and I for one have been convinced that he's ready for rationed appearances in La Liga and perhaps starting roles in Cup games. It's funny how having Gio and the even younger Krkic on the first team has changed the role of Messi, who was used to being the youngest. He's now a role model and something to aspire to at the age of 20, which is a bit bizarre. About as bizarre as every up and coming young Argentinian player being labelled the 'next Messi', in fact. By the way, I hear that Gio's younger brother Jonathan is a pretty promising midfielder himself.
Besides the fact that the new legislation UEFA have bought in will increasingly force clubs to use more home-grown players (not a regulation Barca will have trouble with, given the number of canteranos in our current squad), it's nice to see players come through the system and succeed at the club. Barca has long been a proven source of midfield talent of a particular type - in fact, we produce so many that we end up 'exporting' some of our best, and we've had a few excellent defenders come through, but only now has La Masia really started producing world-class forwards.
Speaking of youth, our new 3rd choice goalkeeper Oier Olazabal was handed his debut in Beijing. The 17-year-old Basque player, who will spend the season with the B team, was surprised to be told that he would be playing against Guoan, and giving instructions to veteran defender Lilian Thuram, who is twice his age, which apparently prompted some good-natured teasing of the venerable Frenchman by the other players.
squad news
First, a quick tour-related comment: I feel quite bad for Henry, who is still coming back from injury and hasn't really hit form. The press have already started criticising him for not being sharp enough - no amount of reputation is going to protect him here. But guess who's coming to his defence and talking up his contributions so far? That's right, his longtime friend Sammy Eto'o. Not quite what the more cynical amongst us expected when the transfer went through.
With the conclusion of the tour, Rijkaard finally has all his players in the same place, including the 3 Ms (Messi, Marquez and Milito) who were in the Copa America and therefore came back from holiday later, and Deco, who has returned from the extra holiday the club gave him to go to Brazil and see his newborn son.
This is the squad of 25 that Rijkaard has at his disposal right now:
For interests' sake, this was the line-up for the 11-a-side game in training:
Valdes; Zambrotta, Oleguer, Thuram, Abidal; Toure, Xavi, Iniesta; Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Henry
vs
Jorquera; Belletti, Marquez, Milito, Crosas; Motta, Deco, Ezquerro; Messi, Maxi, Gio.
The hilarious thing is that the second rag-tag side with no leftback and some players played completely out of position won the game 1-0, via a penalty converted by Messi from Oleguer - who else, bless him - tripping Gio.
transfers
Given Txiki's previous statements, this week is vital in terms of the 4 aftementioned players who the club are trying to usher out the door. The Spanish press reckons that deals for Motta (with AC Milan) and Gudjohnsen (with West Ham) aren't too far off, and Ezquerro has a couple of suitors himself, but although Maxi's agent assures us he is actually trying to find a team for his client, that is seen as the most difficult transfer.
This might be illustrative of the limbo the 3 forwards find themselves in.
Current list of forwards: Henry, Eto'o, Gudjohnsen, Maxi, Ronaldinho, Ezquerro, Messi, Dos Santos, Krkic
Current order of preference for center forward (1): Henry --> Eto'o --> Ronaldinho --> Gudjohnsen --> Messi --> Krkic --> Dos Santos --> Ezquerro --> Maxi
Current order of preference for wing forward (2): Ronaldinho --> Messi --> Eto'o --> Dos Santos --> Henry --> Ezquerro --> Krkic --> Gudjohnsen --> Maxi
The reason Henry is so high on that first list and so low on the second is that he's proven to be - how shall I put this - not very good when played as a wing forward. His performances as center forward have been much more convincing. On the other hand, Eto'o is pretty good on the wing, even if I personally prefer him in a more central position.
Gudjohnsen might not be too far down the pecking order when Rijkaard needs a big target man, but he's really not suited to the wing positions. Krkic is more of a center forward than Dos Santos, who is more suited to the wing. Ezquerro is also better played on the wing, although he can play in the center. Maxi just had an unimpressive season on loan and is unbelievably out of favour.
(I once saw someone on a Barca forum do a list like the above during our double-winning season in order to (jokingly) demonstrate how far down the pecking order Maxi was. It had Valdes and Jorquera (our two 'keepers, for those who don't know) ahead of him in the 'wing-forward' list. Says it all, really.)
Krkic is 16, and Dos Santos is 18. Understandably, nobody likes being stuck behind kids ten years younger. Just ask Ludovic Giuly, who spoke out about the 'unhealthy competition' at Barca from the safety of Rome. (I sympathized with your plight, Ludo, I really did, but did you expect any coach in the world to play you ahead of Messi when he was on the sort of form he had in the last couple of months of last season?)
Lastly, I'd like to draw your attention to this photo. That's Rijkaard's son Michele in the Abidal shirt. As El Mundo Deportivo wrote jokingly, we're not too sure what kind of line-up Frankie will put out, but we know who his son would have starting at left-back.
Posts forthcoming within the next week or so: a word about Barca's new boys, and more about how we're going to line up this season. My full squad preview for the season ahead is still in the works.
Edited: for starting line-up of the practise game and a photo.
The first item is unfortunately an unhappy one, as a good man central to the history and development of Barca for many, many years has died. Honorary Vice President Nicolau Casaus, who was vice president of the club in the time of Nunez's long reign at the club, led an extraordinary life, much of it dedicated to the club he loved. He worked tirelessly to expand the network of supporters clubs exponentially in his time, and was the man who bought one Diego Maradona to the Camp Nou. His life story is well worth reading if you're at all interested in Barca. His time at the club was before I became a supporter and I was amazed and very impressed at the kind of life he'd led.
A great man by all accounts, and (as the Spanish King wrote in his telegram) a great ambassandor for the club, since he was a 'gentleman' who aptyl demonstrated the ideal face of the relationship Barca would like to have with wider society.
a few words on the tour
The positives and negatives of touring have been discussed to death by now, and I won't rehash all the arguments here. My own position is that I broadly agree with Lilian Thuram: commerical tours - let's not mince words here, that's their major function - are a necessary evil. They also serve a more positive function, with the charity work done by the club while on tour (yes, all the song and dance is a bit much, but at least it's doing some good) and the Catalunya tourism board apparently making use of the occasions to promote the region.
(Sidenote: I understand when people say that our conceit and self-righteous posturing annoys them. That's fair enough. But is it actually better to do nothing at all or to at least try to do something good, even if it's done in an obnoxious way, and perhaps not always with the purest of intentions? Reasonable people can disagree on this one. Sure, sometimes it can go too far, especially when Laporta opens his mouth, and seem like a parody of itself, but I personally find it difficult to cope with the idea that it's somehow bad to aspire to something. Anyway, rant over.)
Now, let me detach that chip from my shoulder. Ahem. Back to the original point: I can tolerate the idea of a tour this time around, because only a few of our players had an international tournament during the summer, but what I hear about next season does not make me happy, given that Euro 08 will affect almost as many of our players as the World Cup did. We'll see what happens, but my patience with the board is quickly running out over this issue, and I'm not the only one.
By the way, the Chinese press reports that none of the boys were caught out clubbing in Hong Kong, even with the extra time granted to them by the rescheduling of the game. If true, good for them.
Further positives, this time relating to the mini-tour of Scotland: according to at least 2 articles I read, our PR staff are excellent, and our players (Zambrotta and Thuram in this case) were courteous interviewees. These may seem trivial to you, but as I've said before, these things are important to clubs like Barca and Real, and it's always reassuring when I read that the club is run in an organised and sane manner, which is the memory of the chaos of the Gaspart years haunting me as much as anything else.
On the football front, the most widely-reported aspect of the tour has to be the emergence of Gio Dos Santos, who is so far top scorer of the pre-season with 4 and has impressed everytime he came on. He's undoubtedly talented, and I for one have been convinced that he's ready for rationed appearances in La Liga and perhaps starting roles in Cup games. It's funny how having Gio and the even younger Krkic on the first team has changed the role of Messi, who was used to being the youngest. He's now a role model and something to aspire to at the age of 20, which is a bit bizarre. About as bizarre as every up and coming young Argentinian player being labelled the 'next Messi', in fact. By the way, I hear that Gio's younger brother Jonathan is a pretty promising midfielder himself.
Besides the fact that the new legislation UEFA have bought in will increasingly force clubs to use more home-grown players (not a regulation Barca will have trouble with, given the number of canteranos in our current squad), it's nice to see players come through the system and succeed at the club. Barca has long been a proven source of midfield talent of a particular type - in fact, we produce so many that we end up 'exporting' some of our best, and we've had a few excellent defenders come through, but only now has La Masia really started producing world-class forwards.
Speaking of youth, our new 3rd choice goalkeeper Oier Olazabal was handed his debut in Beijing. The 17-year-old Basque player, who will spend the season with the B team, was surprised to be told that he would be playing against Guoan, and giving instructions to veteran defender Lilian Thuram, who is twice his age, which apparently prompted some good-natured teasing of the venerable Frenchman by the other players.
squad news
First, a quick tour-related comment: I feel quite bad for Henry, who is still coming back from injury and hasn't really hit form. The press have already started criticising him for not being sharp enough - no amount of reputation is going to protect him here. But guess who's coming to his defence and talking up his contributions so far? That's right, his longtime friend Sammy Eto'o. Not quite what the more cynical amongst us expected when the transfer went through.
With the conclusion of the tour, Rijkaard finally has all his players in the same place, including the 3 Ms (Messi, Marquez and Milito) who were in the Copa America and therefore came back from holiday later, and Deco, who has returned from the extra holiday the club gave him to go to Brazil and see his newborn son.
This is the squad of 25 that Rijkaard has at his disposal right now:
Valdes, Jorquera, Belletti, Zambrotta, Oleguer, Milito, Marquez, Olmo, Thuram, Sylvinho, Abidal, Motta, Toure, Xavi, Deco, Iniesta, Crosas, Dos Santos, Messi, Gudjohnsen, Ezquerro, Maxi, Henry, Eto'o and Ronaldinho.That list excludes long-term injury victims Edmilson and Puyol, not to mention Bojan Krkic, off on international duty for the Spanish U17s, and includes short-term injury victims Sylvinho and Gudjohnsen. It also includes two youth team players who will go back to Pep Guardiola's B side when the season starts in Marc Crosas (reportedly a target for Liverpool) and frequent backup defender Jesus Olmo. The club are trying to offload 4 of the players on the list (Gudjohnsen, Maxi, Ezquerro and Motta), 3 of which are forwards, which is perhaps understandable given that we currently have 9 of them. That's a ridiculous number, even for a team that plays 4-3-3, especially given the fact that Rijkaard doesn't like big squads.
For interests' sake, this was the line-up for the 11-a-side game in training:
Valdes; Zambrotta, Oleguer, Thuram, Abidal; Toure, Xavi, Iniesta; Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Henry
vs
Jorquera; Belletti, Marquez, Milito, Crosas; Motta, Deco, Ezquerro; Messi, Maxi, Gio.
The hilarious thing is that the second rag-tag side with no leftback and some players played completely out of position won the game 1-0, via a penalty converted by Messi from Oleguer - who else, bless him - tripping Gio.
transfers
Given Txiki's previous statements, this week is vital in terms of the 4 aftementioned players who the club are trying to usher out the door. The Spanish press reckons that deals for Motta (with AC Milan) and Gudjohnsen (with West Ham) aren't too far off, and Ezquerro has a couple of suitors himself, but although Maxi's agent assures us he is actually trying to find a team for his client, that is seen as the most difficult transfer.
This might be illustrative of the limbo the 3 forwards find themselves in.
Current list of forwards: Henry, Eto'o, Gudjohnsen, Maxi, Ronaldinho, Ezquerro, Messi, Dos Santos, Krkic
Current order of preference for center forward (1): Henry --> Eto'o --> Ronaldinho --> Gudjohnsen --> Messi --> Krkic --> Dos Santos --> Ezquerro --> Maxi
Current order of preference for wing forward (2): Ronaldinho --> Messi --> Eto'o --> Dos Santos --> Henry --> Ezquerro --> Krkic --> Gudjohnsen --> Maxi
The reason Henry is so high on that first list and so low on the second is that he's proven to be - how shall I put this - not very good when played as a wing forward. His performances as center forward have been much more convincing. On the other hand, Eto'o is pretty good on the wing, even if I personally prefer him in a more central position.
Gudjohnsen might not be too far down the pecking order when Rijkaard needs a big target man, but he's really not suited to the wing positions. Krkic is more of a center forward than Dos Santos, who is more suited to the wing. Ezquerro is also better played on the wing, although he can play in the center. Maxi just had an unimpressive season on loan and is unbelievably out of favour.
(I once saw someone on a Barca forum do a list like the above during our double-winning season in order to (jokingly) demonstrate how far down the pecking order Maxi was. It had Valdes and Jorquera (our two 'keepers, for those who don't know) ahead of him in the 'wing-forward' list. Says it all, really.)
Krkic is 16, and Dos Santos is 18. Understandably, nobody likes being stuck behind kids ten years younger. Just ask Ludovic Giuly, who spoke out about the 'unhealthy competition' at Barca from the safety of Rome. (I sympathized with your plight, Ludo, I really did, but did you expect any coach in the world to play you ahead of Messi when he was on the sort of form he had in the last couple of months of last season?)
Lastly, I'd like to draw your attention to this photo. That's Rijkaard's son Michele in the Abidal shirt. As El Mundo Deportivo wrote jokingly, we're not too sure what kind of line-up Frankie will put out, but we know who his son would have starting at left-back.
Posts forthcoming within the next week or so: a word about Barca's new boys, and more about how we're going to line up this season. My full squad preview for the season ahead is still in the works.
Edited: for starting line-up of the practise game and a photo.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
La Liga news round-up: friendlies galore
For many of the big European leagues, the sweet relief of proper competitive football is just a week or so away. Unfortunately, La Liga (and Serie A) are taking longer holidays, with almost all the teams jetting around the world, playing friendlies. Yawn. Thank God, then, for the diverting prospect of European club competition, with the early rounds of the Champions League, the UEFA Cup and the Intertoto already under way.
European Football
The third qualifying round draw for the Champions League has now been made, with the two Spanish clubs involved having had mixed fortunes. Valencia have been handed a relatively good draw against the winners of Debreceni of Hungary and Elfsborg of Sweden. Sevilla on the other hand were lumbered with the unappealing prospect of a tricky trip to Greece (never fun for Spanish teams), having been drawn against AEK Athens, coached - ironically enough - by former Betis manager Lorenzo Serra Ferrer.
I really want both clubs to make it through. As has been pointed out on numerous columns by various La Liga experts, too many people still see La Liga as a duopoly. I've cringed far too many times at the assertions of the ignorant that the likes of Valencia or Sevilla aren't big clubs. At least Valencia, having been regular European contenders for some time, now have a fairly good reputation abroad. Sevilla on the other hand have been hugely underrated. I want them in the Champions League proper so that they can show just how good they are and surprise a few people.
The draw for the second qualifying round of the poor man's Champions League, the UEFA Cup, has also been made. Having made it through their Intertoto adventure, Atletico Madrid have been rewarded with a tie against Vojvodina of Serbia, who beat Hibernians FC - no, not that one - of Malta convincingly in the last round. Here's hoping that Atletico's travelling mishaps do not continue to dog them.
Lastly, this isn't exactly La Liga-related, except for perhaps being of passing interest to Barca supporters, but I couldn't resist mentioning that Helsingborgs of Sweden are also in this round (they're going to play Drogheda United of Ireland), having overcome Trans Narva of Estonia 9-0 on aggregate with a brace in the first game from - rather inevitably - Henrik Larsson.
Yes, my favourite Swede is back in European competition with his hometown club. Helsingborgs qualified for the UEFA Cup by winning the Swedish Cup during Larsson's first season with them. What a career the man's had, and it really makes me glad (and a little sad that he left us so soon) to know that he's still out there, and still occasionally banging them in.
Barca
Despite having pretty much finished shopping for the season and laid out a list of the players we're looking to ship out (Maxi, Ezquerro and Motta, if you're wondering), Barca are still plagued with transfer stories, from the ridiculous to the frustrating.
The prime example - and the only one stupid enough that I feel the need to point and laugh at it - is Deco giving an interview to the Sun in which he very politely says that he'd like to work with Mourinho again someday. How this got spun into headlines of Deco's imminent exit, Lord only knows. Anyhow, Deco says he wants to stay, and Laporta says he's definitely not for sale. Besides, does Chelsea even need another midfielder?
On the subject of players leaving the club, it's going to be difficult to find a home for Maxi for obvious reasons (i.e. him not being any good for the past season), and Ezquerro will hopefully have his case resolved before 15 August, with Athletic, Celtic and various Premiership clubs all likely destinations. If he goes to the former, then Barca are likely to let him leave on a free transfer, but otherwise we'll be looking to get a token amount for the player. Considering we signed him for free, it won't be a lot.
The matter of Thiago Motta has only gotten increasingly complicated and contentious. Motta himself is hurt that the club have made it so clear that he's not wanted, weakening his negotiating position with potential suitors. Fair enough, but Thiago, man, everyone with a rudimentary knowledge of Spanish football already knows that you aren't exactly in huge demand at the club. He wants a free transfer, and we want some money (5 million euros is the figure they're hoping for) for him. This could get messy.
Vice-president in charge of finance and transfer talks (that's not his official title, by the way) Soriano is very pleased with himself. To be fair, he has done a good job with all the negotiations.
On to some tour-related news. Barca landed in Beijing (only a two-hour drive from where I was born, incidentally) yesterday, jetlagged and disorientated from the long flight. They'll play Beijing Guo'an - who used to be a decent team but are now rubbish - in a few days time.
There has been much artificial "controversy" over the tour, which stemmed from these very reasonable comments by Lilian Thuram when asked about pre-season tours:
(Incidentally, if you want pre-season drama, I quite liked the story that Ronaldinho, suffering under the new training regime, shouted "life shouldn't be like this!" - jokingly or not, depends on which source you listen to - at Rijkaard when he demanded more intensity from the sweating players, wilting under the sun.)
There's good news and bad news on the injury and personal front. First, the good news. Carles Puyol is moving forward with his recovery and should be back for us at the end of September. By the way, I re-watched the 04-05 Clasico in the Camp Nou a couple of days back, and God, Puyol played almost perfectly in that game. Nothing got past him. Injuries robbed him of that kind of form last season, but hopefully we'll see that Puyol again.
The other piece of good news is that the three players absent from the squad due to their participation in the Copa America are due back early next week. Messi, Marquez and new signing Gabi Milito will fly into Barcelona and begin their pre-season programme. Hopefully we'll see them in the friendlies against Bayern and Inter before the start of the season. Personally, I can't want for Marquez and Milito to get back to full fitness - that centerback pairing of Thuram (class) and Oleguer (occasionally class) really worries me. Plus, I really want to see Messi and Henry playing together.
Now the bad news. The drama related to Bojan Krkic's call-up for the Spanish U17 side has finally been resolved in favour of the Spanish federation, and he'll miss the pre-season (and probably the start of the season). Normally, I'm in full support of players being released by clubs to go play international matches, but in the case of Krkic, I can kind of see the club's point. Krkic has already played quite a bit for the U21s, so I'm not sure what he's doing with the U17s. I think he's proven that he's got skill some way above that age level. Just to be clear, I'm totally in favour of him playing for Spain when he's needed, but surely he's entitled to stay at at least U20 level? Hopefully this won't prevent him playing a part in the first team this season.
Lastly, and apologies for the Spanish link, but I haven't found any English sources reporting this yet. Poor injury-dogged Juliano Belletti is going to be out for 7 to 10 days, having hurt himself in training in China. This means that he'll probably play no part in any of the games on tour. You know, he's probably thinking that he would have done better to get injured back in Barcelona and stayed behind with Gudjohnsen. Now he's done all this travelling for nothing.
Real
Unlike Barca, Real's South Americans who were at international tournaments (that's Marcelo, Gago, Baptista, and Robinho) have already gone back to work with the squad.
In related news, Julio Baptista has stated his desire to stay at Real and fight for a place this season. I do hear rumours that the club might sell him if their price is met, which is a little sad for him, but at least all the clubs he's been linked to are big ones.
Real played their second friendly against Bundesliga side Hannover 96 and lost 3-0, thanks to 1) the German club being further along in their pre-season, 2) missing and/or injured players, 3) terrible finishing from Higuain in particular and 4) chaos in defence, Cannavaro in particular showing that he still hasn't shed the problems of last season.
It was only a pre-season friendly, though. And hey, they won their third one 5-2, beating Lokomotiv Moscow to advance in the Russian Railways Cup (other participants AC Milan and PSV). The game started in a similar fashion to the loss against Hannover, with errors in defence. Real staged a great comeback from 2-0 down at half-time to win with goals from Guti, Saviola (pen.), Higuain and Balboa. They'll play PSV in the final after the Dutch club beat Milan on penalties.
Sevilla
I have to say, I was surprised by Dani Alves' outburst. (Basically, he wants to be allowed to leave for a 'bigger' club. Read: Chelsea.) I felt that it was somewhat disrespectful of Sevilla, who are after all very ambitious, and who have improved every season in the past few years. If the move to Chelsea doesn't come off, I'm not sure what's going to happen to him. I'd be very sorry to see him go, to be honest. Sevilla are the kind of team who don't depend on any one player, and have sold their star players to good effect before (Reyes, Sergio Ramos, Baptista), but they won't be the same without Alves, at least in the short term.
On the other hand, the club have landed the Colombian defender Aquivaldo Mosquera from Pachuca of Mexico. I hear that he's quite an excellent player, so good work by Sevilla.
They've also been participating in a pre-season Trophy, in this case the Chicago Trophy, starring Toluca of Mexcio, Reggina of Italy and Wisla Krakow of Poland. Sevilla beat Toluca 1-0 and needed a draw against Wisla to claim the trophy. Unfortunately they lost, but as Juande Ramos pointed out, having only trained for five days prior to the games, it's not been a bad workout for the team.
(Speaking of Ramos, did you know that he used to coach Barca B? Although, so did Jose Mourinho.)
Valencia
Valencia started their pre-season tournament brightly, beating an Argentine-less Inter in the Emirates Cup. Unfortunately a re-shuffled Valencia side then lost 3-0 to Paris Saint-Germain. I don't think anything should be read into their defeat, other than maybe that PSG are going to have a better season in France this time around.
In my opinion, Valencia are the Spanish club with the greatest strength in depth. They have some of the best young talent, and commendably regularly field 7 or 8 Spanish players in their starting 11, which is not something the other three top sides from last season can say. They've done some smart business on the transfer market, too, although nothing big and splashy - which is no bad thing. What it does mean is that I've not been able to write as much about them as I have about some of the smaller sides in La Liga.
However, there is some news. The most surprising is that Asier del Horno has been allowed to train with the rest of the squad again, with a view to perhaps keeping the defender at the club.
Valencia have also sent Fabian Estoyanoff, who was on loan at Depor last season, back out on loan, this time to newly promoted Real Valladolid.
Atletico
Firstly, two pieces of news, both well-covered by our friendly neighbourhood Atletico blogger, so I'll just link to his comments: Costinha gets into a training ground dust-up, and Atletico are set to leave the Vicente Calderon for the Olympic stadium, when it's actually built.
I thought Atletico were done with their summer shopping - except maybe a couple of defenders, which they seem to need - but then they went out and bought Jose Antonio Reyes. Go figure. They've certainly got enough quality wingers (Simao, Maxi Rodriguez, Reyes, Luis Garcia) to be going on with now.
Atletico minus Aguero and Forlan (both on vacation due to their international exertions) went down 2-0 to the hosts Ajax at the Amsterdam Tournament, with goals by former Barca player Gabri and Wesley Sneijder. Simao apparently played quite well, though. And Ajax manager Henk ten Cate (also known as the much-missed former Barca assistant coach, the bad cop to Rijkaard's good cop) certainly thinks Atletico will have a good season.
Villarreal
The club have conducted their business in the usual efficient manner, snapping up Giuseppe Rossi from Manchester United, thus fulfilling their need for a striker to go with the likes of Nihat, Guillermo Franco, Jose Mari and Jon Dahl Tomasson. Now that I look at that list, actually, that's a lot of strikers. Yeah, Franco couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo, but the others are all useful in their own way.
I really hope they're still in the market for some defenders, because they've let Jose Enrique go to Newcastle, making him the 347th defender to leave the club in the close season. Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit, but they really need some reinforcements.
Lastly, some news on the Juan Roman Riquelme front. Yeah, he still belongs to Villarreal, much as the club and the player might wish otherwise. The latest (very sad) news is that Boca have all but given up hope of landing him on another loan spell, because of Villarreal's asking price. I'm a neutral when it comes to Argentinian domestic football, but I've become convinced that Roman belongs at Boca, and it would be great to see them go to the World Club Cup with him. It's now looking like that scenario will remain a pipe dream, and the flogging of Roman to various clubs around Europe will commence.
Depor
The club have put a deadline on any suitors for Argentinian defender Fabricio Coloccini coming forward.
Coach Miguel Angel Lotina has told Iago, Momo, Jairo and Antonio Tomas that they can go, with loan deals looking likely.
Betis
The club have lost their first two pre-season friendlies, both against lower league opposition, to leave coach Hector Cuper frustrated and demanding more from his players.
Aside from demanding more, he's also identified the ones he wants out of the squad, including Assuncao, who had insisted that he wanted to say with the club. The others are Lembo, Maldonado, Xisco, Alberto Rivera and Fernando Fernandez.
Others
A badly-timed injury to Racing Santander striker Nikola Zigic may delay plans to cash in on the player. I don't think selling him is necessarily a wise move, given their dependence on him in the previous season, but I can completely understand the need for the funds generated to strengthen in other positions.
Zaragoza won a friendly against SD Huesca with on loan striker Ricardo Oliveira scoring a brace and Barca product Sergio Garcia chipping in with two of his own. I really hope Zaragoza do well in the UEFA Cup - they've certainly got the squad for it.
Espanyol lost 3-0 in their game at the Reebok to Bolton. I'd write more, but the reports aren't very detailed. In general, Espanyol have done pretty good business in the transfer window, and their manager is a good guy who knows what he's doing, so they should be set for the season ahead.
Newly promoted Murcia have broken their transfer record to sign Fernando Baiano from relegated Celta Vigo for 5 million euros, which tells you something about the state of things at the bottom of the Spanish league as opposed to the amount of money even the bottom Premiership sides have. I've always thought that Baiano was a decent player despite his lack of consistency, and the club did need a goalscorer. Hopefully he'll repay their faith in him. Murcia have also got Curro Torres on loan from Valencia.
Getafe have let grumpy striker Daniel Guiza go to Mallorca. Guiza isn't too happy about the move, but has no one to blame given his own unwise statements to the press regarding the relative status of Getafe and Mallorca. Once again, Angel Torres comes out on top. He really is one of the more sane and canny chairmen in the Spanish league.
European Football
The third qualifying round draw for the Champions League has now been made, with the two Spanish clubs involved having had mixed fortunes. Valencia have been handed a relatively good draw against the winners of Debreceni of Hungary and Elfsborg of Sweden. Sevilla on the other hand were lumbered with the unappealing prospect of a tricky trip to Greece (never fun for Spanish teams), having been drawn against AEK Athens, coached - ironically enough - by former Betis manager Lorenzo Serra Ferrer.
I really want both clubs to make it through. As has been pointed out on numerous columns by various La Liga experts, too many people still see La Liga as a duopoly. I've cringed far too many times at the assertions of the ignorant that the likes of Valencia or Sevilla aren't big clubs. At least Valencia, having been regular European contenders for some time, now have a fairly good reputation abroad. Sevilla on the other hand have been hugely underrated. I want them in the Champions League proper so that they can show just how good they are and surprise a few people.
The draw for the second qualifying round of the poor man's Champions League, the UEFA Cup, has also been made. Having made it through their Intertoto adventure, Atletico Madrid have been rewarded with a tie against Vojvodina of Serbia, who beat Hibernians FC - no, not that one - of Malta convincingly in the last round. Here's hoping that Atletico's travelling mishaps do not continue to dog them.
Lastly, this isn't exactly La Liga-related, except for perhaps being of passing interest to Barca supporters, but I couldn't resist mentioning that Helsingborgs of Sweden are also in this round (they're going to play Drogheda United of Ireland), having overcome Trans Narva of Estonia 9-0 on aggregate with a brace in the first game from - rather inevitably - Henrik Larsson.
Yes, my favourite Swede is back in European competition with his hometown club. Helsingborgs qualified for the UEFA Cup by winning the Swedish Cup during Larsson's first season with them. What a career the man's had, and it really makes me glad (and a little sad that he left us so soon) to know that he's still out there, and still occasionally banging them in.
Barca
Despite having pretty much finished shopping for the season and laid out a list of the players we're looking to ship out (Maxi, Ezquerro and Motta, if you're wondering), Barca are still plagued with transfer stories, from the ridiculous to the frustrating.
The prime example - and the only one stupid enough that I feel the need to point and laugh at it - is Deco giving an interview to the Sun in which he very politely says that he'd like to work with Mourinho again someday. How this got spun into headlines of Deco's imminent exit, Lord only knows. Anyhow, Deco says he wants to stay, and Laporta says he's definitely not for sale. Besides, does Chelsea even need another midfielder?
On the subject of players leaving the club, it's going to be difficult to find a home for Maxi for obvious reasons (i.e. him not being any good for the past season), and Ezquerro will hopefully have his case resolved before 15 August, with Athletic, Celtic and various Premiership clubs all likely destinations. If he goes to the former, then Barca are likely to let him leave on a free transfer, but otherwise we'll be looking to get a token amount for the player. Considering we signed him for free, it won't be a lot.
The matter of Thiago Motta has only gotten increasingly complicated and contentious. Motta himself is hurt that the club have made it so clear that he's not wanted, weakening his negotiating position with potential suitors. Fair enough, but Thiago, man, everyone with a rudimentary knowledge of Spanish football already knows that you aren't exactly in huge demand at the club. He wants a free transfer, and we want some money (5 million euros is the figure they're hoping for) for him. This could get messy.
Vice-president in charge of finance and transfer talks (that's not his official title, by the way) Soriano is very pleased with himself. To be fair, he has done a good job with all the negotiations.
On to some tour-related news. Barca landed in Beijing (only a two-hour drive from where I was born, incidentally) yesterday, jetlagged and disorientated from the long flight. They'll play Beijing Guo'an - who used to be a decent team but are now rubbish - in a few days time.
There has been much artificial "controversy" over the tour, which stemmed from these very reasonable comments by Lilian Thuram when asked about pre-season tours:
"I do not think it is possibly the best way for the team to prepare," he continued. "But that is how football is and all the big clubs do it nowadays."Sounds about right. But of course his words (and similar remarks from Zambrotta and Oleguer) have been blown out of proportion by a press gleeful for some pre-season drama.
(Incidentally, if you want pre-season drama, I quite liked the story that Ronaldinho, suffering under the new training regime, shouted "life shouldn't be like this!" - jokingly or not, depends on which source you listen to - at Rijkaard when he demanded more intensity from the sweating players, wilting under the sun.)
There's good news and bad news on the injury and personal front. First, the good news. Carles Puyol is moving forward with his recovery and should be back for us at the end of September. By the way, I re-watched the 04-05 Clasico in the Camp Nou a couple of days back, and God, Puyol played almost perfectly in that game. Nothing got past him. Injuries robbed him of that kind of form last season, but hopefully we'll see that Puyol again.
The other piece of good news is that the three players absent from the squad due to their participation in the Copa America are due back early next week. Messi, Marquez and new signing Gabi Milito will fly into Barcelona and begin their pre-season programme. Hopefully we'll see them in the friendlies against Bayern and Inter before the start of the season. Personally, I can't want for Marquez and Milito to get back to full fitness - that centerback pairing of Thuram (class) and Oleguer (occasionally class) really worries me. Plus, I really want to see Messi and Henry playing together.
Now the bad news. The drama related to Bojan Krkic's call-up for the Spanish U17 side has finally been resolved in favour of the Spanish federation, and he'll miss the pre-season (and probably the start of the season). Normally, I'm in full support of players being released by clubs to go play international matches, but in the case of Krkic, I can kind of see the club's point. Krkic has already played quite a bit for the U21s, so I'm not sure what he's doing with the U17s. I think he's proven that he's got skill some way above that age level. Just to be clear, I'm totally in favour of him playing for Spain when he's needed, but surely he's entitled to stay at at least U20 level? Hopefully this won't prevent him playing a part in the first team this season.
Lastly, and apologies for the Spanish link, but I haven't found any English sources reporting this yet. Poor injury-dogged Juliano Belletti is going to be out for 7 to 10 days, having hurt himself in training in China. This means that he'll probably play no part in any of the games on tour. You know, he's probably thinking that he would have done better to get injured back in Barcelona and stayed behind with Gudjohnsen. Now he's done all this travelling for nothing.
Real
Unlike Barca, Real's South Americans who were at international tournaments (that's Marcelo, Gago, Baptista, and Robinho) have already gone back to work with the squad.
In related news, Julio Baptista has stated his desire to stay at Real and fight for a place this season. I do hear rumours that the club might sell him if their price is met, which is a little sad for him, but at least all the clubs he's been linked to are big ones.
Real played their second friendly against Bundesliga side Hannover 96 and lost 3-0, thanks to 1) the German club being further along in their pre-season, 2) missing and/or injured players, 3) terrible finishing from Higuain in particular and 4) chaos in defence, Cannavaro in particular showing that he still hasn't shed the problems of last season.
It was only a pre-season friendly, though. And hey, they won their third one 5-2, beating Lokomotiv Moscow to advance in the Russian Railways Cup (other participants AC Milan and PSV). The game started in a similar fashion to the loss against Hannover, with errors in defence. Real staged a great comeback from 2-0 down at half-time to win with goals from Guti, Saviola (pen.), Higuain and Balboa. They'll play PSV in the final after the Dutch club beat Milan on penalties.
Sevilla
I have to say, I was surprised by Dani Alves' outburst. (Basically, he wants to be allowed to leave for a 'bigger' club. Read: Chelsea.) I felt that it was somewhat disrespectful of Sevilla, who are after all very ambitious, and who have improved every season in the past few years. If the move to Chelsea doesn't come off, I'm not sure what's going to happen to him. I'd be very sorry to see him go, to be honest. Sevilla are the kind of team who don't depend on any one player, and have sold their star players to good effect before (Reyes, Sergio Ramos, Baptista), but they won't be the same without Alves, at least in the short term.
On the other hand, the club have landed the Colombian defender Aquivaldo Mosquera from Pachuca of Mexico. I hear that he's quite an excellent player, so good work by Sevilla.
They've also been participating in a pre-season Trophy, in this case the Chicago Trophy, starring Toluca of Mexcio, Reggina of Italy and Wisla Krakow of Poland. Sevilla beat Toluca 1-0 and needed a draw against Wisla to claim the trophy. Unfortunately they lost, but as Juande Ramos pointed out, having only trained for five days prior to the games, it's not been a bad workout for the team.
(Speaking of Ramos, did you know that he used to coach Barca B? Although, so did Jose Mourinho.)
Valencia
Valencia started their pre-season tournament brightly, beating an Argentine-less Inter in the Emirates Cup. Unfortunately a re-shuffled Valencia side then lost 3-0 to Paris Saint-Germain. I don't think anything should be read into their defeat, other than maybe that PSG are going to have a better season in France this time around.
In my opinion, Valencia are the Spanish club with the greatest strength in depth. They have some of the best young talent, and commendably regularly field 7 or 8 Spanish players in their starting 11, which is not something the other three top sides from last season can say. They've done some smart business on the transfer market, too, although nothing big and splashy - which is no bad thing. What it does mean is that I've not been able to write as much about them as I have about some of the smaller sides in La Liga.
However, there is some news. The most surprising is that Asier del Horno has been allowed to train with the rest of the squad again, with a view to perhaps keeping the defender at the club.
Valencia have also sent Fabian Estoyanoff, who was on loan at Depor last season, back out on loan, this time to newly promoted Real Valladolid.
Atletico
Firstly, two pieces of news, both well-covered by our friendly neighbourhood Atletico blogger, so I'll just link to his comments: Costinha gets into a training ground dust-up, and Atletico are set to leave the Vicente Calderon for the Olympic stadium, when it's actually built.
I thought Atletico were done with their summer shopping - except maybe a couple of defenders, which they seem to need - but then they went out and bought Jose Antonio Reyes. Go figure. They've certainly got enough quality wingers (Simao, Maxi Rodriguez, Reyes, Luis Garcia) to be going on with now.
Atletico minus Aguero and Forlan (both on vacation due to their international exertions) went down 2-0 to the hosts Ajax at the Amsterdam Tournament, with goals by former Barca player Gabri and Wesley Sneijder. Simao apparently played quite well, though. And Ajax manager Henk ten Cate (also known as the much-missed former Barca assistant coach, the bad cop to Rijkaard's good cop) certainly thinks Atletico will have a good season.
Villarreal
The club have conducted their business in the usual efficient manner, snapping up Giuseppe Rossi from Manchester United, thus fulfilling their need for a striker to go with the likes of Nihat, Guillermo Franco, Jose Mari and Jon Dahl Tomasson. Now that I look at that list, actually, that's a lot of strikers. Yeah, Franco couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo, but the others are all useful in their own way.
I really hope they're still in the market for some defenders, because they've let Jose Enrique go to Newcastle, making him the 347th defender to leave the club in the close season. Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit, but they really need some reinforcements.
Lastly, some news on the Juan Roman Riquelme front. Yeah, he still belongs to Villarreal, much as the club and the player might wish otherwise. The latest (very sad) news is that Boca have all but given up hope of landing him on another loan spell, because of Villarreal's asking price. I'm a neutral when it comes to Argentinian domestic football, but I've become convinced that Roman belongs at Boca, and it would be great to see them go to the World Club Cup with him. It's now looking like that scenario will remain a pipe dream, and the flogging of Roman to various clubs around Europe will commence.
Depor
The club have put a deadline on any suitors for Argentinian defender Fabricio Coloccini coming forward.
Coach Miguel Angel Lotina has told Iago, Momo, Jairo and Antonio Tomas that they can go, with loan deals looking likely.
Betis
The club have lost their first two pre-season friendlies, both against lower league opposition, to leave coach Hector Cuper frustrated and demanding more from his players.
Aside from demanding more, he's also identified the ones he wants out of the squad, including Assuncao, who had insisted that he wanted to say with the club. The others are Lembo, Maldonado, Xisco, Alberto Rivera and Fernando Fernandez.
Others
A badly-timed injury to Racing Santander striker Nikola Zigic may delay plans to cash in on the player. I don't think selling him is necessarily a wise move, given their dependence on him in the previous season, but I can completely understand the need for the funds generated to strengthen in other positions.
Zaragoza won a friendly against SD Huesca with on loan striker Ricardo Oliveira scoring a brace and Barca product Sergio Garcia chipping in with two of his own. I really hope Zaragoza do well in the UEFA Cup - they've certainly got the squad for it.
Espanyol lost 3-0 in their game at the Reebok to Bolton. I'd write more, but the reports aren't very detailed. In general, Espanyol have done pretty good business in the transfer window, and their manager is a good guy who knows what he's doing, so they should be set for the season ahead.
Newly promoted Murcia have broken their transfer record to sign Fernando Baiano from relegated Celta Vigo for 5 million euros, which tells you something about the state of things at the bottom of the Spanish league as opposed to the amount of money even the bottom Premiership sides have. I've always thought that Baiano was a decent player despite his lack of consistency, and the club did need a goalscorer. Hopefully he'll repay their faith in him. Murcia have also got Curro Torres on loan from Valencia.
Getafe have let grumpy striker Daniel Guiza go to Mallorca. Guiza isn't too happy about the move, but has no one to blame given his own unwise statements to the press regarding the relative status of Getafe and Mallorca. Once again, Angel Torres comes out on top. He really is one of the more sane and canny chairmen in the Spanish league.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Some Barcelona matters
Quick notes on some of the things that have been on this fan's mind lately, including the tour, formations (yeah, I've finally jumped on the bandwagon) and the pecking order for the starting line-up.
Things to take away from the Scottish mini-tour
Brilliant quote. To be honest, under Rijkaard we've actually gotten more into the revolutionary concept that defending might be a good idea, but we're never going to look like Capello's Juventus. (On the other hand, I'd never slag off Capello's Milan for obvious reasons.) On a related note, see the Barcelona Offside for a fun cartoon making fun of both Capello's defensiveness (exaggerated, IMHO, in the Spanish media) and your average Barca fan's, um, considerable zeal for attacking football (spot on).
Positives
Things to take away from the Scottish mini-tour
"At Barcelona, full-backs are auxiliary strikers. Midfielders are auxiliary strikers. On occasion, even Presas Oleguer is an auxiliary striker." - The Herald match report of Hearts v Barca.(Yeah, but Oleguer, bless him, is rubbish at it, whereas some of our fullbacks and midfielders are fairly good at 'playing' strikers.)
Brilliant quote. To be honest, under Rijkaard we've actually gotten more into the revolutionary concept that defending might be a good idea, but we're never going to look like Capello's Juventus. (On the other hand, I'd never slag off Capello's Milan for obvious reasons.) On a related note, see the Barcelona Offside for a fun cartoon making fun of both Capello's defensiveness (exaggerated, IMHO, in the Spanish media) and your average Barca fan's, um, considerable zeal for attacking football (spot on).
Positives
- Apparently some good physical work done in a cool climate.
- Allowing Rijkaard to see most of his new players in action and think about formations.
- Facilitating Henry's recovery after not playing for five months.
- Further emergence of the two brilliant youngsters, Krkic and Dos Santos. The latter is scarily like Ronaldinho, even in looks - think the hair's on purpose?
- By all accounts a successful PR exercise (hey, we aren't the 'club who are most anxious to be well liked and look good' for nothing).
- The sight of Ronaldinho reclining on the far end of the away dug-out overspill, wearing flip-flops and a floppy sun-hat.
- The cash, obviously, because after all we do need to fund our transfers somehow.
- Xavi's been looking very good indeed.
- Good planning overall, although with a tour two years (!) in the making, you'd expect that.
Negatives
- Still can't defend freekicks and corners, although that may improve when we get 3 of our central defenders who can head the ball back. Or it may not. At this point, I pretty much take for granted that both my club team and my national side suck at defending set pieces as if it's genetic for both.
- Not sure how well the travelling will go down, especiall combined with the trip to Asia and then Germany to play Bayern.
- Is Henry really going to sit on the bench? I can see Rijkaard's (entirely sound) logic in not starting him with Ronnie and Eto'o - because it would unbalance the tactical formation - but we all know that the Frenchman, wonderful as he is, does have his prima donna side.
- Related to that, what's going on with Deco? I wouldn't mind rotating the 3 attacking midfielders according to opponent, as long as we're not looking to sell him.
- I'm still not sure our increasing problems with breaking down teams who know the 4-3-3 inside out by now have been solved.
- Need to score more from open play that's not the result of a cross. That's the true measure of fitness and fluency for this team. For long periods last season our play stuttered and we only scored from penalties, freekicks, even some corners and from crosses but not by playing through midfield. In fact, we were frequently overwhelmed in the middle of the park. That can't happen again.
My two cents about likely formation and pecking order this season, given what we've seen so far (4-1-2-2-1):
(Excuse the rubbish formation diagram, as blogger hates me today.)
------------------GK
RB-------CB------------CB-------LB
-----------------DM
--------CM---------------CM
RW--------------------------------LW
-----------------ST
Where --> means preferred to, and = means equally preferred:
GK: Valdes --> Jorquera
RB: Zambrotta --> Belletti (if he doesn't leave) = Oleguer.
CB: Carles Puyol --> Gabi Milito --> Rafael Marquez (if he gets back to form) = Liliam Thuram --> Oleguer
LB: Eric Abidal --> Sylvinho
DM: Yaya Toure --> Rafael Marquez (if he gets his form back) --> Edmilson (if fit and not sold off)
CM: Iniesta = Xavi = Deco (depending on form and opponent)
RW/LW: Ronaldinho --> Leo Messi --> Samuel Eto'o --> Thierry Henry --> Gio Dos Santos --> Bojan Krkic
ST: Samuel Eto'o --> Thierry Henry --> Ronaldinho --> Eidur Gudjohnsen (if he stays) = Bojan Krkic
The squad does look fairly well-balanced, although as always our problem DM spot still looks a little lacking in proper cover. More on this later, definitely, especially given the fact that every single Barca fan has spent what seems like the entire off-season since Henry's signing discussing formations.
Lastly, to balance out my doom and gloom about our new no.14 (how ungrateful of me to despair at such a great player joining, right?) an interesting quote from vice-captain Xavi:
"Henry's arrival was the key moment. It was as if everything was erased and we could begin again. For us and the fans," the midfielder said. "In the streets I see people full of enthusiasm, which is not easy to achieve. There are only a few players who can lift a depressed club."
That, and the added competitive incentive for Ronaldinho, is for me the best part about Henry's arrival.
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