Spanish Inquisition: Improving On A Triplete-Winning Squad
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While Real Madrid continue to cast their nets in search of the biggest stars playing on the Old Continent, already landing Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul Albiol and Karim Benzema, Barcelona are left with the difficult task of improving a roster that has already won the historic ‘triplete’.
Barca were rarely lacking last season, fielding a team that could cause opponents consternation from virtually every position on the pitch. With a squad depth that rivalled many national teams, coach Pep Guardiola was able to rotate his players enough in each competition to first and foremost prevent injuries, and secondly to keep fringe men happy and improving with ample playing time.
But even with the depth of Barcelona’s roster, there were still times when certain players left something to be desired, doing just enough to perform their duties, but ultimately falling short of providing the extra dimension of play demanded of them.
The most notable example of such shortcomings was Aleksandr Hleb, whose move to the Blaugrana from Arsenal was hailed as a major signing and a significant reinforcement. But unfortunately, while the Belarusian showed occasional flashes of brilliance in darting between two defenders before slotting a purposeful ball across the face of goal, for the most part his performances were lacklustre at best and flat at worst.
The left-back position was also one that was in questionable hands, as Eric Abidal failed to contribute with the same quality as Dani Alves on the other flank. While not seen as an overt weakness in defence, it was certainly agreed upon by a majority of Cules, with the aging Sylvinho on the bench, that the role could use an upgrade.
For most of the season Barcelona were able to avoid the plague of injuries that can alter the course of a team’s campaign, but they were still somewhat shorthanded when the injury bug finally did hit at the end of the season.
Gabi Milito’s ongoing problems served as bad news enough, but by the twilight of the campaign, Rafa Marquez was also forced to cut his season short with a major knee injury. With Martin Caceres not yet disciplined enough to be given the responsibility of a starting role, Guardiola was forced to rely on Yaya Toure, normally a defensive midfielder, to fill in the central defensive vacancy in both the Copa del Rey and Champions League finals.
With long-term direction in mind, age is also a growing concern for members of Guardiola’s side. At 31-years, both Carles Puyol and Thierry Henry are beginning to enter their golden years; Puyol remains the crux of the Blaugrana defence, but is beginning to become more prone to injury and Henry’s days at the Camp Nou are not likely to exceed one or two more seasons.
At 28 and 29, respectively, Samuel Eto’o and Xavi Hernandez are also going to need understudies and Barca president Joan Laporta has surely considered the need to find successors for his team’s top scorer and the Euro 2008 Player of the Tournament.
But the biggest obstacle that Barcelona will face next season will not be a lack of depth, ability, injuries, or age. Instead, after winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, what will be most tested after a season of unprecedented success will be the squad’s motivation.
Team chemistry is relatively easy to develop when hungry players are yearning to prove their quality. But once a season’s objectives have been achieved and the players have established themselves as the best, both domestically and internationally, it is difficult to preserve the spirit of competition in a squad; players can become complacent and the distractions of rumours, higher salaries, inflated egos, locker room rows and players’ extracurricular activities can put a manager’s vision in jeopardy.
Pep Guardiola is, above all, a professional — a man with an all-business air about him and an almost pedantic approach to his style of management. Even when Barcelona were at the height of their form last season, Pep could be found shouting and waving at the outer edge of the manager’s box in an attempt to tweak his squad’s formation or remind his players to close their gaps. When standing behind a microphone, Guardiola was an icon of humility, even in the wake of a 6-0 win, calmly and coolly claiming that there was still much work to be done and that his team needed to be more consistent.
While not yet having secured a signature this summer, Barcelona have been linked to a number of players as Guardiola schemes the best manner in which to introduce some fresh faces into the Barcelona line-up with the hope of keeping the squad energised.
Deportivo left-back Filipe Luis has been heavily favoured to shore up the that position and Guardiola has had big eyes for Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano, whose adept passing would threaten to allow the Blaugrana to further dominate possession. Cesc Fabregas has also been linked to a return home to the Camp Nou, but it looks as if Barca will likely have to wait a year to land their highly-touted successor to Xavi.
But the position that has been most hotly contested in the Spanish press is the striker role, as the drama that has habitually surrounded Samuel Eto’o has once again stolen headlines. While exceedingly talented — coming just a few goals short of the Pichichi last season as well as scoring an absolute gem of a goal in the Champions League final against Manchester United — Eto’o also has a quality very much disliked in professional athletes: a volatile surplus of self-importance. The Cameroonian did not hesitate in running his mouth in the dwindling days of the Rijkaard/Ronaldinho era and it seems as if the successes of this past season have once again given the player free license to publicly feud with Joan Laporta and the Barcelona organisation over his future.
In the past, such outbursts from the player have been swept neatly under the carpet. But this summer’s comments may just have convinced Guardiola of the liability Eto’o presents to his team’s stability.
The club has been reportedly entertaining the prospect of signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Brazilian Keirrison ‘K9’, and most recently has reportedly made a strong push for Valencia ace David Villa.
In Villa, Guardiola would surely find the perfect injection of competitive spirit, technical quality, and goal-scoring instinct to rejuvenate his squad and make a push for another historic triplete — or possibly four titles in the Club World Championships.
Although Barcelona have yet to make waves in the transfer market, there is no doubt that the organisation is hard at work in an effort to retain their hegemony and maintain a squad that improves upon the fantastic results of last season. One thing is for certain, even if Barca only manage to pick up a few nondescript players that play in mostly supplementary roles, it will still be the Blaugrana’s titles to lose — no matter how many Kakas, Cristiano Ronaldos and Benzemas Real Madrid reel in.
Cyrus C. Malek, Goal.com