Barcelona is in full crisis. With journalistic reports talking about a debt of almost EUR 1.2 billion (of which EUR 730 million is short-term debt); no president, sports director, not even a board of directors to make decisions; with the future of Lionel Messi, his star player, who remains undefined, despite the fact that his contract is about to expire during the summer; and currently 10 points behind league leader Atletico de Madrid, last year was no less chaotic for the Catalans. However, despite all the pessimism that can be in the Camp Nou, there is a feeling that the wave is slowly starting to turn into a sport.
Despite the fact that the Spanish La Liga title does not seem to be available to Catalans, there are reasons for optimism. Barça is in third place in the standings, despite suffering a cycle of poor results; in addition to remaining in the fight for the Copa del Rey and the Champions League; which is a favorable comparison with his Real Madrid archivists, who are supposed to be without a crisis and have only three units ahead of Barça; apart from the fact that he recently suffered a shameful defeat against Alcoyano de Segunda B to be eliminated from the Cup.
Although the 3-0 defeat suffered at home by Juventus in the last match of the Champions group did not inspire too much confidence for the next eighth match against Paris Saint-Germain, there are signs that suggest that DT Ronald Koeman (despite being an extremely recruited unpopular) began to put the ship on course.
The Dutchman deserves all the credit for the way he behaved and his appearance as a leading presence in a traumatic period for the club; especially since few believed him capable of success. Koeman maintained his position, justified his decisions with logical reasoning and never tried to attribute the losses to the bigger problems the club is facing. Now, how can it keep the team on track, amid such economic uncertainty?
Transfer issues
Many coaches would find perfect excuses in the absence of new signatures. For his part, Koeman agreed that there is no possibility of making any incorporation capable of changing Barcelona’s game during the January transfer window, after the presidential election was postponed until March 7. Instead of waiting for a contract that was not to come, Koeman went to work to make the most of his resources.
The coach managed to regain the level of declining figures, such as the cases of Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembélé (and to some extent, that of Frenkie de Jong, although the midfielder is only 23 years old), while maintaining a receptive attitude to conferences.press. “My position is well known: we lack people, but FC Barcelona’s economic situation is influencing,” he said last week in a pre-match against Elche. “I think we all think alike. If no one arrives, I accept and continue the same; but if we want more, we have to sign. “
If money were not an issue, it is certain that Koeman would have been delighted by the 100 million euro permits of Norwegian Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland or Argentine Lautaro Martinez, the current Inter Milan line-up, which came to light in the press. . However, the availability of money is a problem. Due to Barça’s current financial situation, the club can only consider receiving free transfers or missions: various sources have informed ESPN that Livepool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum is at the top of Koeman’s wish list; while Barça has been repeatedly plunged into rumors of an attempted operation by Lyon winger Memphis Depay.
The Dutch duo will be available free of charge during the summer window. For their part, various sources have indicated that the club has long maintained an interest in Manchester City defender Eric Garcia, who began his career at the Camp Nou and maintains his refusal to sign a new contract before the expiration of his current pact. , scheduled for 2021. However, García could be the only signing needed, being a natural replacement for veteran central defender Gerard Piqué.
In recent years, the club has been criticized for reducing the talents of the famous La Masía career and, although it is true that it is difficult to extend a golden age that produced figures the size of Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández and Sergio Busquets; Many believe that Barça has sacrificed the production of promising youngsters to favor large-scale signatures. After investing for four years between 2016 and 2020, a figure close to EUR 980 million in footballers such as Philippe Coutinho (EUR 145 million), Griezmann (EUR 120 million), Dembélé (EUR 105 million) and Malcolm (40 million). EUR)), Barça returns to paying attention to its youth, with encouraging results.
The young people leave their mark on the first team
Since his arrival as coach, Koeman has put on the field a flotilla of young people who arouse emotions and are in the middle of their respective processes to establish themselves in the senior team. Despite not graduating from La Masía, Ronald Araújo and Pedri stood out as two emerging figures.
Araújo came to Barça from the Boston River in Uruguay in 2018, and the progress of the 21-year-old as a central defender (even if he can be compared to Piqué in possession of the ball) was encouraging: impressively, the Uruguayan won more than 80% of his defensive and aerial duels since being promoted from Team B this year. For his part, Pedri, an 18-year-old from the Las Palmas club for 5 million euros in the summer season, has adapted to life at the Camp Nou without major inconveniences, as it currently appears as an absolute salary.
Óscar Mingueza, 21, is another young central defender (apart from La Masía’s youth team), who has also enjoyed recent success with the first team; while Ricard “Riqui” Puig (another 21-year-old La Masía graduate with the best references) scored his first goal for Barcelona’s first team in his engagement last weekend. Puig, who is an elegant central midfielder with a sublime talent, shows a parentage of such a category that motivated fans to ask for more minutes for him (probably to the detriment of figures who showed poor performance, as was the case Miralem Pjanic and Coutinho).
Obviously, the jewel in Barcelona’s crown is Ansu Fati, the club’s undisputed number 1 prodigy and the best candidate to become Messi’s long-term substitute. Unfortunately, a meniscus injury will keep you out of action for a few more months; However, the 18-year-old striker, who is already a full international with the Spanish national team, has shown that he feels completely calm in senior football, repeating the dazzling performances that made him a star at the youth level.
However, not everything went perfectly: two relatively expensive summer signings, such as the American right defender Sergiño Dest (20 years old, who signed for Barcelona from Ajax for 21 million euros) and the wing Francisco Trincao (21, from Braga) for 31 million euros), have not yet managed to reach the level of consistency needed to justify their difficult passages, despite the fact that it has some potential.
In a turbulent season, Koeman managed to guide Barcelona in a phase of transition, which could be considered in the coming years as the beginning of such a necessary and successful construction. The big figures probably won’t make it; However, Catalan fans can rejoice that La Masía’s production line will continue to perform well.
Who will be the next La Masía graduates to stand out?
Ilaix Moriba
He is a midfielder who made his debut for the first team during last week’s Copa del Rey victory; however, he was replaced in the second half, after a performance in which he showed confidence on the field. The 18-year-old, originally from Guinea, is endowed with technical skills, tactical intelligence and is happy to combine both elements, both in the air and on the field. He passes the ball accurately, although sometimes his casual style can make him seem too confident in his abilities. Moriba has the potential to become a high-level “8”, or even an isolationist.
Konrad to sursei
Despite not making his first appearance in a senior roster match, the 19-year-old American striker is one of the La Masía graduates who received the most encouraging signals from the senior team coach. From the beginning, Koeman witnessed the extreme, characterized by his unpredictability, speed and cunning; allowing them to train with the first team in the pre-season and giving them minutes in friendly matches. Some appearances as a substitute in the final minutes of Champions League matches and his start with the United States in their November match with Wales are good dividends after spending his first semester at the absolute level as part of major clubs around the world. .
Alex Collado
The left-back who plays as a wing is one of the most prominent members of the team that lifted the UEFA Youth Cup title in 2018 – but his development has been hampered by constant injuries. In addition to making two passing appearances on the first team, Collado played primarily with Team B. He is able to move on both wings, although he sometimes relies too much on his prodigious left foot. It is difficult to get a player with a more elegant touch and, when he is the best, he has enough attributes to dazzle his rivals. The 21-year-old is currently without injuries and, after reuniting with some remarkable months with Team B, could finally take the next step.
Ilias Akhomach
He is the first player in the promising promotion in 2004 to add playing time with Team B. The offensive midfielder or fluid striker is likely to need some time to make his first appearance for the senior team; Despite this, his raw talent makes him stand out from the rest. The 16-year-old takes advantage of clumsiness to take the ball with his right hand; however, his ability to unbalance with the change of pace, his ability to overwhelm rival defenders and his strong shot make him a threat from anywhere in the last third.