The Rebuild Part 1: A Look into Barcelona’s Season
The Squad: Image from FC Barcelona via Miguel Ruiz
Barcelona is in a sticky situation unlike anything the soccer world has seen before. Crippling debt, along with sky high expectations, and the departure of the greatest player of all time all occurring at once might be too much to overcome for any single club. I believe that Barcelona will be able to rise to heights that they achieved within the last decade, but not until after a rebuilding process that will span multiple seasons. In this article I will review the actions Barcelona have taken so far this season and how they fit into the rebuild.
The summer transfer window was a period of smart business by Barcelona. Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia were both brought in on a free transfer and look to be key pieces for the club in the future. This applies especially to Garcia, who is a la Masia product and only 20 years old. He will be expected to be a rock in the heart of the defense for the next decade plus. Depay is a strong yet tricky frontman who at 27 years old will improve the squad immediately and be able to play at a high level for several more years. Sergio Agureo was also brought in on a free, but unfortunately suffered a heart condition and was forced to retire. Luuk de Jong was surprisingly loaned in from Sevilla and promising winger Yusef Demir also joined on loan. Every one of these signings has had mixed reviews so far. Each player has had great spells of form contrasted with poorer performances.
Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero, and Eric Garcia via SportBible
Many players left Barcelona in the summer, none larger than Lionel Messi. Unfortunately forced out of his childhood club due to salary restrictions, the Argentine has left a gaping hole in the squad that no single player can fill. Transfer flops Antione Griezmann and Miralem Pjanic along with promising winger Francisco Trincao left the club on loan to lighten the wage bill. Emerson Royal was bought from Real Betis and sold to Tottenham for around 10 million euros in profit, which was an excellent piece of business using an unwanted player.
Along with the new signings has come a flock of youth academy products that have come ready to impress. Midfielders Gavi and Nico Gonzalez have been excellent in the center of the pitch, providing a much-needed energy and drive. Those two along with Pedri have the potential to form a strong midfield trio that can serve as a foundation for future teams. Wideman Ez Abde was also promoted and has seen regular gametime on the right flank. He has been a solid performer and hopefully can grow more in the second half of the season. Recently striker Ferran Jutgala has been receiving game time and showing promise as well.
Midfield of the Future? Pedri, Gavi, and Nico Gonzalez via FC Barcelona, Marca, and 90 Min
All these moves left Barcelona in 9th place in La Liga in early November, signaling that further changes had to be made. Manager Ronald Koeman was not the answer for this squad, and deservedly was sacked. Club legend Xavi was brought in as his replacement following his successful spell managing Al Saed in Qatar, with the goal of bringing Barcelona back to its own roots. Having been a key player in the golden age of Barcelona under Pep Guardiola, Xavi will be given time and all available resources in the rebuild.
The New Manager Xavi via Marca
In January, Barcelona made more moves to strengthen the squad, starting with the return of veteran Dani Alves. Alves knows the Barcelona play style and will be a great locker room presence. In the matches he has played he displayed impressive form, even at the age of 38. The signing of Ferran Torres from Manchester City was next to take place and must be seen as an A+ signing. Torres can play anywhere on the frontline and brings a pedigree of goal scoring to a club that have been in desperate need. He is the perfect signing for Barcelona and at 21 years old will be a star player for years to come. Another goal scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined on a free from Arsenal. This transfer seems like a bad fit, as Aubameyang is 32 years old and has had a noticeable drop in form this season along with his difference in play style when compared to the traditional Barcelona way. Adama Traore was brought back to the club on loan, and like Aubameyang has a completely different play style from what we are used to seeing from the club. Whether or not mixing up the playstyle will help the club is yet to be seen, but with no transfer fees paid for the two forwards, it cannot hurt to give it a try. January also saw Phillipe Countino leave on loan to Aston Villa in his latest attempt to reclaim his world class form he had while at Liverpool. Yusef Demir was also sent back to Rapid Vienna after failing to impress on his loan spell.
As February begins, Barcelona sit in 5th in La Liga while also a part of the Europa League knockouts for the first time in a decade and a half. Under Xavi the squad has shown improvements in all parts of the pitch besides one, in front of goal. The departure of Messi, the de facto goal scorer and shot taker has crippled Barcelona’s attack. The January signings were clearly made to address this, and hopefully the goal will come flowing back soon. Realistic goals for the rest of the season include securing a Champions League spot via the league and winning the Europa League. Barcelona have the squad and the manager to achieve these targets and doing so will be a strong step in the right direction. My next article about Barcelona will examine the squad more in depth and propose some next steps to grow the team into a European giant once again.