FC Barcelona 2020-2021: The Return of House Oranje

Zososoxfan

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Last season ended with a rousing victory over Napoli in the return leg of the UCL R16 after a disappointing 1-1 draw away in Naples. Relatively anonymous manager Quique Setien surprised critics by having the gumption to sit Busi in favor of a 3-man MF of Rak-Roberto-FDJ. Setien also intelligently deployed Griezmann behind Suarez in his natural secondary striker position. Messi, who was upset with Setien for pushing him out to the wing, said after the match he knew it was best for the team and admonished old friend Suarez, saying: "He's fat. You see it. I see it. He's slow. After all those years of playing with fatass Higuain, I lost another striker partner to food. Gordos hijos de putas, dejen de comer como cerdos por un mes carajo. Que los pario. FML." Although Alba started the match, Setien once again showed his forethought and brought on Firpo for Suarez for more stability once Barca were ahead. "I know that Alba can't cut it as a first rate LB any more" said Setien. "Alba used to be like a wolverine on that touchline, now he's a frightened squirrel ever since Atleti, Juve, Roma, and Liverpool exposed him in UCL." Setien didn't stop there however, he brought on academy product Monchu for some valuable experience towards the end of the match. "It's critical to have young players get a taste for high level competition early, and understand that we value them, and that they won't be blocked by older players, merely because our incompetent Board executives that don't know fuck all gave these former legends fat contracts." Unfortunately, the competition was cut short when UEFA canceled all remaining tournament matches just before Barca's big showdown with hated Bavarian rivals Bayern Munich who were entering the match with some irrational self-belief. Spastic moron and overrated Chilean MF Vidal added: "They are not playing a Bundesliga team, they are playing the best team in the world."

Only one of those quotes is real. So, yeah...

Take a trip back with me to FC Barcelona circa 1987, when the club were coming off some sustained success from '83-'87, but the '87-'88 season ended with only a Copa del Rey title for the proud club. Aragones (yes, THAT Aragones) led the club to that domestic cup title, after some nice runs by Menotti and Terry Venables. Aragones shepherded that team to some silverware, but is mostly viewed as a transitional figure before Cryuff returned to Catalunya in May '88 to accelerate Barca's entrance to its modern world-conquering form. Which brings us to the Dream Team of '92, and European Cup Final Match Winner Ronald Koeman.

View: https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/1295796529408684033


If any of you remember Special K, it's likely for that magical FK that won Barca that wonderful trophy with big ears:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_zRwnaXaNs


However, Koeman is also fondly remembered by the Dutch for his outstanding performances at Eurocup '88. The highlight of that campaign was a semifinal victory over neighbor, rival, and tourney host West Germany. Well, Koeman wasn't going to celebrate this huge victory in typical fashion. Oh no, not this porky blonde Dutchman who looks like the kid from the neighborhood you grew up in who was good at sports when he was young just because he could bowl smaller kids over:

33492

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/day-euros-june-21-ronald-koeman-wipes-his-backside-olaf-thons-shirt
OK, so enough small talk. Koeman takes over for a club in shambles. The former manager has been sent home so he can go back to tending his cattle, the sporting director has been relieved of a job he wasn't remotely qualified to handle, and yet the President has maintained his evil Snyder-like stranglehold over a club so many hold dear. The club have indicated that MATS, Messi, FDJ, Fati, Semedo, Dembele, and Griezmann aren't being sold this offseason (all 3 weeks of it). Personally, I don't think Pique should be sold either. Pjanic comes to Spain in the Arthur swap, Coutinho returns from his Bavarian romp, RW Trincao joins from Braga, and several promising young players return from loan (Todibo, Wague, Miranda, Oriol, Alena). Sparkplug midget Puig is also around. MATS is out 2.5 months with a knee injury, and is backed up by the serviceable Neto.

The only thing about the best XI I can say at the moment is that it include MATS, Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, FDJ, Pjanic, and Messi. That's 7 players. Coutinho, Dembele, and Griezmann are all talented players, but none of them are strikers. If Barca don't bring in Lautaro, they should try Dembele there because no one else even remotely has the skill set to thrive there. Although they could try the Messi false 9 experiment, but that previously required 2 very strong wingers, so there goes Griezmann. But I could see a Fati-Messi-Dembele lineup working or Coutinho replacing one of those guys at LW.

Koeman seems capable enough of getting the most out of his talent. He was really hampered in his last year at Everton by not having a striker to replace Lukaku.

The offseason is almost certain to bring more transfer business, so this will be worth revisiting once the squad settles a bit.
 

teddykgb

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I was really high on Koeman before he came to the Prem but you are glossing over his Everton spell quite a bit there. I sort of expected that there would have been more tactical variation and ideas there but it seemed really stale and he could never seem to get the sun greater than the parts. He will have some command of the dressing room because of his history there but this is one of the top jobs where you have to find a way to win nearly every week. I think he has an awful lot to prove to say he can manage at this level and view it as a really risky hire
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Barcelona are going to be crap (by their standards) no matter what the next couple years so appointing a club legend who the supporters like sort of makes sense. They have so many players that are completely unshiftable due to the combination of age and mega-wages. Nobody will want players like Suarez, Alba, Rakitic, Umtiti, Busquets, etc and the club will end up just waiting until their contracts expire, which will severely hamper their ability to turn over the squad and rebuild. Koeman is being asked to eat a shit sandwich but his managerial career was sort of dead in the water previously so its an OK deal for him as well.

You know Bartomeu isn't serious about doing anything other than covering his own ass when he puts Dembele and Griezmann on the untouchables list. Anybody seriously looking to build the team for the long term would be happy to sell either player, especially Griezmann, whose wages are astronomical vis-a-vis his actual footballing contribution.
 

Zososoxfan

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I was really high on Koeman before he came to the Prem but you are glossing over his Everton spell quite a bit there. I sort of expected that there would have been more tactical variation and ideas there but it seemed really stale and he could never seem to get the sun greater than the parts. He will have some command of the dressing room because of his history there but this is one of the top jobs where you have to find a way to win nearly every week. I think he has an awful lot to prove to say he can manage at this level and view it as a really risky hire
Oh there's no doubt that he's a risk. Koeman's best years as a club manager were all over a decade ago and exclusively in the Netherlands. He's been very solid as the Dutch NT manager, but obviously the international game and the club game are very different. His EPL stops weren't great, but also differ from his other club stops in that he wasn't at an elite club with elite squads. In other words, some managers are better at getting the best out of elite players, whereas others are better at improving mid-level talent, and yet others are development specialists. I don't presume to know whether Koeman will succeed at Barca (and it's not all about him), but even if he brings some dignity back to the club, provides cover to clear the driftwood on the squad, and establishes a pipeline of young Dutch talent (which appears to be burgeoning again) it will be considered a success to me. The club are in a holding pattern until a new Board is elected and can establish a new direction/project, and hopefully Koeman is at least competent as a caretaker.
 

swiftaw

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It seems to be that Koeman is only going to have the job for a year due to the elections next year and the winner most likely wanting to bring in their own manager (most likely Xavi from what I read). Since expectations are probably really low for next season, Koeman will probably not be seen as a disaster unless something crazy happens and they don't qualify for the champions league.
 

Zososoxfan

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Barcelona are going to be crap (by their standards) no matter what the next couple years so appointing a club legend who the supporters like sort of makes sense. They have so many players that are completely unshiftable due to the combination of age and mega-wages. Nobody will want players like Suarez, Alba, Rakitic, Umtiti, Busquets, etc and the club will end up just waiting until their contracts expire, which will severely hamper their ability to turn over the squad and rebuild. Koeman is being asked to eat a shit sandwich but his managerial career was sort of dead in the water previously so its an OK deal for him as well.

You know Bartomeu isn't serious about doing anything other than covering his own ass when he puts Dembele and Griezmann on the untouchables list. Anybody seriously looking to build the team for the long term would be happy to sell either player, especially Griezmann, whose wages are astronomical vis-a-vis his actual footballing contribution.
I don't disagree with most of this. Most of Barca's 30+ club has hilariously bad contracts, led by Alba (signed thru '24) and Busi (signed thru '23). However, I don't think it's mere cover to say Griez and Dembele are untouchable. There's just about no way Barca can even recover 50% of the transfer fee paid for either player, but both are elite talents.

Dembele needs to stay healthy. He's still young and has the abilities of an elite winger is a game that highly values elite wingers, especially one that can play on either side.

Griezmann has been a let down no doubt. I thought his skillset would allow him to be versatile and fit in on the wing, similar to how Henry and Villa did before him. Griezmann also provided a lot of value to France in this position, but that was fairly unique to international football, where merely having a safety valve on the wing and one that could draw attention away from Mbappe was hugely helpful. That has clearly not been the case in year 1 at Barca. Nevertheless, Griez didn't lose his skills overnight and when he played centrally he was still effective and even showed some of the potential of link play with Messi. In addition, I'll always respect a forward like him who works his ass off in defense. Some of Griezmann's contributions this year were him playing pretty much like a LMF and allowing the LB to overlap.

It's really hard to overstate how bad Barca's MF was this year. Vidal, Rakitic, and Busi are 3 players that absolutely decimate both the defense and attack. A lot of young options like Arthur, Alena, Roberto, etc. didn't pan out and we can discuss why that happened, but I think the collapse of the team is truly representative of a club without direction. Combine a huge weakness in MF with a gaping disaster at Striker in Suarez and you can explain why a lot of good players looked shitty this season.
 

Zososoxfan

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It seems to be that Koeman is only going to have the job for a year due to the elections next year and the winner most likely wanting to bring in their own manager (most likely Xavi from what I read). Since expectations are probably really low for next season, Koeman will probably not be seen as a disaster unless something crazy happens and they don't qualify for the champions league.
Right. Koeman has a lot of upside here too. If the team gets decent results (top 3 in La Liga, QF in UCL) and looks younger and more coherent by the end of the season, he'll likely get another year from the new Board just to make the transition. Maybe not, but that's the upside for him.

Now, if the club are somehow able to land a real striker, sell some of the driftwood and give him a coherent squad, the expectations will be raised. Frankly, that's what I expect to happen. Sell some parts to raise just enough money to land a very good (but not Lautaro) striker and state that the goal is to win La Liga and reach UCL semis.
 

Zososoxfan

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Koeman had his introductory press conference yesterday and I thought he was very intelligent and played his cards well. They money quote was:

It is a day to be very happy, proud. Barça is my home, I will have the opportunity to coach a team like this. It is a challenge, it is not easy, Barça always demands the maximum and that is how it should be.
...
A player at 31-32 or 33 years of age is not finished. It depends on hunger and the desire to give everything for the club. There are 20 without hunger or without work-rate...We must look for the best team to win games.
He's basically saying that the standards have to be raised and players won't be assessed based on their age, but rather their desire to work or meet those standards. Of course this is a great thing to say and another thing to implement, but so far he can only do one.

That second quote speaks directly to Suarez IMO. Suarez has not shown the commitment to be in the best physical condition possible and to help the press. Luis has always been a monster finisher, a physical nightmare for defenders, but he also had enough speed to threaten behind and endurance to press. Without those last 2 attributes, he's dropped down into a different and substantially lower tier of quality.

I don't know whether the same can be said for Alba and Busi. Alba fought injuries this year but it does seem like the the last 3 UCL campaigns have taken a toll on him mentally, most specifically the Liverpool match. While he made a couple of huge errors that match, that was a team loss and it's sad to me that it may have broken him a bit. Busi was never reliant on his physical attributes to be effective, but he's clearly diminished a bit. However, I think if he's linked with some better players and a manager that understands his limitations he can still be useful, just not for the majority of a match against elite competition.

Also, Abidal's second in command Ramon Planes has been promoted to TD. The Barca community think this is mostly administrative and Koeman will still have a big say on transfers. I looked up his history and honestly nothing really stands out--probably not great for a Barca TD.

Lastly, President candidate Victor Font firmly planted his foot in his mouth yesterday by saying that even if Koeman wins the treble, he would replace the manager next season. That's just a dumb thing to say on so many levels I don't even know where to start. It also probably puts Laporta in the driver's seat for March's elections.
 

Zososoxfan

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Barca suffered a 1-0 defeat to Getafe on Saturday. Getafe are not slouches, and they were very unlucky to finish 7th--just outside of UEL qualification last year. They're a nasty bunch, just like Bordelas like them, and they have some excellent players like Cucurella, Maksimovic, and Arambarri. Sides like these (and Atleti) are usually the best at breaking up possession-based sides like Barca.

Dembele got his first start with Barca in what seems like forever and it showed. He was terrible and his touch was off all match. He came off at the hour for Fati and the team instantly looked much better. Busi and FDJ got the start as the double pivot and I wonder what plans Koeman has for Pjanic. I don't love Pjanic by any means, but I have to think he should be considered instead of Busi regularly, but that hasn't been the case yet. He also may have had an injury early on in the season. Dest looked very good at LB filling in for injured Alba. He swung over to RB at the very end when Roberto came off for Coutinho. Pedri got the start at #10 and while he had some very impressive skill for a 17 year-old, I didn't love his performance as much as Ray Hudson. I'd still put Messi there, let the defense collapse him if they want, and then bomb the FBs up the wings to combine with the wingers. Grizi got the start up top as the lone true striker and he struggled there. He came off at 80' for Trincao. At the same time, Braithwaite came on for the final 10' for FDJ. I didn't watch FDJ closely, but I did see him lose possession a couple of times in dangerous spots. Puig also got some minutes at the end, which is surprising because Koeman told him to get lost before the transfer window closed and he basically refused to do so. The only reason I find it surprising is because he got on ahead of a similar player in Alena. He didn't look very confident and while he's Barca's best MF to switch the point of attack, by the time he got on Barca needed to be direct. Just a poor performance overall.

Hopefully, some of this can be chalked up to the international break--Messi played the full 90 in both of Argentina's matches, including one at absurd altitude in La Paz. Of course, traveling to South America is also significant. Not sure if that's why Coutinho didn't start either, but I have to think Coutinho is the starting LW in the current best XI, and even if he's not he's one of the best 13-14 players. As was the case last year, the real problem at Barca ATM is the lack of a true Striker and playing Grizi out of position. In the 4-2-3-1, Grizi pretty much has to be the AMF or otherwise play as a Second Striker. That puts Messi on the RW, which should be OK, but that still leaves a hole up top. I honestly thought that Barca made a mistake not going for Cavani. Maybe he looks terrible at MAN U and I change my mind, but I'd rather have a B quality player in position rather than trying to pigeonhole one of our wingers or AMFs into that spot. Either that, or Koeman should play a false 9 with one of Messi, Grizi, Coutinho. The false 9 setup requires fast wingers, or strikers who can play wide, and take advantage of the space in behind the CBs though, which again limits options to Fati, Dembele (out of form), Trincao (young, and bedding in).

TL;DR: It's still very much a tire fire, and Barca host Real Madrid this weekend (Gulp!).

4231:
Neto
Dest-Lenglet-Pique-Firpo
Pjanic-FDJ
Messi/Trincao/Dembele-Grizi/Coutinho/Messi-Fati/Coutinho/Dembele
Braithwaite

433 (false 9):
Neto
Dest-Lenglet-Pique-Firpo
Pjanic-Busi-FDJ
Dembele/Trincao-Messi/Grizi/Coutinho-Fati/Braithwaite
 
Last edited:

Zososoxfan

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You presumably saw that Real Madrid also lost to - ahem - Cadiz at the weekend?
I had not seen that. Perhaps there really is something to the International Break hurting megaclubs more. Although I will say that I haven't looked into whether Getafe or Cadiz have any internationals on their squads. Nevertheless, it's not like Barca is settled and comfortable going into this match, regardless of what's going on on the other side.
 

bosox4283

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Is there drama -- real or manufactured -- with Griezmann? I keep seeing news about Koeman having to respond to questions about his relationship with and use of Griezmann. The Spanish press likes to exaggerate these things, but is there something else to it?
 

rguilmar

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I think the general feel around Barca is that they were/are a complete mess, so a lackluster tie against Sevilla and loss against Getafe fit the narrative. Real are defending champs who appear stronger and more consistent, so a random early season loss doesn't get as much notice (not to say it's unnoticed, just relatively less handwringing about it).

To be fair, Barcelona are a mess. They have brought in players over the years who have underperformed. They need to find replacements for aging out stars and did a poor job replacing other stars who moved on. They have no money and need to sell in order to buy. There is the very real risk that Messi moves on after the season for free.

I do like how Dest seems to not be out of place. He looks really, really good going forward. Still looks like his first reaction on defense is to drop back as quickly as possible (Barca LB and RB routinely do the opposite) and he positionally looks a little lost at times, so I wonder if that will be coached out of him. Pretty much as advertised though. And we were so close to an assist by Dest to Messi, which would pretty much make my life.

Dembele got his first start with Barca in what seems like forever and it showed. He was terrible and his touch was off all match. He came off at the hour for Fati and the team instantly looked much better. Busi and FDJ got the start as the double pivot and I wonder what plans Koeman has for Pjanic. I don't love Pjanic by any means, but I have to think he should be considered instead of Busi regularly, but that hasn't been the case yet. He also may have had an injury early on in the season. Dest looked very good at LB filling in for injured Alba. He swung over to RB at the very end when Roberto came off for Coutinho. Pedri got the start at #10 and while he had some very impressive skill for a 17 year-old, I didn't love his performance as much as Ray Hudson. I'd still put Messi there, let the defense collapse him if they want, and then bomb the FBs up the wings to combine with the wingers. Grizi got the start up top as the lone true striker and he struggled there. He came off at 80' for Trincao. At the same time, Braithwaite came on for the final 10' for FDJ. I didn't watch FDJ closely, but I did see him lose possession a couple of times in dangerous spots. Puig also got some minutes at the end, which is surprising because Koeman told him to get lost before the transfer window closed and he basically refused to do so. The only reason I find it surprising is because he got on ahead of a similar player in Alena. He didn't look very confident and while he's Barca's best MF to switch the point of attack, by the time he got on Barca needed to be direct. Just a poor performance overall.

Hopefully, some of this can be chalked up to the international break--Messi played the full 90 in both of Argentina's matches, including one at absurd altitude in La Paz. Of course, traveling to South America is also significant. Not sure if that's why Coutinho didn't start either, but I have to think Coutinho is the starting LW in the current best XI, and even if he's not he's one of the best 13-14 players. As was the case last year, the real problem at Barca ATM is the lack of a true Striker and playing Grizi out of position. In the 4-2-3-1, Grizi pretty much has to be the AMF or otherwise play as a Second Striker. That puts Messi on the RW, which should be OK, but that still leaves a hole up top. I honestly thought that Barca made a mistake not going for Cavani. Maybe he looks terrible at MAN U and I change my mind, but I'd rather have a B quality player in position rather than trying to pigeonhole one of our wingers or AMFs into that spot. Either that, or Koeman should play a false 9 with one of Messi, Grizi, Coutinho. The false 9 setup requires fast wingers, or strikers who can play wide, and take advantage of the space in behind the CBs though, which again limits options to Fati, Dembele (out of form), Trincao (young, and bedding in).

TL;DR: It's still very much a tire fire, and Barca host Real Madrid this weekend (Gulp!).

4231:
Neto
Dest-Lenglet-Pique-Firpo
Pjanic-FDJ
Messi/Trincao/Dembele-Grizi/Coutinho/Messi-Fati/Coutinho/Dembele
Braithwaite

433 (false 9):
Neto
Dest-Lenglet-Pique-Firpo
Pjanic-Busi-FDJ
Dembele/Trincao-Messi/Grizi/Coutinho-Fati/Braithwaite

I do like the idea of moving Messi to the 10 (actually have liked the idea for a few years) but I doubt that Koeman goes that route unless Messi is 1000% on board with it. The false 9 lineup is probably along the lines that I think he relies on, but with a Messi/Grizi/Fati front 3. Dembele looked out of it over the weekend, and rumors are that he has an issue getting to practice. Maybe we get more clarity with a UCL game this week?

Is there drama -- real or manufactured -- with Griezmann? I keep seeing news about Koeman having to respond to questions about his relationship with and use of Griezmann. The Spanish press likes to exaggerate these things, but is there something else to it?
I don't remember see too much of a specific issue between Koeman and Griezmann. I do feel like Griezmann has become the symbol of every wrong decision that the board has made over the years, so the Spanish press is likely to just take whatever rumor is out there that makes him look bad and run with it until it takes on a life of its own.
 

Zososoxfan

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I think the general feel around Barca is that they were/are a complete mess, so a lackluster tie against Sevilla and loss against Getafe fit the narrative. Real are defending champs who appear stronger and more consistent, so a random early season loss doesn't get as much notice (not to say it's unnoticed, just relatively less handwringing about it).

To be fair, Barcelona are a mess. They have brought in players over the years who have underperformed. They need to find replacements for aging out stars and did a poor job replacing other stars who moved on. They have no money and need to sell in order to buy. There is the very real risk that Messi moves on after the season for free.

I do like how Dest seems to not be out of place. He looks really, really good going forward. Still looks like his first reaction on defense is to drop back as quickly as possible (Barca LB and RB routinely do the opposite) and he positionally looks a little lost at times, so I wonder if that will be coached out of him. Pretty much as advertised though. And we were so close to an assist by Dest to Messi, which would pretty much make my life.
This is exactly right re why Barca's loss is likely more indicative of future performance and tire fired-ness.

I do like the idea of moving Messi to the 10 (actually have liked the idea for a few years) but I doubt that Koeman goes that route unless Messi is 1000% on board with it. The false 9 lineup is probably along the lines that I think he relies on, but with a Messi/Grizi/Fati front 3. Dembele looked out of it over the weekend, and rumors are that he has an issue getting to practice. Maybe we get more clarity with a UCL game this week?
Not sure what you mean with this, but a false 9 setup with Grizi on the wings has basically been tried and it just hasn't worked. I thought Grizi was a good signing, but he has shown that he's not versatile enough to succeed on the wings. He's really not a versatile player--he's either playing centrally with another player ahead of him, or a glorified pressure valve and LMF (his workrate is very good for someone as good as he is). Perhaps he can be a good winger again like he was at Sociedad, but I think we had a poster previously explain that the whole system was built around him there. He's not a good winger in the traditional sense.

I don't remember see too much of a specific issue between Koeman and Griezmann. I do feel like Griezmann has become the symbol of every wrong decision that the board has made over the years, so the Spanish press is likely to just take whatever rumor is out there that makes him look bad and run with it until it takes on a life of its own.
He's the symbol of everything wrong with Barca, except that Coutinho and Dembele are also on the squad. Total transfer fee for those 3: $395M!!!!! ($120M (Grizi) + $145M (Coutinho) + $130M (Dembele)) [faints]

I think it was a Dutch paper's interview with Koeman, where he stated the problem with Barca's attack pretty succinctly. All the good forwards like the ball to feet. None of them particularly thrive when running onto the ball and getting on the end of a pass. Even if there's only one guy to do that, it allows for everyone else to do their thing. But without the target man, the whole system falls apart.
 

rguilmar

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Not sure what you mean with this, but a false 9 setup with Grizi on the wings has basically been tried and it just hasn't worked. I thought Grizi was a good signing, but he has shown that he's not versatile enough to succeed on the wings. He's really not a versatile player--he's either playing centrally with another player ahead of him, or a glorified pressure valve and LMF (his workrate is very good for someone as good as he is). Perhaps he can be a good winger again like he was at Sociedad, but I think we had a poster previously explain that the whole system was built around him there. He's not a good winger in the traditional sense.

I think it was a Dutch paper's interview with Koeman, where he stated the problem with Barca's attack pretty succinctly. All the good forwards like the ball to feet. None of them particularly thrive when running onto the ball and getting on the end of a pass. Even if there's only one guy to do that, it allows for everyone else to do their thing. But without the target man, the whole system falls apart.
Looking at my own post, I am not sure what I meant entirely too. I think the best way to describe it is "fitting a square peg in a round whole". I do think that Koeman will run Griezman out there not because he's a good fit but because there are just so many bad fits on this team. You and other posters have covered that well.

I depressed myself a bit today when I thought about the current squad and who is likely to still be at Barca in the future whenever the team is rebuilt. We can debate for years what "rebuilt" means, but to me it's a legit La Liga and UCL contender. By that time, who is likely to be in that squad currently at Barca? It's a depressing exercise how few players make that list, and basically none with certainty.
 

Zososoxfan

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Looking at my own post, I am not sure what I meant entirely too. I think the best way to describe it is "fitting a square peg in a round whole". I do think that Koeman will run Griezman out there not because he's a good fit but because there are just so many bad fits on this team. You and other posters have covered that well.

I depressed myself a bit today when I thought about the current squad and who is likely to still be at Barca in the future whenever the team is rebuilt. We can debate for years what "rebuilt" means, but to me it's a legit La Liga and UCL contender. By that time, who is likely to be in that squad currently at Barca? It's a depressing exercise how few players make that list, and basically none with certainty.
I wouldn't go that far. MATS, FDJ, Fati, and Lenglet are close to locks for the next 4 years. Trincao, Puig, Alena, Dest (!), Araujo, Pedri, and Firpo hopefully yield another 2-3 starters. If 7/11 of the starters are on the next Barca UCL finals XI, I'd say it's hopefully not too far away:

MATS
Dest-Araujo-Lenglet-Firpo/X
FDJ-X
Trincao/X-Puig/Pedri-Fati
X

I'm most encouraged by the fact that the back looks more settled than I thought. It's very early of course, but Dest playing well in his first 2 matches at his age bodes very well. If Araujo and Lenglet can be a solid CB pair, I don't see why they can't grow together. Firpo at LB is almost certainly not going to hold for much longer. FDJ is a rock and he alone might be a good reason to fully commit to a 4231/4222. Fati really seems like the real deal as one of the best young wingers in the world in a very crowded field. I think Puig and Pedri give Barca a puncher's chance of having the top of a MF 3, or the point of a diamond (AMF) already in the squad. Both players have the requisite creativity and skill to unlock packed defenses and Puig's energy is infectious. There's a very small chance they can grow into a Xavi-Iniesta possession pair, but that's way way off. It's also way too early to tell if Trincao is the real deal, but hey it's an expensive bullet in the chamber.

FYI - I haven't watched today's match yet and don't know the result. I reserve the right to completely change my opinion!
 

Zososoxfan

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As I expected, Barca steamrolled an overmatched Fenercbahcos (pseudo-guess on the spelling there) 5-1 yesterday. Other than team selection and some basic formation notes, I don't think this match tells us too much. Pique picked up a needless red card towards the end that led to the PK goal against, which means he'll definitely miss the Juve match and potentially MD3 as well.

Dest and Roberto seems to be the go-to pairing of FBs at the moment. Obviously exciting as a Yank. Dest was willing and able to bomb forward and overlap. With Fati and Coutinho the most common LW and both frequently cutting inside, Dest's overlapping should be utilized a lot.

In midfield, Pjanic got the start alongside FDJ and he looked rusty to me. Even so, it was still nice to see a mobile player there for a change and he's definitely a more stout defender. He has the Juve pedigree--there was a bad turnover in the attacking third and he quickly moved to foul the player in possession to slow things down and allow the team to regroup--savvy veteran move. FDJ had a nice assist on Fati's goal.

Up top, Coutinho setup nominally as the #10, Fati on the left, Trincao on the right, and Messi up top. NGL, I didn't watch this match closely enough to figure out what Barca was doing on attack. But, Coutinho looks world's better than he left 2 years ago and his defensive workrate has improved considerably. Fati added another outstanding game to his resume and his goal from a FDJ lob was sublime (or a bit lucky). Trincao looks very skilled and tricky and he's willing to take on defenders. Hopefully he will push Dembele to perform. Speaking of which, Dembele bounced back nicely from the Getafe match. He has acres of space, but he made the most of it, scoring and assisting as a sub. Pedri also continues to look good.

Team selection for the Clasico this weekend will be very telling IMO. Was Grizi sitting about him resting for the weekend, or because Koeman doesn't think he fits into the Best XI? Busi came on for Pjanic at '75, presumably so both would be rested and available for Madrid. Roberto also came off after an hour for Firpo. While Koeman said that he puts his Best XI out there every match, that's misleading because he obviously knows that he needs to rotate some to get the most out of his players. But for Madrid, he will play his best XI.

For me, at the moment that includes Messi, Fati, and Coutinho without a doubt, and the only question is whether Koeman plays Grizi, Dembele, Trincao, or an extra MF. It would be ballsy to play Trincao this early in a Clasico, but with Fati and Dest already figuring in, what's another teenager right? As maligned as Grizi has been, this may be a good match for his pressure valve MF role. Grizi works his ass off and if Koeman wants better defensive shape, Grizi is a better option than Trincao or Dembele. Problem is that Fati has been so good at LW, that Grizi should probably do that as the RMF or not at all:

Neto
Roberto-Pique-Lenglet-Dest
Grizi-Pjanic-FDJ
Coutinho-Fati
Messi

If Grizi can make RMF work (not that crazy since he would be able to cut in on his left), that would be a good role for him, although that might kill Messi's space (or otherwise crowd Messi, Coutinho, and Grizi). It also leaves the team slower in attack. I'm not sure what Odriozola's status is for the weekend, but Carvajal is supposed to be out until December which is a huge loss.

This weekend might be an interesting opportunity to play Pjanic-Busi-FDJ together. That would theoretically be a stable MF and it gives a lot of balance. But I'm not expecting it until I see it.
 

rguilmar

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I wouldn't go that far. MATS, FDJ, Fati, and Lenglet are close to locks for the next 4 years. Trincao, Puig, Alena, Dest (!), Araujo, Pedri, and Firpo hopefully yield another 2-3 starters. If 7/11 of the starters are on the next Barca UCL finals XI, I'd say it's hopefully not too far away:

MATS
Dest-Araujo-Lenglet-Firpo/X
FDJ-X
Trincao/X-Puig/Pedri-Fati
X

I'm most encouraged by the fact that the back looks more settled than I thought. It's very early of course, but Dest playing well in his first 2 matches at his age bodes very well. If Araujo and Lenglet can be a solid CB pair, I don't see why they can't grow together. Firpo at LB is almost certainly not going to hold for much longer. FDJ is a rock and he alone might be a good reason to fully commit to a 4231/4222. Fati really seems like the real deal as one of the best young wingers in the world in a very crowded field. I think Puig and Pedri give Barca a puncher's chance of having the top of a MF 3, or the point of a diamond (AMF) already in the squad. Both players have the requisite creativity and skill to unlock packed defenses and Puig's energy is infectious. There's a very small chance they can grow into a Xavi-Iniesta possession pair, but that's way way off. It's also way too early to tell if Trincao is the real deal, but hey it's an expensive bullet in the chamber.

FYI - I haven't watched today's match yet and don't know the result. I reserve the right to completely change my opinion!
You're definitely more optimistic than me right now. MATS, FDJ and Fati I agree on being locks. I go back and forth on Lenglet. For the rest, there is a lot of potential, but it's hard to tell at this age if you have Xavi/Iniesta/Pique or Samper/Alena/Jeffren (remember when he scored in a Clasico?). Do we have another crop of Barca players or another crop of professionals for someone else?

Granted, I am taking the overly pessimistic attitude, and reality will likely lie somewhere between that and the squad you listed above. Man, I hope Dest is one of the players to stick! He's a good example- has tons of technical quality (obvious from literally his first touch at Barca) but if he doesn't develop the tactical acumen he won't be there for long.

I'm also at halftime of the Madrid-Shaktar replay, so I am starting to feel a little better about this weekend.
 

Zososoxfan

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Madrid 3, Barca 1. Puke.

Busi was super lazy tracking back and Valverde slammed home to open for the stupid Meringues (ooooh, Meringue --> get fucked). Barca went level when Messi played Alba in behind on the left and Alba centered for Fati who had a sweet finish to the far post from close range. Then, a bunch of shit happened. I don't really know. Then on a corner, Lenglet tugged on Ramos' shirt, Ramos made a meal of it, VAR, PK. Get fucked Ramos. Get fucked ref. Get fucked VAR. Koeman was late with subs, but Dembele and Grizi came on for a bit at least. Modric buried a third once Barca pushed numbers forward.

Dest was potentially MOTM for Barca, Neto also had a great game. Fati super legit and showing signs of willingness and desire to get in behind the D--he's fast enough to absolutely make this work and if he gets defenders to play off him a bit, he'll also be able to receive the ball at feet and facing goal, where he's becoming very good quickly. Coutinho also looking generally good from what I saw. Game seemed too big for Pedri. He was invisible in the first half.
 

SoxVindaloo

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Madrid 3, Barca 1. Puke.

Busi was super lazy tracking back and Valverde slammed home to open for the stupid Meringues (ooooh, Meringue --> get fucked). Barca went level when Messi played Alba in behind on the left and Alba centered for Fati who had a sweet finish to the far post from close range. Then, a bunch of shit happened. I don't really know. Then on a corner, Lenglet tugged on Ramos' shirt, Ramos made a meal of it, VAR, PK. Get fucked Ramos. Get fucked ref. Get fucked VAR. Koeman was late with subs, but Dembele and Grizi came on for a bit at least. Modric buried a third once Barca pushed numbers forward.

Dest was potentially MOTM for Barca, Neto also had a great game. Fati super legit and showing signs of willingness and desire to get in behind the D--he's fast enough to absolutely make this work and if he gets defenders to play off him a bit, he'll also be able to receive the ball at feet and facing goal, where he's becoming very good quickly. Coutinho also looking generally good from what I saw. Game seemed too big for Pedri. He was invisible in the first half.
What's the MF combination if Koeman is burying Puig and seems very reluctant to play Pjanic? I figured Busi would sit a lot more than he has this season.
 
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rguilmar

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Bartomeu Out. Along with his board.

Who's likely to replace him? I know nothing of club politics, just the product on the field.
There are a bunch of candidates out there as elections were already set for March. The most known quantity is Joan Laporta who was president previously and can claim to have built the great teams starting in 2008. He brought Pep in and would like to bring him back to Barca. He was a member of the Catalan parliament as well. He'd be the "Blast from the Past" candidate I suppose, as is Sandro Rosell who replaced Laporta ten years ago (I'm not 100% positive he declared his candidacy). Victor Font was at one point a favorite, and might very well still be. He seems to be running on focusing on the future of the club as opposed to reliving the past. He has a lengthy official plan for rebuilding the club. It seemed like if elections were held in March that he would be the favorite, but with this abrupt change Barca might go with a known quantity like Laporta. The election must take place within 90 days.

There will be bunch of promises from the candidates to bring back local Catalan/Barca legends to play advisory roles at the club (Xavi, Puyol and maybe Valdes the most prominent), promises to focus on La Masia and youth development, as well as big money moves for players and coaches once elected (though I do wonder how much of that will be happening given the current financial crisis).
 

bosox4283

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Pique suffered an injury during the Atletico match, and will be out a few months. Sergio Roberto also went down with an injury and will be sideline for a month or two. How will Koeman handle these injuries?

I think Koeman is making the right decision to rest Messi during this week Champion's League match. The team needs Messi to have a spark to be able to compete, and Messi looked tired against Atletico after his international travel.
 

rguilmar

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Add the short term loss of Busi and Fati's long term injury. Barca are going to need to hold things together for a while then string together a bunch of wins when players get healthy, and that's assuming no more injuries which seems unlikely given this fixture list.

Bright side is that Dest will get plenty of run.
 

bosox4283

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Any thoughts on or reactions to this piece from Sid Lowe about Barcelona?

"Barcelona Are in Ruins"

On Thursday morning, Tusquets told RAC1 that there are chunks of the Camp Nou roof coming off, the stadium in a desperate state of repair. He said that the club had lost more than €300 million in the past year. He said that players' salaries have been postponed to the tune of €160m; had they not been, Barcelona would not have made it to the end of the year. He said there can be no signings unless there are sales. He said that there is no money. And, most surprising of all, he said it would have been better to have sold Lionel Messi.
 

rguilmar

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I think we all knew that the finances were in rough shape, but this was a little more dire of a situation than I anticipated. The facts now are that Messi is likely to leave for nothing except salary relief (which apparently they aren't paying right now anyways) and that there is a bloated payroll with limited ways to alleviate it. I cannot imagine how Barca gets out of this without a significant amount of pain. Ideally they would sell a bunch of players and rely on La Masia products. It's easy to identify players that should be moved, but much harder to actually sell them. High salaries, economic hardships across Europe.

Remember those extremely ambitious renovation plans for the Nou Camp?
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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I knew Barcelona were in a lot of financial trouble but these figures (if true) are pretty stunning.

For comparison's sake, Spurs have by far the most debt in the PL because they just built a brand new stadium and their debt is only around 680m euro, with most of it very long term on favorable rates. Barca having nearly 1.2b euro in debt, 700m of it maturing soon, is insane, particularly given that pre-pandemic they had the highest revenues in world football. They have spent outlandishly on transfers and wages but it still doesn't really add up to me.

View: https://twitter.com/GuillemBalague/status/1353835473249120257
 

SocrManiac

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We've seen penalties levied on small clubs when they can't pay their wages in time. A quick google search isn't helping me find La Liga's rules on the subject, but I'm guessing Barca would probably be okay if they made partial payments.
 

Titans Bastard

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Hey, as a neutral it would be fun to see Barcelona go on a Rangers/Napoli type adventure.

No?
 

SocrManiac

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I can’t figure out if that is with or without endorsement contracts. If that includes his Nike money it’s marginally less insane. If that’s just his payroll from Barca... There’s a problem.
 

Vinho Tinto

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He’s no longer making that exact figure due to taking a COVID related pay reduction and not meeting all of his bonuses; but I believe it’s separate from Adidas and anything else he endorses. The loyalty bonus and image rights are not related to sponsors. I’ll give Barca credit for deftly pinning all of their debt at the feet of Messi. Id assume the billion dollars in debt only includes start up costs for the Nou Camp remodel. The total cost of that was originally estimated at 600 million and was going to increase the capacity over 100K - which makes little sense when you remember that their average league attendance was half that before COVID.
 
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coremiller

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Is 138m euros/year really that crazy for Messi? Besides his immense on-field value, he's also the most marketable player in the world. I could easily see Barca coming out ahead on that deal.
 

PedroSpecialK

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How much of the revenues does he bring in, though? I have to imagine the sum total of Barcelona's myriad sponsorships / naming rights would become significantly devalued without Messi as the face of the club - that figure doesn't seem all that wild to me
 

Vinho Tinto

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Both Madrid and Barcelona took a big hit because of Covid. For Barca, their projected revenue vs what they landed on was nearly a 200 million EUR hit.

However, when talking about Messi’s value to FCB’s revenues, RM’s revenues have continued to grow after selling Ronaldo. They’re neck and neck with Barca for the top spot on the Deloitte list. If Barcelona’s ability to generate revenue is that tied Messi, that speaks more to the club and not Messi.

I have no problem with Messi’s compensation. He and Ronaldo have been remarkable at growing the sport’s popularity. I just don’t brush off the cost to Barca’s bottom line. That’s a massive number. That’s before you get into everything else they are expensing. Barcelona is not just a massive football club. They have teams in many other sports that aren’t profitable. They’re going to need to make some big decisions in the next couple of years that will be difficult. It’s hard to balance the club’s ideals with finance.
 

67YAZ

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There will be an investor eager to step in and back a rebuild. I know Barca have a voting body of members and the facade of a communal institution, but investors will line up. This is one of the biggest global sports brands even without Messi. Whether it’s from the Gulf, Russia, China, or elsewhere, someone with deep pockets and desire to sports-wash their image will make a play.

No doubt many banks and US/EU investment funds will have interests, too. Barca isn’t going to stop generating revenue post-Messi and post-COVID. But as Vinho notes, there will be a lot of hard choices in restructuring in order to get back to sustainable turnover.

A sugar daddy will probably be too much to turndown, though, because the club will likely be spared many hard business decisions of the consent to being a shiny jewel in some oil magnate’s crown.
 

Vinho Tinto

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A sugar daddy will probably be too much to turndown, though, because the club will likely be spared many hard business decisions of the consent to being a shiny jewel in some oil magnate’s crown.
If they go down that road, it’s a permanent change to the club that holds “Més que un club“ as the central message to its members.
 

Zososoxfan

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I need to catch up on that story, but I feel the urge to write about a Barca match for the first time in months, so that's nice. Barca played Sevilla over the weekend and came away with a strong 2-0 win. This leaves them 5 behind Atleti with Atleti having a game in hand.

Barca lined up in 3-5-2:

MATS
Lenglet-Pique-Mingueza
Alba-Busi-Dest
Pedri-FDJ
Messi-Dembele

I have essentially no gripes with this lineup, with the caveat that I'd like to see Pjanic in the pivot eventually. Against a Sevilla side that typically dominates possession, Barca held the ball for 56%. That is the headline here. Well, that and Griezmann not being involved. Mingueza has been a revelation at CB/RB and he's a terrific complement to allow Dest to push forward. Dest is not playing as well lately as he did early on (presumably because he's been scouted), but even from an attacking shape perspective he's incredibly valuable--i.e. he helps create the numbers superiority. The MF 3 of Busi-Pedri-FDJ are all skilled enough and have enough chemistry now to dominate the MF. Messi obviously drops in to help there, and Pedri and FDJ are both quite good at reading that and pushing forward. When Messi dropped deep, Dembele moved centrally and that exact combination led to the first goal with Messi playing Dembele through from roughly midfield for a clinical 1 or 2 touch finish from Dembele.

View: https://streamable.com/ihtxbr


Pedri came off with a slight injury and was replaced by youngster Moriba. Moriba moved fluidly around the pitch a lot and assisted Messi's goal nicely--Messi chemistry is basically the number 1 most important attribute for a Barca attacker.

View: https://streamable.com/lc3m2s


Barca play Sevilla again in the return leg of a CDR matchup on Weds where they need to reverse a 2-0 first leg result.
 

rguilmar

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Catching up on a few things:

First, election for the next club president is essentially over with Blast from the Past candidate Joan Laporta winning election. He was in charge for the Rijkaard/beginning of Guardiola era, getting a chunk of credit for the greatest team I have ever seen (Barca 2008-9). That was a different era though, and the clubs finances are what they are. I would have preferred someone new because the club needs a different direction, especially financially.

Second, that 3-5-2 is looking good right now. Another nice performance this weekend, at least much better than what was on display for much of the season. They are not completely out of La Liga right now, which is surprising based on performances.

Finally, they are on to the Copa final against Athetic which marks yet another meeting of the cups two most consistent winners. Funny how the Copa del Rey usually ends up in the hands of clubs most identified as being anti- Rey. Not holding out too much hope of a comeback against PSG, but it has happened before.

End of the year, if they can finish ahead of Real Madrid and win the Copa del Rey, I would be ok with it. The team has been so poorly constructed, played so badly at times, and been hit by injuries that I am pleasantly surprised by the current table. Dembele looks like a different player, and I was willing to carry him to the airport destined for any club that would take him earlier this season. A bunch of the kids look really good, Dest had a dip in form/confidence and is back looking like he did earlier, Busi looks almost reborn.

That being said, major changes are needed. A lot will hinge on what happens with Messi. Even so, I think a bridge year to get a handle on the finances and unload whatever can be unloaded is in store for the next 12-18 months (if not longer). Changes from the board to the manager to the players will all be explored I imagine.
 

Zososoxfan

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Catching up on a few things:

First, election for the next club president is essentially over with Blast from the Past candidate Joan Laporta winning election. He was in charge for the Rijkaard/beginning of Guardiola era, getting a chunk of credit for the greatest team I have ever seen (Barca 2008-9). That was a different era though, and the clubs finances are what they are. I would have preferred someone new because the club needs a different direction, especially financially.

Second, that 3-5-2 is looking good right now. Another nice performance this weekend, at least much better than what was on display for much of the season. They are not completely out of La Liga right now, which is surprising based on performances.

Finally, they are on to the Copa final against Athetic which marks yet another meeting of the cups two most consistent winners. Funny how the Copa del Rey usually ends up in the hands of clubs most identified as being anti- Rey. Not holding out too much hope of a comeback against PSG, but it has happened before.

End of the year, if they can finish ahead of Real Madrid and win the Copa del Rey, I would be ok with it. The team has been so poorly constructed, played so badly at times, and been hit by injuries that I am pleasantly surprised by the current table. Dembele looks like a different player, and I was willing to carry him to the airport destined for any club that would take him earlier this season. A bunch of the kids look really good, Dest had a dip in form/confidence and is back looking like he did earlier, Busi looks almost reborn.

That being said, major changes are needed. A lot will hinge on what happens with Messi. Even so, I think a bridge year to get a handle on the finances and unload whatever can be unloaded is in store for the next 12-18 months (if not longer). Changes from the board to the manager to the players will all be explored I imagine.
Really good summary. It's just good to have positive feelings about the club again. That starts with the election where the appointment of ANYONE OTHER THAN BARTO is a huge improvement. To provide just a bit more commentary, I'm thrilled it's someone from the Cruyffista side, although I don't know if anyone actually associates as a Nunezista (Freixa??). At least there's a chance that there are adults in the room now and finances can be handled.

On the field, the 3-5-2 really has been a revelation. I don't think this is a complete team by any stretch, but this at least helps them get the most out of their talent and masks their deficiencies.

Although Dembele was wasteful early on in the Sevilla match, his goal was a WOW moment. Barca were plugging away, creating chances, but just not finishing. When the Alba volley rattled the crossbar and the Ocampos pen was given, it must've felt like all hope was lost. Man, what I would've given for that acrobatic Alba volley to go in! Then MATS comes up HUGE (on a shitty pen, but nevertheless), Griezmann to Pique for the magic header, following by Alba to Martin for the cherry on top. Winning the CDR may save Koeman's job for another season, but I actually hope Laporta just gets his project underway whether that means Koeman or someone else.

The Osasuna match was kind of just emphatic of the previous one. MATS came up even bigger, making 2 absolutely world class saves. Messi had a vintage assist to Alba, who smoked one of the nicest finishes a fullback can have. Then after a cagey affair where Barca weren't creating much, Moriba comes up with a moment of brilliance to ice it. I didn't think he had THAT tool in his game--hot damn!

The race for La Liga is still an uphill battle, with Atleti 3 points up with a game in hand. Atleti were a bit unlucky to concede to Madrid late yesterday, but that was probably the best result for Barca anyway. With UCL almost assuredly a pipe dream at this point, Barca should really be able to focus on finishing the league strong and pushing Atleti hard the rest of the way.
 

rguilmar

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Really good summary. It's just good to have positive feelings about the club again. That starts with the election where the appointment of ANYONE OTHER THAN BARTO is a huge improvement. To provide just a bit more commentary, I'm thrilled it's someone from the Cruyffista side, although I don't know if anyone actually associates as a Nunezista (Freixa??). At least there's a chance that there are adults in the room now and finances can be handled.

On the field, the 3-5-2 really has been a revelation. I don't think this is a complete team by any stretch, but this at least helps them get the most out of their talent and masks their deficiencies.

Although Dembele was wasteful early on in the Sevilla match, his goal was a WOW moment. Barca were plugging away, creating chances, but just not finishing. When the Alba volley rattled the crossbar and the Ocampos pen was given, it must've felt like all hope was lost. Man, what I would've given for that acrobatic Alba volley to go in! Then MATS comes up HUGE (on a shitty pen, but nevertheless), Griezmann to Pique for the magic header, following by Alba to Martin for the cherry on top. Winning the CDR may save Koeman's job for another season, but I actually hope Laporta just gets his project underway whether that means Koeman or someone else.

The Osasuna match was kind of just emphatic of the previous one. MATS came up even bigger, making 2 absolutely world class saves. Messi had a vintage assist to Alba, who smoked one of the nicest finishes a fullback can have. Then after a cagey affair where Barca weren't creating much, Moriba comes up with a moment of brilliance to ice it. I didn't think he had THAT tool in his game--hot damn!

The race for La Liga is still an uphill battle, with Atleti 3 points up with a game in hand. Atleti were a bit unlucky to concede to Madrid late yesterday, but that was probably the best result for Barca anyway. With UCL almost assuredly a pipe dream at this point, Barca should really be able to focus on finishing the league strong and pushing Atleti hard the rest of the way.
Probably better suited for another, but I would be shocked if Koeman is around next season. Under more normal circumstances, maybe the switch to a 3-5-2 and the reality of the likely limitations on a squad overhaul this summer because of the club's finances would be enough to save him. Clearly he is doing something now that is getting more out of the current squad, and that squad is unlikely to be much different next season barring several strokes of good fortune, so you would think he would be more likely to stay. But Laporta is promising big changes, except for the biggest of all- keeping Messi- and if the squad can't be changed the manager can be. I know Arteta is getting a lot of love. I imagine Xavi is too, or will be soon.

Beyond that is the obvious. Get wages under control by unloading whoever Laporta can find a taker for. Can't even get pushy on price. Barca might need to sell off other ancillary assets, but I don't know how much the new board will go for that. Whatever is left, they will probably have to sell their soul and naming rights for, right down to La Masia, the cathedral, and the restrooms (I know, unlikely). All of this is easier said on a message board than done, and getting out of Covid will help, but 1.3B is a lot of hooch to account for. Then the rebuild can begin. Others on this board have been more optimistic about the talent of the youngsters than myself, and generally speaking I was probably too pessimistic. So it becomes a matter of identifying and bringing in talent to fill the gaps around the kids. I don't know if Messi will stay for that, but I don't see how they can bring in someone like Haaland given his likely pricetag, so maybe they can get ahold of a different true 9 as a stopgap. Hopefully a new manager, a new approach, and the promise of a one year bump on the way to the next great Barca team will be enough.
 

Zososoxfan

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Last night I rewatched the second half of the Sociedad game and it's hard to overstate how dramatically different this team is playing stylistically than the past few years, and even earlier this season. The starting XI:

MATS
Mingueza-FDJ-Lenglet
Dest-Busi-Alba
Pedri-Griez
Messi
Dembele

Understanding the stylistic differences is based on 2 key changes. First, Dembele is now the team's 1st choice CF. He's learning on the job and his finishing needs to get cleaned up, but he's fast enough to occupy CBs and he's willing to make runs in behind. That has opened up space for Barca's other main attackers--Messi, Pedri, and Griez. Alba and Dest are the guys on the touchline.

The second key change is the 3ATB setup, which is really cool because of a defensive tweak. A 3ATB formation can usually be seen as allowing the team to throw wingbacks forward and create mismatches. While that's certainly true here, the key difference between Barca's 3ATB and a more traditional one is that FDJ is more of a libero who serves as a destroyer of sorts next to Busi. In other words, FDJ and Barca have finally figured out a way to hide Busi defensively while still having an offensive possession-based system that utilizes Busi's unique skillset.

In recent years, Barca have remained a possession-based team, but they have done so all over the pitch instead of doing so in the attacking and middle third. The players have dropped in quality and frankly just weren't as dangerous or press-resistant as before. Yesterday, against a very good Sociedad squad, Barca had 4, 5, 6, and at times 7 or 8 guys in and around Sociedad's box. Mingueza's speed allows for the right flank to remain protected (Dest is also lightning fast getting back) and Lenglet is fast enough with good enough awareness to keep his flank clean, but having FDJ help Busi in the middle makes Barca's immediate pressing after losing possession work.

I will also single out Griezmann for being a total bawse about putting in defensive shifts. As the highest levels of football are frequently allowing attackers to eschew many defensive responsibilities (Messi, Ronaldo, etc.), I have a soft spot for elite attackers that work their asses off in defense (2 prominent examples are Griez and Bobby Firmino, and peak Suarez). Griezmann is also something of a defensive libero who setups up in front of Lenglet and Alba, but he also helps clog the middle and protects Busi.

All very exciting stuff and most importantly, it's making it fun to watch Barca again.
 

67YAZ

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 1, 2000
8,729
A lot of smoke around Wijnaldum signing a pre-deal with Barca. I'll be interested to see the numbers given Barca's financial crunch, but he should be a world-class complementary player running with Messi (if Messi stays...). He can play every spot in the midfield and regularly features in the top-10 across the Big 5 leagues in ball retention and top-50 in ball recoveries.

I'm not sad that he seems to be leaving Liverpool. I'm smiling because it happened.

 

Zososoxfan

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Jul 30, 2009
9,208
South of North
A lot of smoke around Wijnaldum signing a pre-deal with Barca. I'll be interested to see the numbers given Barca's financial crunch, but he should be a world-class complementary player running with Messi (if Messi stays...). He can play every spot in the midfield and regularly features in the top-10 across the Big 5 leagues in ball retention and top-50 in ball recoveries.

I'm not sad that he seems to be leaving Liverpool. I'm smiling because it happened.

This signing screams 'trying to keep Messi around' to me. I LOVE Gini's game but this is a short-term move and a risky one at that. Gini generates a lot of his value through his workrate and he's 30 years old. I can see how he fits into next year's squad but beyond that, I don't think Alba, Pique, Messi, and Busi need any more buddies in the 30+ club.