FC Barcelona – The Season So Far.
FC Barcelona had a good start to 2012-13 with new manager Tito Vilanova. Winning the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup. But all was not well as the second leg was lost (on away goals, no less) to Real Madrid. The naysayers went off with their usual ‘The shift in power has happened in Spain’ and ‘Madrid are now the dominant force.’
Five months later and this could scarcely be further from the truth. FC Barcelona sit pretty at the top of the La Liga table, nine points clear of second placed Atletico Madrid and thirteen clear of Real Madrid. To put it into perspective, no team in the history of this league has ever overturned anything bigger than an eight point gap to win the title. That enough should suffice.
Here is a look at the season so far in review – the highs and the couple of lows and my own thoughts on what Barca need to reach their full potential.
First the ‘highs’ of the season, since there are too many I won’t elaborate and just name a fair few:
- Messi’s 90 goals this calendar year.
- An undefeated start to the La Liga campaign.
- The form of Cesc Fabregas.
- The return of David Villa.
- The win against Atletico.
- Abidal’s return to full training after cancer treatment.
Now the ‘lows’ of the season. When Barca are the only team to remain unbeaten domestically, you ask me how it can get any better. I say it can. Here’s the major lows this season:
- Victor Valdes’ questionable goalkeeping skills.
- Lack of a steady central defensive partnership.
- Lack of back-up to Carles Puyol.
- Defeat at Glasgow to a tough as nails Celtic side.
- Messi’s near-horrific injury scare.
- Tito Vilanova’s cancer relapse.
FC Barcelona has a lot to look forward to in 2013. Promising youngsters and experienced heads are renewing contracts, ensuring continuity for at least another four years. From Cristian Tello to Leo Messi, the players are happy with the club, the manager and the results. Tito Vilanova has been able to inject a new enthusiasm into a squad that Pep Guardiola very nearly perfected. The addition of Jordi Alba has to be the best summer signing made by any club in Spain as far as value goes. The return of form of all the players, especially the likes of Adriano and Gerard Pique are giving the manager a pleasant headache when it comes to team selection. The purchase of Cesc Fabregas, seen by many as a waste of thirty-odd million Euros is a masterstroke that ensures not one of the established names has the mentality of being guaranteed a starting spot. At any moment, bringing in the likes of Adriano, Alba, Tello, Sanchez, Villa, Song, Mascherano and Fabregas is possible meaning very few positions in the team are not backed up well enough. With injuries to a fair few players earlier in the season, Barca weathered the storm when it seemed their squad would be stretched. They came through that period and still remain the only unbeaten team in all domestic competitions in all of Europe.
- But Barca need to improve. They need a plan ‘B’ per se. Or a plan ‘Think of Messi as not being there’ in other words. They need to find a way of playing with a slightly more individual standpoint and I daresay, a little more like Real Madrid. Let players in good positions try and beat their man and into space instead of passing backwards or sideways. Too many times this season Barca are frustrated on the counter-attack as was evident against an organized Celtic at Glasgow Park.
- Another place where there is room for improvement is the position of center back. We need a new defender, no matter which way you look at it. Puyol is a legend and we love him but we’d like to see him play out his career and lift a trophy to end it – not see it end prematurely on a treatment table and the man isn’t 20 anymore. A good fit would be Mats Hummels or Neven Subotic. The latter has currently stalled contract talks with Borussia Dortmund and should attract plenty of interest.
- Bringing in competition is always good. And Barca have the funds to do it now with Qatar Airways rumored to have signed a shirt deal to become the first-ever corporate sponsors on a Barcelona shirt in a hundred years. Valdes needs a reminder that he’s not the guaranteed starter in all big games. Bringing a young goalkeeper with good qualities will ensure he doesn’t get too comfortable. Barca purists will point to Pinto and while he’s been a loyal servant to the Blaugrana cause, he’s hardly a top-class goalkeeper.
- The last thing Barca need to do is to do more of something. More rest for Leo Messi. Put him in the stands for matches that are a dead-rubber. When your entire game is affected by the brilliance of one man, you don’t put him out there at risk of injury for the sake of fans emotions. Leo Messi is only human and is one bad tackle away from a horrific injury. Here’s hoping he’s rested when he isn’t needed. For there is only one Leo Messi.
Seeing Tito Vilanova suffer a cancer relapse on the same day Eric Abidal rejoined training was a hammer blow to the morale around Camp Nou. One day after the contract renewals of three critical players at Camp Nou were announced, the mood turned from joy to despair as Vilanova underwent surgery and is now scheduled for six months of chemotherapy. We wish him all the best and a return to a hopefully still-unbeaten team, whenever he does comeback.
#AnimsTito
With Jordi Roura, the club is in good hands, former La Masia graduate and goalkeeper for FC Barcelona. Roura is the man that shows continuity and not ingenuity is the key to Barcelona being what they are – the best in Spain and perhaps in Europe.
The year 2012 has been kind to us, at least so far. Here’s looking forward to an excellent 2013 and an amazing season for all involved!! Merry Christmas from the Nou Camp.
Here’s a quick look at the players of the season so far at FC Barcelona.
Highlight player of the season (so far):
Lionel Messi – 26 goals in La Liga, and 36 in all competitions the little Argentine is bound to score 50 goals by the end of the season at this rate. . He has had 11 doubles and one hat-trick on the way to annihilating Gerd Muller’s record of 85 goals in a calendar year. He’s got 91.
Honorable mention:
Sergio Busquets – always overshadowed in the company of Fabregas, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets is the hub of an FC Barcelona team at their peak. The link between defense and attack, the vital engine cog that makes no power but without which it doesn’t quite run as smooth. Barca may have been amazing this year largely thanks to Messi’s brilliance. But with Busquets back in the squad, they are on another level. Neither Alex Song nor Javier Mascherano have the speed of thought and the technical ability of Busquets when he’s on the ball. Playing brilliant one-twos with Xavi when playing the ball out from the back and even in midfield.
Watch out for Busquets to be a star of the future. As if he isn’t already.
