Replacing the Old Barca.
Barca have always had one strict philosophy and therefore the type of players they play and sign and managers they appoint will never be exactly the same but will always be similar.
Previously I looked at sensible squad changes that Barca could make.
Now however, I look at how Barca can replace the old generation. This is by picking 2 players in each position who with the right coaching and development can recreate the success Barca had in the early 90’s, mid to late 2000’s and early 2010's.
Goalkeeper.
Victor Valdes is undisputably Barca’s greatest ever goalkeeper. Many people don’t give him the same hype mainly because he came up the same time as Iker Casillas but Valdes still ranks highly among history’s best ever goalkeepers.
He was not quite Buffon or Casillas or Cech or Van Der Sar or Kahn or Neuer but in addition to being a competent shot stopper, he was very good on the ball.
Barca would have hoped than in Marc Andre Ter Stegen they were fine but his recent drop off has not been encouraging. However the rise of Arnau Tenas and Inaki Pena is confidence inducing. In addition they can go external.
Athletic’s Unai Simon though he’d command an unnecessary amount. Leeds’ Ilan Meslier(though he’s still raw.) Andre Onana of Ajax and Robert Sanchez of Brighton.
RIGHT BACK.
Finding the next Dani Alves is impossible. Even Trent Alexander Arnold and Joao do not have the same mastery of the role as Dani Alves. However finding a worthy replacement with his own imprint to the role is possible.
Sergino Dest(albeit there have been reports of his exit) is more than perfect. Good in defensive duels. Dangerous in one on ones. A good crosser. Decent eye for goal. Good passer. Technically astute. Fast. Good strength and balance.
Effectively, Dest has everything technically and physically. He will definitely improve tactically and while Barca could find other alternatives it makes no sense letting someone as good as he is leave.
A backup could and should be signed but he must remain as the man for the job.
CENTER BACK.
Going from Marquez-Puyol to Pique-Puyol to Pique-Mascherano was a blessing for Barca. However they now need replacing.
- 1. Someone to lead and organize the defense like all 4 did.
- 2. Someone to be proactive and tenacious like Puyol and Mascherano.
- 3. Someone to effectively be a ball progressing machine from center back like Pique.
- 4. Someone to read the game and stop the danger before it strikes like all four.
They have number’s 2–4 however due to inexperience they lack number 1. Which is where Matthijs De Ligt comes in. As far as center backs go, he has the potential to win the Balon D’or. A leader even at 22, De Ligt is one of the world’s best. Partnered with Garcia,Araujo and maybe even Mika Marmol, he is bound to raise their levels to what they’re meant to be.
LEFT BACK.
Eric Abidal and Jordi Alba are not quite Roberto Carlos and Marcelo but they were among the world’s best left backs in their primes. In my opinion they are at least among history’s 20 best ever left backs.
Abidal was more defensive, Alba was more attacking however they met the qualities demanded of a Barcelona full back which was the ability to attack and defend equally well which in their prime they both did.
However they need replacing. Alex Balde is coming up well in the B team, however he’s still 18 so they need someone between the ages of 25 and 27 to fill in. Valencia’s Jose Gaya(26),Benfica’s Alex Grimaldo(27) formerly of La Masia are to viable options.
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD.
The circumstances behind how Pep Guardiola replaced Yaya Toure with Sergio Busquets have never been without controversy. People said it was racism but let’s not get into it.
Eitherway the two players had their own different impacts in the Barca pivot role with Busquets being more willing to sit deep and dictate play,before suddenly breaking the lines while Toure was more of a screening presence who’d carry the ball into midfield before passing it to the nearest midfielder or put it into the channel himself.
With Frenkie De Jong and Nico Gonzalez Barca should be confident. Both are more like box to box midfielders however with the right coaching and indoctrination they can adapt their skill set to the Barca pivot role.
While none of the two are willing to sit deep that much, they are both strong physically, capable technically,intelligent and press resistant. If they improve their positioning and judgement, Barca have two world class pivots.
CENTRAL MIDFIELD.
Xavi-Iniesta is the greatest midfield partnership of all time and recreating it is impossible. However, like they did when they signed Rakitic,Barca can find a worthy replacement.
They both offered line breaking passing and press resistance. Iniesta also added an element of ball carrying while Xavi dictated play.
Gavi shows a good combination of both their qualities. A bit reserved in his passing like Xavi, while proactive in his pressing and ball carrying like Iniesta.
Puig has Iniesta’s ball carrying and proactiviteness and Xavi’s insistence on spending so much time on the ball however he still needs to learn how to balance both qualities.
Pedri is less of a ball carrier and more willing to receive in between the lines and break lines with his passing. Like Xavi, he is not the kind of presser who will rush his man and will instead block of his options.
Effectively all three mean Barca are sorted. Plus there’s still Txus Alba and Aleix Garrido in the academy. Plus Nico and Frenkie can also be used here when they are not playing pivot but their more box to box midfielders than interiors.
ATTACK.
Barca had a horst of legendary front three’s. They all provided a horst of things that need replacing.
- World class creativity. This was provided by Messi,later on both Neymar and Suarez. Best example being 15/16 where all three had 15 plus assists.
- Decent levels of creativity from goalscorers. Villa,Pedro,Eto’o and Henry were never as creative as the the three mentioned above but they all offered decent levels and got decent assist numbers.
- Goal scoring. Villa,Pedro and Henry never had 20 goal seasons but they still hit double figures and this was key. Eto’o won the Pichichi in his last season. Messi goes without saying and Suarez and Neymar had multiple 20 goal plus seasons with Suarez hitting 40 in 15/16.
The first aspect can be provided by Ousmane Dembele. He’s not Messi however I won’t be shocked if he does a 15 assist season. Same can be said of Ferran,Ilias and Abde. Yes I believe even Ferran can get 15 plus assists. His passing and crossing were a major portion of his game play at Valencia.
The second can be done by Fati and a confident ball playing nine like Isak or Nunez. Though Fati is also complete enough to join the first category.
The third one is also sorted. Fati has the potential to give multiple 25 plus goal seasons. Ferran can do 20. Ousmane 15. Plus if Barca sign a 9 that’s another 20 plus goal player. If they sign Haaland that’s another 25 plus player.
If Barca want to be sure of goals they should sign Haaland but I personally believe that Fati should be at the heart of the Barca project not Haaland.
CONCLUSION.
Barca don’t have a front three of Foden,Mbappe and Haaland. They don’t have Gravenberch and Aouar alongside Pedri. They don’t don’t have a back line of Trent,De Ligt,Kounde and Davies with Donnarumma in goal but their brand of youngsters with the right development and coaching and the right additions here and there can take them to the top of the world.
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