Barca Blues LA LIGA
ERNESTO VALVERDE INHERITED A BARCELONA SIDE IN A STATE OF FLUX AND IN NEED OF CLARITY BOTH ON AND OFF THE PITCH. COLIN MILLAR ASKS IF HE CAN BUILD A TITLE WINNING TEAM.
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t was the summer of discontent in Catalonia, a period which began with the indignity of watching eternal rivals Real Madrid first beat them to lifting La Liga before becoming the first club to defend their Champions League title in the modern era. As with any fierce rivalry, fans of La Blaugrana are often hurt as much by success at Santiago Bernabeu as they are by their own team’s failings. Madrid’s signings of Theo Hernandez and Dani Ceballos – two of the hottest properties in Spanish football – furthered the exasperation levels at Camp Nou. A decade ago Barcelona’s spine of Victor Valdes, Gerard Pique, Carlos Puyol, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi was a show of strength and a vindication of their faith in youth and hovering up the best Spanish talent. Madrid’s reboot of the Galacticos side had failed, but the table had now turned. Hernandez and Ceballos were talents who escaped Barca’s clutches despite late, and ultimately futile, interest. Relative snips too in a market quickly becoming bloated beyond recognition, the emerging talent of Marco Asensio – whom officials at Camp Nou had reportedly rejected for €4m three years earlier – only added salt to the
‘Barca fans are hurt as much by Real Madrid’s success as their own team’s failings’ 42
Holiday Edition 2017 Soccer360Magazine.com
wounds. As the 2016-17 campaign drew to a close, the Catalan club had only three regular starters under the age of 28: Samuel Umtiti, Sergi Roberto and Neymar. This was a side who desperately needed succession planning and to replenish their ranks in order to reduce their dependency on the magical Lionel Messi. The club’s shortcomings in all of these aspects was exposed by the Neymar’s summer exit to Paris Saint-Germain. The €222m release clause inserted into his contract, signed only the previous year, was meant to rule out the possibility of the 25-year-old’s departure. Barca had banked the house on landing Neymar from Santos only three years earlier: strengthening their questionable relationship with Qatar, failing to disclose and account for payments. It was a controversial part of a flawed and ultimately illegal transfer strategy which eventually saw Barca sit out two transfer windows due to breaking FIFA rules on signing youth players. Reinforcements arrived, perhaps belatedly. The club’s right-back slot – utility midfielder Roberto had filled in for a season due to the club’s bizarre decision not to replace Dani Alves – was filled by the arrival of highly-rated Portugal international Nelson
LEFT: Brazil international Paulinho is on course to win Barca hearts and minds BELOW: Neymar’s summer departure to Paris SaintGermain rocked Barcelona