By: Marlon Walcott (Guest journalist and avid Barcelona supporter)
Fans of FC Barcelona have had a difficult few years following the club culminating in last year’s trophy-less season.
The fans don’t often agree with the decisions of the club leadership but they both know what they don’t like.
For the club leadership though, they don’t seem to have clear ideas on what they actually want.
This season I hope everyone has realistic expectations, winning the league was always going to be challenging but at this stage of the season and with the deficit in points at this point it seems unlikely.
I think the squad can, and should, take the Copa Del Rey seriously. Realistically it’s a winnable trophy and would help rebuild some of the confidence of the players while the team reorganizes and builds.
After the last Champions League quarter-final it should be clear to any reasonable person that Barca does not have the system or personnel to compete against the best teams in Europe.
The team is in the valley, down from the mountain top of Treble’s and Champions League dominance.
There are issues from front to back but there are also many signs that things can turn around in a season or two.
I hope rather than simply firing Koeman if he underperforms. The club waits until it can retain the services of a coach that fits into a plan to climb back up the footballing mountain.
For now taking a look at those issues and bright spots is the best we can do.
Up front Messi wasn’t his usual prolific self early in the season but seems to be regaining form, Griezmann has struggled but also shown recent improvement, and Braithewaite has shown glimmers but seems to lack the quality needed.
Early in the season Ansu Fati’s goals helped keep the team afloat but he is out until March with an injury.
On the other side of the injury coin Dembele is fit again and looks to be building momentum with his 2nd highest goal tally in four seasons.
Barca hasn’t had the personnel to fit the preferred 4-3-3 and have experimented with various formations as a result.
This season though Pedri aka Pedro González, has been a revelation and alongside De Jong has sometimes provided the type of midfield that brings memories of the first Treble winning team.
Pjanic provides an alternative in defensive midfield and along with Puig trying to break into the team may provide the right mix for the remainder of the season.
Busquets continues his inconsistent form and while Coutinho looked to finally be ready to make his mark, he joins Fati in being out for several months after a knee surgery.
It is hard to talk about Barca’s defense without talking about Pique.
When he was fit he routinely stepped up to challenge for the ball with no one in position to cover if he made a mistake and lacked the pace to recover.
His injury then has seen Lenglet, Araujo and Mingueza perform a bit better compared to the start of the season.
The full backs have been good, Alba isn’t always my favorite but his failings on the defensive end and even the center backs are sometimes down to being exposed too often by the overall system.
I like what I’ve seen of Sergiño Dest and Sergi Roberto, is at least good in any position on the field and has grown into a reasonable full back.
Barca is indeed in the valley but with cohesive tactics and focused application of the team's strengths I believe the team can finish the season much stronger than it started. Whether or not that means finishing this season with a trophy is the million dollar question.
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