An indicator to make bids? Perhaps not

Reflecting upon yesterday’s game, Catalan based newspaper El Mundo Deportivo reported some of the questions and worries that have emerged regarding the current Barcelona team and the form they showed on Saturday night: the circumstances were very hard indeed, but one should neither collapse nor be in a hurry to claim the team’s downfall. Sevilla’s experience, obviously, won over Barcelona along with a superior tone and a better pre-season preparation; the physical fitness of Sevilla’s players also played a positive role as well as the adaptability of the players to the Andalucian hot weather.

During the game, while Barcelona players kept their rhythm constant, Sevilla players did not accelerate it and thereby were not able to cause any troubles for the Blaugrana. However, with the lost chances, youth players, and the substitutions made, Barcelona’s problems were unveiled as the players could not manage to play with a clear system, thus their weak points were exposed.

It is clear that the midfield needs to be looked at. The suspensions and injuries could affect the team throughout the whole season. Nevertheless, by the end of the week the team shall welcome back the international players who have just landed at the Ciutat Esportiva a couple of days ago; a come back is possible. It will be as well an opportunity for the fans to come back once again to the Camp Nou and cheer for their team.

The coming week, however, is long enough for one to reflect on two evident cases: 1) That Sergio Busquets needs a substitute, and 2) That the combination of central defenders that Guardiola has tried so far have not been very effective.

On the other hand, to say that, upon yesterday’s result, the team should urgently go and buy new players is not an appropriate solution! The whole body of the team should discuss and assess along with the technical secretary the whole situation. It will not be possible to keep on forming different starting line-ups comprised of eleven different players each time, nor will it be effective to expect that the youth players will shine by themselves. The ideal solution would be to include each of them on different occasions as they play with the first team players; they will then gain more experience and will not be subject to bear the responsibility of the team’s loss (as in the Super Cup loss case!). It is obvious by now that there is plenty, even a surplus, of potential, quality players, but it is time to start taking some decisions.