ELECTIONS AT BARÇA (II)

In this second post about the future of Barça, I want to talk about sports model. About football. About the Sections (other sports), I will discuss it in a forthcoming.

What has made Barça a great club in recent years, beyond the victories and titles, is the way to play. A work that begins in the late 70s with people like Oriol Tort or Laureano Ruiz, but it gets the final boost from the arrival of Cruyff as coach. Cruyff carries with it the working model at Ajax, it begins to be applied to all grassroots football. So, 25 years ago. Not 4 days.

This model (a way to play, a way to train) is a mainstay when we speak of being "More than a Club". A Club where all teams play the same way, from the lowest/youngest to the top/oldest. Obviously, there are variations from one team to another, for the simple reason that the players are not all equal. But the idea is one and only one.

Now, that is gone. The first team plays in a way that has little to do with that. Some people speak of evolution, revolution, even ... Forgive me, but now is another style of play. Beyond that you like it or not. In the meantime, the youngest at the Club continue to work as usual, and the closest to the first team (Barça B, Juvenil A) are in no man's land. Neither here, nor there.

This is what they have to say potential candidates: What model they want. And how it is applied. And this means to coach people that cas apply this model. And, look for players that are adaptable to the model. And, having an effective Technical Secretariat. No point having a fantastic program (as they say is the COR, with 20,000 players in its database) if we don't sign the type of player we need (when we have to sign). This is a second premise. We've been told plenty of times in recent times that if  we don't find outside here the player we need, we will look at home. Is this "Barça's Philosophy? Excuse me, but no. If you want to do things well, the first thing is to look at home. And, if you do not find what we seek at home, then you have to go outside. But not vice versa. The club invests around 20-25M€/year in Grassroots/Academy... to go signing outside? Sorry, but I'm lost.

The Club sports model, then, must have these 3 legs: Model of play, model of training and model of recruitment/training.

The model of play must be ours, we've had so far. That is based on positional play. For all Club teams. And if a candidate wants to change, he says. Not worth what we have now: Saying one thing (that the model is not discussed), and make a different, ie play another way. And, if they want to change, they have to tell us why. This about "the model is obsolete" is a lie. The problem is that many do not yet know how the model works, and as it is difficult, or very difficult, if solutions are not found, the better thing is to change.

Similarly, and linked with the above, how to train should be the same: everyone has to train the same way (obviously, with the differences based on age: it is not the same a 9 year old boy, one of 15, or an adult). And therefore, it is needed to have trained coaches who understand how Barça works. And, apparently, once we are out of Barça, there are no coaches in the world who know the functioning of positional play. It is not time for a global approach? Similarly we have exported the  brand "Barça" across the globe in terms of a number of things, why not do it at the level of methodology?

Finally, the third leg. The recruitment and training. As I have said many times, the current recruitmenr system does not work. At least the structure. There are many trips here and there that could be solved differently, just as there are many places where there is no presence of the Club. We need to do these processes more rationally, so that there is maximum presence and hence the maximum information. And also, we have to use all ways to obtain this information. And, there are many unused. As for training, as I said before, the current model of "La Masia" is to be used. First, always, from home. And to see well the needs of the first team and search at home. It can not be that Barca B let go, especially in recent years, a lot of players that are replaced by others, that the following year are leaving again. This, I understand, means that there is no clear policy regarding the type of players they are searched/needed. Furthermore, the way that happens mostly: those who go do it for free and those that come are costing us money.

Over these three legs I understand we have to build the Barça of the future. And if a candidate believes that the legs should be a different way, say it. But in concretion. What and how he will do it. It has to be clear to all. Barça is a football Club, and it is useless to have many benefits if then the performance on the pitch is not as expected.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP

ELECTIONS AT BARÇA (I)

It seems that the pre-electoral campaign for the elections for President of FC Barcelona which, at the latest, will be in the spring of 2016, has already begun. Beyond the possible/probable candidates, I want to make some reflections on what I think any of them should consider.

The first (and it is what this post is dedicated t), is the club model. Not model referred to the sports side, but in terms of economic and social aspects.

Barça is a club with around 150,000 owners: the "socis" (members). All with the same rights and duties. Every 6 years by universal suffrage, we choose the person who will lead us through this period.

Each year, in order to control the action of the Board, we have the General Assembly of Commissioners. First problem. The Commissioners basically are chosen through a lottery process. That is by far, if some one wants to go to the Assembly, if the machine does not pick your membership number, you will not be there. This, among other things, makes an Assembly which has more than 4,000 potential participants, only have, at crunch time, around 1,000. Few people. Very little, to decide, and often without all the required information, what we want to be done in the next period.

Moreover, one of the things that is being considered is whether the current model can increase substantially the income/benefits of the Club. At the end of the day, if the Club has no benefits, you can not sign players (if needed), you can not make improvements to infrastructure, etc.

To make it easy, we will say that basically there are 3 types of Club model. The first is the one we have said. The one that Barça has today. One where those who go to the stadium, are the owners, at 100%, of everything that represents the Club.

The second model is followed by the majority of Clubs worldwide. The Club is a Corporation with an(some) owner(s). These are the ones who decide what happens in the Club. People who go to the stadium to watch the games, unless they are shareholders, they have no say over what happens in the Club.

A third model, mainly, is used in Germany. Basically, in this model, the supporters (the "socis" for Barca) are the owners of the football club. At the same time, there is a "Corporation" that is responsible for the whole theme about marketing, advertising, etc. That is, what is the "non sport" part, the Club (ie the sports part), is the majority shareholder of the "Corporation".

The key question is: Can Barça, with its current structure, maintain the same level of income/benefits thatthe other big Clubs have?

If the answer is YES, we don't need to talk anymore. Only (and already is a big job), they should seek ways to encourage higher participation of the "socis" and, at the same time, greater control over the actions of the Board. And when I say control I do not mean an agency to audit every 5 minutes what the Board is doing. At the end of the day, when it is chosen it is because it is believed to be the best prepared to do. I mean some sort of "Parliament" or whatever you want to say, to be able to say yes or no to certain specific activities (such as money invested in signings, infrastructure, etc.). It is not that, every time we buy a laptop (for example), you have to ask this body to give its approval. No. This is the day by day of the Board. It is, roughly, the general control of the big budget items.

If the answer to the question we've done before is NO, it is necessary that we think we want to be. What and how.

Being a "Corporation", like the majority of Clubs means that, those who go to the stadium, in principle, decide nothing. Now, they do not own anymore. The owners are a group of people who invest their money and as such, their first goal is to have an economic benefit. No sports. So that we understand: winning the Champions League is good for the money paid to the entity, not the sporting event. This means that you can buy and sell players based on an income statement, not the performance that may occur in the field. The big advantage for most of the current "socis" is that our money is no longer in danger. There are others who win or lose. Like any ordinary company. Because that's what Barça would become. A company like many other that manufactures cars or drinks. Like any ordinary business, there will be some sponsors who will pay money to add their trademark on the pitch. They will be those who are entitled to tickets for the big games. So they pay. On the other hand, if we like it, it's well, and if not, too. And the day they get tired of this "toy" they will leave. They will sell their shares to others. That will continue to decide what is best for their pockets. Examples include Manchester United, AC Milan, Liverpool, PSG, etc.

The second option, if not possible the actual one, is the German model. Here is a company that represents what is the "nos-sport" side. The sports Club is still owned by the "socis", and they always have the majority of shares in the Corporation. In this sense, I recommend the following article (in Spanish) by @feriurgo which explains very clearly how the system works. It has the advantages of the availability of a lot of money. The disadvantage, as in the previous case, it would no longer be all ours. Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, etc. work with this model.

There is still another option. Accepting that we can not grow with the current system and not wanting to change. This can mean that we can be many years without winning the Champions League (and perhaps not participate at it). Moreover, this also represents that the work done with at the grassroots still have to be much higher than we do now, because we will not have the necessary money or to buy great players (when needed), or pay large wages that they have. It is to stay with the current model (assuming you can not grow up with it), with all that it would mean at all levels.

In any case, the first thing to decide the one who wants to be the next President of Barça is this. Without the definition of this model, it will be difficult to decide the sports policy, which I will talk about in the next entry.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP

WE'VE LOST THE 2v1. AND THE BEST MESSI

Since always there has been talks about the importance of playing on the wings, giving width. To make open the opposing defense, either bringing the wingers to the flanks and leaving the center free, either taking advantage of the own full-backs going up.

The football of Barça in recent years (and, we can say that almost always since I can remember) had wingers. Either playing with "right leg" to go to the goal line and crossing or either with "switched leg" to go from the outside to the inside of the box.

Now, with Luis Enrique, we don't have this. I will not speak about if mode, if evolution... No. I just want to mention what, for me, are the tactical consequences.

On one hand we have that, the fact that there are no wingers, makes that the full-backs are the ones that have to go to the goal line and cross. As the winger is not there to cover him, it is the job of the Attacking Midfielder to do it. This means that in the middle, where once we had Xavi and Iniesta (to go to the best known and nearby), now there is no one. But not only that. Busquets not only drops between the center-backs to take the ball out, but also he stays there in a lot of plays; this means that there are 3 at the back and none of them is the full-back of the other side where we have the action. That is, the Barça midfield has many distances among players. And it costs a lot to recover the ball, because the players are very far from it. If this recovery is not done immediately after loss, it's time to go back to defensive positions. And sometimes very quickly, too quickly, because the opponent has had time and space to organize the counterattack.

1. WITH LUIS ENRIQUE

And so we say Busquets is not useful when the problem (in principle, beyond that he is better or worse fit), is that he is placed 20 meters away from the AM's when before he was just 10. And of course, he can't arrive to all. Before it was all triangles between players. Now, they are not. And the foundation of any organization are the triangles that allow to give constant support to the companions.

We turn now to the offensive situation when we have wingers. We have the full-back going up by the flank and, a few meters away, we have the winger. On one side or the other. The opposing defense goes to intercept the full-back, who passes to the winger that give the ball back. 2v1 situation, impossible to stop if well executed. Classic scenario in football. And if the 2v1 is at the flank, it is still more impossible to stop. No more.

But we have more. Before, when the AM was going up by the middle of the pitch, accompanied by the full-back, we had the same 2v1 situation. Yours-mine and a player "deleted". And the AM or the FB continued carrying the ball and created again this 2v1 with the opposing center-back when Messi (with that "false 9"), was going two steps back.

2. WITH GUARDIOLA

Now, no. Now there are no wingers. As much as someone says "narrow-wingers". This does not exist in football. Wingers, by definition, are open. If not, they are anything else, but they are not wingers. We continue. No wingers and the forwards are too close to the defenders to create these spaces and 2v1 situations. It's that simple. And when the FBs go, the forwards are fixed. As he is fixed, we know where he is and therefore there's no 2v1.

And this, that seems so simple, is one of the things the actual Barça has lost. The 2v1 aims to eliminate opposing players and lines. If we have a team mate (who some call "the third man", which is free), we have a passing line. And, as we have passing lines if the move is continued (Pass and go), that is what we have to do, we have a returning line. We have 2v1. The issue is that the player with the ball always follow the play, so, the opposite player coming not know where to go. If he goes to the one that has the ball, the one that does not have it is free. If he goes to the one that does not have it, the carrier has space.

Before, Messi, with this of the "false 9", had the wingers 20-25 meters away. Space. Plenty of room and also with Leo very close to the box. Now, if Messi wants this distance with Neymar and Suarez he has to play 10-15 meters behind them. That is, 10 to 15 meters away from the box. And Messi, as closer to the box he is, as more dangerous he is. Before, Messi was running parallel to the line of the box to shoot; now, he runs towards the area to pass. Now, when he does a 2v1 is 15 meters away from box. Before, he was at the edge of the box. It was much easier to shoot and score. Also, Xavi and Iniesta were 10 meters away of him; 2v1 and 3v2 were continued, and the space was easily found. Now, Xavi, Iniesta, Rakitic, are 30 meters away of the Argentine star. Or he does all it by himself or he fails to 2v1 he can do with Neymar or Suarez, because he is not on the edge of the box. Note that, the goals he's scoring now is when he "lives" on the edge of the box. The same as he did before.

Therefore, today we speak of Messi-Neymar-Suárez connection, but we forget that the one that was lethal was the Messi-Xavi-Iniesta connection with Busquets playing the role of "Big Brother" and controlling everything from behind. Now, this connection is virtually nonexistent. The distances are much bigger. And all this is very noticeable.

I want the returning of the wingers. They will return us the 2v1 and they will return us the best Messi.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP