BARÇA B AND OTHER STUFF

Sunday ended the regular season in 2nd B Division. From this weekend we will have the playoffs for promotion to 2nd A Division. Barca B will not be there. And, when things have a bad starting, it’s normal to end badly.

The elections to the Presidency of Barça took two very significant changes at the level of the sport structure that affects B team. On one hand, García Pimienta, who had done all the planning together with Roura, found that, overnight, they put Gerard Lopez above him, as 1st coach. On the other hand, the sports organization changed: the club was splitted into 3 parts (4 with Women's Football): Professional Football (1st team), Formative Professional Football (Barça B, Juvenil A (U-19) and B (U-18)), and Amateur Formative Football (Cadete A (U-16) to Prebenjamines (U-8)). The EscolesFCB are outside and are part of Marketing Area (what do you want I say?).

Each of these parts has a Technical Secretary and still we have the ​​Scouting Area and the Methodology Area (which in principle are transverse)

Is this you see here above.

The first problem is that each Technical Secretary seems to do what he wants. They call it Technical Secretary, but it seems rather a Technical Director. That is, marking the lines to follow in terms of the way of working, playing, etc. With all that it has as consequences. Roura does one thing, say classic "model". Robert Fernandez is only for the first team, looking for players around the world to enable keep winning, increasingly "as is."

We have the Formative Professional Football. The Technical Secretary is Pep Segura. They sold it as the intermediate step between "grassroots" and "professional football" as it was neither one nor the other. And indeed, when you're in no man's land, you end up not knowing where you are and the results are what they are. Juveni B is the only one, with one game to finish the league, can win. The Juvenil A has finished 4th at 19!! points behind the 1^st, with no option to play the Champions League (both, Spanish and European), or the Cup. And, the B...

Barca B. After the disappointing season 2014-15 where the team dropped from 2ªA to 2ªB (although for some Directors that was not problematic or bad) with coaching change in mid-season (Vinyals instead of Eusebio) and, speeches here or there saying if players this or that (incidentally, quite players had been in the Juvenil A with Vinyals, so if not adequate behaviours were detected and nothing was done to correct it...), the 2016 season began with a coach appeared at the last minute with some players signed who could not play for the famous "FIFA Case" and the desire to come back to 2ªA quickly. The reality was very different. At the end of the year the team was in position for the relegation to 3^rd Division. Excuses were everywhere ("they are very young," "no experience", "the FIFA case"...) and when the winter market came there was a revolution. A lot of new players (7?, 8?, 9?... I do not remember), which also meant a lot of players released.

In summer they had gone some as Adama; others, like Deulofeu, still running around Europe and it seems with no return. The latter case seems pretty clear: Quality, indisputable. The character, too. And I wonder, with so many coaches, assistants, psychologists, etc. that we have in the club, no one has sat a couple of hours with this kid to see what happens? And I ask the question from complete ignorance. I have no idea if this has happened or not.

Other players left because, by contract, should be promoted to the first team. Amazing!!! The top of incompetence. Having in a formation team players that are promoted by contract and not because the quality. And, of course, there wasn’t room for them at the 1^st team. And therefore...

We continue. Two names: Grimaldo and Robert Gonçalves. The first seems not very "friend" of Luis Enrique and this does not want it for the 1^st team. Until here, it’s perfect. Now, if the club believes it is a player with a future, why not to loan him and we'll see in a while? Well, no. Sold. No option for buy-back. The second, a player who came on loan from Fluminense of Brazil and sold to us as the new... Neymar! He came to "cost 0" (this was told to us), with a buying option this summer for 7M€. First, if he was overweight; then we know nothing more. The truth is that it has played in the league, exactly the same as its price: 0 minutes. And what is worse, without any explanation.

Now, it seems that for next year, a new revolution for B is prepared, with the aim of being promoted to 2ªA. It sounds good to me... or maybe not. The aim of B is to prepare players to be promoted to the 1st team. The higher the B is, more competitive and therefore better for the players. So far, the theory is fantastic. The problem is putting it into practice. There have been games where only 2 B players were coming from La Masia. 2!! Is this Barca B?????? Is this a formation team ???? If I was told that next year there will be 4 or 5 of these "new" in the 1st team, although I could understand, however, it seems that this will not be the case.

This revolution also seems to be aimed to find/sign other kind of players: now we have to look more "physical" players. This is, Roura continues working, as we have said, "the model" but when they reach 17, only the bigger and the stronger will continue. Is that, isn’t it? That is, as I said before three "Technical Secretaries", each one making the war on their own, with no one, at Executive Technical level, marking the line of the Club. We go like this.

Why do we want a "Formative Amateur Football" full of quality players if, when they reach the Juvenil B, w will not want them for being small? Why do we want Juveniles and a B if, hardly, they will not contribute with player for the first team? And, to contribute means players who can compete with those who are playing. Having 20 minutes in a cup game against 2ªB team...

Zubizarreta said one day, when he was still the Technical Director: "If we don’t find out what we want, we will have to look for it at home." Translation: the priority of B is NOT the formation for the first team. The priority of B is... I cannot see it.

By the way, it seems that Samper is one of those players who, as he has no "physical aspect", it is quite difficult for him to stay at the 1^st team. Nothing more to say.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on twitter: @JordiPascualP

CREATIVITY AND MISTAKES

For the past few years, there is much talk about creativity in football. It is said that there are no creative players as before. That so many tactics at younger ages is not good. That we have the players to do by their own on the pitch and to "experience" with mistakes. I very much like this. But, we have to distinguish, because I think there are too much mixed concepts.

On one hand, it seems that creativity is only to do 1v1 anywhere. And, it is much more than this, adding that this action can be wrong many times. Creativity can be a 40-meter pass that no one expects to switch the orientation of the game. Creativity can be to make a bicycle shot from the edge of the box. Creativity can be delaying the game to wait for your teammates to arrive. Creativity can be many different things. The problem, as always, is when to be creative. Going out from the back dribbling when you have teammates better placed to receive a pass and get out of the pressure, is it to be creative? Make a 40-meter pass, from side to side of field, when a 10-meter vertical pass makes a partner to be alone in front of the goalkeeper, is it to be creative? Making a clearance, using a bicycle, when you are alone inside the box and you can control the ball, is it to be creative? Making a heel’s pass, not knowing if there is any partner to receive, is it to be creative?

And, with a misunderstood creativity, mistakes are coming. And, when I talk about mistakes, I mean unforced errors, which could be avoided: incorrect passes, unnecessary dribbles, all these types. Let me give an example. Imagine a 12 year old who wants to pass, the pass is intercepted by an opponent and finishes in a goal. It is a mistake, many will say, we must let them to make mistakes. But, which is the mistake? Could he make another pass easier? Did he choose the wrong pass to make? Did he kick the ball with proper surface? Did he check that there were no opponents who could intercept the ball? The child has made a mistake, yes. But which of these that we have said? Are you sure the child knows what is wrong? Because, if you do not have in mind all the variables, are you sure that he will know how to correct the mistake?

A few years ago I watched on television an international competition for youngster (U20). The left Full-back of one team always wanted to go out dribbling. Finally, he lost the ball, was forced to foul and, also, he was booked. As he had one card, he was sent off. His team was down to 10 players and lost the match. Is this creativity? Are you sure? For me it's something else.

And the one million dollars question comes. Who has to make the player to see what is wrong? The coach, right? And here comes most of the problems. There are many coaches who defend this "creativity" and these "mistakes" because they do not know what the mistakes are. It looks good to say "I give the kids freedom" when in reality, you do not know what to “fix”. The guided discovery and the trial/error process, so fashionable actually, are often confused with a lack of knowledge. And, this is often linked with that about "our time (coaches’) is in practice, the match is the time for the players." I strongly disagree with this statement. Always is "our time" (for players and coaches). Football is a team game, not only, 11 individuals on the pitch. It is one team. And, we are coaches of a team from Monday to Sunday and players are team players from Monday to Sunday. And do not confuse this with training individuals. It has nothing to do one thing with the other.

One of the classic mistakes, as coaches, is to think that the systems (formations), are what makes the way of playing of a team. It’s just the opposite. It is from the way you play (the style or model of playing), that you will choose one system or another. And the way you play is worked, as everything has to be worked. If we think that putting the players on the pitch in a certain way, we’ll play in a certain way, we are completely wrong. If we do not have clear this, how can we be clear about the mistakes of our players?

What the players must know are the different options they have and, from there, choose the one that can be better. How is this achieved? Working in practices. Not doing so is a big mistake.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP

AND YOU, WHAT DO YOU PLAY?

In the modern game specialist are just ending. Except the only real specialist there (by force or by circumstances), which is the goalkeeper, nowadays there is almost no player that can only play in one position. That about "I'm right Full-Back, left Midfielder or Striker" is over. Today demands versatility, the player who, depending of the game and/or circumstances can make different functions: the Full-Back that makes 6 or 8 goals per season or the Winger that recover 3 or 4 balls per game. This, as examples, is the most important today.  Or maybe not? Is it possible that it is more interesting for us a striker that recovers balls and gives options for second-line players than a striker with little ability to work? Is it possible to want a Central Defender that can play as Full-back or Defensive Midfielder because he is fast and has good placement on the pitch, but has no height? Is it possible to prefer a winger that plays “wrong-footed” than a "classic" one?

I say yes. That EVERYTHING is possible.  ALL is useful.  But ALL means ALL. That is, it can be good "business as usual" as "news". Anything can be useful, if we use it correctly and appropriately. The first job of a Full-back is to defend his flank. The first job of a Winger is to cross balls and, the first job of a Striker is to score goals. And all this, go through the usual: to know the characteristics of the players we have, be clear about how the team plays, and be clear about the type of player that is needed or that can improve our team. Let us be clear, too, that any team in the World wants Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robben or Rooney. But we're not talking about these players. We are talking about those, considered good or very good players who do not have that "status". Players who stand out enough, but when you get to a certain role, they lose much of their meaning. Or players who do nothing spectacular, but don’t do anything wrong.

It can be that, for that about trying to make as few mistakes as possible, since more and more games are decided by small details (or small errors), is much sought this type of player. As not everyone has the ability to acquire great "cracks", they seek the easiest. And not always it is. You have to know very well to see the potential of a player to guess that he can play several positions and in none of them, he will do badly. Maybe at none he will be a consummate specialist, but, as he has what they call "reliability", he can solve problems that may arise.

Now, we go to the opposite side. And what if we are able to produce a stopper that is a stopper? Or a winger that is a winger? Aren’t we interested on it? I think that, many times, we train the players without thinking about what they could do. Do not confuse "what they do" with "what they could do." Not the same. A player can be very good finishing on goal, but he is unable to create a play. It, therefore, seems logical to play Striker. Now, what kind of striker? Because not all Strikers are the same. Neither all the Wingers. There are some of them very good at crossing when running; others do it better in a static position. And, like this, any type of player you want. Even the Goalkeeper, that we said he was a specialist, can be of many types: the one that saves very well, the ones with strengths on aerials balls. Others are very good with feet, others are very good at 1v1, etc..

Therefore, I think it's a basic job of the coaches to discover, as soon as possible, the strengths and weaknesses of the players, to enhance ones and to correct others. Then, we will have players who are very good at many things. If you only do one good thing, you have to do it in an amazing way, because if not, unlikely you’ll triumph. The more records you master, more options, and this is learned when you are a child, when you start to play football. It is essential to learn the "Principles of the Game" young, to know how to orientate a mark or how to put the foot to send a ball across the field or, what it is a cover or a delay. The best players are the ones with more knowledge about these things.

By the way, and you, what do you play?

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP

WHO IS THE BOSS HERE?

It has long been talk of what should be the functions of a coach in a football team. I will speak, only, about professional teams, then, in the amateurs, the budget and the number of volunteers/officials gives the tasks. Not surprisingly, in these categories you can see the President's Club selling tickets before starting the game.

In professional Clubs, however, there are many people around the Coach: Technical Managers, Technical Secretaries, etc. And, the questions are: Who's the Boss? Who should make the decisions? Who decides how the team has to play? Who decides who to sign or who to sell?

Well, any option can be good. At the end of the day, if the team wins, everyone will be happy. Only, however, one condition: that everyone has clear on what should be the operation of the Club. There has to be a clear idea of ​​the type of player or style of playing. There are clubs that, by its character, hire Coaches in a certain way of playing, which is used from the Grassroots to the 1st team. There are clubs where the 1st team (and maybe the 2nd), depending on the Coach, play one way, and the other Grassroots Teams play another way. There are clubs where each team plays one way. There are clubs where the Technical Secretariat takes the players they think more appropriate and then it’s the job of the Coach to put them in place. There are places where the coach demands what he wants to have. There are Clubs signing players only from a certain geographical area. There are clubs that only want players on loan or no transfer fee.

But now. If things do not work, the first thing is to fire the Coach, right? So, is not this one who should have the power? Or, at least, enough power to decide about a number of things?

1) The style of playing. When you hire a Coach, you know how he plays. Therefore, if the club has a game model, why are we looking for someone who plays different?

2) Players that are there must be some features to play in this or that way. The Technical Secretariat should have a list of players that “fit” the way of playing and the coach will decide the ones that he wants.

3) Here comes the economic factor, obviously. The Club has a budget. Therefore, the coach should know what the options are, in order to assess whether it is better player "A" for this function or "B" for that, knowing that you cannot have both and that can be a player "C" useful, because it's more important "A" than "B" and "C" can do the job of "B".

4) If you cannot have the players needed to play a certain way, to what extent is the responsibility of the coach if not achieved the objectives set?

There are many ways to work. All they should have, as a clear starting point, the role of everyone involved in. And, who should take the decisions and the consequences that follow from that.

There is only one formula that I do not like, and it is that the President and/or the Board make the signs because they like this or that player. I’ll never understand why to have a Technical Staff, if later you make a signing without knowing if it is the most appropriate or necessary for the team. And then, comes this sentence: "We have given him the best players." Yes. But, were they the needed ones? However, as he is the boss...

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP