Barcelona's Carles Alena: The Long-Awaited Heir Apparent to Andres Iniesta?
In the footballing world, Barcelona are famous for two ideals: the execution of slick, pass-first football that dazzles opponents, and the prolific production of youth talent from inside their famed La Masia academy.
While Luis Enrique has moved the senior side away from Pep Guardiola’s tiki-taka foundations a little, straying toward a more direct style that makes ample use of a ferocious front three and the raking Ivan Rakitic, the base philosophy still exists. They play some of the most aesthetically pleasing football in the world, and they frequently gazump teams with movement, skill and accurate finishing.
But the latter part of their core M.O.—the bringing through of youth prospects schooled in the Barca way—is notably on the wane. Whereas once there was a flood of La Masia graduates ready to take a dive into the senior pool, recently there have been few; Sergi Roberto’s breakthrough has taken a while, Rafinha’s has been belated and disrupted due to injury, and Denis Suarez’s came via spells at Manchester City and Villarreal.
The UEFA Youth League began in 2013, and Barcelona, predictably, won the first iteration of the tournament; it’s a competition that sits firmly in their wheelhouse. That year, Munir El Haddadi top-scored with an astonishing 11 goals and Lionel Enguene created the joint-most goals (five). La Masia's conveyor belt looked well and truly functional.
However, a title defence faltered at the round of 16 the following season, with Anderlecht dispensing them. In 2016, they went one better, reaching the quarter-finals but falling at the hands of the same opposition.
The two squads to have faced the Belgian outfit have lacked the star quality or excitement we’re used to seeing in a Blaugrana strip. Earlier heroes Munir and Enguene now find themselves away from the club, temporarily and permanently, respectively.
But this season, a potential new star has finally emerged, and he goes by the name of Carles Alena.
Tom Hopkinson of the Sunday People reported he’s recently been linked with a move to Manchester United as manager Jose Mourinho scours the market for midfield options, while Barca are also said to be scrabbling to offer him a new deal containing a hefty release clause.
When settling down to watch him, it doesn’t take long to realise why he’s so highly sought-after.
Iniesta, Thiago...Alena?
Alena’s an exceptionally smart, mobile, technically gifted central midfielder who plays his best football from the No. 8 position in a 4-3-3. Ringing any bells yet?
The most important adjective in that list when it comes to representing the young Spaniard is the first one—smart. He’s a heads-up, quick-thinking ball-player who nearly always chooses the right option. It’s a hallmark of the most famous Barcelona players in his position, and something many would argue is a prerequisite to Camp Nou greatness.
Alena is aware of his surroundings; he senses—and deals with—pressure well. He demands the ball in tight spaces but knows when to turn and go and when to play it straight back.
In fact, Barcelona use Alena’s calmness under pressure to attract markers to him, have him play it back, and then the team can work the space created on the other side of the pitch.
We don’t see the senior team do too many “wall passes” in 2016, but the tradition is alive and well in Alena and Barca youth.
If he’s able to turn and pick a pass, his preferred option is almost always a through ball. He has the mobility and willingness to dribble with it, opening up lanes for him to use, and team-mates making good runs will be found. Alena often drifts over to the flank, near the touchline, in order to create unusual passing lanes into his forwards.
Perhaps the most pleasing part of his game is that he is almost never caught in possession. Turnovers are extremely rare when he’s on the ball, as that sense for danger kicks in, and he’ll play it quickly to a team-mate the way he’s facing if he’s under pressure, or perhaps weave a gap himself and glide through it.
Set Pieces and Goals
Given Alena plays as a No. 8, he scores about as many goals as you could reasonably expect him to. His wand of a left foot isn’t just limited to passing, and he’ll happily take on shooting chances; he’s mastered the curling effort and many of his goals come from outside the box.
He’s far from deadly accurate—he lets off several shots per game and some simply miss the mark—but he aims relentlessly for the corners and always has goalkeepers worried as a result. Some of the strikes he’s buried have been very impressive.
That assured left foot also transposes to set pieces, and he’s very much in charge of dead-ball situations when he’s on the pitch. He takes corners, free-kicks from wide berths and central zones, and he handles a penalty pretty well, too.
The way he strikes the ball with the inside of his boot—generating a low, flat motion with a touch of curl—lends itself perfectly to lofting balls into the box. He gives ‘keepers nightmares as these balls are difficult to leave the goal line for, and the low trajectory gives slightly smaller players a fighting chance. He rarely crosses as Barca rarely cross, but he’s among the best on the team as the skill is transferable.
Alena has buried penalties for club and country with assuredness, with his strikes from 12 yards similar to those from 18-plus: aimed at the corners and driven firmly. Again, it’s a matter of others simply standing aside if he’s on the pitch.
This confidence, which manifests itself in every area of his game, is fast-tracking him toward the senior squad. Alena was named on the bench for Barcelona’s senior match against Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium on October 22, and he kept his place on it for the Granada and Malaga games.
He hasn’t made it on to the pitch just yet, but when he does, it will be the action that reconnects La Masia to Enrique’s first team. It’s been an uncomfortably long time coming.
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