Transfers in For Barcelona Show New Hope, But Don't Patch Up The Old Problems

As I've mentioned in articles past (in all actuality, I've only written one article here thus far—this being the second), I am an avid Barca fan. Ever since I can remember, I've been draping my back with Red and Blue and praying to the Barca gods (Cruyff et al.) that we would bring home another Copa Del Rey, and Supercopa de Espana (insert tilde over the "n"); though it doesn't seem too likely this season.

Guardiola has said that Deco, Ronaldinho, and Samuel Eto'o aren't in his plans for the upcoming year. For a while I didn't want to believe him, but after Deco left and the club's recent sale of Ronaldinho to Milan (which benefits my Italian love affair as cleared up in the previous article) it appears he isn't lying.

As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if the rumors surrounding Eto'o's transfer to Kuruvchi Tashkent (an Uzbekistani club which I haven't ever heard of until now) are true. For most parties involved with the Catalan powerhouse, times look bleak.

However, things aren't necessarily in the proverbial commode just yet. Guardiola has expressed a certain emphasis on rebuilding and restructuring, and with any sport, that can take years. I am hesitant to use the term “rebuilding” because it implies a state of complete dismay, destruction, essentially the deepest pit of abyss any team could reach. This isn’t the case with Barca, though.

Lionel Messi is one of my favorite footballers of all time. In the short time he has been playing, he has shown me some of the greatest promise of any Argentine footballer since the likes of Maradona (sorry Jose Sosa). Put him next to Thierry Henry as a striker and back him with the up-and-coming midfield that were recently acquired by Barca (players like Pique, Hleb, and Keita) alongside Abidal, Yaya, Iniesta, and of course, the infamous Xavi, Barca shows a lot of promise.

But all the up must come with the down. Bringing in this many players and putting them next to a few others that have shown to have a few strained relations may not yield anything for several years to come. Now, I realize that every sports team’s dream is to be a dynasty (00s Patriots, 60s Packers, 70s Steelers, 60s Real Madrid, early-mid 90s Barca), and that building this dynasty requires time, but in a win-now type of league which many of the UEFA leagues has shown to be, developing chemistry tends to be on the back-burner, sacrificed for the glitz and glamour of lots of goals and lots of volleys, and short term win streaks which have proven to be fading bottle rockets and not the New Years fireworks everybody expects.

I doubt that Barca will improve upon their table this year. Madrid is showing to be stronger and stronger, exacerbated by the 4-1 stomping of Barca earlier this year, and Villareal and Valencia flexing their blossoming muscles, Barca may be in for another tough year.

My hopes are that Barca will once again be the champions they should be, bringing home La Liga’s title and the Copa Del Rey. My expectations, though, are that Barca will be second in contention with Madrid, trying to remain afloat above Valencia and Villareal.

I keep my head up for the Champions League, which for Barca is set to begin in the second week of August (which I won’t be able to watch as I will be out on vacation), and the upcoming season with the strengthened backfield and seasoned forwards, but only time will tell.

Now, other than the new-team status that is willingly bestowed upon teams in "reconstruction" (as Barca is), the only question mark is Valdes. He gave me—to put it charitably—several heart attacks during the past season. As Andy Gray put it, his lacking seems to come in spells, and with the shooting power of van Nistelrooy, Guti, David Villa, and Guiza, he ought to hope he doesn't have any of those spells this season. If he does, he should expect a pink slip in his locker.

I can say without a shadow of a doubt, though, that I will be watching and offering my twist, whether it is on a weekly basis or a bi-monthly basis. Hopefully the things on which I "report" will be positive for the Blue and Red.