FC Barcelona: How They Can Win the Copa Del Rey Championship

FC Barcelona is expected to face Athletic Club Bilbao this Friday in the Copa Del Rey final. The task is not expected to be easy taking into account a recent change in manager as well as injuries such as Dani Alves and Carle Puyols.

Jose Manuel Pinto has yet to receive medical clearance before playing as the goalkeeper. Eric Abidal cannot participate because of his recent discharge from the hospital secondary to problems with his liver.

Athletic Club Bilbao under the stewardship of Marcelo Bielsa proved to the world that it is not easy to defeat. Manchester United learned that lesson when it was defeated by Bilbao in the UEFA Europa League match played last March.

What can Barca do to win the Copa Del Rey? There is no simple formula for a victory but there are two factors which never fail: a positive attitude and youth.

Positive Attitude

One of the best antidotes in case of negative news is to have a positive attitude towards the match. It goes a long way in a match and an example of such a positive is Cesc Fabregas.

Fabregas declared in a news conference that he is “ready” for the Copa Del Rey. The idea of going there and winning for the club is a tried and true solution that helped many clubs make upsets.

The positive attitude goes hand in hand with good news. It is great news that Pinto participated in a training session while waiting for his medical clearance.

While a positive attitude may take a team far, another factor may be needed.

Youth

The other factor that could help is the injection of youth into Barca especially during the Copa Del Rey. One notable example of youth in La Blaugrana is Cristian Tello.

Cristian Tello made his mark in the UEFA Champions League match between Barca and Bayer Leverkusen on March 7, 2012. Tello scored the two goals that gave Barca seven points to the one point of Leverkusen.

Tello is not the only person with youth that could help Barca in the Copa Del Rey. Martin Montoya, Marc Bartra, and Jonathan Dos Santos (who are from the Barca B roster) may help as well.

While there are great FC Barcelona players, many are reaching an age where their bodies are unable to react in intense matches. A player in his or her 20’s will have more agility and be able to be on the defense as well as offense than one in the 30’s or even late 30’s [such as Pinto].

Conclusion

The idea of positive attitude and youth does not replace hardcore training. Any form of hardcore training should place emphasis on defense, offense and attempts to deflect the potential goals. Aside from that, it remains to be seen what will transpire.