Barcelona: Why Defense Is Key to Blaugrana's Champions League Quest This Season

The final whistle had blown, the final score stood at 2-2.

The crowd at Camp Nou was left in awe, but still cheering their team on. The players were left disappointed, many in tears.

That was the scene on April 24, 2012 when Chelsea left Barcelona as victors, having booked a date in the Champions League final that they would end up winning.

While the current Barcelona team is different from the one that watched the Blues celebrate on their pitch last spring, the greatest weakness from last season remains.

Let's change the tune

In truth, there is not just one fault in Barcelona's lineup—there are many.

The attack is often predictable and lacking variation from different types of players. The keeper, while supremely talented, is often error-prone at the worst times. There is an over-reliance on Lionel Messi to create and score goals.

But the biggest concern for La Blaugrana, the one that cost them last year and will continue to cost them this season if not taken care of, is defense.

This is not earth-shattering for Barça fans. The defense—and more notably, the central defense—has been an issue at the club for the last few seasons, going back before their last Champions League title.

Yet, despite being incredibly vulnerable on set pieces, despite being repeatedly gashed on the counter-attack, and despite being slow and often caught out of position, the team has still not properly solved this problem.

Failure to act

New manager Tito Vilanova has not been in charge of the club to really make his mark on the team in terms of transfers, but that does not free him of blame.

He knew going into the season that the team would need to improve at the back, but failed to focus on that area of the team this summer.

Instead, Vilanova brought in another defensive midfielder to replace Seydou Keita and another attacking fullback that only weakens the defense.

First, the former. Let's be clear, Alex Song is a smart buy.

He was not really needed at the club with guys like Sergi Roberto waiting to get their chance, but he is undoubtedly better than anyone currently playing at Barça B.

Song definitely makes the team stronger and will be a great weapon in the Champions League, but that is not what upsets fans. What upsets them is that there are bigger priorities.

While the Cameroonian midfielder brings depth for Europe and a physicality that is currently lacking at the club, he will not start very often with the superior Sergio Busquets playing ahead of him.

More importantly, his purchase leaves even less money to address the central defense which is by far the more pressing issue.

As for Jordi Alba, his purchase was inevitable after last season. With Eric Abidal's health forcing him to leave the team, left back was a huge need.

The problem is that Barcelona chose to bring in another attacking fullback to mirror Dani Alves.

This does not compliment the Brazilian and, in fact, makes them even more vulnerable since neither has the defensive prowess or positional discipline that the team needs on one flank.

Because the team failed to find a solution this summer, Barcelona will have to rely on current players until at least January and most likely for the entire season.

Lack of options

Unfortunately for Vilanova, there is really not much to work with in central defense.

The ideal starting pair would be Gerard Pique and captain Carles Puyol, but the latter will be 35 when the later stages of the Champions League roll around and just cannot be expected to play a major role this season.

Javier Mascherano—the second option and the one who will partner Pique most often—is a mixed bag.

The Argentinian is a great tackler, excellent at reading passes, has good speed and has a high football IQ.

However, he is playing out of his natural position and that brings inherent weaknesses. He has poor discipline, lacks great positional awareness, and is almost useless on set pieces.

After those three, the well for Vilanova to draw from is rather dry.

There is Marc Muniesa who won't be back for a while after suffering another knee injury in the preseason; there is fellow youth product Marc Bartra who is highly rated, but still very raw; and there is Andreu Fontas who has never earned the trust or confidence of the Blaugrana faithful.

So to recap, Barça have one top center back, a 34-year-old, a 5' 9" defensive midfielder and two or three teenagers.

For a team that wants to get back to the pinnacle of European football by winning the Champions League again, that just isn't likely to cut it.

There just isn't enough defensive depth or, quite frankly, enough talent on the team to manage multiple competitions and handle the greatest attacks of Europe in the continent's greatest tournament.

Live by the sword...

At this point, there is little Barcelona fans should expect in terms of changes.

We can talk all day about how Mats Hummels or Thiago Silva would solve all the defensive problems at Camp Nou, but it just isn't going to happen. Not this season, at least.

The team prides itself on focusing on youth and having a team that consists of highly interchangeable players.

Fans used to joke that Pep Guardiola wanted to one day field 10 midfielders alongside Valdes. He actually ended up getting pretty close.

It is very respectable that a club would focus on its own youth products and would spend years trying to perfect its own brand of football, this can leave the team weaker over time.

While Sandro Rosell and company have never been afraid of looking outside the club, they continue to be too inward-looking when trying to solve defensive issues.

Perhaps the club is also too focused on trying to implement a certain brand of football and not willing enough to look for players who may not fit the Blaugrana mold, but are spectacular defenders nonetheless.

Conclusion

The one bright side for Barcelona is their style of play.

The possession-based, quick-passing, high pressured football played at Camp Nou minimizes the damage caused by having a weak defense.

Opposing teams just don't get enough time on the ball to make many chances.

This will carry them a long way in La Liga where they are likely to be untroubled against most teams, but it will once again be a problem in Europe—where Barça will face a variety of football styles that are slowly wising up to their act.

Tito Vilanova will have to get creative. He has to figure out how to use Alves and Alba without sacrificing cover.

He will need to figure out how to get the most out of his very limited alternatives in central defense. He needs to provide better cover for his central defenders.

As the defense continues to prove a weakness, Barcelona's Champions League title hopes depend on it.

Follow @MichaelCernaBR