Reluctance to Use Martin Montoya Could Backfire on Luis Enrique at Barcelona

The Martin Montoya situation at Barcelona is a strange and curious one.

For all intents and purposes, it would appear that he has fallen even further down the pecking order than before Luis Enrique had taken the reins.

If we loop back to a year or so ago, everything seemed relatively clear cut for the youngster.

Via an interview with Sky Italia, detailed by Ben Jefferson of the Daily Express, his agent Jose Maria Orobitg noted that Montoya's contract situation wasn't satisfactory:

"

For the moment he is under contract with FC Barcelona until the end of the season. However, the contract extension has still not arrived. 

We have talked but there is no certainty that Martin Montoya would hold down a first-team spot, because right now Daniel Alves closes the door.

The transfer window is closed, but I can tell you that the contract extension may not be successful.

"

Barcelona appeared to heed the warning and the player himself told Al Primer Torque (via Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC):

"

I have been here many years, and although I just have a few months left on my contract, I am sure I will renew. I hope to be here for many more years. I have never said anything else.

Players always want to play, and if it is not here then it could be somewhere else. But if it can be here, in my lifelong team, that is much better.

I am happy for the opportunities I am getting. I played five [it is in fact four] consecutive games, then had a rest at Cartagena, and now another 90 minutes tonight.

I am very happy to be out on the pitch, and taking advantage of the chances I get. I can just continue now, training at 100 percent to get more opportunities.

"

A new contract duly arrived and with it, perhaps, the expectation of further first-team opportunities. After all, Enrique was Montoya's manager at Barca B and knew only too well the skill set of the youngster.

That has seemingly counted for nothing, however, as the 23-year-old is almost completely out of the first-team picture.

Sergio Camacho/Getty Images

Alves' reprieve after various summer transfer shenanigans isn't really a surprise, but the transfer in of Douglas is, at best, puzzling.

When we take into account Enrique's preference to utilise Adriano at right-back recently against Almeria, ahead of Montoya, then, frankly, the "For Sale" sign might just as well have been made into a sandwich board and hung around Montoya's neck.

It left the player "humiliated," per a report from Javier Miguel of Sport, who also noted that a sale is now inevitable in January if Montoya can find a new challenge.

Miquel stated Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli, Liverpool and Inter Milan are all interested in his services, which surely tells the Catalans something.

Yet, Enrique fired a shot across the bows at a recent press conference when he said that he "respects [Montoya] a lot, but he must wait for his opportunity... if it arrives. He already knows he has to win it in training."

Hardly the type of backing that Montoya would appreciate at this juncture.

Given that Alves himself is likely to make a move away from Catalonia in the summer, the willingness from the club to let Montoya leave is surely going to backfire on them, and on Enrique in particular.

Montoya is by definition a more defensive player than Alves and perhaps herein lies the issue.

Renato Goncalves of Barca Blaugranes noted an interesting comparison of the two players from the 2012/13 season (Montoya's best in appearance terms), however:

"

Now, we'll talk about a general stat, which is fundamental to the Blaugrana system: passing. That is an important asset for a full-back, because it increases the width of the attack.

That way, the offense forces the defense to also open up more to the sides, which is hugely important to allow the midfielders and especially the wide forwards to infiltrate, a key part of Barça's scheme.

So who's the most accurate passer of the two right-backs? Montoya. He successfully completed more than ninety percent of his attempted passes.

Alves wasn't too far behind in that stat, but Martín still was still more efficient in a category that has a big impact in pretty much any football team, but even more in the Blaugrana system.

"

Given the knowledge of such a statistic, would it not follow that with more minutes under his belt—he has just one appearance this season according to WhoScored.com—and more confidence in him from the coach, that we would see an infinitely more accomplished player?

"

Barcelona are willing to let right back Martin Montoya (23) go in January. Buy back option to be included, loan also possible. [sport]

— barcastuff (@barcastuff) November 16, 2014"

At this point a move away looks inevitable and must surely hint at an underlying tension between player and manager. 

How else do you explain why Enrique would consider ridding himself of a decent football player who is steeped in Blaugrana?