Could La Masia Be the Long-Term Solution for Barcelona's Defensive Woes?
The defensive problems at Barcelona have been going on for several years now and there seems to be no end in sight. The Blaugrana is still struggling to deal with attacking threats, and the issues are growing even worse with every passing month.
After ignoring the issues for a few years, the club finally attempted to resolve the problems at the back this past summer when they purchased Jeremy Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen. However, the arrival of new defenders has done little to stop the bleeding.
When the season was still fresh, Barcelona’s defensive unit looked great. Mathieu was a big hit and the club was earning steady clean sheets. But that didn’t last long, as the ugly problems have popped back up to haunt fans yet again.
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If the club’s inability to properly defend was not enough to worry fans, there is even more.
Javier Mascherano continues to be played out of position, which has cost the club more than a few times, while Jeremy Mathieu, though stellar for the most part, cannot do it all alone and has had moments of weakness.
Marc Bartra has arguably been the club’s strongest defender this season, though he has proven that he struggles to deal with pacey attackers that tend to expose him. At the same time, Vermaelen has yet to play even a minute in the Blaugrana shirt and doesn’t look to provide any immediate answers.
The worst part is the player once viewed as the future leader of the back line, Gerard Pique, has become the most problematic defender in the entire squad.
Pique’s recent move to the bench went as far as to bring up rumors of a possible exit, though the player came out to quash what was said in the papers and pledge his future to his boyhood club, per Moviestar TV and via the Daily Mail:
"I think not to play two or three matches (and then leave) would not be consistent. Barcelona is my life and I do not plan to leave. I will continue to fight for a place. It's a player-coach relationship, he is the one who decides and players try to do what he wants from us.
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While the center-backs do not provide what the club needs defensively at the moment, they are not the only ones to blame.
With wing-backs like Dani Alves and Jordi Alba in the squad, Barcelona are often left with only two defenders to handle counter attacks. That is always a recipe for disaster.
Manager Luis Enrique has brought in some new tactics for his defensive unit, but they have not been enough. Whether the club times the forward runs of Alves and Alba or looks to play an offside trap, it just isn’t fixing the ongoing problems.
Not only is the defense incapable of keeping strong opponents from finding the back of the net, but the club will not be able to bring in any new defenders due to the imposed transfer ban.
For now, it looks like Barcelona can do nothing but sit back and watch as the defense bleeds goals on a regular basis. There looks to be no end in sight with the ban in place. However, there is one place that the Catalans can always look, although it is always very risky—La Masia.
Where the Barcelona first team is lacking in the defensive department, La Masia is full of young, talented defenders who are full of potential.
To begin with, Edgar Ie (20) and Frank Bagnack (19) have been lighting up Barcelona B for nearly two years now. The young center-backs are very mature for their ages and cause constant problems for opponents.
Bagnack has even impressed enough to see time with the first team, though he could not win a permanent spot in the squad this season. He is still developing as a player, but fans have been excited about the potential he shows. Still, he is a ways away from joining the first team.
It is difficult to separate Bagnack and Ie because they are both so promising. Both young stars could have a serious future in football and are waiting for their chance to put their mark on the first team.
Ie does tend to stand out among the two based off of how strongly he has performed for the B team consistently. Yet, he has also consistently struggled with injuries which have hampered his chances of progressing further.
Of course, throwing two young defenders into Barcelona’s back line would likely be career suicide. They both have the potential to be great professional footballers, but their development is not over yet.
The development of a young defender tends to be the most difficult thing for academies to perfect, and adding on immense pressure is often just asking too much. While Ie and Bagnack could very well be the future of Barcelona’s defense, the club would have to be very careful about how they go about working them into the first team.
Yet, these two are not the only defensive starlets at Barcelona B. Elohor Godswill (19) and Alex Grimaldo (19) have been turning heads for a few years now and are expected to fight for a starting spot in the first team very soon.
Godswill is very much a young Dani Alves, though he tends to read the game much better on the defensive end of the ball. Meanwhile, Grimaldo has really found his footing this season for the reserve side and has a perfect balance of attacking and defending that could one day see him overtake Jordi Alba in the starting lineup.
With so many young and talented defenders close to the Barcelona first team, and the transfer ban in place, the club may have no other choice than to slowly start turning to their B team.
But, the defensive talent pool runs much deeper than Barcelona B. In fact, the brightest young stars have not even reached the reserve side yet.
Currently playing for Barcelona’s UEFA Youth League team is four of the most exciting defenders to come out of La Masia in over a decade.
Rodrigo Tarin (18), Xavi Quintilla (18), Sergi Palencia (18), and Juanma Garcia (17) all have the potential to be world-class defenders and are already proving their immense talent against other top academies.
Tarin and Quintilla have, quite possibly, the most potential and raw talent of any La Masia graduates in recent memory. Not only have they already established a great pairing together, but both are also vocal leaders in the back line that coaches can trust to run the defense on the pitch.
To be honest, Tarin and Quintilla could already rival Ie and Bagnack at Barcelona B and may be doing just that next season. Having already made a name for themselves in Spain’s youth ranks, these two starlets could, and should, be the face of the Blaugrana defense in the near future.
Their familiarity with one another and perfect pairing at youth level could see them become the center-back duo of the future. Tarin, who defends more by reading the game, often uses his strength to muscle attackers off the ball and win aerial duels. Quintilla, who is the faster of the two, relies on precise tackling and his keen ability to force attackers into tough angles. Together, they form a solid wall in front of goal.
Looking further, Juanma Garcia may be a year younger, but he is already giving Tarin and Quintilla a run for their money. He has rotated into the starting lineup for the Barcelona Youth League team and is already seen as a regular face in the lineup to utilize all three behind the midfield.
Thankfully, there are more than just center-backs coming up for Barcelona. Young Sergi Palencia is an exciting right-back who always puts defending first, but possesses a keen eye for passing the ball, which does allow him to get involved in the attack going forward.
Add in other promising young defenders such as Adria Vilanova, Julen Arellano, Marc Cucurella and Carles Puig, and Barcelona’s future defense looks very exciting.
However, despite the likes of Tarin, Quintilla, Bagnack and others are all showing signs that they could soon be leaders in the Barcelona back line, there is one major problem—they are not ready to carry the pressure that the first team demands.
What that means is they can’t be the solution to the problem right now, though they look to be the answer in the years to come. Without being able to bring in new defenders until these younger stars are ready, Barcelona is left with a very big question.
The Catalans can either keep pressing ahead in hope that the current defenders find a way to put the problems behind them and pursue titles, or commit to going through a transitional period that will make promoting from within the main focus once again.
Upcoming stars like Sergi Samper, Alen Halilovic and Munir El Haddadi all have what it takes to fight for a place at Barcelona. But if the club keeps looking for answers from the outside, these young starlets may never get the chances they deserve.
Granted, purchasing players will always be a necessary part of any club, but there must be a balance, especially somewhere like Barcelona. Looking at outside talents is vital to sustaining success, but that should not keep young stars from their shot at the first team.
As things stand now, the Catalan club is in a weird place. They do not have the squad needed to compete for the biggest titles, but the current team is also too strong to not fight for major trophies.
This leaves Barcelona in a position that will require them to make a decision soon. Most fans are proud of La Masia and will want homegrown stars to have a shot at the first team, but for that to happen there must be immense patience as titles would be harder to win due to the transition.
Patience, mind you, is something that is hard to find in fans of bigger clubs, due to the fact that they expect to challenge for every title each season.
La Masia continues to turn out some of the most promising young players in world football, and that includes a massive talent pool of defenders. The answer to the defensive problems, and other issues as well, may rest right in Catalonia; yet asking young players to jump straight into the first team and start producing is a huge risk in every sense of the word.
The future of Barcelona’s defense does look very promising, but that is understandably difficult to see when the current situation is so bleak. Luis Enrique and the board have some tough discussions that need to happen soon, meanwhile La Masia continues to stand at the forefront of youth development.
Does La Masia hold the key to defensive stability at Barcelona? What should the club do until the younger stars are ready to step into the first team? Leave your thoughts and comments below!
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