Paul Scholes Is Right About Barcelona Looking Bored but Change Has Already Begun

Former Manchester United player Paul Scholes was in the Mestalla to watch Barcelona's slim victory over Valencia last weekend. 

In his latest Independent column, he criticised the Catalan side, claiming that the Barcelona we see today are a far cry from the force they were under Pep Guardiola.

He is, of course, correct, but he could have watched the team at any point in the last 18 months and came to the same conclusion. The malaise in Catalonia is nothing new.

Scholes' main accusation is that Barcelona players simply seem "bored." He wrote:

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When I try to find a way of summarising the attitude of the team, and of some longer-serving individuals, I keep alighting on the word 'bored.'

It is not meant to sound flippant, but it just seems the most accurate way to describe the way the team seem to treat the style of football that once made them the best side on the planet—and some of them have been playing that way a long time.

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Scholes is right about this too. Drive and passion does seem to be occasionally lacking from the side.

Guardiola admitted as much about the final months of his era as Barcelona coach. He told Audi Annual Report magazine, h/t Marca:

"We enjoyed a lot of success. Fourteen titles in just four years. It was the best era Barcelona has ever had. However, this can also work against you. I found it hard to motivate myself and my team."

Michael Sohn/Associated Press

A problem for Barcelona, until this season at least, was that the team hadn't changed a lot. But for the first time since Pep left the club, we now have a different looking Barcelona.

Legendary goalkeeper Victor Valdes left in the summer. Another icon, Carles Puyol, retired and moved upstairs, becoming Andoni Zubizarreta's deputy.

The club signed players hungry for success, hoping Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez would take the team to new levels. They still may; it is early days yet.

Barcelona axed Tata Martino, whose style of play was not far removed from what had come before, with the exception of more diagonal balls.

That meant Barcelona maintained a little less possession but the likes of Alexis Sanchez had greater penetration.

Scholes also brought up his "bored" claim about Lionel Messi. Of La Pulga, he said:

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In him, as much as anyone, I detected that mood of boredom. He has never been a player given to chasing the full-back when his team lose the ball, but now, more than ever, he keeps his movement to an absolute minimum.

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Alberto Saiz/Associated Press

This is understandable, given Scholes was in attendance to witness one of Messi's poorest performances of the season. Against Valencia, he found it difficult to get involved, contributing little throughout the game.

Despite this, he still played a key role in the eventual winner, carving out a cute left-footed cross from the right-hand side of the box, which resulted in the scramble before Sergio Busquets rammed home.

However, had Scholes been at Camp Nou the week before, he would have encountered a very different Messi.

Perhaps it was because he caught the scent of blood as he chased down Telmo Zarra's goalscoring record, but Messi was on fire against Sevilla.

Not just because he scored a brilliant hat-trick, either—he looked fired up and willing to chase and fight.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

This is completely at odds with Scholes' analysis of Messi, whom he says no longer wants to move. What it means is that Messi needs the right motivation.

Playing with Neymar and Suarez alongside him should do that. Those two forwards will be hungry to drink from the cup of success that Messi has been draining over the years.

The former Manchester United midfielder believes that Barcelona need to change. He added:

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Watching Barcelona, albeit just one game, I felt the era of the great team Guardiola built was coming to an end. That does not mean some of those players will not go on to be part of another great side, just that they need to find another way of playing.

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Scholes is right with some of his points, but the timing of his article is arbitrary. Rome wasn't built in a day; Enrique is part of a project to create a new Barcelona, something which he says Barcelona should do.

They are. Construction has already started on Barcelona 2.0.

Just look at the shift in impetus from the middle of the pitch to the front. Whereas you would once say that the Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta midfield was the heart of the club, the power now lies in the forward line.

There is plenty of work to do and there is a fine line between whether the regeneration of Barcelona will end in triumph or disaster. But make no mistake, it is happening.