Why Marc Bartra Is the Barcelona Player with Most to Prove in Rest of Season

Marc Bartra is approaching the end of another campaign for Barcelona probably still wondering what might have been.

As we count down to the business end of the season, Bartra only has 10 La Liga appearances to his name in 2014/15, per WhoScored. Clearly that's not enough for this outstanding young defender.

In many respects, it's a now-or-never scenario for Bartra. Luis Enrique evidently has the same viewpoint as his predecessors Tata Martino and Tito Vilanova in that he's good but not that good.

That has to be a concern for the player surely.

As with Jonathan Dos Santos by way of example, there is a tendency from Bartra to outstay his welcome when perhaps he isn't really wanted. How else do you explain the reticence to use him on a more regular basis?

A genuine love for a club that gave him his footballing education is clouding his judgement and stunting his professional development in the process. 

Other young Barca fringe players have eventually found solace in the bosom of another club, and at 24 years of age, the time is right for Bartra to test himself against the best.

Not that occasional forays into the first team appear to bother Bartra too much at this juncture, however. Matthew Rogerson of Goal.com detailed his words to reporters after a superb showing against Levante:

"

We are feeling fit and are all playing a part in this good run.

The most important thing is that we maintain the same level when us less regular players get a game. Or to even improve the level if we can.

If the boss needs me, then I'm always ready to answer his call. I need to be ready to help out at any time.

"

That he readily identifies himself as a less regular player perhaps hints at a lack of ambition from Bartra. That he's in some way comfortable with playing a support role rather than taking centre stage alongside Gerard Pique.

Any football player worth his salt would not be so accepting of such a situation.

Even if you take into account that Jeremy Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen, when he eventually plays, are more experienced than Bartra, he has always done exceptionally well when drafted into the side, and he really needs to be aiming to be first choice rather than accepting a bit-part role.

Indeed, per Squawka, when compared to his team-mates in terms of defensive actions, he is second only to Pique, yet he remains one of the most under-utilised players in the current squad.

Of the defensive players, only Adriano, Martin Montoya and Douglas have played fewer matches across the course of this season.

Given that it would still appear that Bartra is only used as a back-up rather than first choice, there are two reasons why the player has to prove himself for the remainder of the campaign.

If he wants to be successful internationally, then he needs to be playing at the highest level week in and week out. Vicente Del Bosque called him up for the games in this round of fixtures, but that is unlikely to continue if he doesn't play more regularly.

He has to somehow impress Enrique enough for something to change over the course of the next few weeks so we arrive at a situation where the manager conceivably cannot go on ignoring his claims for a starting berth.

If it doesn't happen for him now, then the likelihood is it's not going to happen for him at all at Barcelona.

Secondly, any prospective employers looking in on Bartra will want to see a player full of confidence and ready to come out fighting for his place. Not one who is content to play second fiddle. 

Either way, his future could well rest on what happens over these next few months.