How Barcelona Can Get the Best out of Sergi Roberto in 2016/17
With a number of departures from the first team already, and Luis Enrique not having yet confirmed any new faces at the club other than the returning Denis Suarez, Barcelona have a busy summer ahead in mapping out a squad that can compete once more on all three fronts.
Thankfully, they're not exactly starting from scratch; double winners in Spain for each of the last two seasons, the squad at the Camp Nou is packed with quality, a mix of superstars who cost a small fortune (or a big one, in one or two cases) and those who have progressed through the ranks in the youth setup.
TOP NEWS
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Smart's Blunt Game 1 Assessment
Vanderbilt Suffers Brutal Finger Injury
One of those in the latter group is Sergi Roberto, the versatile performer who finally made good on his promise last term and who played 49 times in all competitions in 2015-16 but who has also yet to nail down a regular position.
With additions expected in his main spots in the team, and his form having dipped in the second half of last term, how can Barcelona get the best out of their prodigiously talented utility player?
Best roles
Because it came right at the start of 2015-16, it's easy to overlook or forget just how good Roberto was for Barcelona at right-back.
He took Dani Alves' place when the Brazilian was injured and, for a brief spell of around a month, was comfortably the best right-back in La Liga—better than Juanfran, Mario Gaspar or either of Danilo and Dani Carvajal, who were at that point swapping game time at Real Madrid.
Alves won his way back into the Barca side for one simple reason: injuries upfield, in midfield and to Leo Messi on the right of the attack. It was Roberto who filled those gaps, firstly in a central role and then, memorably, with a fantastic display from the right in El Clasico.
Overlapping down the flank, tackling with tenacity and showing a surprising acceleration that had hitherto not been displayed, Roberto was adept in both halves of the pitch from right-back and combined brilliantly with the forwards at times. In the UEFA Champions League draw against Roma, there was a case for the two right-backs to be named the best players on the pitch: Alessandro Florenzi on one side and Roberto on the other.
And yet, in midfield, his natural role, the Spaniard has also played an important part.
His early-season run of form wasn't interrupted when replacing Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta, both suffering injuries, and only his own enforced absence with muscle strains stopped him being one of Barca's top four or five performers for the first third of '15-16.
Push as starter or maintain squad level?
A critical question within the original conundrum remains: Just how much do Barcelona expect from Roberto, and how important do they want him to be? Does Luis Enrique have such faith in him that he feels he can be a regular starter, as often on the teamsheet as Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets?
If that's the case, the onus is on the 24-year-old to improve yet further, perhaps not in terms of output but in maintaining consistency at the same impressive level, week after week, just like those established names do.
On the other hand, keeping Roberto as a squad player—the 12th man of the team, the man for all occasions where and when needed—means the overall level of the team won't diminish by a large amount whenever he is called upon. That said, if the first XI are fit and playing well, perhaps he wouldn't play enough to warrant hanging around for more than another season, especially when he was so close to the Spain squad at times in '15-16.
There are, of course, pros and cons to each choice, and as ever, it's a question of balance and probability. If Barcelona spend big on a right-back this summer, Roberto won't be slotting in there with any regularity over the course of the campaign, but if he starts there, Barca could potentially lack depth in midfield cover.
Minutes, improvements
Where can Roberto improve, and where is he likely to get most game time?
These are fundamental considerations if he is to push on from his current status in the side. It's clear his range of passing and vision is supremely developed, not a great surprise considering his grounding in the game, and there's no doubt that when his confidence was highest early '15-16, he was able to dribble at defences to great effect.
He doesn't have much of an impact inside the box, though, a big negative against Rakitic's contribution from midfield, and while it's fair to suggest he doesn't read the match as well as Busquets does in the defensive midfield slot, it's also fair to ask: In the entire footballing world, who does?
Midfield remains a tremendously difficult area of the team to break into. It's no coincidence that Roberto's game time in the middle took a nose dive once Arda Turan became available, as Luis Enrique tried to ease him into the setup, and it won't be any easier in '16-17 with Suarez's arrival, even if he features more on the flanks of the attack.
Likely scenario
The best case for Roberto is that the club do not spend €20 or €30 million on a new right-back. Competition is to be expected, but that kind of outlay demands that the player be a starter; a smaller fee will see the position won on merit.
Not involved with the national team at Euro 2016, Roberto should play a big part in pre-season for Barcelona and should aim for as much game time at right-back as possible to lock down the position as his own.
Those displays last August and September washed away any lingering doubts that he could cut it at the club, even if his exact role wasn't yet fully determined, and while the team won't want to lose his adaptability in covering the middle areas, if he is to become a guaranteed starter, it will need to come from right-back.
To get the best of Roberto, it has become apparent that he needs to feel valued within the squad and playing an important role, not merely fighting for 10 minutes on a weekly basis of the bench. When his confidence is high as a result of feeling he's in the side on merit, his best technical traits come to the fore and his vision in watching the game unfold is highlighted.
Begin to re-forge a relationship with Messi down the right side, and Barcelona could find themselves a great replacement for Alves without having to splash out millions of euros and get the best out of another La Masia graduate in the process.
.png?w=600 "Who Will Panthers Take at No. 9 ? 🤔")
