42 responses so far ↓

• Hilal // Apr 16, 2008 at 16:26

  Your absolutely right Nick, while Benzema is an exceptional player we have the center forward position completely covered. Unless the plan is to change the entire system, in which case we could probably accommodate him. If they want to keep the same system then another winger is what we need. I read that we are looking at Silva from Valencia, that would be a good investment. He has always impressed me and could fill Ronaldinho’s position quite well. What we dont want to do is buy Benzema and play him out of position as we have done with Henry. Hopefully they learned their mistake!

  How about this for a formation:

  Valdez???
  Alvez Puyol Garay Lahm
  Yaya Xavi
  Messi Iniesta/Silva
  Eto’o/Henry Benzema/Bojan

• Valo // Apr 16, 2008 at 16:50

  Benzema would be a great buy up at the top. Balotelli would be another good option, as Barca now looks to refresh the team.

  I think at this point it would be very hard to bring Cesc, Pique, or Mascherano to the Camp Nou (rumors that have been floating around). Although, I hear lots of $$ will be pouring in from the Milan Deal ( Ronnie + Deco + Marquez + Zambrotta).

  Danni Alves + Garay would be great. Both are proven defenders in La Liga.
  Lahm would be nice — but would that mean too many changes @ the back?

  Midfield: Yaya needs backup! He cannot play every game. When he is not on the field Barca suffers as there is no one protecting the back 4.

  Hopefully some of our homegrown talent can make the break through - Asulin, Valiente, jeffren …etc.

  It is great when the Management looks for a great Attacker. But In reality Barca’s biggest weakness has been in defense.

  I don’t see why Valdez is ???? in your line up. He has made a few mistakes, woof. But when he is ON he is amazing.

  Henry — MLS time? I think so.

• Dr.Osmo // Apr 16, 2008 at 17:30

  ————————-Valdes(Jorquera)–
  D.Alves(Oleguer)—Puyol(Marquez)–Milito(Garay)—–Abidal(Sylvinho)
  —————————Yaya Toure(Poulsen - Marquez)————-
  ———————–Xavi(M.Crosas)————Fabregas(Guddy - Iniesta)——
  ——————-Messi(Giovanni)—-Iniesta(Bojan)-
  —————————-Eto’o(Henry)————————

  Why Benzema, Barca have 8 Striker and Winger

• Caleb // Apr 16, 2008 at 17:46

  I’m curious why da Silva would be a great replacement for Ronnie. Is Ronnie left footed? Does he take the ball to touch and look to cross?

  If it’s someone left-footed we need, both Messi and Gio fit the bill. The thing is, to put someone left-footed out there is to entirely change the complexion of the 4-3-3. Ronnie, when at his best, would cut in to the middle, play 1-2s with Eto’o, and hit right-footed shots. This opens up a lane for the left back to overlap and put in crosses. To put a left-footed player in that position is to clog up that path and complicate an overlap from the defense.

  Believe it or not, I think we do have a couple players that can play that position well. Iniesta has played it both for us and for Spain. Bojan has also done well on the left. If we do bring someone in, however, it should be a right-footed player. Personally, I would rather see something like this up front:

  Messi - Eto’o - Bojan

  That way, Benzema could back up Eto’o. Injuries are always a problem. But, we should sell Henry along with Ronnie and potentially Deco (if we sell Deco, we do need a good replacement so we have cover for the attacking midfield. Diego?). And coverage for Yaya is also a must (especially if Marques is gone next season). But who?

  I agree with Valo; stick with Valdez. And I still think Abidal can turn it back around, given some time and support. He really was stellar for the first half of the year. Garay would be a nice pick up, given how old Turam is. We need more center backs.

  Again, Valo is right to mention the potential of homegrown talent. We have the best youth system in the world and continually pump out quality players. Some of them will no doubt feature in next season’s picture…

• Caleb // Apr 16, 2008 at 17:50

  - Dr. Osmo,

  I largely agree w/that formation. One problem: I don’t know how we’ll get Cesc next season.

• Titi186 // Apr 16, 2008 at 18:17

  Before I rant let me say Im a History student as I usually use this as a platform to express a view hence my one-sideidness

  I know Henry has been dissapointing considering how world-class he was at Arsenal but sometimes I find some Barca fans lack of respect a little too much.

  Lets put it into perspective for a minute.

  In the Primera Liga and Champions League, Henry has 7 goals and 7 assists in 25 games and 3 goals and 3 assists in 7 games.

  Not the best no, but when compared to Lionel Messi who has 9 goals and 7 assists in 20 games and 6 goals and 0 assists in 7 games in europe (and to those who will obviously point out his marvelous dribbles, Id rather he score 28 goals and 6 assists like Cristinao Ronaldo).

  Samuel Eto who has 14 goals but only 1 assist and 1 goal and 0 assists in 4 games in europe.

  My point is that Henry’s overall effectivness on paper is comparable (more so to Messi than Eto’o) and that is with Messi and Eto’o both playing at their highest level in their lives whilst Henry is playing at his lowest in a decade.

  Henry is adapting to a new league and lifestyle but more importantly he is adapting to playing as a winger. Be honest here when Lio, as good as he is and Eto’o, as much as he has hit the ground running have played out of their respective positions they have not performed anywhere near their potentials. Henry thrived in a 4-4-2 where his partner e.g. Bergkamp/Wiltord/Reyes stayed up front whilst he drifted around and liked the quick counter as demonstrated in Arsenals 5-1 demolition (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TjFl_0g_do)

  The entire point of the article is why did we buy Henry if he wasnt going to be allowed to play in his preferred position for a run of games? If the press are to be beleived then Rijkard will be sacked and thanks for that as he seems to lack the experience of what to do when things are going wrong. Maybe the new manager will switch the system to a 4-4-2 of which Henry can be a part of with Eto and Bojan with Messi and Ronnie/Silva/Whoever will play as left/right midfeilders as this system is obviously not working. If not then Henry should probably leave with Ronnie to Milan who will have Kaka, Pirlo and Ronnie to feed Shevchenko, Henry and Pato and then maybe it will but some fans to rest for while before Messi drops his form and people can begin to turn on him…

  Titi186 (who else )

• Barca Fan_Miki // Apr 16, 2008 at 18:20

  Benzema would be a good singing he is a great player and what is most important great scorer which we need.About the rest of the squad Garay , Dani Alves , Lahm for the defence , Cesk or Diego or meybe Samir Nasri but Lampard is to old for Barcelona and Silva would be good but not that good to be Ronaldinho’s replacement.C.Ronaldo would be a great replacement but………

• Shahenshah // Apr 16, 2008 at 19:18

  Benzema is only 20? Wow!

  Is he right footed? Does anyone know if Benzema is versatile enough to be played on the left?

  Face it Titi, Henry is not the Henry of the old anymore. He knew he was losing his grace at Arsenal which is why he decided to leave. Statistics dont really tell the whole story. Eto’o and Messi have been out due to long injury spells. I am sure if they played as much as Henry did, they would have had higher stats.

  I absolutely despise the idea of changing the formation to 4-4-2. I am not gonna lie. That will limit the team to cross the ball in to the box and thats definitely not Barcelona’s style………..not by a long shot. Barcelona does not play with wingers, it plays with wingbacks but definitely not wingers. The front three are strikers. They are never meant to cross the ball. Messi never crossed the ball into the box and same goes with Ronaldinho. When Barcelona played the R-E-M frontline, the only people I saw cross the ball were overlapping wingbacks. The strikers cut in and either passed it through for someone to score or shot with their preffered foot. Henry is required to do the same since he is playing on the left. He doesnt have to cross the ball, just shoot. What happened to his ability to pull off those amazing shots?

  I really dont understand this fellow. Buck up man, if you didnt want change then why would you move to a completely different team with a completely different approach towards the goal? I thought you were versatile. He just wants to play centre-forward. Will that solve the problem? I dont think so because during the world cup he played the centre forward role for France and didnt really impress. I guess Henry can only do well in the 4-4-2 formation. Guess the whole team has to change its dynamic so that Henry can be happy and play well right?

  Honestly, I’d be patient with him and give him as much time he needs to adjust if he just didnt whine like a 2 year old girl. Claiming that Barcelona has blunted his threat and he will quit if he is not given the chance to play CF. Go ahead and quit. I am not really surprised to see that attitude from someone who vowed to stay with his team forever and then quit all of a sudden. Henry is a mere shadow of his former self. He has passed his peak. It happens to everyone, only Henry does not accept the reality and shamelessly blames the team.

  Even if the formation is switched to a 4-4-2, I dont think it will be proper to use Messi as a right midfielder. Messi never played as a right midfielder. He was always a striker. Even for Argentina he played one of the two strikers upfront, well whenever Riquelme played. When Riquelme was not present Messi moved to the centre attacking midfield position. Both Basile and Rijkaard feel that in future Messi will be moved to the CAM position because not only does he know how to dribble, he has amazing vision as well. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75iUV_JIKYU)

  Thus, in case Rijkaard calls it quits or Laporta decides he has to peel off Rijkaard to save his own skin and the formation is changed to 4-4-2, it should be a diamond midfield with Messi as the centre attacking mid.

  ———-Puyol————Milito————-
  Alves———————————Abidal/Sylvinho
  ——————-Toure————————
  ———Xavi——————Iniesta
  ——————–Messi———————–
  ——–Eto’o—————–Henry

  Wait wait wait, is it just me or has Rijkaard already try this?

• Nic // Apr 16, 2008 at 19:38

  Titi186 - Glad to have you back mate, I thought you were in hiding given Henry’s poor form Unfortunately one of the things most fans are tired of is the excuses for Henry. So far I think he has made three different excuses: playing out of position (it may have been 4-4-2 at Arsenal but he was famous for the goals he scored cutting in from the left to curl it into the far corner, at Barça he did it against Celtic, why not more often?), then he says he is playing injured and then it is because he misses his daughter. The final straw for me was him saying he had never run so much in all his career as he has at Barça! Who is he trying to kid, he must have been one lazy player at Arsenal if that is so.
  Also, I’m afraid your history is not that great. You give Messi 0 assists in Europe, just off the top of my head he set up Henry for his goal against Rangers http://fcbnews.com/barca-2-rangers-0/ plus i think it was Messi who forced the first goal against Lyon at Camp Nou (a defender turned Messi’s cross into his own net).

• blaugranaboy // Apr 16, 2008 at 19:53

  shaneshah, i know we had our disagreement about CR, but your Henry analysis is spot SPOT on. im glad i didnt have to set the record straight. i have been one of the first people to claim his suckiness for a long time and i was slandered often. and his stats are not great, what a sad excuse. his 7 goals in the league were from 6 hatricks. so he scored shit all else in the rest. and i dont recall his assists to be honest. and nic is so right, he is amazingly lazy, i cant believe he says he has never run so much. he just whines and whines. over him, i hope he leaves.

  about benzema, its not a good signing at all. he is an amazing player, but come on people, we have only seen him properly for one year. and also we DONT need another center forward. when are they going to understand u cant get much better than sammy, so give him that role and i guarantee he will score just as many goals as any else. its so stupid. plus bojan is now there and he will only get better and can score already. we need to look at wingers to play those attacking roles. i like quaresma, and truth be told i havent seen much of guardado. but thats where we need to look.

  shaneshah is also totally right about the 4-4-2. thats mainly for teams that like to use the entire wing and cross. thats not our style. ive said it before, 4-3-3 works prefectly if people all run, use the space, and play quick football. its such an effective attackign formation when the players execute it properly. all rijkaard has to do is bust out the videos from a few years back and just tell them to mimic that. then everything wil be fine.

• blaugranaboy // Apr 16, 2008 at 19:54

  not 6 hatricks. 2 hattricks, 6 goals. i think that fact is right. just going on memory.

• Hilal // Apr 16, 2008 at 20:08

  I agree that Henry has not been at his best this season, but I do not think he should be sold. He is getting closer to the end of his career and he should be used as a super sub, same way Larsson was used. He is definitely being wasted on the left and I dont care what anybody says if you play somebody consistently out of position they lose form. Look at Messi, when Frank played him down the middle he was useless, same with Eto’o on the right……. Stick him back in the middle and he scores two goals in one game. No Henry has not done enough this season, but with all the injuries we have had you have to consider that he has had to come into a new team, in a new league and had no time whatsoever to adapt…..from day one he was a starter for us. I think it would be a mistake to sell him. Keep him for one more season, give him some more time, let him come off the bench AS A STRIKER and we might yet see something resembling the Henry of old!

  I do not think we need Benzema, unless Henry is sold. We need defenders and midfielders….Alves, Lahm, Garay, Lucio, Poulson or Alonso and Diego or Modric. Get rid of Oleguer, Edmilson, Ronnie, Deco, Ezquerro, Zambrotta, Sylvinho and Guddy ( I personally like him, but the club does not seem to). I would definitely sell Valdez since he is clearly a liability but i doubt that is going to happen. For some reason the club and most of the fans have faith in him even though he is shaky and has already cost us several games. He is a good shot stopper but that is about it…….he cannot deal with set pieces, he has a problem coming off his line and he does not seem to understand the concept of closing down angles.

• blaugranaboy // Apr 16, 2008 at 20:43

  i can appreciate him coming to new team, league, etc… but his attidue has not been good to say the least. and ur arugment is true with a fundamental flaw. henry can only be a super sub if he agrees to, well, being a SUB. and that guy is too arrogant to accept that role and frankly if i was him and had such an amazing career before, i wouldnt accept that role either. so thats that out the window.

  most ur transfers are alright but u should keep oleguer. he is local and doesnt mind being benched and when u really need a body to fill in the defense he can do it. during our winning years he really was not bad at all. he is like wes brown or john o shea for man u. just just keep them there in case and maybe he will improve over time. took brown almost his entire career to look as good as he does recently. no need to get rid of sylivinho either. he has looked very decent when playing and he costs the club very little. if he is happy to hit the bench 80% of the year having players with his experience in the squad is useful.

  i also greatly disagree about valdez. he has had a shaky year, but who hasnt. the general apathy of the club is prob affecting him. for years i thought he was one of the most underrated keepers around. plus he is born and breed and the importance of that is irreplaceable., he has great reflexes and his one on ones in the past have been pretty good. and frankly there is no better keeper to bring in. cech, buffon, casillas, all totall off limits and frankly i wouldnt want them. its against our policies and general mentality.

• Hilal // Apr 16, 2008 at 21:18

  blaugranaboy the point you raise regarding Henry not accepting the bench role brings up another issue…..it is not up to him. The decision of who starts is down to the manager, and based on Henry’s form right now he should not be starting, neither should Abidal. It doesnt matter who you are, if you are not playing well for the team you should not start. That is why I still believe this whole mess is down to Rijkaards inability to be strong and forceful with the players. If Henry does not like being on the bench then he needs to PROVE himself on the pitch or he can leave. I can guarantee that if Frank had the balls to leave him on the bench for a month or two then Henry would have to prove himself. Right now what does he really have to prove? He starts anyways, regardless of his form and he gets paid a ridiculous sum of money. Its very bad man management and he does the same thing with Deco.

  As for keeping Oleguer and Sylvinho, I am happy for them to stay as long as we buy Lahm and Alves. We need good cover on both wings and Lahm can play both RB and LB so he could replace both Alves and Abidal if needs be. I am not going to get into the Vadez issue. I have had this argument too many times with fellow Barca fans. In my opinion he is just not good enough to be our keeper. If you look at all the best teams in the world they have world class keepers between the posts, Valdez is great, but he is not world class.

• FCB // Apr 16, 2008 at 21:33

  i have a feeling that both henry and etoo will leave the club soon…i cant see etoo staying for more than 2 yrs so ill be happy if we get him

• ulizinho // Apr 16, 2008 at 21:42

  Come on, we never really found a place for Thierry Henry to play his game in a 4-3-3, how will we do with 3 center forwards, 2 always on the bench? Maybe we can use other tactics than 4-3-3 but like it as the best tactics for beautiful offensive football and Johan Cruyff will fight any change. We need to replace Ronaldinho on left wing and we need some serious defender(s) when even a totally average team with less than average forwards like Schalke caused us problem after problem with the defense. We couldn’t also rely too much on Bojan and Gio, they are still very young, therefore we need some experience in the second set. And at last we need some bad guys, some people with the mentality to push all the good guys at barca forward in case of emergency.

• blaugranaboy // Apr 16, 2008 at 21:48

  hilal, fair points. i kind of disagree though, i dont think any manager could make henry a bench player and make him accept it. possibly another manager could have told him to accept his left sided role, make the most of it, and if he wasnt such a baby i could have seen it working just fine. but we all come here and make our points, but we dont really know the truth. franks knows and see and hears things we dont. he may be trying to boost his confidence with games, and thats why he often leaves him on till the end, hoping to get a goal. could be. frank may think he will react more favorably by being played then not. just saying, not saying im right or frank is right. honestly idont care about henry, i never wanted him and feel no allegance towards him or any duty to defend him, i hope he leaves.

  we can leave valdes at this. he is a love or hate issue i think. but the best teams really dont all have world class keepers, of which i name only name a handful. van der sar, united being the best team right now, is not worldclass. reina isnt, neither is almunia or any arsenal keeper. looking at milan, winners of CL twice recently, dida really isnt. a strong defense is more important, and world class teams like united and ac milan DO have rock solid back fours, thats where most squad improvement like u said is needed. lahm looks a great talent but we cant buy him if abidal is going to stay. competitoin like that causes unhappy players, its not clever.

• Joe Henry // Apr 16, 2008 at 22:04

  If you ask me we don’t need any new players. Just use the players that we have good. So basically keep the players lose Frank. FCB who the hell is WE. Barca Fan :p

• Hilal // Apr 16, 2008 at 22:27

  You bring up some good points and like you said we all come here and give our opinions but we do not really know what is going on. Perhaps Frank is trying to raise his confidence by giving him the opportunity to score, having said that though, Henry’s best performances this season have been coming off the bench. His attitude stinks, you are right about that, but a lot of strikers have bad attitudes. Eto’o for example is notorious for his outspoken attitude. I am sure if Rijkaard played him on the right for most of the season you would see a very unhappy, lacklustre player. I have no allegiance to Henry, I thought it was a mistake to sign him, but now that we have him we should try and make the best of him.

  Also I did not mean that Henry should always be a bench player and just accept it. If he has a long term future at our club I think it will probably be off the bench, especially as he gets older.However this season a better manager would have benched him till he proved he was worthy to start for us. What I am trying to say is that no player is bigger than the team so if the player is not producing what he should then stick him on the bench.

  Valdez is a love/hate issue. I guess I just get envious when I see Cech, Casillas and Buffon and how amazing they are. Maybe we shouldnt get rid of Valdez right now, but at least buy a promising young keeper to be our no 2 and give him some playing time to prove himself. However I would take both Reina and Van der sar over Valdez……probably not Almunia though. Lets hope Valdez can prove me wrong against Man Utd and make some monster saves. He is going to have to be on top form!

• Angus // Apr 16, 2008 at 23:27

  Now, I may be a little behind the times here when I say this but here goes.

  Why are we going after players when we have such an unstable position with the coach at present? Shouldn’t the coach have a say in what players come and go from the club? Fantasy football is all very well and good but it does not work. I do not want us to become a side like Real or Chelsea where the owner decides what players to but and then hire’s the coach to make it work. Schuster will probably be out of a job as will Avram Grant at the end of this season.

  Reports suggest that Michael Laudrup is hotly tipped to become the next coach but it appears he will have no say, or very little say in what players he can or cannot have.

  But if Frank Rijkaard has outlined players to go after to Joan Lapota and Txiki Begiristain then he must be staying? I do not like the idea of just buying players and throwing them together and expecting them to gel instantly. It is what they have done this season and it has backfired spectacularly. We need security within the coaching staff before we start throwing money at players who may not fit into the new coach’s plans.

  The personnel on the board are not football men. Yes, they may like to watch and can appreciate talent when they see it but leave it to the coach and his team when it comes to bringing in and letting players go.

  I want only the best for the club I love and I do not feel that it is right to buy players on form and expect them to fit into a new style like has been the case this season. Karim Benzema is a quality player and I would like to see him play for us. But I want him at the club for the right reasons and under the right coach and guidance, not just because we can buy him.

  I hope other’s share my view. This, in my opinion, is the time to get the coaching situation sorted before we start targeting players. I want a team, not a “reality” fantasy footabll.

  Mes Que Un Club!

• Hilal // Apr 16, 2008 at 23:34

  Well said Angus, I share your concerns. Since we have not actually signed anybody yet though i wouldnt jump the gun. All Laporta did was go to see a game. There is no harm in going to view a few players to let them know you are interested. With a club like Barca all you have to do is show interest. My hope is that they are gathering as much information as they can about as many potential signings as possible and then once the new coach is appointed then the decisions will be made. Although some would argue that if you wait too long you will lose your chance. For example Alves I think we should buy no matter what!

• valo // Apr 16, 2008 at 23:37

  I think Henry should do the right thing and leave.
  1) He is not happy
  2) He is a shadow of his former self and will not play at a top level with Barca.
  3) He claims to have lost the “striker’s instinct” and therefore is kind of pointless having him on the pitch anyways.

  He may stay on to tutor the juniors at Barca –but what would the point of that be if his heart is not in it?

  With Henry’s possoble departure and the fact that Eto’o is not getting any younger this makes Benzema a good buy.

  Given that both Eto’o and Messi are out for extended periods of time he would be excellent cover.

  And with Gio’s possible departure ( heard rumor that Barca had offered him to clubs) we would need a young talent to replace Gio as well.

  I don’t know what this talk about Valdes is. The guy is quality and more important than that, weara the barca shirt like he would wear his skin.
  You cannot blame the keeper when a back line gives the opposition a go at the entire goal mouth. Or is not keeping with their markers in the box making tap-ins and headers impossible to save for Valdes. Yes, he made a mistake last game he played, but barca should have dealt with that throw-in better. Xavi could have stopped the cross. Abidal should not have allowed Ruben so much space.

  What I am saying is that these types of goals are very very soft. Barca should not even be letting the opponent get these types of ridiculous chances. They had plenty of space and time to correct the mistake that led to that throw-in.

  We need people who will work hard for the team because they love the team and they love to play.

  Look at the news today. Barca disciplined Zambrotta and Thuram for not showing up at practice today … “they overslep”
  ( http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/369879/0/barcelona/jugadores/dormidos/ )

  How can you blame the keeper when the defence is SLEEPING all the time??

• Winterhunt // Apr 16, 2008 at 23:54

  Great, great striker, only 20 years old, leads Ligue 1 in scoring, loves Barca, has already been studying Castillian, with Leo being injury prone, and the uncertainty regarding Titi, I think he is a quality signing. The last two years with al the injuries, show that you can never have too many quality strikers, as someone is always bound to be injured. I do think we have other areas where we have far more obvious and glaring needs (defense defense defense!!!!!! Alves & Garay would be very nice, a backup for Yaya, a younger player to fill Deco’s role, and at least to my eyes a keeper….. a World Class Keeper……)…. I agree with Angus & Hilal in that we need an overall plan, and build around that plan….. That being said, quality is quality, and this kid is absolute quality, if we don’t get him, certainly Man U or Real will…. The thought of him & Leo & Bojan & Gio (unless we sell him which I was for but lately have seen things I really like about him, and now I’d hope we hold onto him) all under 21 as strikers, also of course Sammy….. That’s a pretty scary array of strike options…. If we really had 100m to spend before the Ronnie deal was even discussed, & if Ronnie brings in 30-40m, I would think we could splash out on Benzema, and still be able to get Alves & Garay (unless we already blew it with him….. I hope not, but it seems we might have…)…. I know a lot of people want Diego and he is very good, but he seems to prefer Real, so I don’t see that happening….. not too keen on paying big money for Cesc, after he bolted on us, and can’t crack the starting line-up for Spain over Iniesta or Xavi; though I must admit I do think he is a very good player and that may be a Aragones thing….. Ok, I’m writing a novel here, sorry…. Yes, I’m into Benzema, as I believe he will be one of the best players in the world very very soon, and added to Leo & Bojan, would guarantee us a fearsome attack for years to come, and I think players of this quality can be used by any worthwhile coach who understands the game…. wether we have or will have that Coach… well that’s a whole other story…….

• Angus // Apr 17, 2008 at 0:06

  Hilal, I’m just worried we will make mistakes again and end up paying for them on the field. I know what you mean but just noting an interest but that’s Laporta noting the interest. Who has said to him, “Go and see this boy Benzema, I want him in the team”? Yes, Benzema is potentially a star and I have no doubt he would be a success atBarcelona. But who is creating the signing policy?

  We need someone in place who will be dealing hands on with the players saying “I want this player and that player and not this one”. We need a strong coach who has full respect of the squad and a hunger for success. I feel the fire in Rijkaard has burned out and it would be good for both sides if they were to part.

  I know this is a difficult period in the season for the club. The league is over but we still have the Champions league. If we were not in contention for that I think Laporta would have sacked Rijkaard and a new man would proably have been announced.

  This current situation leaves me pecemistic for next season as I do not feel things that need to change will change. I do not feel the club are bold enough to admit they made mistakes.

  I long for a coach who will be ruthless, decisive and have a tactical knowledge so we can close out games. We have ended up in the “Galacticos” world Real were a few years ago and no one wants to be in that position.

• Joe Henry // Apr 17, 2008 at 0:13

  Well I don’t know. I mean I think Henry will be great next year. Its normal for a player specially one like Henry to feel home sick. He was the star of the team now he is nothing. If he starts to shine he will be great again. I think its only a matter of time he will rise again. Its still in him. I agree with Angus, on the Frank topic. He was a good coach and the fire with in him is lost. As for a team it was in my widest dream to have a team like Barca is today. Every position is field by a true star. Alone each and every one could shine alone. It was my worst nightmare to see Barca play so bad this season as well.

• Hilal // Apr 17, 2008 at 0:42

  Well Angus i think Frank is definitely gone anyways. Unfortunately I think we missed our chance with Mourinho. I have been reading a lot lately that he is not waiting any longer and will prob end up at either Milan or Inter. It also seems that Laudrup is the most likely to take over, with Guardiola as a number 2. Personally i would have preferred Mourinho because he is a born winner and we would have gone on to do great things with him. That being said, Laudrup has shown he can be a fantastic coach and has taken Getafe far beyond their capabilities this season. My only worry is that he has yet to deal with the high pressure stakes of coaching a team like Barca. He would not have had to deal with a barrage of press or unhappy superstars at Getafe. It would be risky getting him, whereas Mourinho is more of a sure thing. Guardiola looks like he might have a very positive influence though, I read the “plans” he has for the club and while they might be a little ambitious they are exactly what we need right now. As well both these guys will command the utmost respect from our players and they would certainly play attacking football. I guess we’ll see what happens. I cannot wait for this season to be over and done with so that we can finally make some changes and move forward.

• Angus // Apr 17, 2008 at 1:00

  Guardiola has done impressive things with Barcelona B this season and there is no question that he should be the next assistant coach. As fo the Head Coach I am not so sure. Laudrup has made peace with Cruyff so that means he has someone to go to if things got too much for him. I agree he has done a good job and has used the loan signing’s he has had very well. But like you say Hilal, he hasn’t had the intense media pressure that the job at Barcelona would have.

  I think he has all the right credentials for the job but this would be a very safe option for the board to take. I am, however, glad that we have not landed another ego in Jose Mourinho. Barcelona is a huge club and my feelings are that he would want to be bigger. He is a very capable manager but under the current board set up I feel this would be a bad choice. I would like to throw Marcelinho from Racing Santander into the ring. He has done a superb job without a recognised striker and only one star player in Munitis and could be an option.

  Whoever we get as coach will not be used to the high pressure of the Barcelona job unless it is a big name and I cannot see that happening.

  I would also like to add that I do not believe we need a star player in every position. I believe in team unity, spirit and a good solid work ethic. That is missing at the moment and I want a strong fearless coach to come in and put some of the players back into reality. I want that team feeling from two seasons ago where won the Champions League and League double. Barcelona at it’s peak. I want that back.

• valo // Apr 17, 2008 at 1:28

  I would be very upset if Mourinho became the manager of Barcelona. He is 100% not compatible with Barca. Furthermore Laporta himself hinted that there is no way they would ever approach such a coach that did not fit into the Barca playing style.

• Shahenshah // Apr 17, 2008 at 4:04

  So its true, Laudrup is being tipped as a favourite to be the coach at Barcelona. I guess thats not bad and if Barcelona legend Cruiyff has made peace with him then its definitely fine with me as well.

  Laudrup is an excellent manager. He has done tremendous things in charge of Getafe. After watching Getafe’s amazing passing game and team link up, it is clear that Laudrup too is a pioneer of beautiful football. He also uses a one top striker formation too. Well the formation at getafe is a 4-5-1 but thats basically a defensive version of a 4-3-3. Thus Barcelona will not go through a huge formation overhaul and still retain their ability to play football that will win beauty pageants.

  I know Laudrup hasnt had much experience in coaching big clubs but so what? Rijkaard didnt have any big club experience either. He coached Sparta Rotterdam and got them relegated from the Eredivise. That didnt stop him from being chosen to coach Barcelona. Although you can argue that it probably was Rijkaard’s work with the national team that landed him that job but then again Laudrup has also had experience working with a national team as well.

  Furthermore, Laudrup also has experience coaching in La Liga so he knows the ins and out of the league. Well atleast better than Rijkaard did before he moved to Barcelona.

  Therefore for anyone who is questioning why Laudrup?

  I ask you, why not?

• Rivaldo // Apr 17, 2008 at 5:09

  Sell Henry and buy Benzema with Dos Santos going to Lyon, which tried to buy him last year

• Shahenshah // Apr 17, 2008 at 5:11

  Naw Rivaldo, I am sure Dos Santos isnt as good as you yet but give him some time. This kid is a “ka-ching!” waiting to happen.

• blaugranaboy // Apr 17, 2008 at 6:21

  i dont understand why people still think benzems ia good signing. obviously, he is a talented and excellent player, but we dont need him. etoo needs to fill that number one striker role every time. every game he is fit he needs to play that. benzema can only play that center role and wont adapt on wings and if we shift etoo on wins, things become a mess again. and why splash big cash on a guy who u are basically wanting to come off the bench or be part of some stupid rotation system. u cant get better than sammy for goals so lets stop trying. and why halt benzema’s progression as a play in lyon where he will always get the start. its so silly. especially if henry stays then we are just buying people for no reason. and we dont need to just buy all these huge star. we need a backup striker who is willing to be on the bench but has the abilities to score when called upon. if henry stays, which is likely, we have henry, etoo, bojan who can play center forward, why buy benzema?

  like i said before just get some wingers upfront and some defenders.

• Barca Fan // Apr 17, 2008 at 11:23

  Benzema Staying With Lyon - Agent
  Barcelona have no chance of signing Karim Benzema this summer and nor do any other team as his agent has made it clear that staying at Lyon to gain experience is the player’s priority.

  F*** Txiki

• Nic // Apr 17, 2008 at 11:56

  Shahenshah - you ask why not Laudrup. Well I have to say I have my doubts. First the fact that he left Barça to sign for Madrid: while this makes no difference to his coaching ability it is something that will be used against him by his opponents (all Barça coaches have their critics among fans and press) and this is not great for unity. The thing that troubles me most is I can’t forget Laudrup’s reaction the day he returned to Camp Nou to play for Madrid. The reception of course was hostile, though nothing like what F*** had to bear, and Laudrup totally froze. After the game he said he couldn’t understand the fans reaction. This said to me two things: 1) he doesn’t understand the club, and 2) he doesn’t have the stomach for pressure situations.
  I agree he has done a good job at Getafe (so did Schuster by the way) but I definitely have my doubts that he could handle the hot seat at Barça.

• Frede // Apr 17, 2008 at 12:06

  I really hope (and believe) that David Silva will join us for next season. He’s very versitile and only 22 years old.
  What do you Culés think of him as Ronnie’s replacement?

• Davor // Apr 17, 2008 at 12:24

  hmmmmm
  id like to see garay and rafinha added to our defence
  both are pure class
  id say in midfield why not albelda
  he isnt playing, valencia dont want him and vice versa so we could get him cheap
  plus he is world class and until recently spain 1st choice holding midfielder
  I’d like to see deco stay as I belive he can turn his game around
  as for forwards next season we’ll have bojan-eto’o-messi as our 1st choice lineup
  I agree wif Shahenshah as gio is ka-ching waiting to happen
  personally I’d seel henry but i doubt dat’ll happen however id like to see us buy mario gomez
  tall, young, skilled and wants to go 2 Barca

• Valo // Apr 17, 2008 at 14:24

  It is hard for me to think of anyone as Ronnie’s replacement since Ronnie has not been playing consistently for 2 seasons now. The play maker mantle has fallen on Iniesta, Xavi, and Messi. If you mean replacement as in someone who can play on the left side of the field then I would argue that Iniesta has been doing a fine job there. However, Iniesta does need backup. Gudjohnson is a good fill but a bit under par sometimes. There is plenty of Talent in Barca B to fill in that left side though and can be brought up slowly and surely.

• Rivaldo // Apr 17, 2008 at 17:39

  Shahenshah- the thing with dos santos, is that he will never start for Barca as long as Messi is there, that is guaranteed. And its not like messi is an old veteran, hes only 2 years older than dos santos. They are both lefties who play on the right wing. We should cash in on him and try to get Benzema who will bring back the power and speed to run at defenders, something that we all though Henry would do. Honestly even if we cant get benzema, i hope to god that henry leaves. His attitude is depressing and he doesnt care for what Barca stands for, unlike Sammy who brings his heart to every play. I saw Barca vs Club America of Mexico in a friendly in Houston 2 years ago, we were down 4-1 with under 10 minutes left. Eto’o came on around that time and played his ass off, scoring 1 goal, setting up 1 penalty and barca tied the game 4-4. I still remember perfectly after his goal, he grabbed the ball out of the goal and ran to half line while urging the team to score more and pumped up the crowd. This was in August and it meant for nothing, but Henry just complains how his play now will affect him for France in June during our champions league run. He is worse than Dinho in my eyes, and must be sold in order to stabilize the team

• Winterhunt // Apr 17, 2008 at 20:35

  Nic, just curious if you see any possible Barca Coach out there who is of proven quality, used to coaching in the spotlight that is Barca, and that would bring unity??? I’ve been trying to think of one person that can fill those qualifications, and honestly cannot think of one person…. To me it seems that those who are qualified are either seen as having some sort of baggage, or are unavailable….. I know that I been rather outspoken in my support of Mourninho, as I just think he is the best football coah out there, and I believe he is an absolute proven winner, who can handle the spotlight, and I personally believe can and will adapt his tactical approach to his roster, and the Club’s ethos. But I of course realise that he is controversial, and that this is seen as a liability by many. Laudrup, has as you say the whole Real connection, and the excellent points you made in your post above, and also while successful, really doesn’t have a huge body of work to judge him on. Wenger’s not coming here, and though he plays attractive football, I think there are some hard feelings for him as well with the Cesc/Merida incidents, as well as the fact that he has not ever won a European Championship neither The Champion’s League nor even UEFACup, and to be honest Arsenal looked an awfully like us down the stretch this year in not being able to close out games. Then we have the comletely unproven entities such as Pep or coaches at smaller Spanish sides that have done well but in far lower pressure situations. I guess you can throw in Benitez as a possibility but I personally am not a fan of his style at Liverpool nor of his rotation system, and while no one can deny his mastery of two legged European matches, his league performances leave much to be desired. So, with all of that, I guess my question is that it seems that we are kind of caught in a bind, if we go with proven quality then there seems inevitably to be some divisive element to the canidate, and if we go with someone without something peole object too then they are seemingly all really a bit of a gamble as they have not proven it in the high presure, high expectations world of our club…… I know you said, that you would weigh in on this after the season, but was just curious if you had any thoughts, as I can see no way to make a proven hire that also can restore unity. I kind of think the only thing that will bring unity is just winning on the pitch. That is why even though in the past I have despised Mourinho when he was at Chelsea, I do think he is the only guaranteed winner out there, and that his ties to Barca, being first translator, then coaching Barca B make him accutely aware of what would be expected of him. I don’t know, personally I had hoped again and again that Frank could turn it around as I really think he is a good man and in keeping with our image, but it really seems that he has lost the confidence of the team , a large part of the fanbase, and the media, and I don’t think even winning the Champion’s League will change that (though if he did and then left, it would be quite the perfect fairytale ending and really nice for him) in the long run. I think that maybe it will be impossible to fnd a coach who’s mere hiring will bring about unity, I think that will come from the coach himself and his work with the team, and the results he gets and the effort with which we play under him, as I think I could stomach our poor results if I at least felt we were giving our all both in on pitch effort, and in off the pitch preperation. I mean no one can be expected to win all the time, that is just not realistic especially in this sport; but one thing that can always be expected and demonstrated is desire and effort, and I think that is what has been especially disheartening about these last two years…… Anyway, just curious if you had someone in mind or if that person exists… I kind of think there is always bound to be dissent and a period where unity must be fostered, just like when we hired Frank and realy for his first 6 months….. anyway, wrote another novel here…. Just wondering if you had any thoughts…….

• metersacker // Apr 17, 2008 at 22:39

  hey im new to this website but it looks great ive been a fan for many years and ronni was my idol but now thats hes leaving and not doing well i think he will never be the same again

• Nic // Apr 17, 2008 at 23:53

  Hey Winterhunt - thanks for the last post, I really have so many things to say about the coach situation. But as I have said before I am not comfortable talking about it yet. I really would like to back Rijkaard to the end and while there is a chance of a trophy we should all continue to support him. Having said that I recognise he has made mistakes and has lost the support of the majority which means in the end he should go. It is very sad I think and reminds me of Van Gaal’s last season. These coaches deserve more respect from the press and fans but when the respect has gone then it is time for them to go. The problem of course is it is no easy feat to find a replacement, which is part of the reason I feel we should value what we already have a bit more. But anyway if we need to choose between the different candidates we have to realise that none of them have a magic wand that automatically brings successs, however good their CV is. Personally I agree with you that Mourinho is the best coach around. I liked him even when he was calling Messi a diver, it just showed he was someone who defended his club all the way. I just worry whether the Barça press and fans are mature enough to forgive and forget, and unfortunately I feel that he would have a very difficult time as soon as a couple of results went against us. I really liked Van Gaal but people started to attack him for absurd reasons such as him using a notebook to take notes! It was crazy but the fans started to believe it and the campaign against him was incredible. I will always keep this in mind when considering a new coach. Perhaps this is why of all the names put forward I tend to lean towards Pep Guardiola. OK he hasn’t a CV of any note, but he knows the club and would have the press on his side from the beginning. Besides that he has a good mix of passion and cool head which I think would serve him well. Tactically he grew up under Cruyff and later Robson and Van Gaal would also have taught him things and then he had a spell in Italy to learn a different approach. Perhaps it won’t work out, and for this reason I’m not totally for ditching Frank, but we must remember that whatever the CV says is no guarantee of success.

• Winterhunt // Apr 18, 2008 at 0:59

  Thanks Nic,

  I do agree with you in regards to respecting Frank, and God knows I have many times let my emotions get ahold of me in regards to him, and lashed out at him…. I guess a lot of that is that I really do hold him in high esteem, and kept rationalising our defeats, lack of effort etc, in hopes that our players are pros and would come around just on pure professionalism and pride, but that really didn’t happen, and sadly it seemed to me (and still does) that Frank just sort of ran out of ideas and ways to motivate these guys, and then to my eyes much of his decision making left something to be desired. What is probably saddest is that most likely the root cause of his downfall can probably be traced to treating these players too much like friends, and like responsible adults, and they either consciously or more likely unconsciously just started to tune him out as they knew they would be no repercussions….. Regardless, I’ve gone on record saying I hope we would get thrashed by Man U in order to guarantee that meaningful changes be made but in my heart I know there is no way, when those teams take the pitch that I will be rooting my heart out for our guys…… Anyway, I’m all for Frank riding off into the sunset as European Champion, as I think if he won, most likely he wouldn’t want to stick around anyway, as the rumours have been all year long that he would take a sabbatical after the season… I can’t imagine the stress of this year would do anything but induce that even more….. I hear you about Pep, and I do agree with you that a person’s CV is no guarantee of success…. I’ll stick with hoping for Mourinho, simply because I believe he is in my opinion the best there is out there, and when you can get the best then you do so, and thatin addition it will be impossible to satisfy all of the fan base so I would err on the side of a proven winner, and because I think that he can handle the criticism from either press or fans and not be ruffled one bit by it, and in fact be motivated by it…. I’ve gone through my reasoning on him ad nauseum in other posts, but I agree with you too about the Messi, diving issue, that that is a product of him sticking up for his team and trying to gain them an advantage to the bitter end, and when your are the opponent of that you hate it but when your coach fights like that for your club you love that, as do the players, just look how many of his former players have remained loyal to him and want to play for him wherever he resurfaces…… I’ll just add one last time that I think for what ails this team in particular, mental/physical toughness & stamina, an organised defense, team unity, ability to hold leads, and overcome deficits at the end of games are all areas that his teams always succeed. To me this team, and it’s situation, in regards to motivation, fractured nature is in a very similar situation to the Porto team he took over, weeded out the negative players, got them into condition, and then just won and won and won, just as he did at Chelsea….. Anyway, just one fans opinion….. only time will tell, in the meantime I think you are wise in your idea to support what we currently have, and I’ll do the same (at least while we are still competative for Champion’s League….. hopefully to the end in Moscow…..hopefully)
  Take Care

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