Barca Blaugranes
Barca Blaugranes, For Barcelona Fans
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A look at the players of Barça’s last Champions League success compared to the current squad.
Victor Valdés -> Marc-André ter Stegen
Valdés was a club legend having been brought up through the ranks of the youth team to the first team and was one of the pioneers in the style of goalkeepers being able to use their hands as well as their feet. He has a claim to be one of the best to ever pull on the Barcelona jersey. Although he did have it in him to make the occasional costly mistake in high profile games. His spill to the feet of Angel Di Maria springs to mind but it was moments after errors like this that showed Valdés' dedication to Barcelona's philosophy. He was determined to pass it out from the back and even if a misplaced pass led to an opposition goal, Valdés would recover by getting the next pass right. Barcelona are now blessed with two great goalkeepers. Claudio Bravo is the experienced man who plays in the league while ter Stegen is a sign of the things to come. His performance against Bayern showed what a great shot stopper he is and although he remains more in the German mould now it will only be a matter of time before he is fully developed into the Barça style and becomes one of the best goalkeepers in the world. (Image taken from unculeenlamalagueta.com)
Dani Alves
was 28 at the time of the Wembley final and was at the peak of his powers. He was fast, attack minded and a had a great understanding of Messi. He was an ever present in the Barça back four and played a significant role in their trophy haul. His current season has been plagued with ongoing talk over his contract. As it stands, this will be his last season in a Barça shirt and his early performances reflected his troubles off the pitch. However in the last few months, he has been extraordinary. His crosses are accurate, his defending well organised and he is recapturing his best form. Whether he is playing for a new contract or enjoying his final games for the club remains to be seen but we are defiantly seeing the best from Dani. (Image taken from zimbio.com and metro.com)
Gerard Piqué
The 2011 final was a return to England for Piqué and facing a familiar foe in his ex-club, Manchester United. He played well during that season with both Puyol and Guardiola keeping him focused. A focused Piqué is one of the best defenders in the world but there has been criticism that his mind does tend to wonder. However this season Piqué has been immense, proving that he doesn't need a Carles Puyol shouting in his ear to produce his best football. He has also become a leader of the back four, orchestrating them in a way not too dissimilar to Puyol. Piqué looks to be enjoying both life on and off the field and at 28 his best years are still ahead of him. (Image taken from zimbio.com)
Javier Mascherano
The 2011 final was the first year of Mascherano playing at centre-back. Whilst he did look uncomfortable at times during that season he has come on leaps and bounds since then and has become a good central defender. The versatility of him is also a good weapon in his arsenal as it allows Luis Enrique the ability to switch him from midfield to defence to accommodate the other players around him. A natural leader, Maschernao's performance in the World Cup was met with plaudits from across the footballing world with England manager Roy Hodgson even going as far as naming one of the three best players on the planent for that year. (Image taken from zimbio.com)
Eric Abidal -> Jordi Alba
Starting his career at centre back, Eric Abidal has always been more defensive minded and worked well with Dani Alves who provided the attacking output. While the Brazilian bombed forward, Abidal covered at the back to make sure Barcelona weren’t vulnerable, although that doesn't mean he wasn't in amongst the goals himself. Jordi Alba is more in the Dani Alves mould, a lighting quick full back who will take every opportunity to go forward. His rampaging runs are often an out ball for Barça and he has scored/assisted plenty of goals coming from a deep position. However this can sometimes disrupt the balance of the team and will leave the centre-backs with a lot to do.
Sergio Busquets
In 2011, Busquets still had his doubters. Many critics simply believed he was playing with great players that made him look better but as time has wore on, the true skill of Busquets has become more and more clear. His role has stayed the same over the years, to convert defence to attack as quickly as possible. He is as effective as ever and is still remarkably only 26 meaning he still has a very bright future ahead of him. (Image taken from zimbio.com)
Xavi -> Ivan Rakitic
2011 was arguably Xavi’s best year in a Barça shirt. He achieved great success on both a team level and an individual level by being named third place in the Ballon d’Or and winning the league and the Champions League. He was the glue that held the team together with his metronome like passing. Rakitic offers something different to Xavi, he is more robust. Still a great passer and controller of the ball but not afraid to throw himself around for the team. He is defensively strong and is no stranger to making a surging run from deep in order to be an attacking threat. It has been a good debut season for Rakitic and he now fills a gap left by Xavi, which is no easy task. (Images taken from zimbio.com and metro.co.uk)
Andrés Iniesta
Like his midfield partner Xavi, 2011 was a great year for Andrés Iniesta. Fresh from scoring the winning goal in Spain’s victorious World Cup, Iniesta had a great season for the Blaugrana. He was playing some of his finest football by producing attacking runs that made it seem the ball was stuck to his feet whilst becoming a big influence in almost every game. Iniesta’s role has changed since Enrique took over and to others it may look like he is having a bad season having registered fewer assists and goals then usual. But his new role requires him to play deeper, making the pass before the assist and generally controlling the game. With Xavi not playing as much as he used to, the role of midfield metronome has fallen on Iniesta’s capable shoulders. (Image taken from zimbio.com)
Pedro -> Neymar
Pedro was the shining example of a player built for the La Masia style of play. His game suited Barcelona perfectly and while he was never one of the stars of the show, he was a massive contribution to the team and a reliable player for manager Pep Guardiola. Neymar on the other hand is very much in the category of a superstar. Having arrived from Santos in one of the most hyped transfers ever, he struggled in his first season, only producing some of his great talent on occasion. But this season he has matured and is now much more consistent. He creates goals and scores them and has becoming an integral part of the team. While Pedro is still at the club, he has been resigned to a bench place due to the emergence of Neymar. (Image taken from zimbio.com)
David Villa -> Luis Suárez
There can be no doubt that both of these strikers are world class finishers. They are clinical in front of goal and if given a chance will mostly likely convert it. David Villa arrived to Barcelona and faced the familiar problem of how to be a striker without getting in the way of Leo Messi. He did this well after adapting to a wing position and becoming adept at cutting in and finishing with a finesse shot. He was a bonneted finisher and a useful weapon in Barça’s arsenal. Suárez meanwhile offers more, he creates goals as well as finishing them. After his ban was lifted, he spent his early days creating goals rather then scoring them. Now though, he does both in equal measure and has become the spearhead of Barça’s attack with Messi and Neymar either side of him. He holds the ball up, makes runs at defenders and has excellent linkup play making him an incredibly valuable asset to this Barcelona team. (Image taken from zimbio.com)
Lionel Messi
One of the most amazing things about Messi is his consistently extraordinary high level over the last few years. In 2011, the world was begging to accept Messi as the undisputed greatest in the world and questions were being asked if he was the greatest ever. Playing centrally in the team, everything went through him and he acted as the spearhead of Barça’s attacks. Every Barça player would look to get the ball to him as much as possible because they knew he could change games for them. An injury ridden season meant he lost his Ballon d’Or crown but now he is producing his best ever football. His general play has improved and he can consistently produce pieces of magic that other players do once in their careers. The arrival of Neymar and Suárez has only made him stronger and as Pep Guardiola said it is impossible to stop him. (Image taken from zimbio.com)
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