In what can be regarded as football’s worst kept secret, the current Barcelona side is screaming out for defensive reinforcements. Barcelona responded to their shortcomings by splashing out a club record £75m on their new signing Luis Suarez.
The Blaugrana experienced something similar last season when they refused to pay heed to their defensive fatalities and instead of securing services of a top class centre back, they went ahead to spend a considerable sum on Brazilian star Neymar.
As things stand now it seems unlikely that Barcelona will be looking to sign a world class defender and it is inevitable that they might be dealt with a similar fate as last season when they failed to land a trophy for the first time since the 2007/2008 season.
The Barcelona roster is filled with a plethora of world class attacking players who are a constant threat to any defence in the world. Last season the Catalans registered a mammoth total of 100 goals in La Liga and were second only to arch rivals Real Madrid in this department.
Out of these 100, 72 were scored by forwards in the squad including 28 from Messi, 19 from Alexis Sanchez, 15 from Pedro and nine from Neymar. These statistics clearly show that goal scoring is not a problem at the club.
Barcelona’s problems however lie at the other end of the pitch, where they have been miserable at times. On paper Barcelona had the second best defence in La Liga after conceding just 33 goals however much of this was down to Victor Valdes’ heroics who definitely saved one of his best performances for his final season at the club.
Although criticized repeatedly for the odd mistakes he tends to make the 32 year old enjoyed one of his finest campaigns under a Barcelona shirt. The problem however lies at the heart of the defence where Barca are depleted not just in terms of number but also quality.
Barcelona's terrible defence is the real problem at the club
Carles Puyol’s lengthy absence has shown just how mediocre Gerard Pique is. The veteran defender covered for his partner’s shortcomings from time to time but injuries and a loss of pace have brought an end to his time at the club and without him Barcelona’s defence is only average at best.
After a horror show throughout the 2013/2014 season, Gerard Pique’s World Cup campaign was also riddled with numerous mistakes which dearly cost La Roja, the former Man United man’s performances have experienced a downward spiral and it would be safe to say that he does not deserve to start for a club which has the loftiest of ambitions.
What is even more frustrating is the fact that Barcelona have simply refused to get in the market for a quality centre back and have instead persistently deployed defensive midfielders in a rather awkward position. Javier Mascherano has been the biggest culprit to Barcelona’s plight over the years and despite being one of the best play breakers in the world the Argentinean has wasted most of his time at Barcelona playing in an uncanny centre back role. The defensive crisis at the club is such that even Alex Song, Sergio Busquets and Adriano have had to play as make shift defenders.
The club is currently moving into a transition with several first team players including Victor Valdes, Jose Pinto, Carles Puyol, Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez having moved out of the club with midfield maestro Xavi Hernandez also set to depart. Some of these players represent the backbone of the club and it can be said that Barcelona will have a hard time dealing with their absence. If the club fails to respond to its defensive frailties on top of this, Barcelona will have a tough time challenging for major honors next season even with Suarez in the team.
Whereas there is hardly a club Luis Suarez cannot walk into owing to his undeniable quality, it can be argued that Barcelona might have to change their system to accommodate him which is not always the wisest thing to do.
Lionel Messi has blossomed in his role as a false nine and is expected to continue through the middle and will most likely be supported by Neymar on the left. This only leaves one position for Suarez which is on the right side of the front three. Whereas a player as unpredictable and explosive as Luis Suarez can benefit the side playing in any of the three forward positions, he is most productive when played as a centre forward.
Messi will remain the most important player at the club
At Liverpool Suarez was the centre of attraction and enjoyed complete creative freedom at Barcelona he will not be able to benefit from such luxury. For all his laudable antics, the former Liverpool man will play second fiddle to Lionel Messi who will arguably remain the most important player at the club the next season and in the seasons to come.
To spend so much money on Suarez and expect him to play as an understudy to Messi seems senseless and to not play him in a position which suits him the most is also very pointless. Thus despite spending a club record fee on their new man, Suarez like Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas might fail to have the impact which is expected from him.
Although Suarez is most definitely a world class player who would improve any team in the world, signing him was probably something the Catalans did not need at present. Barcelona already have a number of very talented forwards in their armory who provide with more than sufficient attacking threat.
It is said that goals win you matches but defences win you titles, this is something Barcelona should pay heed to. If they fail to land a top class centre back in the current transfer window, the Barcelona side might very well fail to score enough goals to compensate for their very average defence next season.
