Widely heralded as the best club team ever to grace a footballing pitch, Barcelona faced the ignominy of losing out on their most prized assets in the 2011/12 Spanish top flight football season. The Catalan club had to submit in front of Real Madrid
for bragging rights in the Iberian Peninsula, and were knocked out of the semi-finals of UEFA Champions League at the hands of eventual champions, Chelsea.
Barcelona have a lot on their plate as they resume their drive for their fifth UEFA Champions League title. La Blaugrana lost prodigal manager, Pep Guardiola, and have Tito Vilanova barking orders at the players, getting the promotion from his assistant
duties.
The Catalan club failed to successfully defend their European title last year, with eventual champions, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786, knocking them out of the prestigious competition. Defeat at the hands of the English Premier League outfit exposed Barcelona’s lack in depth.
Apart from midfield, Barcelona were short on numbers in central defence, in left-back as Eric Abidal saw the resurfacing of his liver tumour, and left-wing in the absence of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/David-Villa-c10629.
The numbers game is heavily pit against La Blaugrana, who have had to contain their transfer spending after years of lavish forays in the market. Sandro Rosell’s board is willing to allow 40 million Euros, with the rest coming from player sales.
Tito Vilanova moved swiftly in the market to add Jordi Alba to his ranks. La Masia youth academy graduate came for a wholesome 14 million Euros and is a long term replacement for the ageing Eric Abidal.
Alba impressed the Catalan club with his performances at the Mestalla. Unai Emery oversaw his evolution from a left winger into a reliable left-back, paving the path for his return to Catalonia, which he left as a teenager.
In addition, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604 are keeping tabs on Javi Martinez as a possible addition to their first team numbers. While the Basque footballer has openly revealed that he does not fancy a move in the current transfer window, but the Catalans are keeping their
hopes up.
La Blaugrana have the financial muscle to match the personal terms being offered to the Spanish international by Bayern Munich, but have failed to cough up the 40 million Euros to secure his signature. The Camp Nou based outfit have seen their flirtations
rebuffed at all stages and they currently find themselves alone in their advances for the midfielder.
Barcelona are also keeping tabs on http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Martinez-c24468 but with a smaller tag associated.
With bitter relationships between the two warring clubs, a deal can still be reached as the Gunners need to balance their books after magnanimous outlays for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lukas-Podolski-c22896 and other transfer recruits.
Elsewhere on the pitch, Barcelona are content with the options they have at their disposal. Tito Vilanova does not any other addition to the Camp Nou dressing room but has hinted at the exit of several first team squad players to make room for La Masia academy
graduates.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Russia-c2991.
Vilanova has inherited a marvellous squad from Pep Guardiola and has improved it with the addition of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lionel-Messi-c22296 eagerly anticipates
the resumption of footballing hostilities to disturb historical accounts.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect the official editorial policy of Bettor.com
Tags: