Tito to Tata - A boon or bane for Barcelona?

Gerardo ‘ Tata ‘ Martino was appointed as manager of the Catalan giants FC Barcelona in the summer of 2013. Tata replaced the out-going Tito Vilanova, who had resigned 72 hours prior to the appointment of the Argentine, owing to his illness and inadequate health conditions to continue as a professional manager. Barcelona were in a state of distress during the summer after a humiliating Champions League exit at the hands of eventual champions Bayern Munich. Adding to their misery was the departure of Tito Vilanova and hence it would be fair to say that Tata entered the scene when the club was in absolute disarray.

The only “hurrah” for the Cules was the transfer of Neymar Jr. from Santos FC. At such a juncture, the appointment of Tata did not manage to convince the masses. However, he had taken the Newell’s Old Boys to the semi-final of the Copa Libertadores and has bagged the “South American Coach of the year: 2007 ” during his five year spell as the manager of Paraguay. Hence, he too has had his share of success in the past.

He had a laudable start to say the least, winning the Supercopa de Espana in a hard-fought contest against a determined Atletico Madrid side. He went on to become the first ever Barcelona coach to not lose the first 16 matches and emerged victorious in his first El Clasico against the experienced Carlo Ancelotti’s side by 2 goals to 1. He has subsequently improved the squad despite not making many marquee signings, just by utilizing his resources in the right way and making subtle alterations to the style.

Here’s a quick look at what the ‘Tata effect’ has offered to the Blaugranas.

Squad rotation

If Tata bettered Tito in a book, this would be its first chapter, Squad Rotation. Tito’s inability to distribute minutes among the roster was evident towards the end of the season. It had a huge impact on different aspects like players’ form, fatigue and morale, while on the other hand, Tata’s rotation in the center of the park has been spot on.

Umpteen stories surrounded Cesc Fabregas regarding a possible exit in the summer. It would have been a double whammy for the Catalans as Thiago Alcantara had just packed his bags to leave for Bayern. However, Cesc decided otherwise owing to Tata’s words and the decision has certainly paid off as Cesc has been on a purple patch, racking up assists to the Catalan attack and has often been the first name on the sheet.

Needed changes in gameplay

The formula of Barcelona has been Tiki-Taka, which means making slick passes & movement off the ball. However, the traditional Tiki-Taka has made the Blaugranas more & more predictable over the years. Adding to the inefficiency of Tito’s side was the lack of pressing in the middle. However, Tata has provided different angles of approach to the Catalans.

Under Tata, the team has known when to keep the ball, when to play the long diagonal balls and when to counter the opposition. The fiery pressing in the middle has in turn aided to revamp the defense, despite not signing a centerback that they ought to.

Goal build-up vs Sevilla

Did you know? As on the February 11, 2014, Barcelona is the team which has scored most goals through counter attacks in La Liga 2013-14, ahead of the Madrid Company - Barcelona 8, Atletico Madrid 7, Real Madrid 7

Getting rid of Messipendence

Barcelona aren’t the same without their Argentine wizard, Lionel Messi. This has become a world known fact ever since Messi has had troubles with his hamstring, being ruled out under both Tito & Tata for a reasonable period. However, the Catalan forwards, namely Pedro, Alexis & Villa did not step up when the onus was on them and it was all plain sailing for the opposition to contain the Blaugranas.

Under Tata, the Catalan firepower has made a valiant effort to keep the scores ticking.It still seems they might flounder in the bigger stages without the Argentine captain but the attitude has certainly changed and there is belief among the remnant of the Catalan attack. Under Tito, Pedro had a mere 10 goals to his tally, Alexis was a goal ahead of his counterpart with 11. While in this campaign, both Pedro & Alexis have 17 each.

Playing time for youngsters

One must sing Tata’s praises for changing the fortunes of La Masia graduates namely Sergi Roberto & Marc Bartra. Sergi Roberto is a talented lad and can really be going places in the future. He has already made 22 appearances with three of months to go this season compared to the 5 appearances he got under Tito.

Bartra is arguably the best defensive product from La Masia in recent times and is having his deserved breakthrough this season. He formed a great partnership alongside El Capitano, Carles Puyol in the cup games and his performances have even earned him a national call up from World Cup winning manager, Del Bosque. He might as well travel with the La Rojas to Brazil, which would certainly be the perfect finish to what has been his dream season. Dongou, Adama Traore are other youth talents who join the list.

Gutsy selection

Tata has made a statement in his debut campaign with his selection policies – selection and decisions to win. He possesses a winning mentality which Tito lacked and he is not afraid to gamble. At the same time, he does enough to not put his teams under total jeopardy. Some of the prime examples of his selection which gave him a great deal of return were pushing Messi to the right flank, playing Cesc as the false ‘9’ against Real Madrid, playing Fabregas and Xavi at the center to push Iniesta on to the wing against Manchester City. Such decisions have made Tata’s intentions evident – play to win. He was instrumental in bringing fellow-Argentine, Lionel Messi back from his long-term absence and Tata laid the perfect platform for Messi to gradually hit form.

Barcelona are second in the table in what has been a cat and mouse game between the Madrid clubs & the Catalans, swapping the top spot at regular intervals. The Catalans have set up an El Clasico final for the Copa del Rey and have taken a healthy lead against Manchester City in the Champions League. It has by far been a pretty good season to say the least for a debut manager and the see-saw has swayed more towards boon than towards bane, when comparisons are drawn between Tito & Tata.

However, the questions of “Can he? And how long?” still remain unanswered and time is the only key to unlock them.