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Since the departures of Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta in the last five years, and with Sergio Busquets ageing, Barcelona have been on a quest to revamp their midfield - an area of the pitch that has been the Blaugrana's core strength since the Johan Cruyff era.
With the arrival of Arthur two years ago and Frenkie de Jong last year, Barcelona's midfield-revamp has been underway. However, a lack of squad depth in the central roles, and a dip in the form of players like Ivan Rakitic, have hurt the club dearly in the last two seasons.
The trio of Xavi-Iniesta-Busquets rose from the ranks of La Masia to World Cup-winning midfielders. There is no doubt that the Barcelona back-room staff would be looking at promoting their youth team midfielders to the senior team. One such player is a 22-year-old central midfielder, Carles Alena.
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A Barcelona player through and through, Alena is one of the players the fans have been excited about for a while. An overload in Barcelona's midfield options, and a lack of playing time under Ernesto Valverde, resulted in a loan move for Carles Alena to fellow La Liga club Real Betis in January. At Betis, the young midfielder has been used regularly by head coach Rubi in the club's battle for a mid-table finish.
Today we take a look at a few nuances of Alena's game like his positioning, strengths and weaknesses. We will also try to analyse if the 22-year-old can become a key part of Barcelona's midfield plans in the long term future.
Position and Heat-Map
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Alena's natural position is in central midfield in a double pivot setup. He can operate on either flank, depending on how the coach deploys him on-field. A left-footed player who learnt his trade of positional accuracy during his time at La Masia, Alena has been instrumental in Betis' transitions from defence to attack during his short stint at the club.
The heat-map of Alena seems to suggest that the midfielder likes to enjoy space much higher up the pitch than the central role he starts in. It also emphasises the fact that the 22-year-old needs a lot of fluidity to operate in midfield, as is evident in his forays to either flank during a game.
Rubi has utilised Alena in either of the two central midfield positions on the left and the right sides of the pitch. The Barcelona academy graduate has nailed the task-in-hand every time he has donned the green and white Betis jersey.
Strengths
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Talking about Alena's impact in the opposition half, the midfielder stays close to opposition defenders, man-marking them to pounce on any opportunity of dispossessing the defenders. He is also an excellent tackler who wins 56% of his duels, and makes 1.1 tackles per game.
Apart from exerting pressure on opposition defenders high up the pitch, the Spaniard is also a great dribbler of the ball. Using his quick feet, Alena can cut past two or three players at a time. This particular attribute enabled him to score a debut Liga goal for Barcelona against Villareal two years ago.
Apart from his tackling and dribbling abilities, Alena is also a good passer of the ball. His passing success rate of 87% is one of the best in La Liga this season, with more than 80% of his key passes coming in the opposition half.
Another critical attribute of the Betis player, who is on loan from Barcelona, is his aerial and long-ball prowess. Alena has a decent 65% accuracy in long-ball success rate in the combined six starts he has made for Barcelona and Real Betis this season.
Weaknesses
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Though the La Masia graduate does not have any apparent weakness in his playing style, Alena's lack of direct goal contributions has been a talking point among critics this season.
The 22-year-old lacks the impact Frenkie De Jong and Arthur have had at the Catalan club, in terms of decision-making abilities on-field, and making key runs from a pivot position to the opposition box.
Alena's lack of expertise in dispatching the final ball to his forwards is another talking point against the player. The youngster is less proficient in holding a position, and prefers a fluid role to operate effectively. Alena's style of play is not in sync with Barcelona where midfielders stick to their positions and stay predominantly in their designated zones.
Conclusion
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Alena's 3-year contract with Barcelona ends in June this year. Everything depends on the club's head coach Quique Setien's vision of whether the player could prove to be a value-addition to a squad expected to challenge for titles on all fronts.
Currently, the central midfielder looks far from the levels of De Jong and Arthur, However, with Ivan Rakitic's departure seemingly imminent, Setien might just give Alena a rotational spot in the senior team next season.
With other talented youngsters like Riqui Puig also in contention for a position in the coveted Barcelona midfield, Alena's chances of breaking through at the Catalan club look bleak. Perhaps a few more loan spells in La Liga or abroad, or a move to a club where he is a regular in the starting eleven could work wonders for the Spaniard.
