FC Barcelona - 5 things in spotlight at the start of a new season

Barcelona have performed very well in the last decade, but they have become a victim of their own success as their failure in Europe last season led to critics discussing the end of an era.

Some teams would be happy to win the league, but the expectations from one of the best teams are to do well in both the domestic league and Champions League, and at the same time play attacking and entertaining football.

This season is no different, so let’s see what are the five things to look forward to before the season unfolds this coming weekend.

1) How will Neymar fit into the team

Neymar

I must say that I have been pleasantly surprised with Neymar’s performances both on and off the field since making the move to the Blaugrana. He has been very humble in his interviews and has always admitted that he is here to learn and help the team.

Barcelona have struggled to replace Henry as a left-sided attacker and Neymar is going to entertain the crowds just like Ronaldinho did in his time. The performances in the Confederations Cup must have whetted the appetite of the fans, but we will have to wait to see how he adapts to the European game.

2) The tactics used by Gerard Martino

Gerard Martino

I am quite excited by what I have read about “Tata” and he might just bring back the spring in step in the Barcelona’s players that was missing last season.

Against the weaker teams, FC Barcelona have enough in their offensive firepower to hide their defensive frailties, but against the big teams, Martino needs to get his tactics right to get a delicate balance between attack and defence. They surely can’t expect Messi to bail them out every time.

3) Make or break season for some players

Fabregas

Alexis Sanchez and Fabregas will have to be more consistent throughout the season to justify their high price tags when they came into the team.

Some say that Barcelona is not the right team for both the players, and they are only delaying the inevitable exit. But in my heart I want them to perform exceptionally well this season and silence the critics for once and all. I will surely be rooting for both the players whenever they step on the field.

4) Can the defence hold up against the big teams?

As I mentioned earlier, our defence should do fine against the weaker teams but it is against the big teams, a single mistake can decide a game, and this is where I fear the worst. Maybe buying another defender will not do the trick because at Barcelona, defenders generally have a hard time to adapt as there is a lot of space to play behind them.

We need to take a leaf out from Spain’s book and play two defensive midfielders instead of one. This might lead to a decrease in attacking options but at least it will provide a lot of solidity in defence. This is where Tata needs to be pragmatic and sacrifice a bit of attack for some protection at the back.

5) A season where the spotlight is back on the youngsters

Marc Bartra

After a season where it seemed the youngsters from La Masia were not given enough of a chance to prove themselves and players like Thiago, Deulofeu and Muniesa left Camp Nou for more playing time, the feeling was that the youth players were not given the same opportunities as was the case in the Guardiola era.

But from seeing the pre-season, it seems that Tata trusts the current crop of youngsters coming up, and we can expect more minutes for Bartra, Tello, Dongou, Frank Bagnack and many others from the ‘B’ team.

PS – This season started on a bad note as Tito Vilanova had to relinquish his coaching responsibilities so that he can fully concentrate on his treatment. Let’s pray that he gets well soon and returns to coaching.