6 - Carles Alena

[te amo barca]

He's a sub-option over there now by the looks of it.

Honestly, I'm really disappointed when it comes to Alena, I know he wasn't anywhere the technical talent the likes of Thiago was but he was considered a good prospect coming through and was excellent in the B team but his time with the main team and his stint at Betis so far haven't shown really anything that suggests he could be more than a rotational option.

It's really early to compare but I've been far more impressed with Puig in the very small sample size he has compared to Alena. Puig when he played helped influence so much more with his presence while with Alena, hasn't shown that much influence either starting or coming off the bench. Sure he scored that goal vs Villarreal which led him to eventually get promoted but he wasn't that influential overall though if you look at the grand scheme of things and he had more chances to prove it as well.

I remember how God Serena used to criticize anyone who preferred Puig over Alena, claiming stuff like "you obviously hadn't watched them at Barca B" and so on. Puig always looked like the bigger talent for me.

 

[Batistuta9]

I've been disappointed by Alena as well, he hasn't really progressed since his Barca B days. I'm not even sure what his position is. He seems to have his head down too much and doesn't have the awareness for a midfielder and he's a bit too slow to play RW

 

[xXKonan]

I've been disappointed by Alena as well, he hasn't really progressed since his Barca B days. I'm not even sure what his position is. He seems to have his head down too much and doesn't have the awareness for a midfielder and he's a bit too slow to play RW

Alena is an Attacking Midfielder, not like the #10 conventional way but an attacking one nonetheless. His profile would actually be very useful for us, but from what we have seen since he came to the first team he's struggled to show his best attributes.

I'm not sure if it's due to not having the consistent game time or the fact we just simply overhyped him too much. He'll probably get another chance here I think but I do believe its do or die for him, especially if Puig keeps on trucking the way he has.

 

[khaled_a_d]

I think Alena can be a Rafinha type of player. Though Rafinha was ahead of him at this stage of their careers

 

[Batistuta9]

At least he is still young and can improve. He needs to improve his football intelligence, but it isn't easy to do it. The ones that do it, usually become one of the best. Riqui seems to already have a better football IQ than Alena. For me it's the most important thing when playing for Barca. It was off the charts for xavi, iniesta, Messi and even Dani alves

 

[Porque]

His first touch is just not consistent enough and it hasn't improved. If you look at his CL distance covered he doesn't cover enough distance on the pitch either to make up for it (like Vidal).

You can boss a Segunda B/Segunda midfield for 60/70 minutes without those things but LaLiga is a different level.

If he doesn't improve both of those aspects then he will never be a Barcelona player.

Which is a shame as having seen him since his early teens, he is someone who has/had attributes that could really benefit our midfield but hasn't really developed as hoped in the last 2/3 years.

The bar is so high at Barcelona while the style is less forgiving/adaptable than Madrid's to make it at.

 

[George_Costanza]

I remember how God Serena used to criticize anyone who preferred Puig over Alena, claiming stuff like "you obviously hadn't watched them at Barca B" and so on. Puig always looked like the bigger talent for me.

Very true, I remember his hate for Puig for no reason other than his size. He is one of the Cruyffistas that influenced by BBZ.

 

[DonAK]

He is just not good enough. People glorify him because he was very good for our youth teams. I would sell him with a buyback clause.

Deulofeu was dominant for Barca B/JuvenilA/JuvB too and he is now at Watford.

I think Alena can be a Rafinha type of player. Though Rafinha was ahead of him at this stage of their careers

I like this comparison, but Rafinha was a bigger talent and had a great season for Celta Vigo as one of their main players, and he was a year younger than Alena back then too I think.

 

[serghei]

He's good enough for a squad player. But he is a CM, so he naturally won't have much of an end product. Bit like a Roberto in midfield. Problem is most teams need box to box type of players. Very few teams actually do build-up through possession. That's the problem with most Barca youth players when they go to other teams, they will have to adapt their game to a different way of playing. Especially the case with midfielders.

Let's be honest here, the football we teach our players in La Masia is made for Barca and largely unfamiliar for 99% of the teams out there. In some ways it's great, because we have a clear identity which most big teams don't have, making us unique, but in other ways it's a hindrance.

 

[xXKonan]

He's playing for Betis right now and it seems he's been just meh so far going by some people who is watching him.

 

[xXKonan]

Well, he was subbed off pretty early on in the Second half or so.

Going by some impressions, not a great performance at all.

 

[Andresito]

Another failed loan in our books.

 

[Messi983]

22 year old Rafinha with no injury problems would be close to a regular starter in this team.

Alena should have left on loan after Barca B was relegated in 2017/18 season despite him scoring 11 goals. I don't believe he ever had potential to stick at the club longterm but it would certainly be better for his development playing regularly in a midtable La Liga club than sitting on our bench for the last 1,5 years.

 

[Messi983]

His GF posted a goodbye letter to Sevilla.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

Back to Barca?