Gerard Lopez

[messi1995]

In 2011 we were rooting for Masia prospects to get minutes at the 1st team in CL & La Liga matches.

In 2017 we are rooting for Masia prospects to get minutes at the B team with all the unnecessary signings.

How times have changed.

And now Josep Capdevilla, one of, if not the most relaible la masia journalist claiming Lopez and this board wants to sign 3-4 more players. What a disgrace for god sake. Can Bartomeu and Robert watch some Barca B games and see that its not the players, but Lopez shit system that makes us bad? This is how our startling lineup should be with a good coach:

Arnaiz Ruiz/Cardona Perez

Galaretta Busquets Aleña

Cucurella Cuenca Fali/Costa Palencia

Ortola


Cardona should play ahead of Lozano which is useless. I think Cardona should play ahead of Ruiz because he's still young. Why did we buy Lozano? We have now three strikers. We should focus on Cardona and Ruiz.

No doubt Arnaiz should be playing as LW. Next year it's should be Sergio Gomez when Arnaiz hopefully will be at first team.

well we don't have a proper good RW in our team, but Carlez Perez have impressed for Juvenil A so why not? Other options are Gomez or maybe Alfaro. I dont know.

Galaretta over Vitinho because the latter haven't impressed enough. Galaretta is also an impressive + experienced player.

No doubt Oriol Busi should be DM and Aleña as CM.

Cucurella is the best LB in our squad, also very promising. Hopefully a future player.

Cuenca isn't a la masia player, but he's very impressive and a very good passer. I see Barca DNA in him and he has also segunda A experience. His CB partner should be an experienced player so good enough with Fali/Costa.

Palencia also has segunda experience. Also he's a beast and a good backup player for Semedo next year. Love him because he's a true Captain. His replacement is Mateu Morey for sure. Also Dani Morer.

Experienced players: Arnaiz, Cardona, Galaretta, Fali/Costa. Also Palencia when he played in segunda few years ago. Cuenca too for Alcaron last year.

La masia: Perez, Ruiz, Busi, Aleña, Cucu and Palencia. Upcoming talents: Gomez, Riqui, jandro, Miranda, Morey and Morer. Forgotten anyone?

This team with upcoming talents + few experienced signings should be enough for a good coach. Not for Lopez which is a tragic coach. Like jallo said He's using Aleña wrong. I can also see his defensive weakness which Aleña also has confirmed, but no improvment will happen under Lopez.

 

[messi1995]

Xavi: "Youth teams? Results aren't the most important thing, not even at Barça B, the most important thing is to train and develop [players] for the first team." #fcbblive [via @gerardromero]

I hope Lopez and this board understand that. But both are dumb so I don't expect anything.

 

[messi1995]

The club has full confidence in B team manager Gerard Lopez. They think the team’s problems will be answered by signings in the January transfer window. [sport]

RIP La Masia, the best academy in the world.

1. The B team has always been and always should be a platform for young La Masia graduates to make the jump and showcase if they’re good enough for the first team or not. However, under the current board, this hasn’t been the case.

2. Signings are being made by the board to get results. Players that are over the age of 23 are being signed, players who aren’t used to the Barça system, to gain promotion and win trust of Barça Socis. This leads to the blockage of young La Masia talent into the B team.

 

[JamDav1982]

The club has full confidence in B team manager Gerard Lopez. They think the team’s problems will be answered by signings in the January transfer window. [sport]

RIP La Masia, the best academy in the world.

1. The B team has always been and always should be a platform for young La Masia graduates to make the jump and showcase if they’re good enough for the first team or not. However, under the current board, this hasn’t been the case.

2. Signings are being made by the board to get results. Players that are over the age of 23 are being signed, players who aren’t used to the Barça system, to gain promotion and win trust of Barça Socis. This leads to the blockage of young La Masia talent into the B team.

It doesnt lead to blockages to the first team and the best B teams have always been a mix.

The older players brought in have not been good enough and it doesnt have to mean less minutes for any player that deserves it.

 

[Messi983]

The club has full confidence in B team manager Gerard Lopez. They think the team’s problems will be answered by signings in the January transfer window. [sport]

RIP La Masia, the best academy in the world.

1. The B team has always been and always should be a platform for young La Masia graduates to make the jump and showcase if they’re good enough for the first team or not. However, under the current board, this hasn’t been the case.

2. Signings are being made by the board to get results. Players that are over the age of 23 are being signed, players who aren’t used to the Barça system, to gain promotion and win trust of Barça Socis. This leads to the blockage of young La Masia talent into the B team.

Who are these players older than 23 that were signed and are blocking La Masia talent? I can only think of Lozano who is having important role in the team but he's also not unquestionable starter. It's true he's been disappointing so far and I'd rather see Abel Ruiz getting his minutes, but who else did we bring that is older than 23? De Galarreta is the only one and he's been very good when healthy so we shouldn't really complain about him. Arnaiz, Costas and Cuenca are younger than 23 and have all proven to be good signings as well while others like Concha or Samu Araujo are not playing much (IIRC Araujo didn't play at all so far).

Fali, Martinez and Alfaro were with the team already in Segunda B (where they helped us to get promoted) and while Fali is still playing too much Martinez has lost his starting spot to Cuenca and Alfaro has barely played.

Vitinho was a gamble (like Marlon last year) as a potential future first team player and while he's been a disappointing so far he's still adapting to European football. I still believe he has talent and we'll see how he'll do in second half of the season but right now I think we should consider to try prolonging his loan deal for another season and negotiate a lower buy option (of course it's very likely that Palmeiras won't agree to that so we'll probably look for another Brazilian next year). If Alena will be promoted Vitinho could be given his role next season and we'll see how he'll do then. Right now it seems like they are too similar type of players and can't play together or at least Gerard can't figure out how to do that. Maybe with different coach (I think Gerard will leave at the end of the season) and with no Alena around he could show more.

I don't see possible new signings "blocking" La Masia players. Anyone we'll get in January will be on loan and from what I've read Gerard has only asked for a midfielder to have more depth after Sarsanedas longterm injury. Alena, RDG and Busquets are starters and then we only have Vitinho and Fali (if we count him as DM) as rotational players. So bringing another midfielder with some experience in Segunda for the rest of the season won't be the end of the world.


Alena, Cucu and O. Busquets are the only La Masia players in Barça B who I currently see having a potential first team future. They are all starters and baring injuries their status won't change even if we bring new players.

There is no doubt that Alena will be promoted next season.

For Cucu I think it would be the best to loan him to La Liga team to get him first division experience as we currently have two good LBs and he's still very young at 19 (will be 20 at start of next season). He's my favourite B team player so I hope he can make it to the first team one day but it won't be easy because Alba is looking reborn under EV and Digne is also a very solid backup. Though with the way team is currently set up I think Cucu could do good in that more offensive role that Alba has.

I would keep Busquets for another season in Barça B (if we'll be relegated this could be complicated as I don't think he'll really improve much in Segunda B so maybe a loan to Segunda team could work for him) and occasionally call him up for first team trainings and Copa games.

Maybe we can add Palencia to the list but he'll be 22 in March so I think his time is running out and with Roberto clearly seen as RB in Valverde's eyes I doubt he'll make it. Then the question remains whether to keep him for another season just to help Barça B (and with minimal chances for first team future) or maybe loan/sell him with buyback so he could get top level experience and we'll see if he'll improve while at the same time giving a chance to younger Morer and Morey.

Abel Ruiz is still only 18 so he'll first has to establish himself as a starter in B team before we could think about him as a potential first team player. But with our history of forwards that have make it to the first team and be succesful there (only Messi and Pedro have done so in the last 20 years) I don't think the odds for him are great.

We should also make some decisions about players that are not playing. Bueno must go on loan (probably to Segunda B team as he'd get more minutes there than in Segunda) as he's currently 6th CB option for Gerard. Kaptoum will probably leave too to get regular playing time after injury. I would also cancel loan deal of Samu Araujo. We still have Moi (he also didn't play so far) if something happens to Cucu. And well, Juan Miranda was quite good in those two games he played when Cucu was injured. This probably won't happen but I'd also rescind contract of Martinez and try to get another CB for rotation with Costas, Cuenca, Tarin and Fali (well, to keep the last one out of the lineup as much as possible ).

 

[Raketa10]

Until when will we tolerate this guy? We are in the relegation zone and no one cares...

 

[messi1995]

This board doesn't give a shit. And when we are relegated, they will start spending money on random farmers instead of focusing on la masia. Tired of this shit board... sack Lopez for god sake!

 

[gregorrin10]

Let's say Gerard will go (not now but in a month or two if things won't get better), who would you like to replace him?

Xavi could be an option...actually he'd be the perfect choice. We'd finally stop buying players and only players from the youth system with real potential to someday get to the first team would play, like it should be, as far as B team is concerned.

 

[khaled_a_d]

Xavi could be an option...actually he'd be the perfect choice. We'd finally stop buying players and only players from the youth system with real potential to someday get to the first team would play, like it should be, as far as B team is concerned.

B team ob is to provide first team with good players and help those around to develop for their own career(if they aren't making it at Barca) so why we should stop buying players? Denis, Motta & now Arnaiz were all signed for B team successfully.
And we buy many players for Juvenil team who are eligible to play for B team and usually go there in a year or two like Puyol,Busquets, Pedro & Munir. why should this stop?

 

[JamDav1982]

There are plenty young players getting the chance in B team and from I can see they are trying to play the right way.

No one is being ignored and the only difference from past successful B team really is that there are no high quality older players throughout team to help them.

In some way tougher games where the youngsters have to take it on their shoulders as leaders of that team may mean harder games but learning more from it.

 

[Messi983]

Xavi could be an option...actually he'd be the perfect choice. We'd finally stop buying players and only players from the youth system with real potential to someday get to the first team would play, like it should be, as far as B team is concerned.

Don't think he has any interest to leave Qatar soon.

 

[Raketa10]

Don't think he has any interest to leave Qatar soon.

Isn't this his last season there?

 

[Messi983]

Isn't this his last season there?

Yeah, it's his last season as a player but looks like he'll stay in Qatar after his career. Wouldn't surprise me if he'd stay there until WC 2022.

 

[Jallo]

Xavi is getting that sweet oil money he is never coming back.

 

[messi1995]

I think he will start his coaching job somewhere else before he returns. Hopefully he will take over for the B team in few years. And since he know the club very well he will do everything he can to train and develope players to fight for a place in the first team. Atleast he knows how important la masia is to our identity so I will take that. Hopefully he will coach Barca B way better than Gerard Lopez so I can enjoy watching promising youth talents in a proper system.