Marc Bartra

[spark]

Hard to defend Tito. He was a nightmare in pretty much every aspect. I blame Messi's injuries right now on him as well. There was no need to play Messi against a meaningless opponent in Camp Nou 3 days after he just came back playing football on the Mount Everest with Argentina. Even less so with a 13 point lead on Madrid. And because he couldn't get the best out of anyone else except Messi (unsurprisingly with his "give the ball to Messi at all cost" tactics) we looked clueless against PSG (a good but surely not a great side) at home without him. So he forced Messi to play on 1 leg. The after effects can be seen now.

Atleast get your facts right, the game was actually in Vigo. We played a rotated team but Messi was going for his 19 league game in a row record and trying to score against every team in the league in one season. Professional footballers dont come close to those runs very often so its easy to see why Messi or any footballer would want to capitalize on that if its possible. The fact is Mascherano rested for that game but still got an even more serious injury against PSG. That tells me the damage was probably already done to both players long before PSG or Celta, unless its supposed to be a coincidence that the two of them got injured the minute they had to play an intense game (Messi walked around in Vigo unlike Paris where he was very active). Equal or more to blame has to be pointed at Sabella for resting every outfield starter in La Paz except for Messi and Mascherano after they had played 90 minutes in the previous qualifier a few days before. Two of our players who never get injured have both had more than one injury since that game in La Paz.

 

[jamrock]

Messi has played in the middle since his La Masia days. No one "turned" him into a striker. If anything it was Rijkaard who turned him into a winger to fit him into the same side as Eto'o and Deco.

think you meant dinho and not deco, but pep

 

[Aryagorn]

Messi has played in the middle since his La Masia days. No one "turned" him into a striker. If anything it was Rijkaard who turned him into a winger to fit him into the same side as Eto'o and Deco.

And Guardiola himself credits Tito for transforming MEssi from a wide player to a roaming attacking force in the centre!!

 

[The Observer]

I wish I was optimistic as you guys. I still can't get the images of Bartra mistakes in 1st half out of my head.
I also don't think he's a smartest guy nor strong enough physically.

Hope I'll change my mind as I would love to see La Masia product replacing Puyol.

He's 22 and just starting. It's normal he will get beaten a couple of times here and there. Pique was a lot worse around that age, a complete liability at times. Which is probably the reason why Manchester United fans still don't rate him because the picture of an awful Pique is stuck in their memories. The positives outweighed the negatives by far though in this game. Bartra stopped at least 2 clear goals, 1 where he poked the ball away from the attacker in the last second before he could pull the trigger. And I don't even know how many blocks where he was at the right place at the right time, even making up for Puyol's giveaways and giving instructions to his teammates (trying to show leadership). The thing I liked the most however was that he never committed himself too early. There were a couple of occasions where he was the last defender and I was screaming - out of habit with Pique and Mascherano - "DON'T DIVE IN AND LAND ON YOUR ASS". And he didn't.

Agree that he has to bulk up though. Although he already looks stronger than last season.

And Guardiola himself credits Tito for transforming MEssi from a wide player to a roaming attacking force in the centre!!

Tito might have maybe suggested "let's get him back to the middle" and that's probably all there is to it. Not some visionary master stroke given that Messi was playing as a #10 in a 3-4-3 system anyway in the youth ranks.

 

[Stric]

I can't believe people are actually blaming Tito's illness for his bad management of the youngsters. Sure, in the context of the entire season, you could cut him and the team some slack because of his health issues, but using his cancer as an excuse for decisions he made and things he did on purpose is absurd, and also wrong on a moral level. The guy was alive and well when he said he didn't know about Thiago's release clause and that he chooses players based on performance and not contracts, and he was also around at the end of the Liga season when he intentionally left Thiago on the bench, where he actually could have used the opportunity (we were already champions) to give the kid some well-deserved playing time (since he had no trust for him earlier) and get his release clause back to 90 million. This, for example, had nothing to do with cancer, it was just pure bullshit. Should I even mention things like playing an off-form Alves for like a billion games in a row, when Montoya was in exceptional form and deserved a shot? Or, maybe... just maybe... the Bartra situation? Just face it, there's no defending Tito, when these things are concerned. The guy did a terrible job managing the youngsters and that's all there is.

 

[NeyMesSis]

Barcas plan is to bring back thiago and guardiola for free 2016 as INiesta or xavi successor sucesor

 

[Cule4life]

I can't believe people are actually blaming Tito's illness for his bad management of the youngsters. Sure, in the context of the entire season, you could cut him and the team some slack because of his health issues, but using his cancer as an excuse for decisions he made and things he did on purpose is absurd, and also wrong on a moral level. The guy was alive and well when he said he didn't know about Thiago's release clause and that he chooses players based on performance and not contracts, and he was also around at the end of the Liga season when he intentionally left Thiago on the bench, where he actually could have used the opportunity (we were already champions) to give the kid some well-deserved playing time (since he had no trust for him earlier) and get his release clause back to 90 million. This, for example, had nothing to do with cancer, it was just pure bullshit. Should I even mention things like playing an off-form Alves for like a billion games in a row, when Montoya was in exceptional form and deserved a shot? Or, maybe... just maybe... the Bartra situation? Just face it, there's no defending Tito, when these things are concerned. The guy did a terrible job managing the youngsters and that's all there is.

You speak my mind sir

 

[sailor]

Marc Bartra was given the number 10 instead of 5. Puyol wantad that number for Bartra, but handsome Juan Fran snatched it away

 

[sabby]

Marc Bartra was given the number 10 instead of 5. Puyol wantad that number for Bartra, but handsome Juan Fran snatched it away

Then what is Cesc's number ?

 

[Neal Faradinho]

Then what is Cesc's number ?

Cesc is injured, that's why Bartra is called up to replace him

 

[jairzinho]

Marc Bartra was given the number 10 instead of 5. Puyol wantad that number for Bartra, but handsome Juan Fran snatched it away

Those new Spain kits are horrendously horrible. They look like Liverpool or Wales's for god sake. But I'm happy for Bartra. He's been in good form and more than deserves a call up. Would be great if he makes the World Cup squad. But #10 is a weird jersey # for a defender,

 

[DonAK]

The players look embarrased looool.

 

[KingMessi]

Those new Spain kits are horrendously horrible. They look like Liverpool or Wales's for god sake. But I'm happy for Bartra. He's been in good form and more than deserves a call up. Would be great if he makes the World Cup squad. But #10 is a weird jersey # for a defender,

It's obviously because Del Bosque thinks Bartra is the best defender on the squad.

 

[Maria]

And you base this on one single season, where he had life threatening health problems to worry about?

All this happend before Tito was sick again(in the first half of the season).

Tito refused him to give him minutes against teams like Deportivo or Mallorca(teams that are now in Liga Adelante) or against Celta, Zaragoza or Granada at home, prefering to use Adriano, SONG or Busquets at CB. And on top of that, when he didn't had any choice left he used him against Bayern.

So the least we can say is that the club didn't handled Bartra briliantly.

Pep? I still remember he tried to give Muniesa chances too early, and it has been a disaster. That's how fragile a youngster is. Extra cautious planning is needed when handling them.

And Pep was also the one started to use Masch as CB, when we had Fontas around, earning close to zero start

I agree with you though that Bartra and Montoya are gonna be massive players. But that's just because they want to stay.

Fontas was done after the game against Real Sociedad..and I won't blame Pep for this because I admit that I never liked the kid. Also the injuries have finished Muniesa's career with us, not Pep.

Tito probably didn't have what it takes make it here. That doesn't change how Thiago had his prelude to last summer already under Pep and how Montoya & Bartra continued on the bench or stands until Tata had no options. And that's the trident for whose growth Tito's tenure had any relevance.

When Tito didn't have any options last season he used Song or Adriano at CB against teams like Deportivo or Mallorca. When Tata didn't had any options, he used Bartra.

I think you missed a major point here. Because I don't think Bartra's exclusion was Tito's decision alone, and I also don't think that current gradual inclusion into current setup is Tata's decision alone. I think this whole plan has already been planned by the whole coaching staffs. We have to understand the job of noticing a talent is not the job of the manager/head coach alone, probably it is not his job at all. Its the job of the whole coaching staffs. At least that's how I see it by being involved in my local club youth setups. In fact, I doubt Tata would have given him the minutes he's getting (which by the way is still a bit shorter than he could get if he should have played against every minor teams this season) if there's no recommendation from the staffs.

Real life football is not like Football Manager, that every young talent must be given minutes on the field against minor teams when they are aged 18-22 in order to be developed. We must acknowledge that people develop at different rate.

It's all really nice when you say it that way, but the facts were that Tito used Adriano, Busquets or Song before Bartra against the worst teams in the league and then threw him under the fire against Bayern..he used a Xavi who was playing through pain even after we won the league because he wanted the 100 points and he admited that he didn't knew about Thiago's clause. To me it doesn't look like the club has handled the youngsters briliantly(and I talk here about our most talented ones, not players like Fontas or Dos Santos), but I guess we can't all have the same opinion.

 

[Cule4life]

Those kits