Commonwealth’s new-look Barcelona team leaves gaping hole in one position: Fullback

Although there have been no new signs, the summer has been very exciting for Barcelona. Quick Setin was immediately sacked following Bayern’s insult in the Champions League and was replaced by Blagra’s legend Ronald Koeman.

The Dutchman has tried to stamp his brand in this team, making some significant changes to the side. As soon as he arrived, he called Luis Suarez and said he was not in his plans, however, he could be re-introduced as a rotation player if he failed to secure a move.

The most notable change is the formation of the 4-2-2-1-1 formulation that has applied to the common. It will be interesting to see how the players manage to keep that double-pivot in midfield. New signals Trinkao and Pedri have caught the eye in the bias, while Carles Elena and Philippe Coutinho have returned from loan moves to join the new team.

The future of club president Josep Maria Bartomeu is also a firefighter, in a statement among club members, demanding a vote of no-confidence very close to reaching the goal. His departure would be a very welcome sight, however, even if the vote is successful, it is a very complicated process, so that the new president / board can be taken over sooner.

Of course, nothing compares to the Lionel Messi transfer saga this summer, but it is now sorted and has been on hold for at least a year. Kamen’s new-look team is starting to take shape, and there are some promising signs ahead of the new season.

However, there is a huge hole in the team, and it is very clear: full-back.

So far, the club has four first-team full-backs; Jordi Alba and Jr. Firpo on the left, Nelson Semado and Sergei Roberto on the right. At the moment, none of them deserve a starting point.

The fall of Alba over the last few years has been obvious, as he has never really returned to Anfield since that night. Out of the four he may be the only one who can change my mind, because his quality is well known, it is his form that is closed in this way. But right now, he’s not playing enough to guarantee a starting spot, and being 31 years old as the clear No. 1 isn’t that smart.

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Firpo, on the other hand, is not out of form; It’s just not that good. The 24-year-old has an adequate backup, but he’s not that good for a club like Barcelona to start with and it never will be.

There were rumors of Jose Lewis signing, but he has calmed down, mainly because the club just doesn’t have the money. The horrific financial decisions made by Barvomeu, coupled with the loss of COVID-induced revenue, mean Barca needs to be sold before buying, and they are struggling to get rid of their fringe players.

Now, to the right, Samado is a different story. He was without a doubt our best full back last year, but he’s worse than the weak game of Alba, Roberto and Co., he’s not a bad player, or he’s not out of form. It’s not that good for Barcelona.

In the standards we hold our players to, at least on the standards we keep our players in pre-Bartomu, Semedo would never have signed. Like Arturo Vidal, Paulinho, Andre Gomes, Arda Turan, and Capin-Prince Boateng would never have signed.

It is this kind of sign, this is exactly what Bartomeu ruled over Barca. We have become accustomed to mediation. Quick fixes, the average player signed to plug certain gaps for a year or two. Sure, they can do their job early. But every single minute they play is spent on players who have no future.

If the minutes that Vidal and Evan Rittik played last season had been given to Ricky Pug and Elena, they would both be more experienced players now. But what happened Elena was given a loan, and Pug played very rarely. Ritikik was then sold for almost nothing, and so will Vidal. Meanwhile, Pug and Elena, along with Frankie de Jong, have Barca’s future in midfield, and they were barely getting a look.

Back to Semedo, it’s the typical Bartomeu in the transfer market. After Dani Alves, probably the club’s biggest right-back, left in 2015, Benfica’s youngster, Semado, was signed in his place. Not Joshua Kimimich, who was much less valuable at the time. Not Hector Ballerin, one of us who was at the top right at the time. La Masia is also unlikely to develop (except for Roberto, who at the time was just Mr. Versatility).

While Messi said in his interview that Bartomeu has no project, signing Semado is part of his context. His signature reminds me of Jerry Meena, a man who was popular and influential in a less competitive league, but eventually it became clear that he was not good enough to play at Camp Nou. The difference is that he doesn’t take much time with Mina, but he will do with Semado. Why Because Semedo is clearly better than Meena. But one day, the club will realize that they did the same thing with Mina, the same thing they did with Paulinho, and the same thing they did with Vidal in the end. It’s not that good for Barca.

Getty Images by Joseph Lago / Photo by AFP

Semado is a decent right-hander, and he will be a great player in the Premier League, but at Barca, he is once again a symbol of settling for modesty. His passing is average, and his condition is worse. He has the right cross, great speed and good dribbling at times, but he is not a Barcelona player, plain and simple.

Roberto is a Barcelona player, but he is too slow and weak to be right back. His condition is excellent, and often overcomes his lack of speed, but lack of speed is a liability on any sign of an counter-attack.

That’s why Alba may still have a future; His day has his speed and excellent passing / position. In his day, Semedo always lacks one, while Roberto lacks another.

With Mark-Andre Ter Stegen, Barca always looks good on goal. At the center of the defense, Ronald Araujo looks like a perfect gem, and should get significant minutes this year. Clement Langlett had an excellent and very underrated first season, and always remains a garage pick. Jean-Claire Todibo may leave this summer, but it could also be a valuable option if she stays. We always expressed some hope that Samuel Umiti could regain his form, but it was made very clear that he would be gone if an offer was made.

Midfield also sees the set, with JJ Jong, Sergio Busquets, Pug and Elena on the double-pivot with new signing Miralem Pajnik, and Coutinho, Pedri, Trinco and Messi, capable of playing the role of attacking midfielders.

On the wings, a tear of surprise is fresh, fresh from his Spain debut, the eternal wildcard Osman will work with Dembele, Messi, Trinco and Pedri, and above us we have Antoine Griezmann and possibly Suarez, backed by Martin Braithwaite. Maybe we’ll see Memphis Depp in Blagra’s colors, though that remains unlikely.

The problem is, there is no one to play full back. It looks like Semado will be given a second go this season, and Komen wanted a new left side but that now seems almost impossible. There’s not enough money, I can get it, but it’s a big hole to put the club.

Now we hope that Alba can somehow regain its previous form and that there is now a significant improvement in Samado’s passing and local game. He or Roberto suddenly became stronger and faster.

At Barca, the full-back has always been paramount. Messi’s connections were with Elves and then crucial to the success of the Alba club, and he has not developed such a bond with Semado, which is obviously a long-term start right-back.

The Commonwealth has added a more youthful and attractive team than last year, but the full back position lacks cover and a clear lack of quality. This will have to be replaced sooner rather than later, and now it will leave a gaping hole in the team.