Summer Transfers Part 1: Defense

After a wonderful season in which the team exceeded all expectations enroute to a Unprecedented Treble we have to take a step back and survey the Squad for adjustments taht will take into account the fact that Next season is going to be a killer with not only the League, Copa nd the UCL we will also be playing for the European and Spanish Super Cups and the Club World Cup..Plus some of our players will be playing in the Confederations Cup and the African Cup of Nations later so the squad has to be suitably strengthened to sustain all this extra burden from last year...
How do we strengthen..? Simple..Buy and Sell..

In this section we shall concentrate on Defense purely..Midfield and Attack will be covered later

GOAL KEEPER
Victor Valdes, Jose Manuel Pinto and Albert Jorquera currently comprise our Goalkeeper squad. Out of the three I for one can be unequivocally state that Jorquera has to leave for both the team's and his benefit. It seems that he has lost his ambition a bit by continuing to agree to stay as backup to the backup..but he is a good keeper and needs to find a club where he can play more..so Adeu Albert and thank you
For the remaining two words are not enough..Admirable performances by both of them in separate Cup Finals...
Victor Oh Victor so often the Villain but he came through for us when it mattered and he has to be first choice till he hangs up his boots...but that's just the La Masia lover in me speaking
Pinto has won me over with his performances which last season were strictly average..One more year from the Pony-Tailed one and more Penalty saves please :D

As for the buys am I the only one who feels that we don't need to buy anyone..Oier showed himself to be more than capable against Mallorca and his performances with the youth team have been consistent and competent
But I know that a good young established keeper will no doubt strengthen the squad but with Pinto's performances this year it'd be a disrespect to make him third choice

Krish's Opinion: Release Jorquera, Promote Oier Buy no one


DEFENSE

One of the secrets of our success this season has been a consistently water-tight defense..the best in the La Liga by far...
Lets list the players who were part of our Defensive back line this season
1. Carles Puyol
2. Rafael Marquez
3. Gerard Pique
4. Martin Cacares
5. Daniel Alves (?!!)
6. Eric Abidal
7. Yaya Toure
8. Victor Sanchez
9. Sylvinho

Sanchez only played a few games and acceptable..

The !! next to Alves's name just marks my disbelief that this guy is a defender..he is much much more..5 goals and countless assists and a monster on the right wing he's a footballing Sonic the Hedgehog (thanks Sid Lowe) and was so worth 30 mill...

Puyol was immense all season..He's the Leader of this team and bleeds Blaugrana..His positioning may be erratic at times..but he makes up for it with his Two Megaton Heart...El Gran Capitan..El Tiburon Puyol...

Rafa Marquez confused me this season..at moments he totally owned the Kaiser nickname but there were times where he looked like Little Dog Lost on the field..I am frankly stumped at his performances..but he has been mentoring Pique in the Long-Balls out of defense routine..No one does cross-field balls better than the Mexican Kaiser..

Gerard Pique is one of the Nominees for Revelation of the Season..from an uncertain start where he literally looked out of place as part of the back line to an absolute Sterling Defender..an awesome season topped by goals against the Pericos and the Whites...a wonderfully talented young defender..You got screwed Fergie :D

Abidal and Caceres hmm..things get cloudy here..One came as a proven International while the other as a raw youngster..but both have given erratic showings...Abidal to be fair has played some amazing matches but has had wandering Eric syndrome a lot lately..what counts against him is age unfortunately..Martin has a distinct advantage in that and he played a great match against Brazil recently..

Oh Yaya what a BEAST...he can play anywhere and rip the opposition to shreds..The Yaya..sign him to a life contract Txiki or i will drink your blood...*Gore and Horror*

Sylvinho has officially left Barca and will always be remembered fondly...the previous post on this blog is confirmation of this fact..Adios and Gracias Sylvio

So whom do we buy..because buy we shall
Here's my 2 cents
A new LB is compulsory now whether he'll be first choice or back up to Abidal is another issue..Puyol has shown to be capable there..Young Marc Muniesa has shown himself to be one for the future and can do well under the Captain's Tutelage
A polyvalent player ie one who can play LB and LM would be an excellent buy ..so someone like Yuri Zhirkov would be perfect but I would rather have a player who defends more than attack to complement Dani on the right side
Who to buy I would let you decide but I for one would have the excellent Maxwell as our LB for next season and rotate with Abidal

Henrique will return next season so it'd mean the loaning out of Martin Caceres most probably..and it'd be the best for young Martin to play more football in a Liga team...Sporting Gijon or Osasuna would be a good bet for him..


Krish's Opinion: Buy a new DEFENDING LB..Loan out Caceres..Promote Marc Muniesa and play Vic Sanchez in midfield more than defense.


From the rest of Liga
Fiorentino Perez also known as Darth de Perez is back in the Hot seat at the Berbanov(Patent: Attitude Lover)and has immediately bought Manuel Pellegrini as the new Scapegoat oops Coach and a certain player whose name is synonymous with Excreta...
All jokes aside (gasp) Kaka will be a great addition to the RM squad and will fit in well into the Attacking Midfield Role which will sadly make a couple of the Dutchies irrelevant....oh well

Luis Aragones is apparently coming back to Atletico..do the Colchoneros ever learn?

Ernesto Valverde takes over at Villareal to fill that Pellegrini shaped void at El Madrigal..Big Shoes to fill Ernesto..best of luck to a Ex-Barca player

Part 2 coming up where we will concentrate on midfield..

Remember the Name - Sylvinho

"Men May come and Men may Go,

But i go on forever."

- Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Seldom do things make me cry. Today is one of those days. The espnstar website reads, "Barcelona cut ties with Sylvinho." Do not know if it was the harshness of the heading or Sylvio's departure that made me cry.

For a defender who played 128 games in Blue and Scarlet and scored 3 goals, Sylvinho 

is among the most down to earth players i have seen. 'Experience comes at the price of cockiness." they say. But Sylvio is the living proof that, that statement is absurd.

He stood with the side for the last half a decade and leaves the entire cule cauldron, weeping. One may well debate that he never got that eternally fixed place in the playing eleven. But Sylvio still remains eternally fixed in our hearts. Something that not everyone have achieved.

Sylvio Mendes Campos Jr, born April 14, 1974, an overlapping attacking left back, made his way to F.C Barcelona, joined in the ranks by Thierry Henry and Marc Overmars, switching from Arsenal.

A caring man by nature and a fatherly figure for all, Sylvinho is amog the most respected figures at Nou Camp. 

The perfect ambassador of the game, and the impeccable family man.

You will not have spotted one rash tackle or a foul commited by him. That is because of the gentleman inside him that respects other players and demands respect from them, which he duely gets. Syulvinho is also reported to be a deeply religious man, who lives by his principles and adheres them strictly.

The Brazillian has 6 international caps, and he started playing for his local club, Corinthians and then slowly worked his way up the rankings, demanding attention with his effective lightweighted approach, aggressive football and overlapping. He was soon signed by Arsenal F.C who latched on to his talent in 1999. Later in his career, Sylvinho was signed in to Celta Vigo where he enjoyed 3 outstanding seasons, from 2001.

In 2004, Barca wanted the man and got him for 2 Million euros. He enjoyed a few scintillating seasons, and is idolized today at Nou Camp.

The most impressive thing about this player, is his humility. He did not get enough playing minutes the last season, which a player of his stature deserved, that is a sooth. Yet he did not waste time complaining and showed the world what he is made of, each oppurtunity he got.

He had the best season of his career, which also turned out to be his last, unfortunately. He was a decisive member for the treble, plaing his heart out in the Champions League final against Manchester United, at Rome, where he humbled the likes of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo with unprecedented ease.

This event is an extremely sad and unexplicable burden in the hearts of each of us. Let us just tell each us that nothing is permanent. No sun stays shining past the dusk.

Sylvinho, we love you. Though you are leaving us this instance. I cannot but hope, you shall remain what you are, elsewhere. 

Though one never thanks his family,

Thank You, Sylvinho.

Recuere El Nombre - SYLVINHO.

"The daddy of the team. A real good guy. He is always concerned for the welfare of the side and asks questions all the time when we are travelling, making sure we are OK. " - Gerard Pique.