BARCA MUST BE CRAZY IF THEY'RE SERIOUS ABOUT AVB

BARCA MUST BE CRAZY IF THEY'RE SERIOUS ABOUT AVB

D. Ray Morton, 28th February.

Barcelona have a tendency to be impatient when it comes to falling behind in the title race. Only three points behind leaders Real Madrid, manager Gerardo "Tata" Martino finds himself the object of criticism again after a sorry defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad last weekend which spoiled the joy of beating Manchester City away from home several days earlier. The feeling around Camp Nou is that should Tata fail to secure either the Liga BBVA crown or the Champions League, he will get the axe due to the perception that their playing style has lost a lot of its flair.

Style comes first for Barca which is why it's surprising that Andre Villas Boas' name has been added to the list of nominees likely to take over from Martino. Having managed three major teams so far in his career, his successes have very much epitomised the proverbial mixed bag and each successive job he did was progressively worse. Successful at Porto, his time at Chelsea may have been ended prematurely but it seemed he never won over the dressing room and was written off as a Jose Mourinho "Lite". At Tottenham, his first season was steady, amassing a best Premier League points total for the club but into his second campaign, things turned sour.

Spurs played some of the most turgid, dour football seen at the club in a long time at the start of this season. Many peoples' tips as Premier League dark horses with an outside chance of even mounting a title charge, the North London club struggled to find themselves on the scoresheet and suffered heavy, embarrassing defeats at the hands of Liverpool and Manchester City. Usually setting his team up in a 4-3-3 formation with an unusually high defence line, Spurs were an absolute mess. Their new summer signings failed to make any immediate impact and the result was a team struggling for confidence with no structure or gameplan capable of dismantling even mediocre opponents.

AVB has very much sprinkled his myth around England and has paid the price. Lever arch folders full of tactical instructions, arrows and multi-coloured dots look impressive during the job interview but this was very much against the "Tottenham way" which usually promoted fluidity and creative freedom. Street football rather than bogging players down with overloaded specifics. How AVB's plans could impact Barcelona is anyone's guess but I would not be confident about his chances of achieving success.

Barca, too, play a 4-3-3 with a high line but their attacking players are essentially allowed to invent for themselves. Perhaps AVB's tactics could be effective considering the Catalan club offer better passers of the ball in their squad but one wonders why then Boas filled his midfield earlier this season with immobile destructive bully boy players like Sandro, Moussa Dembele and Etienne Capoue rather than anyone in that Luka Modric/Xavi mould.

Of course, this could just be bored speculation in a slow news week for the press considering they have not had a midweek fixture and only face Almeria at home on Sunday with the main La Liga focus being on Atletico vs Real in the Madrid derby earlier that same day. Quiet news weeks can over-stimulate the imagination, and appointing AVB as Barcelona's next manager should only stay in the realm of nonsensical daydreams.

MESSI LOSING HIS PASSION AND HOW TO FIX IT

This week it was suggested by ex-Barcelona assistant manager, Angel Cappa, that Lionel Messi may be losing his passion for the game after a decade as a senior player at an elite level. Cappa's ominous words may be based on the Messi's last few months of injury struggles and a lack of goals in recent weeks since his recovery. Having dropped the Ballon d'Or to arch rival Cristiano Ronaldo must also hurt. Realistically however, Messi is just 26 so he should be entering the very peak of his career.

Some changes have occured at Barcelona which explain Messi's turbulent 2013. Tito Vilanova had been appointed as Pep Guardiola's successor in the managerial hotseat and his forced resignation due to his battle with cancer certainly left a painful scar with the entire squad. They managed to secure the La Liga title last term but some serious psychological damage was done in their 7-0 aggregate defeat to eventual Champions League winners Bayern Munich in the semi-final. An injured Messi featured in the second leg, a desperate move for a player with a damaged hamstring who should not have been on the pitch that night.

That aside, 2014 is a fresh start for Leo. Regaining his fitness and form, Barcelona have a big few months ahead with a three-way title race domestically against Real and Atletico Madrid and a mouth-watering clash against Manchester City in the Champions League ahead. Messi could dispell Cappa's comments by helping the Catalans beat City with authority but if not, big doubts will start to creep into his mind in this World Cup year. Argentina have some incredible attacking players and are generously placed as second favourites to win in Brazil next summer by many bookmakers but they have a terrible tendency to underachieve at World Cups and should they flatter to deceive again, Messi will take the bulk of the blame. Since the appointment of Alejandro Sabella as Argentine head coach, Messi's international form has improved vastly and hopes are being pinned on him to lead them to glory like Diego Maradona did in 1986. 2014 could map out the rest of Messi's career.

So how do Barcelona improve Messi for now? Getting Xavi and Andres Iniesta back to their best could help. With the recent form of Thiago Alcantara at Bayern Munich, Barca must be ripping their hair out in frustration at letting such a midfield talent go. Although Messi can win games on his own, having a midfield pass master in behind him can be of huge benefit. Barca don't manipulate possession as effectively under Tata Martino's management. Their style is more direct this season and perhaps it is to Messi's goalscoring detriment. Getting Neymar fit and back in the team should also boost La Pulga Atomica. His youthful enthusiasm and creativity can only benefit their front line. Their next game is this Sunday in the league, a tricky away trip to Sevilla. Messi needs to get on the scoresheet and help his side to a win there or else speculation about his status as the greatest player of his generation will continue to increase. Messi always rises to the challenge. This is just the latest one.

D. Ray Morton, 7th February 2014.

@D_Ray_Morton