Posted by: Hassan C
Transfer is to convey from one person, place, or situation to another, but in football transfer is the relocation of a player from one club to another under the FIFA’s regulations . It is merely the madness that occurs during the months of July, August, and January. Abstinence is the act of self-enforced restraint from indulging in pleasurable activities. Denial, Discipline, or moderation of something that one wishes to perform.
From the moment Josep Guardiola took the realm at Barcelona, the whole world witnessed a scintillating style of football. Mind-blowing, staggering, astonishing, and incredible are only a few of what has been said of Barca’s football. An approach that simply focuses on upfront pressing, off-ball movement, closing down spaces, ball-circulation, and expanding the field through the wings. As much as this style is easy to watch and admire, as much as it is hard to learn and absorb.
If Barcelona’s football is a product or an outcome, then “La Masia” is the factory that assembles, fabricates, polishes, and manufactures this marvel. This technique is embedded in players’ minds from their early days.
If we go through some of the incoming names as of late, we will find out that more than half of the players did not live up to neither their reputation, nor their hefty price tag. Of all the arriving players, only Pique, Alba, Fabregas, Dani Alves, and to a lesser extent David Villa, Yaya, Adriano, and Mascherano could be given a passing grade. The other signings’ failure can easily be associated to their lack of understanding and integration in Barcelona’s philosophy. Not one of our recent acquisitions is an average player (all were superstars in their previous teams), but grasping Barca’s attitude is by no mean an easy task.
Fabregas’ statement in his first season well depicts this claim. “I constantly feel that I am getting in the way of Xavi, and iniesta’s plays” is a declaration of how hard it is to fit in for an incoming player, even for a Catalan La Masia graduate. No one can deny that the basis of our recent success has always been the cantera, because our young jewels rarely fail to shine. The Barca values are instilled in tender years, polished and rectified in further levels, enhanced and encouraged, then promoted and launched in the first team. And because it is a way of living, a manner, a stance, an attitude, and a state of mind, the “Barcelona philosophy” is a guaranteed but patient recipe for success.
With that in mind, and with all the transfer rumors that surfaced recently, we should always take into consideration a simple, but extremely important assessment tool: “Barca compatible”. Neymar, Mario Gotze, Mats Hummels, Christian Eriksen, and Gareth Bale are some of the names constantly linked to Barcelona. With our ongoing defensive woes, we could certainly do with a world-class center back. But with the abundance in quality in the midfield department and upfront, we should be very careful with any new purchase. Not only did Zlatan Ibrahimovic fail to interpret and adapt to Barca’s philosophy, his arrival proved to be a financial burden, as well as a disruptive factor to the harmony in the dressing room.
So, as much as names like Gotze, Hamsik, Eriksen, Bale, Adrian Lopez, Hummels, Neymar, David Luiz might seem jaw-dropping and eye-catching, we should practice self-control and commit to our cause which is: improving quality, decreasing debt, and promoting from within. After all, nobody could have ever imagined that Sergio Busquets, Pedro, and Thiago Alcantara would turn out to be such imperious prospects, and Deulofeu, Barta, Muniesa, Rafa, Sergi Roberto, Grimaldo, Planas, and Dongou are certainly waiting for half a chance to grasp and fulfill their potential. Levante’s game proved that – while it’s not taboo to acquire good prospects – our initial transfer market should always be “La Masia”, So maybe it’s wise to start practicing transfer abstinence.
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