In ‘The Barcelona Podcast‘, we have a regular feature called ‘La Bolsa’ (The Stock Market) in which we regularly highlight the performances of Barca’s best players of the week. In contrast, we also discuss the performances of another player who, for whatever reason, has completed a week to forget.
We recommend you listen to the show as we believe you will definitely enjoy it – or get your money back. Guaranteed. Well, sort of. Here it is:
If you decided not to listen to our latest episode (Bad times), here is ‘La Bolsa’ for this week:
Gerard Deulofeu – Trading Up
The Chaotic Catalan, like him or loathe him, provides something that Barcelona are clearly short of: The continuously ability to unbalance rival defences. Given the more confident, no-nonsense version of himself that Cules have been witnessing in the last seven days, it is clear that the La Masia graduate has done enough to earn a place in Ernesto Valverde’s starting eleven – at least until Ousmane Dembele recovers from injury, that is.
Javier Mascherano – Trading Up
The Argentina international proved his worth once again this week. While it is obvious that his quality, charisma and imposing stamina were never in doubt, the truth is that Father Time was feared to have taken the best Mascherano away for good. Clearly, that has not happened just yet. His calmness on the ball and ability to position himself in order to intercept attacking transitions before the happen are still second to none. Although still behind Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti in Valverde’s ideal eleven, his importance as a crucial squad player is unquestionable.
Jose Arnaiz – Trading Up
As we discussed in far more depth here, the most first-team-ready Barca B youngster excelled in his debut against Murcia. With Cules around the world already comparing him to quality players of the past such as Pedro, Nolito or David Villa, the sky is the limit for the 22 year old forward.
Andre Gomes – Trading Down
Although we have tried endless times to defend Gomes, the Portugal international has simply looked completely out of place for Barcelona this season. Having failed to impress against third-tier Murcia in both the central and interior midfielder roles, it is understandable why Cules are running out of patience. Now lacking the confidence to attempt any risky passes at all, all we can do is hope for an immediate improvement in his second season at the Camp Nou.
We covered many other topics such as the Messi vs Ronaldo rivalry and Abel Ruiz’s impressive progress here:
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