The Camp Nou conundrum

People who would leave the club:

1. Victor ValdesBarca and Spain’s goalkeeper decided to leave the ship in the last season itself, but instead offered to stay for one more season so that he could give some leeway for the club to find a suitable successor. But things took an unfortunate turn as he tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament in March, thereby ruling him out for the rest of the season and also for the World Cup. He was tipped to beat the legendary Iker Casillas to get the number one position in Spain, but all in vain.
2. Carles PuyolThe veteran Centre Back decided to retire from the game and move away from Barcelona so that he could pave way for new talents. His last two seasons have been plagued with injuries and this appears to be the perfect time for him to step out. The only thing that Barca will miss the most is his leadership and the never-say-never attitude.

People who should leave the club

1. Josep Maria BartomeuThe current president of the club who took over from Sandro Rossell for the interim period before the elections next year. Lack of experience at the top level will make a case against him. He doesn’t appear to be a genuine president’s material.
   

   Andoni Zubizarretta

2. Andoni ZubizarretaThe former Barcelona and Spain’s goal guardian has conceded a lot of goals since taking over as the director of football at the club from Txiki Begiristain. The most logical signing he must have made is of a Centre Back, which he failed. The next, he was unable to convince Puyol or Valdes to stay at the club. He should have been long gone.
3. Gerardo ‘Tata’ MartinoThe Argentine who hails from the same place as Lionel Messi was a student of Marcelo Bielsa. Having led Paraguay into the quarter finals of the World Cup in 2010, he was called upon to replace Tito Vilanova. Though his approach was clearer early, his tactics seem to be exceedingly predictable and this suggests that he might not be the perfect man for a club of Barcelona’s stature. He is a good coach, but not good enough. Sorry, Tata.
4. Jose Manuel PintoThe former Celta de Vigo goalie is already 38 now and is long past his peak. He was bought to replace Victor Valdes since Albert Jorquera was injured back in 2007. But now, the time is up for Pinto and it is for the best of both the club and him to part ways.
5. Daniel AlvesDani was a terrific find for Barca, from Sevilla. For the initial three seasons, he was doing exceedingly well, but in the last couple of seasons his performances have dipped. He is a great passer of the ball, but has completely lost his pace. Martin Montoya would be the ideal replacement for Dani Alves. One of the mistakes made by Martino this season was not giving enough playing time for Montoya even though he proved his worth several times.
6. Alexandre SongTill today, nobody has absolutely any clue as to why he was bought from Wenger’s Arsenal. He is definitely a great player, but Barcelona isn’t the right place for him. His signing will remain as one of the worst howlers Zubizarreta made during his tenure. He came into the club as a deadwood and this deadwood needs to be chucked out so that he could prove his actual worth in some other club.
7. Jonathan Dos SantosYet another case of being exceedingly talented but needs to be chucked out because of acute lack of space. For the position of Centre Midfield, already Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Busquets, Song, Sergi Roberto and Ibrahim Afellay are competing. Jonathan is recovering from an injury and it is best for him to leave the club post complete recovery, either on loan or permanently.
8. Ibrahim AfellayThe Dutch national hasn’t been fully fit for even one full season. Unfortunately, the really talented attacking midfielder is losing his game due to lack of playing time. He has just recovered from an injury and it’ll be best for him to go back to the Netherlands to pursue his career there.
9. Isaac CuencaIsaac was put into regular use by Pep Guardiola. The next season he was loaned out to Ajax where he got injured. The quick footed fragile Spaniard has humungous talent, but at Barca, it will be too competitive for him to handle.
10. Cristian TelloThe biggest regret. The young six footed winger has been a terrific player for Barca. He is a player who seldom wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. He was a prominent figure in the line-up during the Guardiola and Tito eras, but has seen almost only the bench this season. It is an insult to his talent and he must be loaned out.

People who should be brought into the club:

1. Joan LaportaThis Spanish lawyer is the best man to be the president of the club. He has proved it and he is still hungry to do something to the club. So, if he wins in the next presidential elections, which looks most evident, it’ll be a big boost for Barca.
2. Johan CruyffBarcelona badly requires the help of the Dutch again. He was insulted by Sandro Rossell and left the club in bad blood. All possible amendments must be made to bring back his expertise into the Catalan club. If Joan Laporta arrives, it’ll be better because Cruyff and Laporta maintain a brilliant rapport. Till date, whatever he has predicted has come true.

   “Throughout my career, I’ve simply tried to instill what I learned from Johan Cruyff. He has had the biggest influence on football out of anyone in the world, first as a player and then as a coach. He taught me a lot and you can see that in the fact that so many of his former players are now coaches, because he made sure his love for the sport got through to us. He’s very special to us.” ~ Pep Guardiola

   This genius must be brought back, without further ado.