Spanish Debate: The Barcelona Midfield And The Blame Game Johan Cruyff believes that Barcelona's midfield was responsible for their side's draw at Sevilla this weekend. Is this true, and - more importantly - what can be done about it if it is? After watching Sevilla give Barcelona a lesson in incisive football on Saturday, several observers have started wondering, once again, what is going on with the Catalans' midfield this season. There is one man whose opinion seems to count for quite a lot at Camp Nou, and as a part of his weekly musings, Johan Cruyff has held nothing back while having a go at the collective failing of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Edmilson. Cruyff's Criticism Cruyff's main complaint was that the midfielders, while not shy in looking for the ball, were then reluctant to seek attacking options. That's not to say that they were in any way scared of responsibility with the ball - quite the opposite. But once in possession, they would either play the "crab-pass" to the side or merely maintain possession until pressurised, at which point the ball would be shunted back to defence. In other words, the midfielders were wasting possession. It isn't always a bad thing to, but if you want to win away against a determined Sevilla side brimming with quality and confidence, there is little room for lack of incisiveness. Fair Complaint? At least, that's the way that Cruyff saw it. There are two ways of looking at his views. The first is that the midfield, while perhaps imperfect, was not the sole cause of the draw. Sevilla's input can't be underestimated: while Daniel Alves is always a man to watch on the right, Diego Capel was just as impressive on the left, with deputy Barca right-back Oleguer clearly being outclassed by the youngster. Alves, in turn, doubled up with Jesus Navas to torment Eric Abidal, once again, almost by-passing the middle of the pitch. That can't have helped the midfield, who must have felt honour-bound not to leave the back line too exposed. Further, the attackering were also finding it difficult to do anything much with the ball - and you need more from the front three if you start with just three in midfield. Leo Messi was double-marked for much of the game; while Henry was once again missing for large parts of the game, unable to exploit the spaces left behind by Alves. Under the circumstances, you can hardly expect Iniesta and Xavi to produce magic when being marked out by the likes of Seydou Keita and Christian Poulsen. It could be seen as a tactical failing than the midfielders getting it wrong. The other point or view, of course, is that Cruyff was spot on, and that the terrible trio in the middle were redeemed only by Xavi's admittedly well-timed goal. Too many passes were misplaced, especially under pressure. Too many passes went backwards, and that early ball behind the defence that Xavi is revered for, was nowhere to be seen. But regardless of which of these schools of thought one subscribes to, one thing is clear: Barcelona need to win games like this in future. They should have scored at least twice in the sceond half for all their domination. We know Madrid would have - the one thing Schuster has brought to his team is an effectiveness not seen for a while. So, what can be done? The Options The first and most obvious idea is the reintroduction of Yaya Toure. Just as Real Madrid's midfield had to do without their African star - Mahamadou Diarra - for the last month, so too have Barca laboured without the Ivorian. But while Fernando Gago found form at just the right time for the blancos, Edmilson, perhaps the most natural replacement for Toure in the squad, did not hit stride against Sevilla. On the wrong side of 30, he no longer has the pace or stamina for the holding role, one which is becoming tougher by the day. As such, the return of Ivorian - who operates on an enviable engine, but without neglecting the need for that accurate ball forward which can make the five in front of him look more effective - could help a lot. Edmilson must surely make way, preferably for good. Deco is another midfield option, and perhaps one that was missed in light of Xavi and Iniesta's forgettable outing. However, on form, he does not deserve to replace those two, and picking him instead of Edmilson would probably have been suicide. That makes one point very clear: Barcelona simply do not have midfielders. If you clook at their squad, they started the season with only five midfielders. Now, with Edmilson looking 38, Deco out of form, and Toure in Africa, they turn and blame Xavi and Iniesta. With those two continuing to play two games every week, the worst could well be ahead. Eidur Gudjohnsen has been a bit of a bonus, but remains a mixed bag. He failed to impress in a natural striking role - something he has himself admitted - but has reinvented himself as a midfielder again: a role he fulfilled in his final season at Chelsea. His late showing against Sevilla at the weekend - on for the injured Thierry Henry - was muted, but if he were to be given another chance from the start, his forward-looking nature could help bridge what Cruyff saw as a gap in play. He can also add much needed muscle and height to this team. An aerial presence can be underrated, even shrugged off by the likes of Wenger and Rijkaard who prefer to pass the ball into the net. But one look at what Emmanuel Adebayor has provided the Gunners with firmly puts this debate to rest. Arsene himself is urging players to run up the touchline and cross. Where is Barcelona's width or height? There is none. Rijkaard briefly experimented with a 4-4-2 early in the second half in the last game, too, and while it didn't quite work out, such an approach could potentially work well against structured yet offensive teams like Sevilla, especially away from home. As it stands, Barcelona's 4-3-3 is so emblematic of their play that strong, confident sides can counter it by using two midfielders to mark Xavi and Iniesta out of the game, and two wingers to pelt the defence with balls. That is all Sevilla did! Rijkaard's unwillingness to adapt has left Barcelona with a one-dimensional midfield. He needs to come out of this refreshed, with some smart solutions for away games. Sacrificing a forward and adding a midfielder, believe it or not, can also be an offensive move. The Future But these are all short-term solutions. Perhaps what Barcelona really need is some fresh blood, particularly since Deco is looking past his prime, and on the way out. Toure, Xavi and Iniesta must remain a part, but there need to be changes around them. The options are manifold. Werder Bremen star Diego is the latest to be mentioned, but he is not a direct replacement for Deco, who plays a much deeper role. One also has to wonder if he could offer something Lionel Messi doesn't already. Unless Barcelona move to a 4-2-3-1, you do not see those two playing together in one team. The gold medal, would be Cesc Fabregas, impossible as it may be. He has unparalleled incisiveness, and to top that, is scoring goals left and right from midfield now. The youngster slipped through Barcelona's fingers when Arsene Wenger came calling at the turn of the century, and one wonders if the blaugrana have ever really forgiven themselves. Maybe only by luring the Spanish international back to Catalunya could that particular monkey be off their backs. But Cesc is happy in London, and the almost childlike infatuation in some quarters of the Spanish press with the midfielder is becoming too much to bear. It would take something special to lure him away from the Emirates, and Barcelona - at this stage in his career - may not be it. The silver medal would be Frank Lampard. Sections of Barcelona fans say he has nowhere near the class to fit into the system. The answer is: he has everything Barcelona do not have - an ability to provide an incisive, penetrative, goalscoring option from midfield. First, he will score 15 goals from a midfield role, which he does every season, and second, the defenses will start looking at him, closing him down the moment he is within shooting range, this allowing Iniesta, Messi and Eto'o to their bit better. He would do what Rijkaard has been asking Gudjohnsen to do, and he would do it better, so there goes the debate that Barcelona do not need him. Why are people still so adamant? It is time Barca added a 'no-nonsense' box-to-box midfielder to their team. The Bronze medal would probably be Luka Modric - another player who has been stamping his authority on the pitch for Dinamo Zagreb and Croatia, and who is itching to make the move. That itch can often provide the spark Deco seems to have lost. Modric's passing skills are better then Lampard, and his shooting only slightly inferior at the moment, so it could well be the option that makes everyone happy. Whatever the route taken, Txiki Beguiristain and Frank Rijkaard have a lot of thinking to do about how to reinvigorate this midfield. Ewan Macdonald http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=583030 -- Visca el Barca i visca Catalunya ! --

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