Can this Treble-winning Barca still Improve

How do you improve a side that has just won a treble and has arguably the best forward line in history? Some would say do nothing. Why tinker with a winning side that has a devastating attacking trio in the form of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, players that can individually conjure goals out of thin air. It’s not trite to conclude that many teams would be content having just one of them. Just ask Liverpool, a team that imploded after selling Suarez to Barcelona. But Barcelona is no Liverpool. And that is why, despite having the most devastating strike force supported by a midfield that can hold its own against any in the world, and a defence that blurs the line between attackers and defenders, the Blaugrana believes it can still gild its lily. Hence it has turned its attention to Italy, batting its eyelashes furiously at one certain French midfielder Paul Pogba. Barcelona director, Ariedo Braida, who was in Italy on club business, last week, was not subtle when he openly courted Pogba. The former Rossoneri chief, now in charge of scouting international transfers for the Nou Camp was effusive about Pogba’s talent. He certainly knows that the French man is no pig in a poke acquisition. “Pogba is an interesting player with great qualities and would be useful for any team. It’s only natural that everyone wants him. I hope he can play for Barcelona. If he were to choose a new destination, I think Barca represent an extraordinary club and project. I'll advise a lad like him to choose Barca,” he told Gazzetta TV. Braida added his voice to that of many, pushing for the French man to ply his trade at Nou Camp. But the question remains: does Barca’s midfield marshalled by the supremely gifted Spaniard, Andres Iniesta, really need Pogba. Not forgetting that even Barca’s front trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar, are playmakers and strikers bolted into one body. Won’t Barca be barking up the wrong tree by acquiring Pogba? Pogba is undeniably a great talent, technically gifted and could play either has a central holding or left attacking midfielder. In Juventus, he has played in both position but was deployed more as a left attacking midfielder last season, notching 10 goals and 6 assists in 36 appearances. The French man, who left the Theater of dreams for the old Lady has a combination of trickery and athleticism, sprays good passes and is an aerial threat inside the box. These qualities have made him the world’s most sought after midfielder. However if he were to ply his trade at Noun Camp he would either compete with Sergio Busquets for the holding role, or Iniesta, for the left attacking role. As a holding midfielder, Busquets, a World and European cup winner, still has more discipline at shielding his defence

than Pobga, while he also has a better pass rate than the French. The Juve midfilder, according to whoscored.com has a pass success percentage of 83.9 per cent, which is inferior to Busquets’ 91.8 per cent, while his Aerials won of 1.6, falls short of the Spaniards 1.7. In the attacking department, the French man notched up more goals and assist than any of the Blaugrana’s regular midfielders. Iniesta, in 35 appearances had 3 goals and 6 assist, Ivan Rakitic, in 44 appearances racked up 8 goals and 8 assist, while Busquets, a defensive midfielder, in 43 appearances had one goal and 2 assists. But one should not impute much importance to these statistics due to Barcelona’s style of play, in which its attackers are also playmakers; hence they lift the creative burden from their midfielders. This is why last season Messi had 23 assists, Suarez 17 and Neymar 9- we are discounting goals since the trio are attackers. If Barca however decides to field Pogba as a left attacking midfielder, a role nailed down by Iniesta, it means it would either have to bench the Spaniard which is unthinkable or shift him to the right thus displacing Rakitic, hence, Pogba, Busquets and Iniesta. As good as this formation may appear on paper it holds no aces over the Blaugrana’s standard formation of Iniesta, Busquets and Rakitic. But beyond that, Pogba’s addition to Barca, which would no doubt cost the club an arm and a leg, may mean that some regulars will cool their heels on the bench, a breeder of discontent. Never mind that Barca, currently facing a transfer ban, would only be able to bring the French man in January when the season is half way, thus disrupting whatever rhythm the club might have achieved. Even though the addition of Pogba may indeed be the icing on the cake for Barca, larding the midfield with a different dimension, chances are high that the French man may just be that extra cook that spoils the broth. It’s a gamble that is indeed there for Barca’s taking.