Yaya- Caught in the middle

As a part of the Barca revolution of the summer under the newly taken reins of Pep Guardiola, Seydou Keita, the Malian international, was brought in to shore up the midfield. Along with this step, Pep took it upon himself to bring up Sergio Busquets and Victor Sanchez (who got the full 90 against Athletic Bilbao today) from the youth team. While I am a huge proponent of the youth and B teams being used to mold talent for the first team, and am proud to say that no other big club in the world compares to Barcelona in this respect, the addition of these two has led to Yaya Toure being forgotten.

Yaya was the most consistent performer for the team last year by a long shot and was looked on as one who would surely stay on and play a huge part while people such as Marquez lived with question marks above their heads. But the start of the season has seen him with limited appearances though he is the only out and out holding midfielder in the team. With the attacking fluency of a team such as Barca that can easily be caught out, such a man is pivotal and very few (Mascherano, etc.) play the position better than the Ivorian. This lack of appearances has caused an outburst from the player's agent that has no doubt rattled some cages in Barcelona as they have not been denied by the player himself. The use of Busquets more than Toure seems a slap in the face as the young Spaniard, while good, still has much to learn.

With that said, the interest of Juventus is unwarranted. I know my friend Mr. West is disgusted at the thought of another midfielder (a defensive minded one at that) being added to the bianconeri stable. With the purchase of Poulsen over the summer and Sissoko in January, there is no need for the addition of Toure. Therefore here is a man caught between a rock and a hard place- a place with alot of competition for three central midfield spots and one with alot of direct competition for two central midfield spots. I personally, as a Barca fan, would not like to see such a force leave the fold when there is still so much he could offer us. But I am neither Pep Guardiola nor Txiki Begiristain nor Joan Laporta so the decision is not mine. As for Yaya, I do not envy his position and would support his decision to move on to a place where he will play more, but I would like to think he would not see the Estadio delle Alpi as the place where that can be done.

The Catalonian Roller Coaster

As an avid fan of FC Barcelona I am constantly riding an emotional roller coaster. The last decade for the club have been filled with highs and lows that could probably see me end up with a heart problem when I am in my 60s. But right now I have absolutely no idea what to think. Yes, I am happy that my club is on a long winning streak after a very disastrous start to the season (at least by the standards expected) and I was filled with joy as I watched highlights of the 6-1 thrashing that was handed out to fellow title contenders Atletico Madrid (if only it had been those smug b*stards from the blanco side of that city then I could die in peace).

But I am still not sold on Pep. I was a big fan of Rijkaard. Here was a man who had single handedly saved the team from almost relegation in the 03-04 season to 2nd place in the table. Here was a man who brought in players such as the one and only Samuel Eto'o, Deco, Rafa Marquez, etc. Here was a man who invested in the up and comers from La Masia and unleashed talents such as Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and Bojan on the footballing world. Here was a man who led us to the most successful two year period in the recent memory of the club (back to back Liga titles and a Champions League trophy). But here was also a man who had lost control of his crop of players, letting them run wild and leading to the last two disastrous seasons.

I respect Mr. Guardiola. As a former midfielder he is one of the players I payed most attention to in my younger days. He was simple and effective. And while I do like the fact that he does not seem to be stuck on a one track tactical ride like Rijkaard was, he does not exude the same confidence that old Frank did. Going into games with Frank at the head there was an expectation to win, even after the disappointments over the past two seasons. Now though, a feeling of fear creeps into me as I await watching Barcelona games. I have no idea what squad will be selected, whether I will be blessed with another opportunity to watch Leo the Lion, Sammy Eto'o, Titi, Xavi or Iniesta play. I am not a fan of the rotation policy because it doesnt provide for any consistency in play. Rafa Benitez tried this with his Liverpool team a few years back and it did not yield very good results- at least in League terms (I think they won the UCL). But the most important trophy to win is La Liga. It is the one fans care about the most- and it is the fans who watch games.

But at the same time, the rotation policy keeps players fresh and allows all the different diamonds that are available to sparkle equally throughout the year. Toure, Keita, Busquets (although I am still not sold on him, even after watching him live in Giants stadium), Xavi and Iniesta rotate through the midfield and it is a spectacle to watch them all play. Up front, the policy may hopefully alleviate the injury problems that have plagued Eto'o and Messi over the past two years (coincidentally no titles were won in those years) so there may be some good to come out of it. The only thing left to do is strap myself in and let the roller coaster roll. Hopefully when its all done I haven't screamed too much or thrown up after I got off.