Barcelona: Injury Crisis

In these times of injury crisis: The areas that Barca need to strengthen come next season: As we approach the business end of the season, Barca find themselves in an uncomfortable position after injuries to key players have rocked the team. Real Madrid showed the world that while Barca can be beaten, they also have a lack of depth in the team and their bench is not as strong when compared to Madrid.

There is no player that Pep can throw in as a wild card who can try something different. Afellay and Bojan are the most common of substitutes used and they play the same way trying to walk to ball into the net. There is no one like a proper number 9 to hit crosses for into the box for, someone who gives the team something different for situations when needed. One can only imagine if the situation with Ibrahimovic could have been different as cleary he's having a good season in Milan this year.You have to question that with all these injuries and exhausted players would Cesc have made a difference to the team? Could he have been the player who comes on with fresh legs during the game to make plays and hit that killer pass. Xavi has already started to show signs of exhaustion and his age and soon Barca may cannot depend on him to win games.

I have to say that it may look unlikely that Cesc will return to his boyhood club this summer. I don't think that they've got the money that Arsenal wants for him and they may look to their youth system once again as we have seen the emergence on Thiago this season. In my view Cesc is a player that is needed in Barca if they are to continue their dominance in football. Not only Cesc, but other players are also needed for my liking. The idea of either Busquets or Mascherano operating as a centre back has not convince me yet and I think that teams are finding ways to expose this weekness. Barca fans are desperate for Puyol to return to full fitness because he has been missed for the months out. His leadership on the pitch and his desire to defend when needed is something that Madrid also exposed in the Copa Del Rey. One reason to blame is the decision of letting players like Marquez and Chygrynskiy leave without finding replacements for them. The decision of having such a low squad number was a risky one and it may well prove to be the wrong one taken by Barca. I for one feel that Dmytro should have gotten a second chance but it is reported that Barca were forced to sell him for money used to repay debt. Pep will need to add some more defenders to his squad whether it means entering the transfer market, promotiong players from La Masia or keeping players like Matrin Caceres or Henrique who have been on loan to other clubs.

Whether Barcelona can get past Real Madrid with this make shift defence remains to be seen, but for next season Pep Guardiola knows that his squad (in particular the bench) needs alot of strengthening to avoid the current situation whereby players like Mascherano and Busquets have to play out of position in central defence, also someone who brings something different to the team like a wild card when the usual style of play isn't working to unlock the opposition's defence.