When Víctor Valdés decided to abandon the Barcelona goal and Carles Puyol put the full stop to his career by fault of the injuries, a worry installed between the fan culé. How and who went to substitute to two myths?
Valdés was the best guardameta possible for a FC Barcelona almost without estridencias that won it absolutely everything. A wall infranqueable under the sticks, a player with genuine character. Puyol, the exemplary captain and a defence impoluto, able to adapt to the requirements of the script (played in the four defensive positions) and brake to all type of leading -rocky, physicist, swift, technical-. To the tactical intelligence of the of the Pobla of Segur added him a sportive integrity and brilliant professional and almost unpublished.
The club, with more or less attempts fallidos, has known to find to the two pieces that suplen perfectly to Valdés and Puyol. Without being of the house, Ter Stegen and Umtiti have known to win the respect and admiration of the fans by his adaptation and delivery.
The German has followed a parallel path to the one of the archer of Hospitalet: in his first meetings there were doubts by how risked with the balloon in the feet, and some unlucky actions that finish in goal of the rival generated the first debate in the surroundings. Something that Valdés lived in his own meats with errors that leave in evidence to the goalkeepers but that they are, in definite, humans.After the goodbye of Bravo, Ter Stegen has assumed the titularity and has by in front all a career to make history in Barcelona.
Umtiti, by his part, and after the failures of Vermaelen, Mathieu, Cáceres or Chigrinsky, has dazzled to the Camp Nou by his physical power, his capacity of jump, his placing, his mental fortress and by his fast adaptation to the DNA of the club.
Neither Isco, neither Thiago neither Cesc; it is necessary to invest money
Now well, the Barcelona has a problem in the centre of the field. Xavi and Iniesta did greater and to the first found him a "relief" like Rakitic (plays in his place but with other qualities), whereas Iniesta, still in active, does not seem to have reliable substitute to day of today. Neither Denis Suárez, neither André Gomes, neither Rafinha, neither Burn Turan. Any is able to reach the exquisitez technical of the manchego -very difficult-, but neither to control the centre of the field as it does it the '8'.
Look for "to the new Xavi" or "to the new Iniesta" is dangerous, because you add an unnecessary pressure to the player that arrive to fulfil his roles, but is indispensable to follow keeping you in the elite of the European football. By some reasons or others did not tie to Isco, Cesc decided to go back to the Premier and Thiago left to the Bayern.
Three players that possibly had fit well in the DNA Barça and would have done "to forget" -saving the distances- to the couple Xavi-Iniesta. Now there are interesting players that could fulfil his functions (see Verrati, Coutinho, Hazard...), but they are in important clubs and with purchasing power, by what ficharlos antoja complicated.