:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/43433924/458238928.0.jpg)
I’m back! Unfortunately, my return coincides with one of the darkest spells in FC Barcelona’s recent history – or at least that’s the general vibe I’ve been getting from Culés in past week or so. Two defeats and the sky is falling! Nay, the entire universe is imploding! Lionel Messi is past his prime, Sergio Busquets among others should be dropped and indeed the entire club should apparently be handed a one-way ticket to a euthanasia clinic in Switzerland.
It’s a sad time to be a Culé. Heck, why are we all putting up with this anyway? Why haven’t we all just converted to the church of Madridista?
Of course! That’s right; amidst all the complaining (and boy is there a lot of complaining), we still love this club, and we will support this club no matter what. We’ll all show our support in different ways, so let’s stop telling each other which way is the right way and just get behind the team. Sound good?
After all, they need our support at the moment. Following a couple of tough defeats, morale at the club has hit rock-bottom; the players know that they aren’t at their best. The manager, despite his bluster, knows that something is wrong as well. The elephant isn’t just in the room anymore. It’s up on centre stage for all the world to see.
The club is trying to rectify, trying to resolve and to move on – but they will need our help. A trip to AFC Ajax isn’t really what the doctor ordered. We travelled to Amsterdam last season and slumped to a defeat; but that’s OK. Just because we struggled last year and just because we struggled last weekend, doesn’t mean we have to struggle tomorrow.
We have the quality – can we get the belief back? Only time will tell...
TEAM NEWS
BARCELONA
The squad was somewhat unusually announced yesterday leaving us with an extra 24 hours to guess and still ultimately be bamboozled by Lucho’s eventual selection. Gerard Piqué returns from the wilderness to resume his role as squad scapegoat, although both Enrique and Sergio Busquets in particular have been picking up that load tremendously in the past week. With the assumed return of Marc-André ter Stegen, we might even field an entire team of scapegoats? Think about it – from MAtS to a defense of Dani Alves, Gerard Piqué, Javier Mascherano (out of position) and an out of form Jordi Alba via a midfield of Sergio Busquets, the apparently past-it Xavi and the recently disappointing Ivan Rakitić, not to mention an attack of Pedro, the ineffectual Lionel Messi and the system-breaker/bad omen Luis Suarez?
Oh the horror!
All joking aside, ter Stegen will start in goal looking to end Barcelona’s season-high streak of three matches without a clean sheet, but he will need some support from the defense. The average Culé’s pick would be Martin Montoya with Marc Bartra, plus anyone other than Gerard Piqué and Javier Mascherano – but let’s be honest; Luis Enrique is more likely to select Dani Alves, Piqué and Bartra with Jordi Alba likely to provide support from the left.
In midfield, Sergio Busquets may start, but the return of Piqué may "liberate" Mascherano to return to pivote, a move that would probably necessitate the return of Xavi Hernández and the shift of Ivan Rakitić to yet another new role. That was arguably the main problem we faced with Cesc Fàbregas – constantly shifting him around the team and around the system wreaked havoc on his ability to actually perform in any role, yet we seem intent on repeating that with Rakitić. Nevertheless, that’s what I expect to see tomorrow.
In attack, surely Lucho sticks with the fabled triumvirate? To abandon now, even if it would be the right call in the short-term, would be pounced upon by just about every media outlet in the world and torn apart ruthlessly. The last thing we need is more media scrutiny, so Lucho probably won’t rock the boat. In my mind, it would be worth resting Lionel Messi just as our leaders over at the mothership so wisely suggested – but there’s probably more chance of me starting, so that’s that.
AJAX
Winners at the weekend, winners in the previous midweek and winners the weekend previous. Since their loss against us in Matchday Three, Ajax have rebounded magnificently with three wins from three, scoring 11 goals in the process. Not bad at all, even if the calibre of opposition has been poor. Still, you can only beat what’s in front of you, so credit to Ajax for keeping pace(ish) at the top of the Eredivisie, maintaining their four point gap to league leaders PSV.
Davy Klaassen is in form, Lasse Schone is scoring freely; maybe, just maybe Ajax can compound the Blaugrana’s misery?
FORM GUIDE
Barcelona: LWWWLL
Ajax: DDLWWW
LAST MEETING
FC Barcelona 3-1 AFC Ajax – 21st October 2014 – UEFA Champions League
It seems like an eternity ago since we last won a football match, but it was only two weeks ago and it was arguably our best performance of Luis Enrique’s reign. More of the first-half here, less of the second-half we saw against Celta please Lucho.
LIKELY LINE-UPS
Barcelona (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Alves, Piqué, Bartra, Alba; Mascherano, Xavi, Rakitić; Suarez, Messi, Neymar
Ajax (4-3-3): Cillessen; van Rhijn, Moisander, Veltman, Boilesen; Zimling, Klaassen, Serero; Schone, Milik, El Ghazi
MATCH PREDICTION
Tough to call – Ajax is a tough place to visit, and they will make life extremely difficult for us, especially given our recent form. But, I expect quality will shine through in a hard-fought 2-1 Barça win.
