La Masia’s struggles to provide talent are affecting the ‘B’ team’s fortunes, writes Andy Mitten
Barcelona last week unveiled plans for a new 6,000-seat stadium on the outskirts of the Catalan capital, which will be used by their “B” team.
Costing €40 million (Dh158.1m) and expected to open in August 2017, it will form part of their expanding training ground complex, which they recently renamed after former coach Tito Vilanova, who died of cancer a year ago.
The existing 16,500-capacity Mini Estadi, which sits on prime land by the city’s polo club, will be knocked down and replaced by an indoor arena used by the club’s basketball team. A public space in front of Camp Nou will be created also, a move that will pacify residents and satisfy the club, which wants fans to spend more time at the stadium before matches.
The Mini Estadi is seldom full and even a second-tier clasico only attracted a crowd of 11,000 last season, while average crowds for the reserve team are about 3,000. That’s more than the reserve sides of almost every team in world football manage to attract, but the venue is ageing and the seating capacity is at least four times bigger than needed these days.
Barca are raising funds for a huge redevelopment of Camp Nou, too, which is slated to begin in 2017, but club elections this year may see those plans changed.
Following the relegation of Real Madrid’s second string last term, Barca B are the only reserve team in Spain’s second division. They had dropped as low as the fourth division, but Pep Guardiola led them to promotion in 2008 before graduating to the first team.
They were promoted again in 2011 and have been in Spain’s second division since, just as they were for the majority of the 1990s.
The team’s existence gives emerging players the chance to play against the first teams of major clubs, such as Real Zaragoza, Betis, Sporting Gijon, Osasuna or Las Palmas. Barca B have often excelled and finished in the top 10 in each of the past four seasons.
They were third last term, but promotion was denied to them as reserve teams are unable to play in the same league as the senior team.
This season has not gone so well. Despite regular appearances from players with first-team experience including Munir el Haddadi, Sergi Samper and Jean Marie Dongou, the team are 21st in the 22-team league. Four are relegated each season and only 11 games remain.
Barca B’s problems are many. For the first time in their history, they dismissed their coach, the former first-team player Eusebio Sacristan. He was popular with the players, but a huge problem for Barca B is that their team has wholesale changes every year.
Seven players departed or were sent on loan this season, including the best ones, Denis Suarez and Carles Planas, who are with Sevilla and Celta Vigo, respectively.
Sacristan was left with young players who thought they had become stars before their time. Sources cite Adama Traore as an example; a striker, they say, with a poor attitude and unjustified arrogance.
It was hard for Sacristan, blooding youngsters into a very competitive league. His successor Jordi Vinyals, an experienced coach from the famed youth system, has the same problem.
Questions have been asked of the level of talent coming through the celebrated Masia. Vinyals would know better than most. He has got the team playing more aggressively against wilier foes, but there are queries on whether that is the Barca way.
A change in the way the club recruits players will have an impact. Barca are already banned from making transfers this year because of their rule-breaking in signing youth players in the past, and players from outside Europe now have to wait until they are 18 to play competitively.
But the Catalans can, and do, recruit the best Spanish youngsters along with Real Madrid.
Barca B may have a new home to look forward to in two years, although whether that will be staging second division football hangs in the balance.
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