Is Barcelona defence finally stable in 2022/23? (Part 2)

Barcelona’s defence appears to be more stable without the ball in 2022/23 than in previous seasons. Welcome to the Part 2 of the article series “Is Barcelona defence finally stable in 2022/23? “

Check the Part 1, if you missed it 🙂

Full Backs

It’s safe to say that this is the Barcelona’s biggest concern right now. Positions have been filled up by aged and out-of-form players who hardly have any future left. Despite all of the uncertainty, Alejandro Balde has been a bright spot for the club while the future of the remaining players is still in doubt.

Left Back

Out of the first team players, Jordi Alba, 33, remains the club’s first choice LB. However, it’s Balde from the reserve team who is proving to be the ideal choice right now. He’s been very impressive with his pace and intelligent gameplay and is undoubtedly Barcelona’s FIND OF THE SEASON. Barcelona Board will be keen to register him as a first team player in near future.

Besides them, there’s Marcos Alonso who arrived from Chelsea but it’s hard to see that he can be trusted as the top choice in his position. Most probably, Xavi will look to grow on Balde as the first choice LB in his project and will seek a decent backup. Álex Valle from the reserve team might be an option.

Right Back

For the RB position, the only options left in the first team are Roberto and Bellerin. However, concerns about their future remain due to poor performances. Roberto’s performance has always been questioned over the years, whereas Bellerin, who arrived from Arsenal last summer, has been clueless since day one. As a result, Xavi was forced to use Araújo and Koundé as RBs rather than CBs. Club’s transfer strategy will definitely has an eye out for a quality RB to fit into the system.

Goal Keepers

Ter Stegen’s redemption can be perceived as the cheat code for Barcelona’s success this season. He was heavily criticized for his poor performance and was on the verge of being sold last summer. However, the club was unable to find a suitable replacement, and Xavi decided to keep his faith in Ter Stegen. And it has served us commendably well this season.

The German wall is now 30 years old, and Barcelona is looking for a replacement as well. Iñaki Peña, who was recently registered as a first team player, is the most likely replacement. He had a fantastic loan spell at Galatasaray last year, including an impressive performance against Barcelona in the UEL. The goalkeeper position appears to be set in stone for the Catalan Kings.

Credits : https://twitter.com/LaSenyera/status/1615383301253959683/photo/1

What to Expect in 2023/24?

As can be seen, the CBs and GKs are well equipped for the upcoming season. It’s a shame we didn’t have our full defensive lineup for the UCL games against Inter and Bayern. This may persuade team management to strengthen the bench for the upcoming season.

García and Peña are already decent backups on their respective positions. Therefore, management will not go hard on those two positions. They will be open to bringing in a good free agent or a promising youngster from La Masia. As previously stated, Full Backs will be the priority in the upcoming summer window. Specially a quality RB along with a decent LB and a RB to strengthen their bench.                

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The next summer will see the loan returns of Lenglet (CB) from Spurs, Umtiti (CB) from Lecce, and Dest (RB) from Milan. None of these three are likely to be trusted and given another chance. Dest might be given a chance to prove himself because the RB is in shambles, but that is only a remote possibility. Instead, the club will concentrate on new signings and providing opportunities for La Masia’s youngsters. So, here is a list of potential transfers for next summer.

Possible Transfers for Barcelona

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Who do you think Barcelona sign this Winter? Write down in the comments 🙂