CHELSEA'S PERFECT TRANSFER WINDOW

It's safe to say that last season was the single most frustrating we as chelsea fans have ever witnessed. Brilliant against the top teams but sluggish and wasteful against the teams at the bottom. The result that summed up our season was the loss to Sunderland at Stamford Bridge. So many chances were wasted and we only sped up our play after they had scored their second goal. Funny enough, we went on to beat Liverpool the very next weekend. This 'Jekyll and Hyde' form is shown in the graph below

Culled from Zonal Marking [online]

The graph compares the points per game of a team against the top half and against the bottom half. Only Chelsea and Sunderland have higher points per game against the top half than the bottom half. Funny, isn't it? From watching any of our matches against the bottom sides, the flaws are obvious. Lack of a clinical striker, sluggish ball movement, full backs who can't attack particularly well and AMs who were a bit scared of shooting (I'm looking at you, Hazard). Against the top sides this wasn't a problem as there was a lot of space to work with but against bottom sides who defended deep (aka Park the Bus™), the flaws were evident. The priorities for this window should be a striker, an attacking full back preferably a left back and a creative central midfielder.

INS

The Striker

The signing of Diego Costa and the return of Lukaku should leave us settled in the striker position. As the Chelsea blog 'Plains of Almeria' put it, Costa shares Mourinho’s indomitable spirit and as a focal point there are few who lead the line as well. His aggression, movement and power are salient qualities that have been missing from Chelsea’s docile attack. Gianfranco Zola went as far as saying that Costa represented “the missing part of the puzzle”.

The Central Midfielder

This is another area in which Chelsea didn't waste time to strengthen. Fabregas was signed during the World Cup group stages and I was delighted with the signing. Fabregas is one of the most creative players in the world and he can play attacking and central midfield. I'm still hoping one more midfielder is brought in and that is Pogba. That guy can do it all. He has an eye for a pass, he can tackle, he has very good stamina and exceptional shooting. Plus, with the sale of Luiz(Still don't know how we got that much money), we have the money required to buy him.

The Full Back

Time and time again, we had to endure the sight of Branislav Ivanovic trying to cross. The decision to play Azpilicueta on the left made our full back play very flat. This made it easy for teams trying to defend against us. They just had to double mark Hazard and the right winger. With the departure of Ashley Cole, a new left back will be needed and the obvious choice should be Ricardo Rodriguez as he is one of the best attacking full backs in Europe. But, Chelsea seem to be chasing Filipe Luis who would cost stupid money and is going to be 29 in August. Plus, he's not attacking enough. Other targets could be Moreno or Blind or even Rojo

OUTS

Ba - He scored some important goals towards the end of last season but lack of minutes on the pitch has led to him asking for a move away. He's given us a lot of memorable goals but it was either him or Torres (Hint: Have you seen Torres' salary?)

Moses - He has stagnated a bit since his promising first season and he should be sold or loaned again.

Bertrand - He's simply too old to be fighting for a place in the team and there is interest from Tottenham and Liverpool so this is a no brainer.

CONCLUSION

This transfer window is pivotal and we can't have another season of failing at the last hurdle. We've already made some good moves and with 2 more signings we would be favourites to win the EPL.

 

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REAL MADRID: BUILDING THE DYNASTY

Alfredo Di Stefano, "the blond arrow", the greatest Real madrid player of all time. The greatest of all time. RIP, you'll never be forgotten. Eterno Alfredo.

Its Lisbon, its the 24th of May, its the champions league final, its the 93rd minute, Real madrid win a corner, and as its floated in Sergio Ramos gets a big powering header snatching victory from the hands of our local rivals Atletico, and hence deflating them. We went on to win the match 4-1, winning the much obsessed "La Decima". The trophy added to the Copa del rey we won against our arch-rivals Barcelona with Ronaldo. (Remember the Bale goal?) In a way, its sad we didn't win the treble. We were poor in the league at key points and in key matches, personally we had a worse season than Barcelona in the league.

Now how do you build on a near perfect season? Well there's a reason its "near perfect" and not "perfect". We have to look at where it went wrong for us last season in the league. My first thoughts on this is that Ancelloti got it all wrong in big matches earlier on. He changed formation from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3. The 4-3-3 worked but only after a while. Another area that cost us was lack of depth in midfield and in attack, this might seem strange to say for a club of Real madrid's stature but its true. Tactically "Mister" as Ancelloti is known as by the players, got it right towards the end, and he will only get better hopefully. Squad depth is something you can't get better in. You have to buy.

Now the idea for having depth is to have 2 or more quality players for each position. So judging based on our normal starting XI from last season, done deals and rumours, I'm going to show how well we can have the squad depth whilst letting go of some players.

In goal, we have 2 great keepers in Iker Casillas & Diego Lopez, sources in Spain say that Real madrid have activated the release clause of Keylor Navas, this is a fantastic signing that means one of Lopez or Casillas would leave. Ancelloti will let any or both go if they decide to. He plans to purchase Kiko Casilla if both go. If anyone should go it should be Diego Lopez. "San Iker" is a club legend and still has more to offer, and to me still among the best in the world.  Kiko Casilla would be a valuable asset, he is young, would be cheap and is a castilla product. Cristiano Ronaldo praised him after a cup match for his marvellous performances against madrid all season.

In defence, we have a straight forward 1st choice and 2nd choice in every position at the back just like in goal. At Right back its Carvajal then Arbeloa (although this should be his last season), in the Centre its Ramos and Pepe then Varane & Nacho (Nacho got a new 6-year contract and he fully deserves it. He's 4th choice but doesn't complain about wanting to leave, or a higher salary, he's just grateful for being at the club). Varane should replace Pepe next season in the XI, he has a calmer head, neat tackler and better passer. At left back its Marcelo and then Coentrao. The back looks good enough, no additions should be made except there is a surprise exit.

In midfield, the 3 players consist of, one deep-lying, and 2 hard workers, who will run back and forth, while doing a good job closing down and creating chances. In the starting XI we have this in Alonso, Modric and Di Maria. From the squad of last season season, only Illaramendi fits the bill to for,a like for like replacement, as he plays the Alonso role well, although he seemed scared a lot in big matches last season. Khedira, Casmeiro, Isco are not suited to it. Khedira does the hard working bit well, but his chance creation is not up to standard. Hence, its reasonable that he that seems destined to leave, hopefully he will find a team that suits him and gets us good cash in return. Casmeiro has been sent on loan to Porto, which is good. He has the potential to fill those spaces in midfield, as he showed in the pre-season of 2013. Isco has been gradually converted into such a midfielder. Ancelloti spoke about how Isco could convert like Seedorf and in the Copa del rey final & 1st leg of the UCL semi final he performed those roles brilliantly. The less said about his time as false 9, the better. Hence, there is still 1 more space in the midfield. Toni Kroos has been bought and to be honest he came very cheap at €30m considering his world cup performances. Kroos fits the bill perfectly and he will gel seamlessly into the squad and our style of play. He can even play the deep-lying role. His arrival however has seemed to make Di maria (most assists in Europe) feel not appreciated enough. You can't blame him, he will always be behind Ronaldo, Bale, Ramos, Alonso, Marcelo & Casillas in terms of the "big boys" at the club. Its clear he his looking for a club he will be appreciated better and as much we madridistas don't want to see him go, its best he goes for his happiness. Its not fair to him and the club he we keep an unhappy player.

In attack the BBC were deadly last season, scoring 96 goals between them in all competitions, although Bale and Ronaldo were out injured at various periods of the season. But we lack the depth, we suffered for this last season, we had no quality attacking alternative for the BBC especially after Jese got injured. Morata was not just up to standard. Falcao has been making all the noises about wanting to come to Madrid in Columbia and according to reports has a verbal agreement with Monaco to let him go to Real. This is very tasty, with 71 goals in 90 appearances for Atletico over 2 years, although he has never played champions league football. However, to be honest,I have faith in Benzema and feel if he can totally cut out that laisse-affaire attitude he sometimes shows, he will be among the top 3 best forwards in the world. Ancelloti and Florentino feel the same way as they expressed the desire to sign a young forward to be an alternative. Hence the only way Falcao will end up in Madrid is either Florentino wants to show sporting strength to compete with Suarez at Barca, or he got discouraged by Benzema's performances in the knockout stages of the world cup. It however begs the question, who will be the young striker? Antoine Griezmann has been the name called and he has a €30m release clause, which is okay. The deal would make sense, financially and for the reasons he will be brought in as although he's a wide forward he scored 20 goals in 49 appearances last season, and can also play as a false 9. The problem is Monaco see him as a replacement for James.

The rumours linking James Rodriguez has been heavy after his world cup performances, especially after he said he would like to play in La liga and he prefers Real to Barca (like who doesn't?). Also its a known secret that Ronaldo is his idol. It would not be hard to convince him to come, as he has apparently agreed terms, convincing Monaco to let him go would be harder but possible as rumours suggest they are negotiating between €60 and €80 million. I only see this signing happening if Di Maria leaves with James as replacement. I don't also see Monaco selling both James Rodriguez and Falcao in the same summer. But as Roberto Carlos said on the issue "Florentino can do anything he wants". Morata's sale for €20m is unbelievable. Why Juve decided to pay that much is beyond me, and why we decided to put a €30m-€35m buy back clause is also beyond me. Jose Rodriguez should be promoted to the first team. He can play on the side of a front 3 with Jese (sadly doesn't return until November) & whoever is brought in as the alternative forward.

Personally,we needed just 2 players at the start of the transfer window, a midfielder and a forward, any other player bought should be as a result of an exit. I love the signing of Kroos, he fits us perfectly. As much as I won't mind having Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema, James, Griezmann, Di maria and Falcao on the same team, it won't happen. Just 4 or 5 of those 6 players will be Real madrid players when the transfer window closes. In reality, the BBC would remain, Di maria would most likely leave for a hefty €50-€60 , James would come in as his replacement and this is okay, as James created most chances in Europe last season (85), and he has shown signs of ability to play in midfield as he sometimes tracked back to help Jao Moutinho for Monaco, learning from criticism from Claudio Ranieri . Griezmann should be purchased as the alternative forward.

Finally,we will be playing in 6 competitions this season and although it seems we are overcrowded in some areas, the amount of matches, injuries and suspensions will mean all the players would be required a lot. There are high hopes for this season, we will go for all 6 competitions, at least 4 of them should be won which must include another champions league success. The chase for "La Undecima" begins here, let's build a European dynasty, like in the days of Don Alfredo. Hala Madrid !!!!

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LIVERPOOL: WHAT TO DO AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON

Last season brought up mixed emotions of mission accomplished and a feeling of  "so close, but yet so far". The aim at the beginning was to qualify for the champions league, we did that with ease (and can now hear the champions league song at Anfield again, and have those great European nights). We found ourselves staring at the premier league title with 4 games to go on the year of the 25th anniversary of Hillsborough. At the end, we let it slip and the 24 year stare at the title continues.

The title in my opinion was not lost at Anfield against Chelsea or away at Crystal Palace. It was lost in those back to back away losses at Chelsea and Manchester City (marred by horrible decisions from the referee) and at the beginning of the season by the "transfer committee". Their failure to bring in quality players cost us big time. Only Simon Mignolet, then maybe Kolo Toure & Mamadou Sakho added something to the squad. The squad was incredibly thin last season with only 15 players really having an impact. Rodgers did well to take us far, using different formations (4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2, 3-5-2, 3-4-3) during the course of the season. Rodgers has made his intentions clear. He's doing business early and avoiding loans as much as possible. Here we look at the likely players to come and go.

POSSIBLE SIGNINGS
There have been very tiny rumours about a new goalkeeper. Personally, its important. Mignolet looked very shaky at times last season with his decisions from crosses and his ball playing skills. Michel Vorm had been the name rumoured but he looks like a spurs player now. The competition would have been great to keep both of them on their toes, which is good for the club.

In defence, just a new centre back is needed. Dejan Lovren seems to be the man. He has made the right noises about his head "already in Liverpool". He looks perfect to complement Martin Srktel. Not Mamadou Sakho or Kolo Toure please!. The most important part of the squad that needs improvement is the left back role. Jon Flanagan & Glen Johnson(personally, Flanagan should be the first choice right back, he was brilliant last season & statistically better than Luke Shaw, meanwhile Johnson has been far too inconsistent for the past 2 years now) played there last season but neither are left backs. Jose Enrique is too one-footed and its best we get a new left back especially for a champions league campaign. The Alberto Moreno deal looks highly unlikely now. This would have been a brilliant deal especially for a player better and cheaper than Luke Shaw. Javier Manquillo is set to join on a 2-year loan deal with option to buy, but this is a strange deal as Manquillo is a right back. Except Rodgers decides to use one of the 3 right backs mentioned as left backs again. For real left backs, Ryan Bertrand has been mentioned, Swansea rejected an £8million bid for Ben Davies & he also seems set to move to spurs, but there are better options out there, people like Ricardo Rodriguez who was brilliant for Wolfsburg last season with 5 goals and 9 assists in the league. DeAndre Yedlin and Marcos Rojo have also been mentioned. But Rodriguez would be a dream, although none would be bad.



In midfield, the absence of Henderson for 3 of the last 4 games showed how much we needed more athleticism and energy in midfield. We missed "Hendo" badly, and if he wasn't suspended, we may well have been champions. Emre Can is a great signing and with Rodgers as his manager you can be sure he will improve. Another midfielder is also needed, although a squad midfielder.

In attack, Rodgers has been looking for attackers all summer. The team scored over a hundred goals in the league, and you could ask why we're linked to so many attacking players? Well its because of 2 reasons, firstly we actually lack quality depth in attack as out of the 101 goals we scored in the league, only 3 were scored by substitutes and only 2 assists coming from subs as well. Secondly our chief assassin Luis Suarez is no longer with the club. The signing of boyhood Liverpool fan Rickie Lambert points to a plan B from the bench. Adam Lallana could play on the wings or in midfield as the "10". Alexis Sanchez had been heavily linked as a player part of the Suarez deal, but he joined Arsenal instead, something which is strange, but Rodgers clarified that it was due to "geographical reasons". Lazar Markovic's signing is great and will add quality in depth on the wings. Divork Origi looks set to join, although Lille have made it clear that any deal will involve him sent on loan next season to them, so one for the future and not next season then. Wilfried Bony, was very close to joining but the £19m valuation proved too high for the club. Loic Remy is the man set to join however, and with his pace and goal scoring exploits, the £8.5m he's being sold for is a bargain in my opinion. He scored 14 goals in 26 appearances, which is very good. Remy would be a brilliant signing for us.


POSSIBLE EXITS
For some strange reasons Brendon Rodgers doesn't rate Daniel Agger as he played Mamadou Sakho ahead of him in our defence last season and rumours have surfaced that he even offered the Dane to Barcelona. This is strange because "Dagger" looks like the Liverpool defender most comfortable with the ball at his feet. However, if the manager doesn't have him in his plans, he should be sold to raise funds. Kolo Toure should follow closely, but this looks highly unlikely, sadly. Thiago ilori should be loaned again, just like Andre Wisdom to give them more chances. Its the end of the road for Stephen Kelly, as he should be sold. Aly Cissoko has already gone and we thank goodness for that.

In midfield, there has been talk of Lucas going to Napoli on loan, and before 2014 these talks won't even exist, but now it wouldn't be the worse thing to happen if it happens. Squad players like Luis Alberto, Suso, Assaidi, Conor Coady should be sold or loaned out (if Rogers still have hope in them).

In attack, Iago Aspas should have been sold in January, remember his corner against Chelsea? The only highlight of his Liverpool stay. He has no place in Liverpool, and luckily he stays in Sevilla after his loan expires. Victor Moses was poor during his loan spell and its great we didn't make it permanent. Fabio Borini was close to joining Sunderland for £14m but he rejected it to fight for his place, which is good to see. He should be given the chance, he was fantastic for Sunderland last season as he scored important goals to keep them in the league, and this may prove important for us. Then there's Luis Suarez. For all the love and affection we've shown him, he still left, that's fine, its cool, no hard feelings, we're getting enough cash in return (€88m) to build the squad, and hopefully others would share and score the goals that Suarez has taken along. No one man is bigger than the club. The club couldn't beg Suarez again this summer, he had dragged the name of the club through mud yet again. Its a goodbye of mixed feelings, but we have to let go.



Rodgers and his team are developing and they develop each other. Do not expect Liverpool to "do a spurs", we have a better manager and we didn't depend on Suarez, we had the 2nd top scorer remember? Expect more of the same of last season from Liverpool. It would be great to see how Rodgers adapts to European football. He has done the right business so far, and we trust in him to continue in that manner. "We go again" next season and we'll never walk alone.

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TRANSFER SCOPE: MANCHESTER UNITED

TRANSFER SCOPE: MANCHESTER UNITED

LAST SEASON

The 2013/14 season was definitely one to forget for Manchester united fans.  Under the guidance of David “the chosen one” Moyes, they went from defending champions and title contenders to scrambling for a Europa league spot with the likes of Tottenham and Everton, teams considerably below united on the financial, trophy and status fronts.  The faults last season were clear and aplenty from dressing room division to ignominious cup exits at the hands of mid table teams, plain and predictable attacking play and atrocious form at home.  Last season was a record breaking one for Manchester united but for all the wrong reasons.  United finished outside the top three for the first time in the premier league era, will not be playing European football (an occurrence which is happening for the first time in the life of this writer), saw the likes of Swansea City, Newcastle United, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion collect three points from the theatre of dreams for the first time in decades.

Summer addition Marouane Fellaini also served to be a flop while January signing Juan Mata through a combination of being played on the left and limited game time meant that he had a limited impact on the team.

NEXT SEASON

PROBLEM AREAS

Moving on to the new season, it is clear that the red devils need a major facelift, particularly in midfield, on the wings, at left back and in the center of defence.

LEFT BACK

At the time of writing, a deal had just been announced for the transfer of Southampton defender Luke Shaw to the tune of 30m pounds.  While holding reservations as to the size of the fee and wage packet (160,000 p/w), this deal should represent value for money if he stays on for the next decade.

 

WINGERS

United require players who are natural wingers, can beat a man with skill and pace and also capable of cutting in and playing infield.  This would be Nani but his form has been to erratic.
Who has been linked: Reports have linked united to summer deals for Arjen Robben, Memphis Depay, Di maria and Juan Cuadrado

Who should (also) be linked: Antoine Griezmann, Lazar Markovic, Xherdan Shaqiri, El Shaawary

Most likely Deal:   Memphis Depay given his age, potential and links to Loius van Gaal through the national team.

 

CENTER-BACKS

Due to the departures of stalwarts VIdic and Ferdinand, united require another world class presence at the back.

Who has been linked: Stefan De Vrij, Mats Hummels¸ Eliquim Mangala, Mathias Ginter

Who should (also) be linked:  Bruno Martins Indi, Fabian Schar

Most likely Deal:  Stefan De Vrij.

Dream Trasfer:  Matts Hummels and Bruno Martins Indi

 

CENTRAL MIDFIELD

For far too long this has been United’s problem area.  The club is still yet to find successors to Roy Keane and Paul Scholes. Ander Herrera has been brought in but while being an upgrade on cleverly and co, he alone is not enough to address the gaping holes in the team.

Who has been linked:  Kevin Strootman, Alex song, Johannes Geis, Bastian Schweinstieger, Arturo  Vidal, Nigel de Jong

Who should (also) be linked:  Ross Barkley, Axel Witsel, Illkay Gundogan, Max Meyer.

Most likely deal:  Nigel De Jong

Dream Transfer:  Arturo Vidal

DEPARTURES

With regards to players leaving the club, there seems to be a flurry of activity at Old Trafford this summer.  A new manager at the helm means new backroom staff as well as second chances for fringe players. However, veterans Vidic and Ferdinand have both left the club on Bosmans while the club will entertain offers for Ashley Young, Christopher Smalling, Nani and Anderson.  Wayne Rooney should also be sold to clear his wages off the bill.

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BARCELONA: THE CHANGES NEEDED

The season 2013/2014 would be remembered by Barcelona fans as the worst season since the pre Guardiola era. It ended trophyless, as a club as big as Barcelona should not regard winning the supercup a trophy. The highlight of the season was winning both league clasicos but even that was sour, as we do that normally. The writing was on the wall for Gerdado Matino and he quickly resigned claiming the expectation of living up to Guardiola was too much for him. Hence the club acted wisely and brought in Luis Enrique a barca boy, in a change of management that should have happened a year earlier had it not been for the fact that he had already signed for Celta vigo.

Luis Enrique looks a good fit. A barca boy, loves the clubs values, coached the B team, he did a great job with Celta vigo taking them from relegation candidates to a respectable 9th place in the league. The only disappointment in his career was his time in charge of Roma were it can be said he wasn't given enough time. Another problem with Enrique is that he doesn't have champions league experience. However, the real work has to be done in the team itself with several players needed, and I examine the kind of players here.

In goal, Victor Valdez and Pinto have gone and would be forever be remembered for their services. They have been replaced with Andre Ter stergen and Claudio Bravo. Its a very interesting situation here; we have one experienced keeper and one talented one. I personally would love Ter stegen to keep goal, although his record for Germany isn't that good, I've seen him play a few times (I remember when he saved Messi's penalty for Germany) he's good with his feet and catches crosses unlike Bravo who punches them & that I feel is a flaw. Ter stegen reminds me of Neuer. I feel he has the potential to be better than Courtois and De gea. The decision would come down to Enrique and whatever he decides should be the best for the club.

The DEFENCE. I put that in capital letters because that the weakness of the club. Adriano's heart problem doesn't help the club in any way & we pray for speedy recovery for our most versatile player. There is talk about Dani alvez leaving and he has even helped those rumours by saying things that point out to the fact that we won't mind leaving. If he leaves, I'm sure many Barca fans won't mind,as his performances have been sinking for the past 2 seasons. The replacement rumoured is Colombian world cup star Juan Cuadrado. He's not a right back, but as played as wing back for Fiorentina and would be tasked to do the same on the pitch although on paper he will be a full back. There have been calls for a defensive full back like Abidal due to the fact that the attacking exploits of Alvez and Alba leave us exposed at the back. This makes total sense and the board agree as there have been moves for Jeremy Mathieu although Valencia's €20m asking price for a 30-year old is too much, however the defender's desire to move, may help us. Fazio is a centre back from sevilla who is experienced and would come relatively cheaper than the other centre backs mentioned in the media like Hummels, Mangala, Benetia, Marquinhos and Balanta. Barca fans would love 2 of the 6 mentioned. With the funds going into the purchase of Luis Suarez, you get the feeling that only one of these could be purchased for big money. What I think should happen is that Benatia should be bought, as he has expressed his desire to leave, then Balanta should be brought from River plate as the Colombian has given a good account of himself at the world cup. However, the possibility of a swoop deal with PSG for Marquinhos in exchange for Alvez + cash would be a welcomed solution, since they seemed determined to get the Brazilian back four.

The sale of Fabregas was unreasonable, especially after letting Thiago go, a deal which till this day hurts me like a failed relationship. Xavi seems to be going and our centre midfield looks empty and although Rakitic has been brought in, his best performances have been as a attacking midfield not a centre midfielder. This can easily been seen in his below par performances at the world cup. The players good enough for this positions would either be too expensive or won't leave or are already headed elsewhere. Players like Pogba, Kroos, Veratti. Ibrahim Afellay may well be the solution as there remain high hopes about this kid and its not hard to see why. We can only hope Luiz Enrique uses change of tactics or formation to alleviate this problem. (The picture below shows Rakitic flicking the ball over Pepe and setting up Bacca for his 2nd goal against Real madrid. A personal highlight of the season)

In the forward role, there was talk last season of a "Larsson". A player who would seat on the bench and do a good job when need. But all these are long gone with the signing of Luis Suarez. Doubts remain over the wisdom in this, as although he is one of the best out there, his reputation is not the best and the €88m we payed could have been used to develop other areas of the squad. Suarez however makes the front-line very deadly on the outlook. We can play with Neymar, Messi & Suarez in as a front 3 and exchanging roles throughout the match or Neymar and Suarez in a front 2 with Messi behind just like for Argentina, that role I feel suites Messi more. It however remains to be seen how Luis Enrique handles it.

For the exits. Alexis Sanchez has been sold although he had his best season with us and scored more than anyone excluding Messi, funds have to be raised for a defender and since Suarez has comie he has to make way. Personally, I would love to see Dani Alvez leave, his comments regarding a move to PSG sounds as though he is doing us a favour by being at the club, this at a period were his performances have not been the best. We have been waiting for Christian Tello to fulfill the potential that made Guardiola start him in a clasico in his first season with the first team, and I think it was a good decision to let him leave for Porto, especially has Gerard Deulofeu has returned after a fruitful spell in England. Another player under the "tired of waiting to fulfil potential" bracket is Sergi Roberto he should also leave. Jonathan Dos santos has been sold to Villareal, maybe leaving the club may help his career, just the way it helped his brother. Isaac Cuena was released and to be truthful he didn't show any potential, that's if he had any. The most disappointing has to be Bojan Krkic. Loan spell after loan spell hasn't helped him and its best he goes finally. As much as it hurts to say this, the time is up for Xavi, a great servant of the club, a barca boy to the core, he too should leave, but only if another midfielder can be acquired. Alexander Song has always been an unreasonable signing in my opinion and he should be sold to get funds for a midfielder to replace Xavi.

Although I do not expect much from this season, to be candid I'm expecting a another trophyless season, I do expect the foundations for many trophy laden seasons to be established this year.

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