Transfer Deadline Day? What Transfer Deadline Day? Copa del Rey Semifinal Preview: Valencia vs FC Barcelona

Exciting winter transfer seasons, like having a fully fit squad, are things that happen to other people’s clubs.

Try as Rosell might, this doesn't count as a Transfer Deadline Day signing.

On the other hand, Hleb has been released from his contract (and is now free to wreak havoc where he wishes), so it’s not been all bad.

But enough about transfers! There’s nothing in it for us. Let’s focus on the one thing we do well, football.

While still reeling from the apparent apocalypse that is getting a draw away at Villarreal, Barça now need to get ready to face Valencia in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals.

I know that many of you are of the opinion that, with the squad depleted by injuries, international commitments and exhaustion, and the Liga some seemingly-insurmountable seven points away, Pep should just pack everyone in bubble wrap and bring them out only for special occasions and the Champions League. But this team didn’t give their all to beat Real Madrid over two legs to give up on the damn competitions now and –even if they wanted to-, the RFEF demands that at least 7 first team players be on the pitch at all times during CDR matches.

So, no throwing the Barça B babies into the fray. At least, not all of them.

With only fourteen (14!) first team players available (fifteen if you count Cuenca and his shiny new first-team contract, too convenient to be called a coincidence), Pep is going to need all his good sense and exquisite tactical knowledge in order to put together a team that can get a good result and not die of exhaustion in the process.

You know things are bad when Cuenca is the veteran of the group...

We have a seemingly inexhaustible fountain of youth, energy and talent in La Masía, and JDS, Tello, Sergi Roberto, Rosell, Espinosa, Balliu, Muniesa, Bartra, Montoya, Rodri and Sergi Gómez from Barça B joined the remains of the first team for training this week, but since the evil RFEF only allows 18-men squads in the Copa, only Sergi Roberto, JDS and Tello have been called up in the end. Sadface.

So if you were thinking we could take it easy, maybe rest some players… think again.

We don’t have bench players anymore, and we can’t use Barça B players either. Our stars are going to have to suck it up and drag their tired bones onto the pitch and do the best they can. Except for VV, of course, who gets to lounge around on the bench and watch the Pintocalypse happen.

My proposed line-up looks as follows:

—————–Pinto————–
Alves——Piqué—-Masche—-Abidal
————–Busquets————–
———-Thiago—–Cesc———-
—Cuenca—–Messi——-Tello—-

Trust me. Under any other circumstances, I’d be the first advocating for Piqué and Cesc to be sent to the bench to muse upon their shortcomings, but Puyol and Xavi looked utterly, utterly exhausted against Villarreal and as much as it pains me to say it, at their age they can’t really keep playing bi-weekly high-intensity matches without a break. Masche, Abidal and Busquets should be enough to shore up our defence, and Thiago, Cuenca and Tello can provide the energy and support to Messi’s genius, while JDS looks like a likely sub if things go well. Adriano could come in late, too, to provide Keita-like support in the midfield-wing area, and if things go belly-up, Alexis would be a pretty big gun to pull out, even if I’d rather he rested that dodgy shoulder.

Don’t you miss those days of trashing Segunda B teams with nothing but players who didn’t get enough time off the bench because we could afford to let them rot there? Oh wait, what do you mean that’s exactly what Athletic get to do today with heroic Mirandés? Why do we get all the tough teams?!

Because yes, they might not be Real Madrid, but Unai Emery’s Valencia -tottering between discontent and relative success, as usual- are this season propelled by Roberto Soldado’s outstanding goalscoring form and a midfield and defence that are slowly coming together. They sit a forlorn 9 points behind Barça in the Liga table and keeping the third place is their self-admitted aim, so they will take their shot at the Copa del Rey much more seriously than a team distracted by the approaching Champions League and the (possible? impossible?) remuntada against Real Madrid.

I know Valencia has more players than these two. I do, really.

While Valencia haven’t been particularly successful against Pep’s Barça in the Liga, they do have good precedents in two-legged ties against the blaugrana (remember Timo Hildebrand that one time?) and surely this will be enough to encourage Unai to follow the example of Villarreal (or the return-leg’s Real Madrid): put pressure on our tired midfield and our wobbly defence, not to mention the wildly inconsistent Pinto, and try to keep Messi and whoever joins him in the attack isolated. I haven’t watched them enough to risk trying to guess at their line-up, but besides Soldado, you’d do well keeping an eye on young Jordi Alba, promising left-back/winger who (it has been rumoured) is being wooed by Barça to serve as Abidal’s understudy.

Anyway, crisis or not, being alive in all three competitions at this stage of the proceedings (and with our beleaguered squad) is a privilege this team has made a huge effort to deserve and that should be upheld. We’re a step (well, two) away from the CDR final, we can’t just throw that away… if anything, because it could be the trophy that turns our season from a disaster into something we can celebrate by throwing stuff under a bus.

Cheer up, culés! Let’s put the Villarreal Disaster and the Unattainable Liga behind us for a bit! Here’s a competition we actually do have a pretty good chance at winning! Let’s go for it!

Some Related Barcelona Posts:

• Barcelona v Real Madrid: Copa del Rey 2nd Leg Match Preview
• Copa del Rey Preview: Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona, Or, Echoes Of Another Clásico

Category: Barcelona, Copa del Rey, Preview, Transfers/Transfer Rumors