A few weeks ago, Wayne Rooney made the headlines again. But to his relief, it was not Colleen, nor a scoop about a night out, not even something he said. It was something he wrote. The most clickbait line in his Times column claimed that Park Ji-Sung, notable for his incredible lung capacity, was ‘just as important as Cristiano Ronaldo’ in their Manchester United team. Bold to say the least, it was picked up immediately and duly circulated around social media at breakneck speed. ‘What a gift of a line’, his editor probably smiled reading it, just two paragraphs in. Rooney’s wider point though, the importance of the collective, was legitimate.
Articles written about Barça do not tend to show much warmth towards our good adversary Cristiano, however, this is not an attempt to cheapen the Portuguese. Rooney’s assertion was expressed most lucidly by the South Korean, writing of the fundamental contribution of players like Park, allowing their more illustrious teammates to shine. His tactical nous, discipline and sacrifice were crucial ingredients in United’s triumphs. By no means a thrilling player, the ultimate proof of his quality was illustrated by his repeated inclusion in United’s biggest matches of the season.
In particular, Rooney recalls a match against Milan in which Ferguson tasked him with shutting down Andrea Pirlo. Neither easy nor regularly achieved, ‘his devotion to the task was almost touching’ affirmed the Italian playmaker, who included that tie in his biography. A book containing every height that football has to offer, this is quite the detail. ‘Even though he was a famous player in his own right, he consented to being used as a guard dog, willingly limiting his own potential,’ Pirlo says with a mix of disdain and appreciation. Ferguson the conqueror kept Park in his squad for seven seasons; he was his right-hand man in battle.
Merely eight years have passed since he played his last game for United, but in another universe, Barcelona’s online fanbase is salivating over the prospect of Lautaro Martínez. Or Neymar, depending on which day you read Sport or Mundo Deportivo. Two questionable sources at the best of times, the football-less news cycle sent their absurdity into overdrive. The supposed transfer agreements, announced daily and lacking either sporting or financial logic, raise the temperature of many already irate fans, now in all out indignation with President Bartomeu. Maybe they just need to fill the papers.
Nevertheless, these two stories continue to haunt the internet. The return of Neymar, a tainted love affair if ever there was one, and the addition of Lautaro. Whatever deal they cut, whatever the quality of these players, whichever one arrives will mean mortgaging out the future of the club. A concept Bartomeu has shown little regard for admittedly. Save for significant departures at even more significant fees, a club with little to spend seems intent on committing to another vulgar outlay that belies reality.
Quite apart from that, there is the question of what poor Señor Setién would do with them. One can assume Messi will start, meaning the Cantabrian will already have to leave out four of Ansu Fati, Antoine Griezmann, Francisco Trincão, Ousmane Dembélé, Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suárez for each match next season. (And Martin Braithwaite). The Brazilian, the one at PSG, would still be the best player in that list and the younger Argentine would provide a long-term replacement for Suárez. But of all the needs this Barcelona squad has, a star player along the front line is not the most pressing.
In fact, Park Ji-Sung would be a much better fit, particularly in speaking of pressing. Reflecting on good teams, on teams that win things, there are always a few less glamorous names on the team sheet. Rarely are these teams constructed purely of stars. When they are, they tend not to work very well. Just ask Florentino Pérez. The Milan side that contrived to lose against Liverpool in Istanbul was on paper far better than the one that would win the Champions League two years later. For too long, this Barça side has been unbalanced, deluded by the glory of 2015 and the MSN trident.
Even that side contained Ivan Rakitic at peak Duracell-bunny performance; running for his life, relinquishing any protagonism, almost doing shuttle runs across the pitch. Still, that side united three forwards of a quality scarcely seen before, which somewhat evened out the imbalance – simply by being more deadly than the opponent. Anyone who recalls La Remontada will also recall that Neymar’s work-rate was far higher than it is now.
The point is, the Blaugrana are seriously short of role players. Seemingly unimportant additions that demand little attention, but in their absence become as decisive as any star. Players who sacrifice themselves for the good of the team and adhere to a task. Rakitic was mentioned, but Mascherano, Pedro, Abidal and Seydou Keita all fulfilled the same function. Even David Villa, a lead actor in his own right, gave up some of that prestige and adapted to different duties, knowing it would make the team better. He won the Champions League.
A signing (or a youth product) with the discipline, work ethic and intelligence of Park would be a far greater asset to this side than anything else. He could provide legs, aggression and a degree of reliability that is sorely lacking from the Coutinhos, Dembélés and Griezmanns. Far from a criticism, they were not bought for their ability to hassle and harry defenders. Yet this makes those traits no less necessary.
How long is it since this Barcelona side had natural width? Alba aside, who has one prominent trick; he does it better than anyone else, but it is just one trick. This does not refer to the faux-width of the players whose names are written next to the touchline on a team-sheet. In the event Dembélé is fit, he is not a winger. He stretches the pitch vertically with his pace, he comes inside to take people on, the things he does best. But Messi would benefit far more from a player who hugged the touchline, whose prime aim was to come inside but get outside, to reach the by-line. Someone who would drag an opponent all the way across the gaping acres of Camp Nou.
This stretching and straining of the defense has been critically absent in recent years. A defensive blanket is too small to cover the whole pitch. If you tug the blanket from one side to the other, one part is left exposed to the elements – you can get at their feet or their head or with any luck, Sergio Ramos.
Tossing his other names out of the toolbox, Bartomeu is frantically scrambling through the transfer market for a quick fix, for a name everyone knows. He would be better off finding a player that Setién can trust. Not a player that the side can shape around, rather one that fits into a pre-existing shape. Someone you don’t need to look for because you know he is there already. Someone who would upset a Pirlo.
This was a guest post by Ruairidh Barlow, is one of those football fans that describes himself as ‘avid’. Read more of his articles on Postage Stamp Football, a bi-weekly blog focusing on matches, analysis and culture in Spain and sometimes beyond.
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