Injuries galore. Chances but no final product? Where have we heard that before? Barcelona B again dropped three points on the road just a day after the first team failed to get a result against Atletico Madrid. Much like the first team, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel for Francisco Pimienta.
There is some good news though – the players that are most likely to get a first team call-up were the best players for the B team. Konrad de la Fuente came on at halftime for Gustavo Maia and added dynamism to an attack that struggled to find the game. While Konrad did add something, his teammates struggled a bit in the second half and L’Hospitalet destroyed the rhythm of the game like the parents in Footloose did to dancing.
Another positive sign, Alejandro Balde returned from his preseason injury and made his Barça B debut, coming on in the 74th minute for Álvaro Sanz. Sanz has shifted from defensive midfield to right-back and done fairly well, but there are times when he is caught out of position and not understanding all of his responsibilities.
Balde still has work to do on his one-v-one defending, but it was a bright introduction back into game action. He does have a lot of the tools to improve; his hips are often pointed the right way and his positioning is usually correct. Experience and match fitness are still missing, but those things are much easier to improve upon than anything between the ears. For as good of an athlete as he is, Balde’s understanding of the game is what could give the 17-year-old his first team debut if Junior Firpo is moved on in January, which is now unlikely due to the injuries to Piqué and Roberto.
Speaking of injuries, Barcelona B are still dealing with their own lack of a healthy cavalry. If money is too tight to bring in any help in January for the first team, certainly Pimienta is well aware that the players he has are the players he’ll have for the rest of the season. For just today’s match, Barcelona B were missing Andres Solano (season), Igor Gomes (possibly season), Sergi Rosanas (this month or next), Ferran Sarsanedas (indefinitely), Ilaix Moriba (potentially weeks away), Hiroki Abe (potentially weeks away) and Rey Manaj (day-to-day). To make matters worse, captain Oriol Busquets went off injured in the 34th minute against L’Hospitalet, replaced by Lucas de Vega.
The ankle injury to Moriba is what will keep him out of the first team picture in the near future, even as the club begins conversations about his contract. The other big name so far this season, 16-year-old Ilais Akhomach, was back with the Juvenil A this weekend and he is not expected to be rushed into situations he’s not ready for yet.
The other two names that have impressed for Pimienta this season, Jandro Orellana and Arnau Comas, had mixed results against L’Hospitalet. Orellana has continued his return to good form after a less than stellar season last year, so it’s good to see him showing well even in a loss. Comas, meanwhile, struggled quite a bit for the first time this season and was culpable for the second goal.
The last player of note was Iñaki Peña. He won’t get a chance with the first team this season, but Peña was the saving grace for this result only being 2-0.
It should be a worrying sign that we haven’t mentioned the attack sans Konrad’s substitute appearance against L’Hospitalet, and therein lies the problem. If there was a number ‘9’ ready to help the first team instead of Martin Braithwaite, he would already be with Ronald Koeman.
Instead, Pimienta is busy asking more from some of his forwards than they have to give. 24-year-old on-loan striker Joaquin Zeballos has not improved his stock leading the line. He doesn’t have the aerial skills required, but doesn’t have the pace to compensate. He doesn’t finish chances well, but he also doesn’t set up teammates in positions to succeed. It may not all be Zeballos’ fault though. He is often left on an island in the middle of the park and is clearly working hard for the team with little results.
Zeballos, either in January or the summer, should return to Real Zaragoza. Gustavo Maia is the more worrying case though. The 19-year-old flashes a few bright signs, but his price tag is shaping up to be the third division equivalent of Antoine Griezmann. Because he was brought in for 4.5 million euros and has a 100 million euro release clause, it’s hard to see the Brazilian living up to expectations. Where have you heard that before with a Barcelona B Brazilian before? It’s not the player’s fault. This has Bartomeu written all over it.
Álex Collado returned to the bench today, which is a very positive sign for Pimienta and company. But sitting in 9th place and scoring just one goal (Comas) this season, Barcelona B will need to turns things around in a hurry, just like the first team.
Dan Hilton is an American journalist, broadcaster, and current Editor-in-Chief of BarcaBlog. Extensive work as a play-by-play broadcaster, producer behind the scenes, and quite average player in his younger years has given him a well-rounded and informative perspective on the sport. Alongside BarcaBlog founder Francesc, Dan started The Barcelona Podcast in 2017.
