This summer, Barcelona fans worldwide underwent a heartwrenching end to the summer as Lionel Messi expressed publically his intention to leave F.C. Barcelona. Immediately, alarm bells went off. CODE RED. A turbulent revolution of reinvention was among the Barcelona faithful. They needed a striker to replace Messi and his goals, but where exactly can you find the next Messi? You can't. And that's the brilliance of it all.
While the 8-2 demolition at the hands of Bayern Münich in the UEFA Champions League may have seemed like a curse, it was a blessing in disguise.
When Barca fired Quique Setien as head coach, it seemed impulsive. Someone had to pay for the humiliation a club of Barcelona's stature had endured. But Setien was hired in the first place because of signs of "Cruyffism" he'd shown at Real Betis. The quick passing and fluid football just didn't translate to trophies at Barcelona. So, who could translate it? What better replacement than a man who mastered it under the wing the one who invented it.
You see, Barcelona is a Spanish city, built by a Dutch man. A flying. Dutch. man.
Johan Cruyff's the name. He was a philosopher far beyond his time. During his 1970's heyday, his "total football idealogy was based around the complete team; each player had to feel comfortable in each position. Upon retiring, he went into management and led his dream team to UEFA Champions League glory in 1992. But, upon passing away in 2016, Cruyff's philosophy died with him.
Or so we thought.
That dream team? It consisted of the likes of central defender Ronald Koeman. It was a free sample taste-test of the glory FC Barcelona would achieve. And boy, was Koeman vital.
That's why FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, a wanted man, decided to stick with the club's philosophy: a former player as head coach. While Barca's undisputed greatest-ever coach, Pep Guardiola, had a beautiful tenure at the club from 2008 to 2012; the la Masia product wasn't the only player to shine in the Catalunyan club's UEFA Champions League win. Beside him stood the man who leads Barcelona today. Ronaldo Koeman.
Pep Guardiola (left), celebrates winning the 1992 UEFA Champions League with Hristo Stoichkov (center) and Ronaldo Koeman (right). [Courtesy: The Telegraph]
Today, he's at the head of the coaching staff at the Blaugrana club; and he's got his sights set on the prize: Memphis Depay.
The 26-year-old Lyon Striker was a sensation during last season's UEFA Champions League campaign, netting 6 goals in 8 appearances last season; one of which was a panenka penalty which knocked Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus. You're welcome Barça fans.
Depay scores past Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny to give Olympic Lyonnais the decisive away goal in a 2-2 aggregate UEFA Champions League tie. [Courtsey: UEFA]
WHY HIM?
The pacy dutchman is rumored to reunite with his former International head coach under a completely different philosophy. Depay won't just play as the solo-striker. He'll have to adapt to fluid passing, but with Antoine Griezmann and a now-calmed-down Lionel Messi beside him, the transition becomes easier. Depay could be the glue that strengthens the spider-web of a foundation the club's pillars are currently stranglehold to. In a way, the new Luis Suarez.
TACTICS
For one, Depay is a two-footed winger-turned-striker. He can drop deep if needed due to his frame. Over the past four years, Depay metamorphosized from a lean body to a bulkier one for his long-ball hold up play. When Barcelona signed Luis Suarez in 2014, his bulky but strong frame made him difficult to dispossess, and aggressive in the attack. His instinct for sniffing out chances made him a fox-in-the-box in BIG Champions League games. And, with Depay having proven himself in-said competition last year, he is on-route to be an ideal replacement for the now-unfavored 33-year-old Uruguayan. El Pistolero ... make room for the "Lion": Memphis.
CHEMISTRY
FC Barcelona is becoming the nest for the Dutch national team. The same way Wolverhampton Wanderers is for Portugal. Frenkie De Jong, a-rumored attempt to sign Wijnaldum, and now Depay, would make for a Dutch reunion resemblant to that of the Rijkaard-Gullit-Van Basten era. Ok, let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?
MANCHESTER UNITED
If anyone knows what a mega-club in crisis looks like, it's Memphis Depay. The-then 22-year winger, who had just been nominated the Best Young Player of the 2014 World Cup, was given the stress-inducing #7 shirt in his debut season at Manchester United. The coach, fellow Dutchman Louis Van Gaal, brought Depay to Old Trafford to be his understudy. But, as many players, such as Zlatan Ibrahimović have said, Van Gaal is a difficult man to work under. "I only came to Manchester because Mourinho was there. Van Gaal wanted me, but I rejected it," Ibrahimović said.
The Swede's importance in Depay's decision shines for two reasons. One, he took up space in United's attacking line which would stunt Depay's development. But two, he taught the world what it was like to break free from Van Gaal's grasp.
During his time at Ajax, a 20-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimović worked under the wing of Johan Cruyff and Louis Van Gaal. There, he compared the two, and slated Van Gaal by saying, "He wanted to be a dictator, without a hint of a gleam in his eye."
But what makes Depay's move to Barcelona all-the-more interesting is Koeman's beef with Van Gaal. The two have a long history of distaste for one-another due to their contrasting coaching styles, which Depay can attest to first hand.
At Manchester United, a club which was on the decline, Van Gaal stunted Depay's growth.
Depay, 22, playing for Manchester United, who was eliminated from the UEFA Champions League group stages in 2015/16. [Courtesy: TheMirrorUK]
Whereas in the Dutch national team, Koeman took Depay from skillful winger to elite striker in a unique system. Despite an ACL tear earlier this year, Koeman has instilled his trust in Depay; which may pay-off when luring him to the Nou Camp.
ZLATAN
When no one believed in Memphis; before the Koeman era, Depay was very alone at Manchester United. His father had abandoned him at four-years-old. But in the depths of that despair, Depay prevailed. He proved to be superhuman. A lion. The king of the jungle. And what better influence than Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a man famous for saying:
"A lion does not compare himself to humans."
Today, Depay carries on his back not only the weight of a nation but also a ferocious beast; the unmistakable king of the jungle. And one day, quite possibly, the new king of the Camp Nou.
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