Barcelona still haven’t properly replaced Dani Alves

The right-back position hasn’t been the same since Dani Alves’ departure.

Dani Alves has inevitably remained a favourite player at the Camp Nou and the fans were clearly unimpressed with the board’s decision to let Dani Alves leave the club. The Brazilian International joined Barcelona in 2008 after a £23.5 million transfer from Sevilla. In his time at the club, the star defender was hugely successful as he won every possible trophy at least once.

Alves won 6 La Liga trophies and 3 Champions League titles among other silverware during his stay at Barcelona. He was also a part of the famous team of Pep Guardiola during 2008-2012 era and had a key role in keeping the defensive shape stable while also contributing heavily in the attacking phase.

The 35-year-old is known for his attacking play, pace, stamina, technical skills and played a significant role in linking up with Lionel Messi as part of the team’s attacking play, although he has declined since then due to his age. The team could completely rely upon the former Sevilla man to track back and tackle successfully at the back on any counter-attack by the opposition team. This allowed the mid players and forwards to play high up the ground making the counter-pressing strategy deadly for any opposition.

However, Alves executed a surprise move to Juventus in 2016 leaving people guessing the reason behind this exit from Camp Nou. Since his move from Barcelona, Alves played a season at Juventus followed by another switch to Paris-Saint-German. He also enacted a critical role in luring Neymar to the French side in a hope to play together with his Brazilian teammate.

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Since Alves’ departure, Barcelona has struggled in the defending department when playing in a 4-3-3 formation, and the absence of the Brazilian was evidently seen in the 2016-2017 Champions League matches when Barcelona were miserable at the back in the away games against Juventus and PSG. Since then, Barcelona has been unable to dominate in defending department even in the presence of some talented defenders like Samuel Umtiti, Nelson Semedo, Jordi Alba and Gerard Pique.

The 2018-2019 season has seen a struggle in Barcelona’s defending with the defenders often left isolated and unable to see off danger with the midfield taking a long time to track back. They are causing enormous gaps at the back making it easy for the opposition to penetrate the Barcelona defensive shape.

A 4-3 defeat against Real Betis exposed the situation of the Catalan club this season with a disastrous defensive showing at home ending their two-year unbeaten record at Camp Nou in the league. This makes fans recognize the importance of Alves in the team, and a move back to the club could be useful due to his experience as well as how he could provide advice for the other right-backs. However, his wages are likely to be a key factor and he would need to be on a short contract.

Dani Alves has repeatedly talked highly of Barca and his teammates. He always considers Barcelona as his home and is ready to return to the Spanish city if Barcelona management buys him back. He was found wishing his return back to the club during an interview with Globo TV, although that seems unlikely based on the current situation. His wish is unlikely to be fulfilled, but cules will always be thankful for the success he helped bring during his time at the club.