Carles Puyol discusses Barcelona squad
Legendary former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol provided his opinion on the current team in a recent interview.
Carles Puyol was the living embodiment of Barcelona as he rose through the La Masia ranks to become captain of the first team during the most successful period of the club’s history. His fearless style and exemplary leadership made him an excellent role model as well as a favourite among cules. Since retiring, one of his roles is acting as an ambassador for UEFA where he has travelled around the world with the Champions League trophy, which is where he did his latest interview.
In an interview with Marca, the 40-year-old covered a variety of topics including his retirement as well as the current Barcelona squad among others. On the topic of the best centre-back in the world, this is what he had to say: “Gerard Pique, without a doubt” and he also admitted that Pique is better than he was when asked the question:
"“Yes. He is the best centre in the world. We’re different. He is key to Barcelona in everything he contributes.”"
He was asked about whether Arthur Melo can be Xavi’s heir:
"“Can be. He is 22-years-old, he is demonstrating a huge personality and similar qualities … but to compare him with Xavi are big words.”"
Puyol also explained what he thinks is the issue with Philippe Coutinho:
"“I think it’s a matter of confidence because he has the qualities, the quality … He has shown it in other teams, even at Barça when he arrived. You need confidence.”"
Former footballers can be guilty of making illogical statements, but Puyol’s answers are clearly considered as he is unwilling to put pressure on either Arthur or Coutinho for different reasons. Arthur is clearly very talented and has become a key part of the team in his first season, however, he has a long way to go to get to Xavi’s level and the emphasis should be on him being his own self rather than saddling him with comparisons even if he has a similar skillset.
His assessment of Coutinho is interesting as the Brazilian doesn’t appear to be confident in Barcelona’s style, but his decision-making in the final third is also worrying as he struggles to see the bigger picture and can often make predictable decisions such as shooting from distance.
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Pique has been in top form this season although it has gone under the radar, with it often being begrudgingly accepted in the rest of Spain and barely acknowledged in the rest of Europe. Barcelona started the season slowly as the defence were guilty of making sloppy individual errors and the midfield adjusted back to the 4-3-3 shape after mainly using a 4-4-2 formation the season before, so transitions were an area of weakness. However, Pique’s resurgence in form was the spark which brought back Barcelona’s solidity and made them a fearsome defensive unit.