The 'new' Barcelona: Younger, but with less experience
The departures of Paulinho and Iniesta, combined with the age of the three new signings, reduces the average age of the squad considerably
If nothing changes in what's left of the summer transfer window you can say that the 'new' Barcelona squad has gained youthfulness but lost its experience. Whether it was intentional or not, this is a common factor when you look at those who have left and joined the club up to this point. The team has removed some of the slower legs but they've also lost that experience veterans provide in the biggest matches.
At 34, Andres Iniesta brought down the curtain on his Barcelona career and went to Japan. The Barça captain opted for a new, exotic adventure rather than seeing his role at the club progressively marginalised. The quality and experience the midfielder has are irreplaceable. Paulinho, too, brought a lot of experience in the biggest matches. The Brazilian, 30 years old, returned to China to be one of the leaders at Guangzhou after finding himself being Barça's 'super sub'.
There's no doubt that the team has lost a lot of its experience. However, it's gained much needed youthfulness. They've picked players who are desperate to reach the top, to win trophies, but who haven't yet. Lenglet is 23 while Arthur and Malcom are 21. They'll bring more energy and freshness to the team, a team which every year plays an incredible amount of games.
Yet this summer's singings are just a continuation of what we've seen over the couple of seasons. Dembele will be 21 in May, Yerry Mina is 23, Umtiti is 24 and Coutinho is 26. Barça are conscious that they need to revitalise the spine of the team and that requires work. We shouldn't forget that Gerard Pique, Luis Suarez and Leo Messi are 31 and Busquets and Rakitic 30.
