Before the beginning of the 2012/2013 season, one of the biggest question marks at Barcelona was whether or not David Villa would be back and how useful he could still be after a quite long and drawn out injury layoff. Some believed his days at the club were numbered, with several names, namely Neymar’s, mentioned as possible replacements.
But El Guaje has been proving that he is very far from done, from his very first match upon returning to action. Scoring in his first match, at home, against Real Sociedad minutes after coming onto the pitch, was just a sign of things of come: Spanish’s all-time best striker has become the most prolific attacker in the club after Lionel Messi despite Ai??never playing full time. David Villa has now scored 5 goals, 4 of them in the league, 1 in the Copa del Rey, with a spectacular conversion rate of 41%. It has been becoming more and more obvious that as soon as he is back to full fitness David Villa must be a regular feature in Tito Vilanova’s starting lineup; Spain’s all-time leading scorer has retained every bit of his class despite his prolonged absence.
Reports of a possible spat with the club’s main star Lionel Messi and disagreements with the club’s manager Tito Vilanova were proven to be absolutely false, completely blown out of proportion. Ai??Not only is Villa happy at the club and in good terms with players and coaching staff on and off the pitch, he’s actually steadily becoming a more and more important member of the squad, scoring goals and showing excellent understanding with his attacking teammates on the pitch, especially Messi and Iniesta. With each passing week, he’s getting closer and closer to reaching ideal fitness and becoming a regular starter as his talent and ability warrant.
In many ways, David Villa is the best signing Barcelona could possibly wish for in this new season. Last season, the void left by him could never really be filled, both in terms of providing constant runs in behind the opposition’s defense, overall pressure and work ethic and as a goalscoring threat. Several combinations were tested, but Villa proved irreplaceable, the team’s attack became far more predictable and of course a huge scoring threat was lost. It’s impossible to determine for sure whether or not Villa’s presence at the end of the last season would have brought either of the two major trophies (league and Champions League) to Barca’s museum, but the chances would have definitely been much better.
Tito Vilanova knows that and is doing what he thinks to have Villa at his best and firing on all cylinders during the deciding stages of the season, giving him more and more minutes every week. The name David Villa alone is enough to send shivers down the spines of every backline in La Liga; with him on the pitch, the opponent’s backline can’t afford to focus as much on Messi, thus giving the Argentinian more space to maneuver in the final third. Messi picking up Villa’s runs behind the defense and putting him through on goal used to be one of the club’s trademark attacking plays and it might very well be so again soon.
David Villa’s presence up front provides some things that no one else in the squad can bring, both tangible and intangible. While his finishing abilities are amazing, so is his ability to create space for himself and his teammates with his clever, well timed runs. He’s as dangerous without the ball as he is on the ball, with his mere presence and movement drawing defenders and opening up space for his teammates, as well as thanks to the relentless pressure he applies on opponents when the team loses possession. Ai??He basically makes Barcelona’s attack far more dynamic and dangerous. His almost telephatic understanding with his long time Spanish national teammates only further helps.
The challenge now is to steadily play himself into form to be ready to play for 90 minutes on a regular basis, thus making an even bigger impact than he has from the bench. On Villa’s availability might very well depend Barcelona’s success in the late stages of La Liga and the Champions League. No one can replace what he has to offer the team when he’s on the pitch.
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