Barca’s own version of the Galacticos seemed a mouth-watering prospect in the summer, but injury to Eto’o, indifferent form from Ronaldinho and a lack of sharpness from Henry have left Barcelona’s attack inconsistent at best this season - with the obvious exception of the Messi-ah. However, with Ronaldinho improving in recent matches and Henry slowly adapting to a central-striker role in Rijkaard’s 4-3-3 formation, the question must be asked: who – if anyone – will make way when Samuel Eto’o returns to fitness?
Rijkaard will no doubt have given this some thought before bringing in Henry and, it would seem, has ultimately decided either that a change of formation can accommodate all of the quartet at the same time or that one of them is surplus to requirements in the long-term. In the former scenario, the club would switch to a cavalier 4-2-4 formation. Although this might bear some similarities to the 4-2-3-1 favoured by Real Madrid, Manchester United and Roma, it is questionable whether any of the quartet will assume the defensive responsibility this system requires of the support strikers when possession is lost. Of the group, only Messi makes a habit of chasing back and assigning a more defensive role to Henry or Ronaldinho would not be making the best use of their attributes. Also, with Yaya Toure’s presence in the line-up a must to shield the defence, there would only be room for one of the superb midfield trio of Xavi, Iniesta and Deco to start. Would the manager be willing to gamble on a switch to playing with four strikers mid-way through the season?
If not he will most likely have to pick between dropping one of Henry, Eto’o and Ronaldinho, with Messi’s form and potential making him virtually undroppable. Ronaldinho’s technical ability and set-piece acumen mean he is always a threat, even when off form. However, if his performances continue to be as erratic as they have been throughout 2007 thus far, he may lose his place. As orthodox strikers, it may have initially seemed likely that Eto’o and Henry would be competing for a place, but the French forward is most comfortable in Ronaldinho’s favoured position on the left. Also, the two have failed to develop much of an on-field rapport as the Brazilian likes to take his time on the ball while Henry tends to make the early run. As such, assuming Eto’o plays well on his return, the choice may be between the Frenchman and the Brazilian.
There have been rumours throughout the year of both Laporta and Rijkaard’s willingness to let Ronny go, and maybe Henry was recruited as a replacement, with an eye towards a summer sale to Chelsea or Milan. Just a year ago, Ronaldinho seemed an indispensable asset to the club, but with El Gourdo looking out of shape and promising youngsters Bojan and Giovanni chomping at the bit, he might be the one to lose out. Alternatively, they may pack their frontline and risk playing with the sort of unbalanced shape that saw put to their greatest rivals’ Galactico era. It is a compelling decision and one the club must make, if they haven’t already.
