Dani Alves - simply the best

One of the best midfielders in football today, Xavi Hernandez recently said that Dani Alves was priceless for Barcelona but that has become evident as soon as the Brazilian joined the Camp Nou outfit from Seville. He has been an integral part of the team that won the historic treble and is currently recognized as one of the best right-backs in world football. He is the very best if you ask me.

Dani Alves made a name for himself at Sevilla, where he enjoyed six fruitful years having won two UEFA Cups and Copa del Rey with the club. Despite playing in defence he was almost every season the team leader in assists due to his marauding forward runs that often ended with perfect crosses for his teammates. The Brazilian also scored 16 goals during his time at Sevilla and it was his attacking qualities that attracted the host of big European clubs. The Andalucian side rejected several offers from Chelsea before receiving an offer too good to refuse from the Catalan giants and it was at the start of last season that Alves made a switch to Barcelona, leaving Sevilla in tears.

It is probably no wonder that his arrival coincided with Barcelona’s most successful season in club’s history and Alves was definitely one of the key players despite playing his first season for one of the biggest clubs in the world. He offered the team a much needed width and additional creativity from defence, while he continued to feed the forwards with the best crosses you will ever see. Alves is a real menace for the opposing defenders and his eye for the right pass is something you would never expect to see from a full-back, never mind that he is Brazilian.

His nationality is probably the reason why he has played just 32 games for the national team but this is definitely a player who is good enough to command a starting place in any team in the world, regardless of the fact that he has a strong competition for the starting berth in Brazil national team. Maicon is a very good player but there is no way he is better than Alves and I just hope Carlos Dunga will realize that before the World Cup in South Africa starts or he will do one man a lot of harm.

You don’t need a lot of time to realize what a marvelous player Dani Alves is but I know I will always remember his eye-catching assist to Leo Messi in the last El Classico that was sadly not turned into a goal by the Argentine, who was probably surprised himself just how that ball reached him in the first place. This player is a big asset for Barcelona and we can all just hope he stays at Camp Nou for as along as possible.

The sweet revenge

Everybody at Barcelona were down after Sevilla denied them the chance to defend the Copa del Rey title but even though some pundits tried to make it look as the start of the end for the Catalans, it was nothing more than just one bad day for Pep Guardiola’s side. The Camp Nou outfit were close to overturning a one-goal deficit from the first leg but they still got eliminated on away goals rule, which was something Sevilla was soon going to pay for.

The destiny wanted the teams to meet just three days later in Primera, when Barca more than got revenge for the Copa del Rey defeat, having hammered Sevilla 4:0, although the winning margin could have been even greater. The match showed just how serious this team are and I just pity the ones who thought this was the end of Barcelona as we know it.

Something that people outside the Barca faithful cannot seem to comprehend is that this team have got plenty of more to offer. Pep Guardiola has not only built an excellent team but he also created a style of play, albeit on the base of his predecessors, that does not depend on individual players and there is not much more you can ask from a coach.

Regardless of the Copa del Rey exit, this is already looking like another successful season for the Catalans. The five-point advantage over Real Madrid proves Los Merengues are still not ready to fight for the Primera title, regardless of how much money they spend. I don’t see too many sports betting experts being prepared to back a team other than Barcelona for the Champions League title this term, thus the fans have absolutely no reason to worry as long as Guardiola agrees to contract extension at the end of the season.

I believe that it is crucial to keep Pep at the club for as long as possible since it’s been a while since we last had such a dedicated coach and on top of everything, a true servant of the club. He’s created a great link between the first team and the youth sides, and no wonder that a couple of players are promoted to the first team set-up every season. I do have some complaints regarding his work and they mostly concern young Bojan, who is not getting the playing time he deserves.

I really don’t know why he is still a fringe player after making a big progress during his first two seasons in the team, while I have already written an article on Yaya Toure, so you know how I feel about his situation. I cannot help but feel that these two players would make this Barcelona side even stronger.