Player Focus: Will Roberto's Playing Time Drop After End of Barca's Transfer Ban?

Last week, when Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid’s transfer bans were confirmed, teams across Europe will have felt their heart in their mouth. While the ban prevents both teams from making new signings for 12 months, they still have the remaining two weeks of the transfer window to bring in additions. The former have money to burn, while the latter possess assets that any team in Europe’s top five leagues would welcome. 

The ban complicates matters, however. Madrid are unlikely to - as is reported - cash in on Cristiano Ronaldo at the end of the season without being able to bring in a high profile replacement. Atletico wouldn’t sell their key stars without a new player to take their place. It seems, the entrance and exit doors at the Bernabeu and Calderon will be rarely used until the summer of 2017. La Liga may benefit from the Madrid duo’s transfer debacle, none more so than Barcelona. 

Despite a ban of their own recently coming to an end, the Blaugrana were able to secure the treble. Their period of dominance is expected to continue in light of the recent developments. While Barcelona still signed players during the ban - Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan joining from Sevilla and Atletico Madrid, respectively - the pair were unable to be registered until the beginning of January. 

This benefitted the team’s youth team players, who were tasked with providing sufficient backup during Barcelona’s transfer ban. Sandro Ramirez and Munir El Haddadi both made their top-flight debuts under Luis Enrique, however struggled to hold down regular starting spots. Saying that, it comes as little shock considering the young pair were behind Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar and, up until the summer, Pedro in the pecking order. 

Nevertheless, Sandro and Munir have somewhat failed to have the desired impact when handed the chance to impress, though are still options for Enrique when needed. Rather, the stand out star from 'La Masia' for Enrique during Barcelona’s transfer ban came in the form of Sergi Roberto. The 23-year-old had featured in Spain’s top tier prior to Enrique’s appointment, but his involvement was sporadic at best. While he struggled for regular game time last season, this term Roberto has established himself as a key member of the squad. 

His WhoScored rating is a respectable 7.23 in La Liga this season, though that figure rises to 7.42 when factoring in just starts. With Vidal and Arda both unable to ply their trade for Barcelona until the turn of the year, Enrique often looked to Roberto in a number of positions. The youngster has started in no fewer than three positions for Barcelona this season, including right-back, midfield and in the attacking triumvirate during Messi’s absence earlier in the campaign. 

He didn’t disappoint either as his WhoScored rating suggests, with his versatility mirroring that of Enrique during his playing days. However, it’s this jack-of-all-trades ability to play in a number of positions to a sufficient standard that may hinder his development at Barcelona. Vidal and Arda’s respective registrations may limit the opportunities for Roberto to play, with the pair capable of filling the void at right-back and on the right-wing. 

Of course, that isn’t to say the young midfielder won’t be granted the chance to play in attack again this season. Roberto has played in the position twice this term in the league and Champions League, gaining a commendable WhoScored rating of 7.54, which included a notable outing in El Clasico. With Messi, Suarez and Neymar undoubtedly Enrique’s first picks on the frontline, however, Roberto’s chances of establishing himself in attack at Camp Nou are slim. 

Furthermore, given Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta will start when fit in the middle of the park, it presents a very real selection headache for Enrique, particularly with Roberto showing little signs that he doesn’t warrant regular game time. An average of 2.2 tackles per league game ranks below only Busquets (2.9) of all Barcelona players, while a modest return of 1.3 interceptions per game denotes a notable reading of the game. 

Meanwhile, averages of 0.9 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game show that he is not only capable of limiting the offensive influence of the opposition, but is able to instigate attacks on his own accord. Given Roberto has been deployed in numerous roles and asked to carry out differing duties each time, it’s a testament to his versatility and an ability to perform to such high standards in this current Barcelona side. 

Yet, while he provides a welcome option for Enrique, his first team action could well be restricted with Vidal and Arda both now available for the Barcelona head coach. Given the number of games La Liga's champions will have between now and the end of the season, Roberto will earn playing time, but the minutes gained in the first half of the campaign are likely to dwarf the number garnered between now and May. 

It would be a shame to see Roberto relegated to the bench more often than not upon the culmination of Barcelona’s transfer ban given his performances while the club was under its enforced embargo. His development would indeed be stifled as a result, but it looks as though this unfortunately is the direction that it will take given Vidal and Arda’s availability and the return to fitness of Messi to complete the unforgiving attacking trident of he, Suarez and Neymar.

Do you think Sergi Roberto deserves a regular starting berth for Barcelona? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below