“To say about Jordi Alba he is an extraordinary passer, he could be a midfielder and you have to appreciate the commitment and dedication he has come in with, he is an example. He has been a starter for years, he is not anymore and he wears it with grandeur”. Word from Xavi Hernandez. Write down, go and read: They say the hardest thing in football is to replace whistles with applause. Jordi Alba has achieved it. Apart from the fact that Alba has always been a bit sporty, his saving goal against Osasuna and that as much as his critics want to bury him, he always comes back to life in the end, Alba has turned his situation around.
With his mistakes and his successes, Alba, who has always been more of a club man than what is now ‘sold’ and less ‘vinegar’ than what they told us, makes the grade. And play more or less, you fulfill Cruijff’s first commandment: “Don’t ask yourself what Barca can do for you, ask yourself what you can do for Barca”. Alba has been given the role of deputy and has responded with professionalism, integrity and dedication. He remains an extraordinary player and someone who is very useful to the team. If he has been a starter, he has paid. If he was a substitute, no reproaches. His attitude, flawless. It will fall better or worse and it will be seen worse or better on the networks, but there can be no discussion about that. It doesn’t depend on what interviews you give, what enemies or allies you have, what jokes you tell, whether your grandmother smokes.
There are those who claim that with the league deadlocked, the club will soon invite a meeting with Alba to discuss his future. The club must submit salary bills and is limited by the ‘fair play’. Everyone understands that undesirable situation. Jordi Alba, the first. The point is that Hospitalet’s husband is not guilty of signing that contract, which he earned down to the last penny on the field, because he didn’t put a gun to anyone’s chest to sign. For more economic emergencies that Barça has, the clubs have no right to want to erase with their elbow what they signed with their arm. Talking about other people’s money is free. And throwing nonsense at a football player, calling him a penny is a little older than the black thread. In short, it works. In the long run, it’s a bad thing.
The reality is that the environment of the player and the club have to sit down and find a good solution for the interests of both parties. Tightening the string would be a symptom of lack of tact. Nor does Alba want to harm Barca’s interests, nor can Barca treat such a player with contempt. If there is room for dialogue, both parties will need to engage in a mature and constructive conversation, seeking the best for both parties. It’s not about confronting, dividing or castling in rigid positions. It’s about empathizing, looking for a meeting point. And above all to make an elegant, cordial and healthy decision. At the height of a club legend and also a legendary club. Alba and Barca, Barca and Alba. Condemned to understand each other.
Reuben Uria
Source: Goal