Mascherano, the mainstay of FC Barcelona's defence
The numbers show that Javier Mascherano has been the most dependable defender at FC Barcelona this season. The Argentine has played 82.2 % of the games and 75.8% of the available minutes. Dani Alves, Pique and Jordi Alba come next in the list, the four together have been the first choice back line over the last two seasons.
Mascherano has consolidated himself as one of the mainstays in the FC Barcelona defence since his signing in 2010 as a defensive midfielder. A position he covered at River Plate, Corinthians, West Ham and Liverpool. Since being at the club, he has become a crucial player in the team for all the managers he has played under, and that is why Barça have no desire to part ways with him this summer. The statistics back this up:
RANKING BY GAMES PLAYED
1. Mascherano (51 out of 62 possible games): 82.2%
2. Dani Alves (48 out of 62): 77.4%
3. Pique (46 out of 62): 74.1%
4. Jordi Alba (45 out of 62): 72.5%
5. Mathieu (34 out of 62): 54.8%
6. Aleix Vidal (14 out of 32): 43.7%
7. Bartra (24 out of 62): 38.7%
8. Vermaelen (20 out of 62): 32.2%
9. Adriano (19 out of 62): 30.6%
10. Douglas (3 out of 62): 4.8%
RANKING BY MINUTES PLAYED
1. Mascherano (4,279 out of 5,640 possible): 75.8%
2. Pique (3,990 out of 5,640): 70.7%
3. Dani Alves (3,823 out of 5,640): 67.7%
4. Jordi Alba (3,771 out of 5,640): 66.8%
5. Mathieu (2,339 out of 5,640): 41.4%
6. Aleix Vidal (862 out of 2,880): 29.9%
7. Vermaelen (1,270 out of 5,640): 22.5%
8. Bartra (1,204 out of 5,640): 21.3%
9. Adriano (1,064 out of 5,640): 18.8%
10. Douglas (117 out of 5,640): 2.07%
The departures of Alves (to Juventus) and Bartra (to Borussia Dortmund) leaves Barça short in numbers defensively, ahead of any incorporations. Out of the 10 that have played a part this past season, only five have had the necessary importance within the squad to play over half the games or minutes in play. And one of those will not be here next season...
Therefore Barça are obliged to strengthen the defensive line of the squad with new faces to cover the losses in personnel, though it also true that Luis Enrique could give more importance to players such as Aleix Vidal or Vermaelen. In the case of Adriano and Douglas, they do not appear to feature in the Asturian coach's plans.
