Gerard Pique - From Barcelona to Manchester and back to Barce
May 28, 2008
Gerard Pique has linked up with his former club Barcelona after a fruitful if not ideal 4 years at Old Trafford. Pique returns to Barcelona on a four year contract after the clubs agreed a fee believed to be in the region of £6 million.
Pique signed for Manchester United from Barcelona in 2004 and was tipped as one to watch but the impressive pairing of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand have made it almost impossible for Pique to get a regular starting place. At age 21, Pique is desperate for first team football and that will not be available to him at Old Trafford. Pique is not bitter about the departure though, in an open letter published on manutd.com he said “Obviously I would have liked to play more this season, but I must say that despite some difficult decisions, the manager has always treated me in an exceptional manner, for which I am extremely grateful.” He went on to thank the fans saying he will always carry United in his heart and hoped the fans understood his decision to leave.
Speaking of his time at United, Pique said “As a player you grow a lot, personally and in a footballing sense. In this last aspect you learn a lot just by being surrounded by players of such a high level. With Manchester United we won the Champions League, which is an unforgettable experience and one which I would like to repeat in a Barca shirt.”
Should we have let him go?
There is no doubt Pique has bags of potential and I firmly believe he will go on to be one the best centre backs in the game. That said, it seems a bit of a mistake to offload him especially when it looks like Silvestre may be following him out the door leaving us a bit short in defence. Any injury to Vidic or Ferdinand would surely mean games for Pique. On the other hand, Barcelona is the team he has supported all his life and they are prepared to give him games, how could he turn the opportunity down?
Gerard Pique happy to wait, but for how long?
February 15, 2008
It must be frustrating being a squad player at a club when you’re young and want to show the world what you can do. You’ve earned your place in the first team squad and now you want to strut your stuff on the field. Throw into the mix that you are a central defender and you are sitting neatly behind Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in the pecking order and the realistic chance of getting a run of games drops massively. That is the position the highly rated Gerard Pique finds himself in at the moment and although he understands his time will come, it is increasingly becoming the question of how much longer must he wait?
Pique recently spoke of his situation and readily accepts that Vidic and Ferdinand make a formidable pairing and fully deserve their places. In an interview with Inside United he said: “They complement each other very well, they’re two of the best centre-backs in the world, both strong in the air and good on the ball. And they show their qualities all the time, not only in games, but every day in training. They’re always striving to improve.” But Pique remains optimistic about his future at the club, he went on: “In one way, it’s frustrating because I’d like to be playing every week, but at the same time I’m learning from two of the best”.
One problem is the age of United’s current defensive pairing, Rio Ferdinand being 29 and Nemanja Vidic is only 26. Both are playing immensely well and have their best years ahead of them. Central defenders are the least likely players to be rotated, a solid understanding between defensive teammates is key to a successful partnership. Alex Ferguson knows that and it’s that which has restricted Piques performances to just 9 in all competitions this season.
For now though, Pique is happy to learn and wait for his opportunity. Let’s hope when it arrives he takes it and it isn’t too late in coming.
