When Laporta invited Xavi to coach, the Barca president promised to bring in reinforcements in the winter window to improve the team's strength. His promise was questioned by the media, however, Laporta delivered on his promise.
People familiar with La Porta will not be unfamiliar with this, in 2003, La Porta, who was the president of Barcelona for the first time, also "saved" the club with a winter window reinforcement, laying the foundation for later glory.
19 years a reincarnation
In the 2003-04 season, Barca had problems in terms of athletics, finances and club structure, and 19 years later, after going through the most glorious stage in the club's history, Barca have encountered the same problem again.
In those 19 years, in addition to the two-time president, Laporta, Harvey also became the protagonist twice. In the 2003–04 season, Harvey was already one of the team's core players, and 19 years later, he became the team's manager.
Comparing the two seasons, Harvey said, "In fact, there is a big difference, because now there is a change of manager. I remember we were in trouble, but we believed in what we were doing, and this time it was time to do it. ”
In June 2003, Laporta defeated Gaspat in the presidential election, and the 2003–04 season became La porta's first season as president. In the summer, Rijkaard took over Barca's coaching whip, and Ronaldo Jr. also came to the Camp Nou stadium.
However, Barca's performance in the first half of the season was not ideal, with Barca in 12th place, more than 18 points less than Real Madrid, just the same as this season. As they finished sixth in 2002–03, Barca failed to secure Champions League tickets and competed in the League Cup, but were eliminated by the Celtics in the round of 16.
Barca have an "oxygen cylinder"
In the winter window of 2003, Bergilistan, then Barca's sporting director, made an important decision to loan Dutch back Davis from Juve. The Daily Sport commented, "For barca, which is sinking, the Dutch are like an oxygen cylinder. He quickly settled in the main position and formed a three-midfielder with Koku and Xavi. ”
With Davis, known for his running and scrambling, Barca's results quickly reversed, defeating direct competitors such as Sevilla, Atletico, Valencia and Deportivo Deportivo, and after winning at the Bernabeu, Barca surpassed Real Madrid with 72 points (70 points). In the end, Barca finished runners-up in La Liga and Valencia won the title with 77 points.
Nineteen years later, Laporta hopes to bring much-needed "oxygen" to the team like Davis. Despite the different positions, Torres' scoring ability gives him the ability to solve the team's goal difficulties.
At the same time, Torres can play different positions in the front, which allows him to smoothly enter the main squad. However, it is worth Barca's vigilance that Maxi López, Arda Turan and Boateng, who joined the team in the winter window, have not been successful.
Three talks locked in reinforcements
The process of signing Felan Torres began with Xavi's first formal meeting with Laporta, when Xavi proposed that he wanted to sign a goal-scoring winger in the winter window, targeting Olmo and Felan Torres. After an investigation, Barca found it difficult for Olmo to leave Leipzig in the winter window, which made Torres a real target for Barca.
Torres was able to join Barca thanks to Guardiola's candor. The Manchester City manager told his players that if you wish to leave, then you should inform yourself. Guardiola also said that if you get an invitation from Barca and Real Madrid, Manchester City will not force them to keep.
After learning that Barca were interested in signing Torres, agent Perris told Torres. It was at this time that Torres was injured, which caused him to withdraw from the main squad, and Sterling took the opportunity to take the position, which reversed the fate of the two. At the same time, Manchester City also clearly told Barca that they would not accept the players to leave the team on loan, but would receive a transfer fee.
Before Barca launched the final "attack", Torres first met with Xavi, who said that he was willing to take on the responsibility and pressure of the attack and was willing to obey Xavi's technical requirements. Xavi believes that Torres has been taught by Guardiola and Enrique, two extremely demanding managers, which makes him obey his tactical requirements.
After the meeting, Torres was very happy and immediately exchanged views with Laporta. Torres expressed his willingness to join Barca, much to Laporta's delight.
After receiving a promise from Barca, Torres had an exchange with Guardiola. He told the Manchester city manager he wanted to leave because his dream was to succeed at Camp Nou. Guardiola did not go against his word, but made it clear that as long as the club let it go, then he would let Torres leave.
After Torres exchanged views with Xavi, Laporta and Guardiola, Barca sporting director Alemani met with Manchester City general manager Soriano on November 26 and asked for 40 million yuan to buy Torres. Later, Barca raised their offer to 45 million euros. In the end, the two clubs reached an agreement, and Xavi received a second signing after coaching Barca.
In the 2003–04 season, Barca achieved nothing, but laid the foundation for the glory that followed. In the following two seasons, Barca won La Liga twice and also won the Champions League. In the 2022-23 season, can Barca replicate such a miracle? Can Ferran Torres be Barca's "oxygen tank" like Davis?