FC Barcelona showed us that they are human after all. After winning 6 cups in 2009, 2010 was hardly a few weeks old when Barcelona was eliminated from the Copa Del Competition.  The result itself was not that surprising seeing as they were paired with Sevilla and not some second or third division team. However, what does this elimination mean for the club that had been to three straight semi-finals of this competition?

No one likes to lose in anything and out of all three big cups; this one was going to sting the less.  Of course, I am sure Pep has to be a bit disappointed with this elimination due to his competitive nature. However, he probably also has to feel good in the long that his chances of winning the league and Champions league title have improved a bit now that with Copa Del Rey out of the way, the schedule just got lighter.The first half of this league was full of two games a week. 6 cups or not, this team is still human and after playing so many games in pursuit of those 6 cups, those players needed some rest. This early exit ensures that after a grueling December and January, the players have to look forward to February. The next time the club plays two games on three days rest won’t be till late February when the Champions League resumes play.

This season, the players did not look as sharp as they did last season and hopefully this lighter schedule will aid this team in cutting down the fatigue in order to repeat. However, the dilemma that this exit has created is the lack of playing time for the youth. The Copa Del Rey game had featured many players from the Barça Athletic squad getting starts and experience with some of the first team players. The likelihood of the youngsters such as Thiago, Gai and Jonathan getting starts the rest of the season will depend of injuries or suspensions or if the club seals the league title with a few games left. The youngsters will have the Copa Catalunya to look forward too but the Copa Del Rey would have given these players a great chance to play against other Primera teams and gain some experience from it. Thus, barring any injuries or suspensions, they will likely have to wait for the preseason summer games to get to play with the starters.

The other dilemma is what to do with Bojan Krkic. The Copa Del Rey games usually meant his start in these competitions. He is facing stiff competition for minutes with the team due to the presence of Henry and the emergence of Pedro. Bojan needs minutes to grow and develop and some believe that with Henry’s form as of late, maybe now is the time to bench Henry and rotate that starting LW position in the 4-3-3 to be between Pedro and Bojan.  Henry played a key role in this club winning the treble last season but his performances this season have been disappointing. Sure he puts in a lot of work and gets into the box but his end product leaves much to desire. Guardiola will have to contemplate how much longer will he keep starting Henry over Bojan and Pedro in the upcoming weeks and decide whether or not to bench Henry.

Finally, I don’t want to end this on bad note so it was refreshing to read about the players’ reaction after the Sevilla game on Wednesday.  Sport reported that Messi broke down in the training room and other players were angry over this cup elimination and some took out their frustration on some water coolers too. If there were any doubts if the team had lost its hunger and desire to win more cups, then their behavior after the game indicated that these guys still want more. We will see if this will spark the players the rest of the season and hopefully take advantage of the extra rest.