Former La Masia talent opens up on Barcelona exit: “I didn’t have the necessary patience”

When Carles Alena rose through the ranks at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, there were a lot of expectations.

The midfielder was seen as the future of the team once the old guard of Xavi and Andres Iniesta was phased out. But it was not to be as he could not crack into the side that consisted of players like Ivan Rakitic, Philippe Coutinho, and Arthur Melo, among others.

A lack of regular opportunities and a lack of impact when he did play combined to lead to the Spaniard’s exit in 2021. After having had loan spells at Real Betis and Getafe, he joined the latter permanently.

As Barça get set to take on Getafe today, Alena will come up against his boyhood club, whom he left after making 44 appearances in which he scored three goals.

And ahead of the faceoff, Alena spoke in an interview and discussed the circumstances that led to his exit, citing a lack of patience on his part as the primary reason.

“I love Barça and playing in the first team was always my dream. I achieved it, but the moment of leaving was quite hard for me,” he explained.

“When you’re there you never want to leave. You live in a cloud and it’s complicated to manage it. I didn’t know how to manage it in the best way and I didn’t have the necessary patience,” Alena further remarked.

Coming from the La Masia model to a wholly different style under Jose Bordalas at Getafe, Alena admitted that he has had to adapt to new things.

At the same time, he also went on to stress that the success that Barcelona achieved in the past was not necessarily due to their style but the quality of players they had.

“Barça did it at a time when there were players who will never come back,” he said.

“With Bordalás I have learned that players must be physically strong. Before you could shoot with talent, but it’s not enough. You can see that the football of touch has passed and that now a more direct football is imposed.”

Source: AS