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Difference of opinion Van Gaal's omission of Riquelme frustrates Barca fansPosted: Tuesday October 22, 2002 7:52 AMMADRID, Spain (AP) -- Why won't FC Barcelona coach Louis Van Gaal pick Argentine international midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme? The question continues to perplex the Catalan club's frustrated supporters, especially after the team has gained just one point from its last three Spanish league games. Barcelona, which has not won a major trophy in the last three years, has slipped to 11th in the league with eight points from six matches. Even with his side trailing at Valladolid by two goals on Sunday, van Gaal again saw no reason to give the substitute Riquelme a chance. On the team's return to Barcelona airport after the match, which ended 2-1, the Dutch coach was targeted by a group of irate fans, who shouted "Play Riquelme! You don't understand anything!" The Barcelona-based press has added its voice. "Change your mind Van Gaal. This is leading nowhere," ran the headline of the daily Sport Monday. The 24-year-old, who arrived from Boca Juniors in July, has not made Barcelona's starting line-up in the Spanish league and has managed 100 minutes as a substitute. In Champions League Group H, where Barcelona has done better and won all its three matches, Riquelme has played 18 minutes -- in the 3-2 home victory over Bruges on Sept. 18. However, the midfielder displayed his talent in the competition's qualifying round, striking a long-range goal in the 3-0 win over Legia Warsaw on Aug. 14. Riquelme's only other goal for Barcelona came in its humiliating elimination by third-division Novelda in the Copa del Rey in September. Van Gaal, who returned to the Catalan club for his second spell as coach in May, reportedly had little interest in adding Riquelme to his squad. He has insisted that the midfielder, voted top player in South American soccer for the past two years, has to fit into his system to merit inclusion. "At Boca, the coach (Carlos) Bianchi made the rest of the team play for Riquelme. This didn't facilitate collective play and instead it meant that just one player stood out," van Gaal said recently. Barcelona paid Boca Juniors six million euros (US$5.9 million) for Riquelme, who led his side to three league titles, two South American championships and the 2000 Intercontinental Cup. To gain full rights to the midfielder it will need to pay another five million euros (US$4.9 million) and play an exhibition match against Boca next year. This raises Riquelme's total transfer cost to an estimated 11. 5 million euros (US$11.4 million), a large fee for a player who rarely makes the team. Newspapers have speculated that van Gaal may seek to loan the player to another club when the transfer window opens in December, especially as Riquelme occupies one of only four squad slots allocated to non-EU players in the Spanish league. Van Gaal has two more chances to change his mind about Riquelme this week, with Barcelona hosting Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League Wednesday and Alaves on Saturday. However, the steely Dutchman is not exactly renowned for a tendency to bow to public pressure. |
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