© EuroFootball.com
Although Barcelona's head coach Tito Vilanova stated that there will be no drastic team reforms and many footballers will not leave the squad, unexpected changes may still occur in the Catalan club.
According to the newspaper "Sport," the team might immediately lose two captains.
Victor Valdes had previously mentioned that he does not wish to extend his contract with Barca, so it is believed that this summer the 31-year-old goalkeeper, who is also the third team captain, will leave the Catalan team. As reported by the publication, the current team captain Carles Puyol may also bid farewell to Barcelona.
The 35-year-old veteran recently broke his silence and last spoke with journalists on February 19, when Barcelona lost 0-2 to AC Milan in the Champions League round of 16 away match. However, in the return leg, Barcelona bounced back and crushed their opponents 4-0, but C. Puyol did not play in this match. In early spring, it was unexpectedly revealed that the experienced defender would need arthroscopic knee surgery. The operation was performed in mid-March, so this season, with only four rounds left in the Spanish league, the defender is unlikely to appear on the field again.
Journalists from "Sport" speculate that C. Puyol may be forced to end his professional career due to a series of recent injuries that have plagued him.
Just last year, the Barcelona captain suffered four serious injuries.
On May 5, 2012, he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, with a rehabilitation period of 45 days. On August 26, the defender broke his left cheekbone, causing him to miss 21 days of competition. On September 15, the Catalan strained the tendons in his previously operated knee, sidelining him for another 15 days. At the beginning of October, C. Puyol suffered a severe elbow dislocation and was unable to play for 37 days. This spring, the player once again had to rely on medical staff and prematurely end his season.
"Can we still hope for any miracles?" rhetorically ask the "Sport" columnists.
