After a summer without a club; Jandro Orellana finds a familiar one with Barça B on a season long extension.
Early into the 2020/2021 season, it looked like Jandro Orellana was next in line to make the move from Barça B to the first team.
But an injury-riddled latter half of the season saw Nico Gonzalez take over the pivot spot making Orellana seem like an afterthought. Even more so when Orellana’s extension wasn’t activated this summer and extension talks weren’t progressing.
Orellana had been without a club for about two months before his return to Barça B was officially on deadline day. The extension would see Orellana continue for the Blaugrana for another season.
What kind of player is Orellana?
Orellana radiates technique. He’s the kind of player one expects to have come through La Masia.
Orellana helps in the build-up by dropping in-between the centre-backs when the full-backs are pushing up in the attack. Essentially creating a back three when in possession which allows him to showcase his passing range.
Which very well may be his best trait.
A silky first touch paired alongside great vision and that passing range allow Orellana to control games and build out from the back comfortably. Not to overlook his excellent body orientation and positioning on the pitch .
Traits that are critical in the success of Barça midfielders. He seems almost ahead of his time in the technical department.
But where he excels technically, he come sup short physically which is what allowed for Nico Gonzalez to take over (aside from obvious injuries).
That’s not to say that Nico is weak in defense. Before his 2020/2021 season was derailed by injuries, he had shown improvements in defense with anticipation rather than physicality.
It could be seen why Orellana was once the favorite to replace Sergio Busquets when the time came. He was dubbed Busquets natural successor less than a year ago and his continuity with Barça B is exciting.
What does Orellana’s return mean for Barça B?
In Orellana’s short absence from Barça B, Alvaro Sanz had been playing the pivot and his playstyle differed from Orellana’s. The main difference being how comfortable on the ball both are.
Where Orellana is confident and comfortable, Sanz was erratic and uncomfortable in his short stint at defensive midfielder.
With Orellana returning to the Barça B dynamic he brings some needed quality to the midfield.
A player with a profile that fits the Barça institution and the talent to get into the first team dynamics. It’s easy to see why fans were thrilled to learn of his continuity. .
Along with much-needed experience in a midfield that lacks it. Sanz spent all but one of his appearances last season at right-back. Meanwhile Antonio Andrada recently joined the club over the summer.
With experience comes leadership which the current Barça B midfield lacks. Orellana’s confidence and composure aren’t just an on-pitch quality but one that can be felt in the locker room as well.
Barça B always has talents that leave but this summer saw a lot more leave the club or get promoted into the first-team picture than accustomed to.
Having a player like Orellana, who understands what it’s like to play for the Spanish third division is huge for the locker room.
It allows for some sort of continuity amongst a group that has gone through a lot of changes over the last few months.
The Talent has never been in question and hopefully Orellana picks up where he left off last season. Pushing to become part of the first team dynamics while helping Barça B in pursuit of promotion.
