8 - Pedri

[serghei]

We probably are a bit better, but the difference between likes of Barca and Dortmund, or Leipzig is much smaller than the difference between Barca and the elite clubs. That's a given to me.

Also, the problem is also that Barca are a 2nd tier club now in most aspects that matter a lot, but masquerading as a tier 1 team.

That's the worst position to be in. It's much more practical for the team to be realistic and access that underdog mentality that worked for us last season in La Liga.

Not seeing much of that. We play almost like a complacent team that is top level only in its made up bubble, where Pedri is elite, Balde is one of the best fullbacks in the world and Yamal is the next diamond. We can't afford this luxury.

The way you view yourself has to conform to reality. You work from that, realizing it, not pretending the situation is different. Delusions help no one.

This is valid for the club, the media, the fans, the manager, the players, everyone. The old Barca teams built by signing the best players are frankly irrelevant. They exist on youtube and in statistics, that's all.

 

[Rory]

What elite clubs though? City are the only obvious answer there, their squad is much better yes. About the same quality difference as us and the three teams mentioned above. Go and look at Bayerns squad and tell me how it is so far out of our reach. Bayern, who have a net spend of 25m over the last 2 seasons.

Been looking at other clubs squads today and I can't see one where I'm thinking we're miles off that other than city, who have 115 pending charges against them.

 

[Horatio]

sergandez keeps hyperfocusing on comparisons to strongest teams even though we just want barca to stop losing.

 

[serghei]

Bayern comparison doesn't make sense. They won the CL not long ago (you might remember the 8-2 match), they don't need to still be registering high net spending.

And still, Bayern's results in Europe are quite average in the last 2-3 seasons. Lost to PSG, got trashed by City, shamed by Villareal. And in Bundesliga they don't to great either recently. Only won it last year because Dortmund bottled it.

Bayern are gonna up their spending again pretty soon. In the past they were used to sign the best players in Bundesliga for cheaper prices, but now the other teams are expecting, or so they should, much more money for their talents.

 

[serghei]

sergandez keeps hyperfocusing on comparisons to strongest teams even though we just want barca to stop losing.

Nah, you don't. Who are you kidding, you even discredit a La Liga title by saying CL winners Madrid are crap. Not you, but most of you.

What you want is the team to win titles by playing top football. That doesn't happen just like that.

Sure, it's easy to say play like Brighton... until Brighton lose at home 1-5 to a team from relegation zone and behave like it's normal. That part you don't want to be like Brighton about of course.

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

Bayern comparison doesn't make sense. They won the CL not long ago (you might remember the 8-2 match), they don't need to still be registering high net spending.

That was only covid-cl, cant take those cls seriously

 

[Rory]

Bayern comparison doesn't make sense. They won the CL not long ago (you might remember the 8-2 match), they don't need to still be registering high net spending.

And still, Bayern's results in Europe are quite average in the last 2-3 seasons. Lost to PSG, got trashed by City, shamed by Villareal. And in Bundesliga they don't to great either recently. Only won it last year because Dortmund bottled it.

Bayern are gonna up their spending again pretty soon. In the past they were used to sign the best players in Bundesliga for cheaper prices, but now the other teams are expecting, or so they should, much more money for their talents.

That doesn't answer the question though. How do they have a far superior squad to ours?

 

[serghei]

That doesn't answer the question though. How do they have a far superior squad to ours?

By signing better players, and by being the only big club in their league, which gives them much better options to sign talents from the league with little to no competition. All German teams gladly sell players to Bayern. Or used to do it.

Remains to be seen in the future if they can sustain that.

If Wirtz wants Bayern, all they need to do is wait for him to run his contract down and they will be able to get him on a low sum on this market. You have a lot of angles to play when you are the only big player in your domestic league.

In Spain the rivalries are much nastier at the top. Seems like Wirtz has contract until 2027... so they kind of need to pay through the roof for him. Probably close to Bellingham money, 100-120m.

 

[Rory]

By signing better players, and by being the only big club in their league, which gives them much better options to sign talents from the league with little to no competition. All German teams gladly sell players to Bayern. Or used to do it.

Remains to be seen in the future if they can sustain that.

If Wirtz wants Bayern, all they need to do is wait for him to run his contract down and they will be able to get him on a low sum on this market. You have a lot of angles to play when you are the only big player in your domestic league.

In Spain the rivalries are much nastier at the top. Seems like Wirtz has contract until 2027... so they kind of need to pay through the roof for him. Probably close to Bellingham money, 100-120m.

You're not getting it or avoiding it, evaluate the players in Bayern Munich's squad in comparison to ours, then tell me how it is far better

 

[serghei]

You're not getting it or avoiding it, evaluate the players in Bayern Munich's squad in comparison to ours, then tell me how it is far better

You mean eye test?

We can do that. Only De Jong and Araujo clearly start for Bayern.

X

Cancelo - Araujo - X - Davies

De Jong - Kimmich

Coman - Musiala - Sane

Kane

X is where you can go either way from Bayern or Barca, depending on momentary form.

 

[mc_lovin]

Musiala/Pedri is close to be fair (stats back the latter). Their front 3 is miles (!!!) better, rest is pretty even.

 

[Rory]

That's if you go the 4231 route. 433 and it's Gundo, FDJ, Kimmich.

So that could be Cancelo, Gundo, FDJ and Araujo. vs Kimmich, 2 out of Sane, Musiala, Coman, + Kane and Davies.

4 vs 5.

Wider squad was more my point though. Not a big gap between them at all.

If their front 3 is miles better that's on our recruitment wasting bags of money on players that I assume Xavi at the very least was happy to bring in.

 

[serghei]

True. But I'd go 4-2-3-1 looking at the squads, on Bayern's framework. Araujo and De Jong would do excellent in such a setup.

 

[serghei]

I'd say about 3 starters would pull us ahead, or at least even. That's 250-300m though.

 

[JustZanetti4]

I'd say about 3 starters would pull us ahead. That's 250-300m though.

Barsa dont have for bread though,no? with the reconstruction of Camp Nou et al.