Yeah it seems to me, that he didn't get any service thanks to our lethargic play in midfield and attack under Xavi.
We should still look into replacing him next summer and phasing him out in 2025/2026 season.
Happy retirement, Don Andres!
Well earned end of one of the most incredible football careers ever.
The bigger the occasion, the more majestic the performance. That's how I will remember Don Andres as a footballer.
I'd say Olmo doesn't compete with Frenkie for position. I think his competition are Pedri and Casado.
I'd say Casado should be the starter after these performances. He deserves to be. Glues midfield together.
He is hungry, wants numbers and stats, works hard in the defense and improving himself.
The sky is the limit. The only thing Hansi needs to do is pace him, so he doesn't overwork himself into injuries.
Considering our injury history, it makes sense.
We need a fullback, Lewa replacement and another winger (Fati is done and Torres isn't a football player).
It's nice to have a flood of quality players in the midfield, tho.
That's true. But what Lamine does afterwards is relentlessly press back and bully the defender. A few wingers do that and it's clear that Hansi demands that from both Lamine and Rapha. We scored a few goals because of those reclaimed possesions this season.
It will be very interesting how Flick handles the flood of midfielders when everybody is healthy.
Casado is an undisputed starter at this point. So is Pedri. FDJ has a lot of work to do to claim his minutes.
I think Flick's main job with him is to teach him how to play to his current strengths. It seems like he wants to play like he did before injuries, but it's just physically not possible.
If Flick unlocks this, he could be very useful.