10 - Ansu Fati

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Rory

Senior Member
I was more pointing to the difference in success between the types of signings Madrid make compared to us. Of course there's the general quality aspect too. Tchou and Camavinga are on Pedri's level and Gavi is far below all 3 imo.

Xavi is one of the greatest of all times and I don't expect either Pedri or Gavi to reach that level. Point is that he was playing less than the likes of Gavi and Pedri. You've mentioned that Xavi's squad was weak when he was a teenager, yet he didn't play as much in a worse squad? He wasn't particularly great at that age. He only really took off after 24 imo. He didn't look like a world beater, wasn't scoring or assisting as much as a midfielder probably should.

You've handpicked a bunch of players there for who Xavi had to play with as a teenager but are forgetting Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Figo, Rivaldo, Kluivert, Litmanen, De Boer brothers. Yes not all at the peak of their powers but strong leaders to learn from and shoulder responsibility.

Pedri will come good imo. He has too much technical quality and understanding of the game, he's not quick but not slow either. Someone like De Bruyne isn't quick but has enough pace to beat a man and break free. Gavi I'm not so sure on but you must enjoy his fighting spirit and determination?
 
BBZ8800

BBZ8800

Senior Member
Rory said:
You've mentioned that Xavi's squad was weak when he was a teenager, yet he didn't play as much in a worse squad? He wasn't particularly great at that age. He only really took off after 24 imo. He didn't look like a world beater, wasn't scoring or assisting as much as a midfielder probably should.
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I constantly see this part how Xavi was not so good until 28 (or 24), yet when I watched Barca back then, I hated Riquelme and Rochemback and liked only Xavi due to his passes and Lucho due to his fighting spirit. Gerard was also shit, young Gabri was meh.
So, I personally liked Xavi from the day 1 when I saw him.
On the other hand, I'll be honest, I hated young Iniesta, he was very frustrating, especially as a winger.
Young Puyol was also bad when he played as a RB, but later improved at a CB.
With young Messi, it was obvious to everyone from his first touch that he was different.

So, for me personally, I can't compare Xavi and Pedri.
I liked young Xavi a lot and he was instrumental in let's say 2004/05 season, our brain.

On the other hand, when I watch Pedri, my instinct reaction: wtf are you doing, why are you hiding, what kind of stupid football are you playing? You don't touch the ball for 5 minutes, and then you play some random first-time pass and go to a hiding mode for the next 5 minutes. What kind of a controlling midfielder is that, since he offers zero workrate, impact or control, except a flick here and there.

But again, I guess it's subjective.

** And I don't think that Pedri "will come good".
Maybe Europa level good, but nowhere near CL top5-8 clubs level.
 
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ajnotkeith

Senior Member
Porque said:
I still assume this source is complete or partially bogus. And that if there is an ounce of truth, it is only to put pressure to give Fati some more starts which quite frankly he deserves after the Madrid cameo and successive Villarreal performance.

Pedri on the wing was one of those, good for a match tactical moves (ala Iniesta on the left a decade or more ago) but not something to churn out games in a row.
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Beautiful dribble and burst to give an assist against Madrid too, which was surprising considering how much we hear about him being physically finished and can't dribble. Sure, maybe he has lost a step or two, but there is the same final third talent there's always been.

Pedri at LW was rehashing that idea from last season with Gavi LW where the false winger comes in to assist possession, but honestly I don't even think it tactically contributed that much vs Bilbao, they were just terrible. Then Xavi took that as confirmation it was a good idea and used against a far better opponent, leading to us not even getting a shot on target.
 
vuji_31

vuji_31

Senior Member
I am accepting that we suck, but can not accept not improving in obvious ways as all other teams in world are doing, with modern approach and modern type of players.
 
BBZ8800

BBZ8800

Senior Member
Luftstalag14 said:
Tired of all the Titantic stuff. All the Barca players are shit. Madrid and everybody else has great players.
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Because we are the only top club who are prisoners of politics, domestic players, the way how we have to play, DNA, our values etc.

In the last 20 years, RM has played possession football, counterattack football, crossing game.
Bayern has played a typical German football and Barca lite football.

At Barca, no matter what we do, we have to go back to our roots, DNA, our values.
When we don't have players good enough for our football (Messi, Xavi, Iniesta) then you get what we have today.

In a nutshell, people, fans, socios want the type of football which we played with Pep, Messi, Xavi.
Yet, it is impossible to play that way without them.

And then we get millions of excuses: we need a better coach, we need better players, we need a better president.

But nothing can make us play as under Pep ever again, not even close.
Madrid would just move to another style and adapt.
But we can't do that.

We are like a 60 years old woman who wants to look as good as when she was 20.

You won't look as good ever again.
Either accept it, adapt or die in delusion.

But again, we (Barca) are not allowed to adapt.

So, an eternal delusion it is.
 
Luftstalag14

Luftstalag14

Culé de Celestial Empire
BBZ8800 said:
Because we are the only top club who are prisoners of politics, domestic players, the way how we have to play, DNA, our values etc.

In the last 20 years, RM has played possession football, counterattack football, crossing game.
Bayern has played a typical German football and Barca lite football.

At Barca, no matter what we do, we have to go back to our roots, DNA, our values.
When we don't have players good enough for our football (Messi, Xavi, Iniesta) then you get what we have today.

In a nutshell, people, fans, socios want the type of football which we played with Pep, Messi, Xavi.
Yet, it is impossible to play that way without them.

And then we get millions of excuses: we need a better coach, we need better players, we need a better president.

But nothing can make us play as under Pep ever again, not even close.
Madrid would just move to another style and adapt.
But we can't do that.

We are like a 60 years old woman who wants to look as good as when she was 20.

You won't look as good ever again.
Either accept it, adapt or die in delusion.

But again, we (Barca) are not allowed to adapt.

So, an eternal delusion it is.
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Again, I agree with a lot of what you said (about how we fail to adapt etc.), however, we HAVEN'T been playing "Barca football" that the club and the fans wanted, have we? The lack of fluidity and the static-ness of our play, isn't Barca football. If we care to institute whatever that is needed to play the proper "Barca football" without making any other changes, I think we would have been in a better place than we are today. I am not saying we play the football under Pep, we are a far cry from that, we are not even doing some of the basic stuff right these days.

Which is my point, it is not that we have shit players and our players are all garbage compared to other clubs, it is that we are not doing the right things with the players. If this keeps up, it doesn't matter which players we buy. We can buy all the athletic, physical, "modern", "professional" and NON-Spanish players all we want, they can still turn into shit with the current set up that has been going on for years.
 
JohnN

JohnN

Senior Member
This "Barca" football thing is getting out of hand. What we used to play on our good times was total football. Suffocating pressure, players poping out of position anywhere in the pitch, technical superiority in every position, triangle passing, etc.
Nothing of that sort had been implemented since a decade ago. We just play more possession oriented than fast pace long switches because we lack the players for the latter.
We have mediocre players and mediocre management that's why we are mediocre. It's not rocket science.
 
Messigician

Messigician

Senior Member
Breaking!

Ansu Fati has told his agent to begin the process of facilitating his departure away from Barcelona.

Oh shit it's finally happening

How much do you reckon he will go for?

I'd sell for 80m and call it a day
 
serghei

serghei

Senior Member
:lol: Good luck. Not fast, knees questionable at best, not too strong, on high-ish wages... not clear position either.
 
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