11 - Raphinha

[Porque]

I hope it's a joke. Pogba and Dembele would be a disaster. These guys are retards who think they are Ballon d'Or quality. Last thing we need.

What we need to do is sign the opposite of the wannabe star profile. Hardworking fighters with speed and quality, and a never give up attitude.

Dembele on a free is the best attacking opportunity of the market.

But renewing Dembele would have been a mistake as his demands were too high.

Have I got the narrative correct yet?

 

[serghei]

Dembele on a free is the best attacking opportunity of the market.

But renewing Dembele would have been a mistake as his demands were too high.

Have I got the narrative correct yet?

Dembele on a free is good enough as a squad option. Pretty much like Christensen and Kessie signings. From a starting winger you simply a player who can score goals. Maybe not 30 goals like a Salah, or a Mane, but at a minimum at least 14-15 goals in the league.

 

[ajnotkeith]

Dembele on a free is good enough as a squad option. Pretty much like Christensen and Kessie signings. From a starting winger you simply a player who can score goals. Maybe not 30 goals like a Salah, or a Mane, but at a minimum at least 14-15 goals in the league.

You want 15 goals and 15 assists in a league season? You can count on your 1 hand the amount of players who can do that in the world, let alone pure wingers.

 

[serghei]

You want 15 goals and 15 assists in a league season? You can count on your 1 hand the amount of players who can do that in the world, let alone pure wingers.

Not 15 assists. Goals trump assists for offensive players. Not all assists are brilliant passes. Some are normal crosses that a great striker scores from. Credit most of the time is for the scorer.

 

[JamDav1982]

Dembele on a free is good enough as a squad option. Pretty much like Christensen and Kessie signings. From a starting winger you simply a player who can score goals. Maybe not 30 goals like a Salah, or a Mane, but at a minimum at least 14-15 goals in the league.

It is dependent on how Xavi wants players to play.

If the idea is wide players are there to hold position and get ball into box you will be hard pushed to get that number of goals from out wide against teams sitting in.

Xavi wants his CM/AM supporting the CF more so than wide players when other teams are sitting tight if end of last season is what are looking at.

Completely different to how wide players play at likes of Liverpool.

Wouldnt be surprised if likes of Raphina pops up at more of a AM/10 role at times if Silva doesnt sign.

 

[serghei]

Nah, Ferran Torres could have scored many goals if not for his poor finishing. It's about the player. Dembele shoots plenty of times from good positions, it's just that his shooting is abysmal.

What you say may be true, in the sense that you won't get to 20-30 goals, but 14-15 goals should be achievable during a season for a top winger.

 

[serghei]

The problem is that compared to someone like Vinicius, Dembele is just not that good. He's the best we have sure, but for where we're trying to get, he's average.

 

[JamDav1982]

Nah, Ferran Torres could have scored many goals if not for his poor finishing. It's about the player. Dembele shoots plenty of times from good positions, it's just that his shooting is abysmal.

What you say may be true, in the sense that you won't get to 20-30 goals, but 14-15 goals should be achievable during a season for a top winger.

Nah Torres looked lost when teams were sitting in and he was asked to stay wider nearer end of season

Prior to that he was coming more central and teams were leaving more space on break.. Real/Napoli etc.

Torres looked more lost the more he was being coached on that role to stay wide and even then he was being given more room to get central at times when Alba came forward.

Once teams realised Barcas tactics they more or less put two defenders between CF and wide players and close off spaces and just sat and let Barca get ball wide.

Also in a few games when the approach wasnt working Xavi put on two wingers and put Torres at CF with one other and he missed some chances then also.

 

[serghei]

Nah Torres looked lost when teams were sitting in and he was asked to stay wider nearer end of season

Prior to that he was coming more central and teams were leaving more space on break.. Real/Napoli etc.

Torres looked more lost the more he was being coached on that role to stay wide and even then he was being given more room to get central at times when Alba came forward.

It's some of the early football from Pep, as explained by Henry in a Sky Sports interview from a while back. Wingers stay close to the lines to stretch the field, but as the ball travels towards the last third, they do move inside. Dembele is just not very good at anything really except kicking it long and trying to pass the defender on the outside. Don't understand what Xavi is seeing in him except for some good speed and some good crosses. That's not nearly enough.

 

[JamDav1982]

It's some of the early football from Pep, as explained by Henry in a Sky Sports interview from a while back. Wingers stay close to the lines to stretch the field, but as the ball travels towards the last third, they do move inside. Dembele is just not very good at anything really except kicking it long and trying to pass the defender on the outside. Don't understand what Xavi is seeing in him except for some good speed and some good crosses. That's not nearly enough.

Nah it wasnt remotely similar to that what Henry explained a while back. Very different. It is a style not seen any top team go with.

That Pep style relied on front three being given room and freedom when ball in final third and at least one full back taking the width to allow it.

Barca didnt have that and Pep never played in way that wide players would be holding position like that and getting ball into box for one CF.

Henry would have been pulling his hair out if Pep asked him to play in way Barca were at end of last season. Very little freedom to move and very positional.

 

[Birdy]

Dembele became top assister of La Liga in just 5 months with instructions to stay as wide as possible and create,
and people are still discussing why he didn't score 15-20 goals??
LOL

I have never seen Dembele play well on the left side though ..

Dembele and Raphinha play in the same area well after week .

I prefer Raphinha even though Dembele has times when he is unplayable.

That is a myth that has been perpetuated solely on BF, and no analyst that I know of has ever written anything like that.
The guy is totally ambidextrous.

He has played mostly as RW this season because FAti and Torres both operate better as LW with their right foot facing the goal.
In the past, when under Ernie MEssi had that (false) RW spot occupied, he was playing as LW and was doing the exact same things

 

[JamDav1982]

Torres doesnt operate better on left.

For Spain and Valencia he played on the right much more often. While at City he settled in to the RW/CF role much more than LW as time went on.

The reason Dembele was on the right was that here was absolutely no right back with any quality out wide that could get up and down park and he was best placed to just get ball and run at opposition on that side on his own.

Also he isnt great at tracking backs or combining so having RB sitting behind him suited him more in theory.

Cant see Raphinha on right with Azpi or Roberto behind him. He needs full backs that can go round him more than that and he can drift centrally.

If team plays like last season.

 

[Messi983]

Leeds close to sign Luis Sinisterra from Feyenoord as his replacement.

 

[Messi983]

OJO!!!!!!!!!!

Raphinha to Barcelona: 98% DONE. [@gerardromero]

 

[vuji_31]

Lewa also seems done this week.