24 - Thomas Vermaelen

[Behrox]

WTF!! Is this real life? Verm getting 2 MoTM in a row in frigging BARCA!?

 

[Topolino]

Road to being fan favourite: Vermaelen edition.

 

[AnnieSureshot]

WTF!! Is this real life? Verm getting 2 MoTM in a row in frigging BARCA!?

Well, 2 games and he also overtook Messi and Ronaldo in scoring ranks.

 

[te amo barca]

Verma is our good luck charm.

 

[BBZ8800]

Well done, Verm
As predicted:

I think that Verminator will win people's hearts, the same as Bravo, over time.
Even though fans and our forum had different favorites.

 

[dostoevskij]

So happy for him, had the feeling from the beginning that, with his qualities, there must be a place for him in our team,but lost almost all hope after last season.
He is back now, lets see where his journey goes!!!

 

[Punkman17]

If the injuries leave him alone, he can be a very good bonus to the team, before his problems in his last seasons at Arsenal he was one of the top centre back in the premier league, everybody pointed him because of his several injuries that cost him his place in the start 11 of arsenal, I think last season he could have return way before the last journey of la Liga but it was certainly a decision between him and the staff to get a year off and that could have been positive for him to get a long rest and do some hard recovery work during last season.

If he doesn't have any body problems he could return to his best and surprise everybody, and more importantly get some mouth shut!!!

 

[Vegeta]

If Vermaelen is in prime form, would you prefer Verm-Pique, Masche-Pique or Verm-Masche?

 

[Egert]

Depends if Pique or Masche is in better form.

Pique-Vermaelen both in form would be fkin awesome

 

[Barcaman]

We won 2 CL with Mascherano. Guy is a true leader. I am one of the biggest fans of Vermaelen but doubting Mascherano is insane to me.

 

[pacp_96]

Fantastic two games from Verminator. Hopefully he can keep clear of injuries from now on and be a real asset to the team

 

[Yugi]

lol, actually having 2 tall CBs in Barca, a man´s dream.....add Mathieu to that on bench and we could be pretty solid at the back

 

[ppxrare]

We won 2 CL with Mascherano. Guy is a true leader. I am one of the biggest fans of Vermaelen but doubting Mascherano is insane to me.

sure he is a leader but he can be a liability, that is why it is better to try out vermaelen in big games and see how well he does. Off the top of my head, I always remember Mascherano getting dominated by Benzema in the classicos and his lack of height affecting us. As for last season in the UCL, I recount mascherano getting turned inside out by lewandowski in the away leg vs bayern and going to the cleaners by Morata. Of course a lot of good but why not test out a new CB in big games who might not have these fuck ups and also having height and being good at headers and having the ability to score.

Xavi's presence alone last season in the squad gave the team the boost and motivation they needed. He did not have to be a starter, the same can be applied to Mascherano.

 

[JamDav1982]

sure he is a leader but he can be a liability, that is why it is better to try out vermaelen in big games and see how well he does. Off the top of my head, I always remember Mascherano getting dominated by Benzema in the classicos and his lack of height affecting us. As for last season in the UCL, I recount mascherano getting turned inside out by lewandowski in the away leg vs bayern and going to the cleaners by Morata. Of course a lot of good but why not test out a new CB in big games who might not have these fuck ups and also having height and being good at headers and having the ability to score.

Xavi's presence alone last season in the squad gave the team the boost and motivation they needed. He did not have to be a starter, the same can be applied to Mascherano.

Of course Masch has had some difficult games EVERY defender has that but he has also been brilliant in a lot of the big games. Against Atletico for example he has been top class against their physical approach.

Is there one defender who doesnt make mistakes? Especially playing in a style like Barcas which requires a lot of one on one situations, riskier moments on the ball and being dragged away from CB areas.

 

[zanela]

lol, actually having 2 tall CBs in Barca, a man´s dream.....add Mathieu to that on bench and we could be pretty solid at the back

When talking about current natural CBs, he's prob the shortest. I've heard from those who've seen him closely being surprised by his small stature. He's got a great leap no doubt, but tall he's not.
In this pic, he looks slightly shorter than Ivan. I'd say he's `5.11

sure he is a leader but he can be a liability, that is why it is better to try out vermaelen in big games and see how well he does. Off the top of my head, I always remember Mascherano getting dominated by Benzema in the classicos and his lack of height affecting us. As for last season in the UCL, I recount mascherano getting turned inside out by lewandowski in the away leg vs bayern and going to the cleaners by Morata. Of course a lot of good but why not test out a new CB in big games who might not have these fuck ups and also having height and being good at headers and having the ability to score.

Xavi's presence alone last season in the squad gave the team the boost and motivation they needed. He did not have to be a starter, the same can be applied to Mascherano.

You seem to imply Verm has never commited errors in the big matches he's played so far. Moreover, you can't just test a new CB in the big games, rather your best and most consistent CB duo who always get the nod, which is the smart and safe thing to do.. And as long as Verm is not our regular starting CB, I doubt L.E's gonna straight away entrust him in the more important fixtures.