7 - Philippe Coutinho - V1

[JamDav1982]

Okay then.

Paulinho - Busquets - N Zonzi

Physically dominant

Let's see how many CL trophies that will bring us.

Your missing the point if believe that is what people want.

 

[DonAK]

Your missing the point if believe that is what people want.

I don't see what your point is.

You can have a starting midfield of Coutinho - Busquets - Aleña if he works out and put the missing pieces in terms of physicality in the games you need.

BBZ claim we need more physicality than anything else and that's who I replied to.

Kroos and Modric are not physical speciemen, Casemiro brings that, but can one player alone outweigh the liability two players bring?

That's what I'm arguing against BBZ.

Are you disagreeing with me? Him?

It's foolish to believe we'll become a better team with more physicality and less technical ability IMO.

Teams win the CL usually through their technical players making the difference and adding more physicality where needed.

Not by adding more physical players who can hardly create anything.

 

[JamDav1982]

I don't see what your point is.

You can have a starting midfield of Coutinho - Busquets - Aleña if he works out and put the missing pieces in terms of physicality in the games you need.

BBZ claim we need more physicality than anything else and that's who I replied to.

Kroos and Modric are not physical speciemen, Casemiro brings that, but can one player alone outweigh the liability two players bring?

That's what I'm arguing against BBZ.

Are you disagreeing with me? Him?

It's foolish to believe we'll become a better team with more physicality and less technical ability IMO.

Teams win the CL usually through their technical players making the difference and adding more physicality where needed.

Not by adding more physical players who can hardly create anything.

I dont believe that a midfield of Alena, Coutinho and Busi would be anywhere near balanced enough.

There needs to be a better mix than that and lacking there would be the physical side amongst other things.

 

[DonAK]

I dont believe that a midfield of Alena, Coutinho and Busi would be anywhere near balanced enough.

There needs to be a better mix than that and lacking there would be the physical side amongst other things.

What would be a better midfield where Coutinho and Busquets are included?

I've no idea why people think Aleña is a weakling.

 

[JamDav1982]

What would be a better midfield where Coutinho and Busquets are included?

I've no idea why people think Aleña is a weakling.

Not just Alena but none of the three of them are physical or great at the defensive side.

It isnt about anyone being a weakling.

Think Coutinho and Alena are probalby too similar anyway.

 

[BBZ8800]

The number 1 reason for that is the slowness of the midfield.

Casemiro brings that, but they've won games without him and one player cannot outweigh the physically weakness of two players if we're using BBZ logic here.

Don't go into extremes.
My point is that Xavi-Iniesta type of midfield worked ONLY once in football history and it will work never again.
Both because there won't be a new Xavi (the most perfect player ever for Tiki-Taka, in fact Xavi IS TikiTaka probably) and because that type of midfield in general has some serious flaws, again UNLESS if you have Xavi-Iniesta in prime during prime years of TikiTaka where no one has figured it out yet.

So, no, I do't want 3 Paulinhos.
Currently, I would like to see Coutinho-Roberto-Busquets.
Since we are stuck with Busquets, we need to have 2 slower/weaker mids.
When he will be gone one day, I would like slightly "improved" Cdm with more pace and muscles.
Not Casemiro. But MORE pace than Busi.

About Real, you can't compare ONLY mids with our mids.
Their whole team is faster and more fluid than our turtles.

Cr7 185 cm, tall and fast, technical
Benzema 187 cm, tall, strong, fast, technical
Bale, 183 cm, fast, strong, okish technique

Kroos 182, slow, strong, technical
Modric 174, fast, not strong, not tall, technical
Casemiro, 184, tall, strong, not technical

Now, let's simplify it, let's say that each player can get 3 points:
1 point for pace
1 point for being tall, strong and having muscles
1 point for being technical

Cr7: xxx (3 points)
Benzema: xxx
Bale: xxx

Kroos: x-x 2 points (lacks pace)
Modric: -xx (lacks strength and muscles) 2 points
Casemiro: xx- (lacks technique) 2 points

So, out of 18 points, Real has 15 points.
They "lack" a perfect score in:
Kroos' pace.
Modric's strength.
Casemiro's technique.

Now, let's check our team from last season, for example:
Messi: fast, not tall, technical x-x (2 points)
Suarez: half a point for pace, he is strong, technical (2,50 points)
Neymar: short, not strong, zero muscles, fast, technical -xx (2 points)

Iniesta: not fast anymore, not strong, ONLY technical, 1 point for him
Rakitic: not fast, somewhat strong, let's say that he gets half a point for technique (1,50 points)
Busquets: not fast, not strong, good technique (1 point)

In this point system, our team would have:
10 points

So, you see, Real has 15 points, we had 10 points.

I am not saying that we should have ALL players who are allrounders.
But Real is trying to do EXACTLY that.

From our 6 attacking players (forwards and midfielders), not 1 of those 6 had all 3 skills: pace, muscles and technique.
From Real's players, at least 3 had everything (CR7, Benzema, Bale).

Plus, their midfielders lack only in one area each:
Kroos in pace.
Modric in muscles.
Casemiro in technique.

Our midfielders lack in 2 areas, each:
Iniesta: pace and muscles
Rakitic: pace and technique
Busquets: pace and muscles

So, Real's players are 1 level above our guys in everything.
Our only strength is Messi.
Remove Messi from our team and we would heavily pay the price for having these players that lack in so many areas.

So, once again, NO, I am not asking for 3 Paulinhos or Casemiros.
But our team with 90% of players lacking in pace or muscles (or most often: BOTH) is also not the way to go.

 

[Truthist]

Don't go into extremes.
My point is that Xavi-Iniesta type of midfield worked ONLY once in football history and it will work never again.
Both because there won't be a new Xavi (the most perfect player ever for Tiki-Taka, in fact Xavi IS TikiTaka probably) and because that type of midfield in general has some serious flaws, again UNLESS if you have Xavi-Iniesta in prime during prime years of TikiTaka where no one has figured it out yet.

So, no, I do't want 3 Paulinhos.
Currently, I would like to see Coutinho-Roberto-Busquets.
Since we are stuck with Busquets, we need to have 2 slower/weaker mids.
When he will be gone one day, I would like slightly "improved" Cdm with more pace and muscles.
Not Casemiro. But MORE pace than Busi.

About Real, you can't compare ONLY mids with our mids.
Their whole team is faster and more fluid than our turtles.

Cr7 185 cm, tall and fast, technical
Benzema 187 cm, tall, strong, fast, technical
Bale, 183 cm, fast, strong, okish technique

Kroos 182, slow, strong, technical
Modric 174, fast, not strong, not tall, technical
Casemiro, 184, tall, strong, not technical

Now, let's simplify it, let's say that each player can get 3 points:
1 point for pace
1 point for being tall, strong and having muscles
1 point for being technical

Cr7: xxx (3 points)
Benzema: xxx
Bale: xxx

Kroos: x-x 2 points (lacks pace)
Modric: -xx (lacks strength and muscles) 2 points
Casemiro: xx- (lacks technique) 2 points

So, out of 18 points, Real has 15 points.
They "lack" a perfect score in:
Kroos' pace.
Modric's strength.
Casemiro's technique.

Now, let's check our team from last season, for example:
Messi: fast, not tall, technical x-x (2 points)
Suarez: half a point for pace, he is strong, technical (2,50 points)
Neymar: short, not strong, zero muscles, fast, technical -xx (2 points)

Iniesta: not fast anymore, not strong, ONLY technical, 1 point for him
Rakitic: not fast, somewhat strong, let's say that he gets half a point for technique (1,50 points)
Busquets: not fast, not strong, good technique (1 point)

In this point system, our team would have:
10 points

So, you see, Real has 15 points, we had 10 points.

I am not saying that we should have ALL players who are allrounders.
But Real is trying to do EXACTLY that.

From our 6 attacking players (forwards and midfielders), not 1 of those 6 had all 3 skills: pace, muscles and technique.
From Real's players, at least 3 had everything (CR7, Benzema, Bale).

Plus, their midfielders lack only in one area each:
Kroos in pace.
Modric in muscles.
Casemiro in technique.

Our midfielders lack in 2 areas, each:
Iniesta: pace and muscles
Rakitic: pace and technique
Busquets: pace and muscles

So, Real's players are 1 level above our guys in everything.
Our only strength is Messi.
Remove Messi from our team and we would heavily pay the price for having these players that lack in so many areas.

So, once again, NO, I am not asking for 3 Paulinhos or Casemiros.
But our team with 90% of players lacking in pace or muscles (or most often: BOTH) is also not the way to go.

POTW

 

[mesiesta]

Watching his game against Leicester just hurts my eyes. He would be a brilliant fit for our style of play. We should buy him next year and try as Iniesta's replacement.

 

[Nothanks]

he'll only cost more next year after the world cup
he signed a 5 year contract in january so he'll still have 3 and a half in the summer next year so liverpool still have no reason to sell.

only good chance is if klopp is fired and liverpool miss out on champions league.

 

[ASordidGod]

Watching his game against Leicester just hurts my eyes. He would be a brilliant fit for our style of play. We should buy him next year and try as Iniesta's replacement.

A few nice moments, it has to be said. Passing's been sloppy though. Would be a good CM for us, but not as a LW, and no way at the prices quoted.

 

[Nothanks]

i think people only suggested him as LW if we played 4-2-3-1

he would be a good LW in that system, next to messi behind suarez with dembele making runs on the right

in 4-3-3 he'd be best in iniestas role

 

[jairzinho]

LFC are a complete waste of this guy's talents. Lost a to second string Leceister earlier. Such a shame to see him play there.

 

[springfield]

POTW

If we were playing rummikub, BBZ could give you 8 points for your post. But he's always playing football manager with alot of calculated things. So you only get zero points.

Don't forget, Barcelona is still playing in La Liga and the CL is not the same as the premier league. And Casemiro brings to Madrid what they need to let Kroos and Modric play their game and be gentlemen.

 

[Trafalgar]

Why isnt he playing anyway?

 

[Zincubus]

Why isnt he playing anyway?

He played last night for the first 60 minutes and was apparently in great form in his first start after the layoff . He was subbed and Liverpool supposedly fell apart with zero creativity and conceded two goals .