When it comes to a tall player, seems like BBZ doesn't even need to actually watch or scrutinize whatsoever to conclude that X player is actually the GOAT and a well rounded beast.
People posting about his goal vs RM when he directly gifted them a goal in the return leg and was quite obviously one of the worst players on the pitch in the entire tie even despite scoring
Also one of the worst players on the pitch against Barca in the 6-1, he was less impressive in their 4-0 win against us than any of Verratti/Draxler/Di Maria. That was a good performance when everyone on their team was having a great performance.
When he played against Liverpool, he looked like Gomes reborn out there and was, again, the WORST player on the pitch. When they played Liverpool again they benched Rabiot and actually beat Liverpool, with Marquinhos putting in an impressive shift.
BBZ takes stats completely out of context and tries to make it seem like Rabiot is anywhere near decent. Rabiot averages less tackles per game than freaking Draxler (when he starts), let alone Verratti or Marquinhos. Also way inferior offensive stats to any other PSG midfielder except for Marquinhos when he plays as CM/DM and even then his stats are basically the same as Marquinhos.
In the context of his own team, Rabiot is at best bang average in a VERY poor midfield.
It's insane how much certain posters here have inflated him to some high quality player simply when he started being linked to us and BBZ decided Rabiot is the new, sexy contrarian wave. We've already gone through a period of getting scrubs for "cheap" because they can "contribute to the squad". That ended up with Paulinho/Gomes/Turan/Denis/etc. and Rabiot is really not much better, if at all.
Whatever problem you have with another user
or user x or y with you, should be completely irrelevant when discussing topics like this one.
I replied to an absurd post that claimed that a player of Rabiot's class and pedigree has nothing to offer defensively and offensively which quite clearly is utter nonsense. If that was the case he would not have been playing regularly for PSG throughout all those years (mind you he is only 23 years old), featured for France (who have an absolutely stacked midfield) before his bust up with Deschamps (who has had his share of bust ups with players throughout his managerial career to put it mildly) and been sought after by numerous top clubs in Europe for years and currently. You are not a bum when Barça, Juventus, Liverpool, Arsenal etc. all are looking to sign you currently.
Likewise there is no reason to try to rewrite history here just because you are not in favor of the club signing him on a free this upcoming summer. Nor have I seen a single user here who claims that he is the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Rabiot was nowhere near one of the worst players against Real in that extremely unlucky 3-1 defeat. Rather one of the better ones which Whoscored's ratings from that game confirm.
https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1...gue-2017-2018-Real-Madrid-Paris-Saint-Germain
So because QSG played a great game against us in that dreadful 4-0 defeat away from home, Rabiot's performance in that game (he was clearly QSG's best performing midfielder in that game which Whoscored's ratings confirm too) cannot be taken into account?
https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1...eague-2016-2017-Paris-Saint-Germain-Barcelona
However you have no trouble claiming that Rabiot was one of the worst players when QSG lost 6-1 in the return leg knowing very well that not a single QSG player was performing well in that tie and that Rabiot had little to do with it. Matuidi was far worse in that return leg and Verratti was barely any better. The same Verratti that not long ago was the darling of this forum, mine included, when new midfield reinforcements were discussed. Whoscored's rankings agree with this claim.
https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1...eague-2016-2017-Barcelona-Paris-Saint-Germain
Yes, Rabiot had a bad game against Real Madrid in the return leg last season. A game where QSG as a team were pathetically bad.
As for QSG's first game against Liverpool. Once again it appears that Whoscored disagrees with your claim of Rabiot being the "by far worst player" for QSG. In fact according to the same Whoscored ranking Rabiot was in fact the best QSG midfielder in that game.
https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1...eague-2018-2019-Liverpool-Paris-Saint-Germain
Also let us not forget that Rabiot's talent is wasted playing in France. 90% of all the games that he plays in are against vastly inferior opponents. Thus it is no wonder that he wants to leave the prison and move to a vastly superior league and actually improve as a player and person and test himself at the highest level on a weekly basis. He should be applauded for that. The alternative is him declining even further and imitating Verratti who will never be anything more than a good/at times very good player who wasted his best years and talent playing against scrubs on a weekly basis and who preferred the easy way out and the money over testing himself. Him leaving for Juve in 2-3 years time when he will be nearly 30 years old won't change that fact. If that even happens.
For speakers of French here:
[youtube]Z_iKPc6xhXw[/youtube]
Open self-criticism like this from Rabiot after the 1-2 defeat against RM last season shows awareness and character. Not only that it turns out that he not only spoke but actually acted. This is a very positive thing in my eyes and shows ambition.
Comparing Rabiot with Paulinho, Gomes, Turan and Denis Suárez is rather absurd. No disrespect. Even more so when he will likely arrive on a free and that his signing does not exclude another midfield reinforcement in the mould of De Jong or Ndombele for instance. All it requires is getting rid of deadwood like Rafinha, Denis Suárez and Samper and to tell Rakitic that his time at the club is over and thank him for his service while getting a great transfer sum for him in the process if QSG's (or another club for that matter) interest is genuine. In other words it "just" requires a bit of decent planning by the board. Having a midfield consisting of Arthur, Rabiot, De Jong/Ndombele and 2 "seniors" in Busquets and Vidal for 3 positions should not be an impossible task if the board and Valverde or another manager deems it necessary. In the worst case scenario the club can part ways with a 32 year old Vidal if he is unwilling to rotate for another season. Carles Aleñá could be loaned to Betis or another local club where he would get continuous playing time (which he will not get next season, Rabiot or no Rabiot, Valverde or no Valverde) for 1 season and when he returns in the summer of 2020 Vidal will be past it and Busquets 1 season away from being past it as per his own words. Certainly signing Rabiot on a free won't impact our financial strength in regards to a purchase of De Jong or Ndombele or lack thereof. That should be clear.
To make it short. Vidal and Busquets both have (at the most) 2 seasons left at the highest level if not counting this season. In Vidal's case maybe only 1 season left (the next one). Other than those two we are currently left with only Arthur and Rakitic (I don't bother counting Samper here who has played 30 minutes against Cultural Leonesa, before he got injured again, and whose contract expires this summer and a player with no future here or D. Suárez or Rafinha for that matter).
The same Rakitic that will turn 31 years in a few months time and who is declining (he will only get worse not the opposite) and who is likely to leave next summer. That and Carles Aleñá who is an unknown (even though most of us would like to see him succeed). I am not going to mention Puig here although I rate him higher than Aleñá as he is at least 1 or 2 seasons away from establishing himself and that is not a given and the club can't gamble (by not signing promising youngsters from abroad or take advantage of promising opportunities such as the Rabiot opportunity IMO) and pretend that Puig is bound to succeed and thus conclude that no additional midfield reinforcements are needed in the next few transfer windows.
Lastly to make it clear once again, Rabiot is by no means my favorite transfer target and I would be perfectly fine if the club decides to look for other transfer targets but people here should really stop acting like Rabiot is some kind of bum or compare him with the players that you compared him with which is, once again, absurd. I have no doubt, should he arrive, that he will prove many of those doubters wrong if given the chance. Including yourelf. Because there is no doubt that he is a very good player and far from being the finished product. He has played at the highest level (CL) for almost 6 years now. People tend to forget that. Not only that Rabiot is only 2 years older than de Jong who just appeared on the scene. Rabiot is a seasoned veteran in comparison despite his relative young age. A bit of perspective would not hurt.
