Alexis Sanchez

[La Furia]

Pretty much. People just need to be a bit more patient. That's all.

I think there is valid concern because it's clear this current system is doing a lot to kill the confidence of Alexis, Pedro and Villa. It's successful and that's why the Messi dependence fear is a bit overblown for now, but I'm not sure I like the idea of killing the careers of other forwards on this team. And if the club is seriously going to invest in a big name player like Neymar or Aguero with more of an ego and tries to do this (I think the team would modify the system in that case, but we saw how Messi wasn't happy when Pep tries to move him around to accommodate Ibra...), I can see it causing more of a problem.

 

[Plip]

The way I see it, the function of our other forwards has changed quite a bit from the times of Henry - Eto'o - Messi, where the goal-scoring threat came from all of the three. The better Messi has become, the more auxiliary have our other forwards turned. It's as if they are there as mere distractions to drag the defenders away and create space for Messi instead of scoring.

The problem is, however, that if given enough time these auxiliary forwards will lose their function as they will be figured out. I sincerely hope this won't be perilous in the long-run.

 

[dodi1982]

the way i see it, the function of our other forwards has changed quite a bit from the times of henry - eto'o - messi, where the goal-scoring threat came from all of the three. The better messi has become, the more auxiliary have our other forwards turned. It's as if they are there as mere distractions to drag the defenders away and create space for messi instead of scoring.

The problem is, however, that if given enough time these auxiliary forwards will lose their function as they will be figured out. I sincerely hope this won't be perilous in the long-run.

yes sir.

 

[La Furia]

The way I see it, the function of our other forwards has changed quite a bit from the times of Henry - Eto'o - Messi, where the goal-scoring threat came from all of the three. The better Messi has become, the more auxiliary have our other forwards turned. It's as if they are there as mere distractions to drag the defenders away and create space for Messi instead of scoring.

The problem is, however, that if given enough time these auxiliary forwards will lose their function as they will be figured out. I sincerely hope this won't be perilous in the long-run.

This I agree with, and I have the same concern, especially if these guys have no confidence.

But everyone expecting the second coming of Eto'o or even Giuly really needs to temper their expectations. This Messi is a different beast from the Messi back then, we haven't had such a ball-dominant player since Ronaldinho's prime, and even then Ronnie did things at his own pace.

 

[Plip]

This I agree with, and I have the same concern, especially if these guys have no confidence.

But everyone expecting the second coming of Eto'o or even Giuly really needs to temper their expectations. This Messi is a different beast from the Messi back then, we haven't had such a ball-dominant player since Ronaldinho's prime, and even then Ronnie did things at his own pace.

I am honestly being slightly put off by the Messi we have now. He is one monster of a player that seems to suck the living hell out of each and every other forward playing alongside him. The more the team is built around him, the more we face risking entering into a period where the team will be in a similar position it was between '98 and 2003.

The problem is, that unless Messi will slowly be eased into midfield as his pace declines and thus let other forwards do the scoring (while gaining their confidence), we'll have a moon-sized hole between the mid and our forward line.

Now, these are mere scenarios of what could happen if the situation remains unchecked in the long-run, but it still an interesting thought that should be spent time on both by Tito and perhaps even the players themselves.

 

[La Furia]

Yeah, reminds me a lot of how the team indulged Ronaldinho's every move and the team declined with him...but Ronnie was much more removed from the general pace of the game and so he never sucked out the confidence of the forwards he played with - it was easy enough to bounce back with a prime Eto'o and a emerging Messi. But the "four fantasticos" fiasco shows you can't just remedy a problem by stacking on more talent up front, it's not that simple.

But the fact that no other forward on this team has been consistently great in a few years is interesting, and why all the Alexis and Villa bashers get under my skin so easily. Villa and Pedro have both looked far better for Spain than Barcelona lately.

 

[GiantKiller]

I think there is valid concern because it's clear this current system is doing a lot to kill the confidence of Alexis, Pedro and Villa. It's successful and that's why the Messi dependence fear is a bit overblown for now, but I'm not sure I like the idea of killing the careers of other forwards on this team. And if the club is seriously going to invest in a big name player like Neymar or Aguero with more of an ego and tries to do this (I think the team would modify the system in that case, but we saw how Messi wasn't happy when Pep tries to move him around to accommodate Ibra...), I can see it causing more of a problem.

Well, since the wide forwards in our system are playing a much more supportive role, I wouldn't call it Messi dependency. More like it's getting the best out of Messi and why not? You can't have a someone like Messi being restricted with instructions and it's been pretty successful so far too. However, getting someone like Alexis to play an auxiliary role won't be utilizing his full potential. So, there's no perfect solution to this issue as everything has its pros and cons.

And yes, Messi not being happy is major obstacle. Understandable, though.

 

[evilhita666]

I'm satisfied with Alexis performances lately, that's not to say he really needs to improve some obvious flaws, but right now he is getting his job done...

 

[La Furia]

Well, since the wide forwards in our system are playing a much more supportive role, I wouldn't call it Messi dependency. More like it's getting the best out of Messi and why not? You can't have a someone like Messi being restricted with instructions and it's been pretty successful so far too. However, getting someone like Alexis to play an auxiliary role won't be utilizing his full potential. So, there's no perfect solution to this issue as everything has its pros and cons.

And yes, Messi not being happy is major obstacle. Understandable, though.

I agree about getting the best out of Messi not being a bad thing, and there's no reason to panic, but like Plip said, you do wonder how sustainable this will be, and I'm not sure indulging Messi like this will have a good effect on his ego long term.

I'm satisfied with Alexis performances lately, that's not to say he really needs to improve some obvious flaws, but right now he is getting his job done...

And that's the thing, he has clear flaws and deserves some criticism, but the hate just baffles me; he's actually playing his best stretch of football for Barcelona since last year, and is really helping Messi out.

 

[Plip]

I agree about getting the best out of Messi not being a bad thing, and there's no reason to panic, but like Plip said, you do wonder how sustainable this will be, and I'm not sure indulging Messi like this will have a good effect on his ego long term.

It's not necessarily his ego per se I am afraid of. He still seems quite a decent guy and naturally with the position he enjoys on the field, he can get frustrated or angry (occasionally, rightly so). He is also much older now than he was back then and with that comes a certain degree of entitlement.

WHAT I am afraid of though, is that his style of play will evolve even further in terms of ball-hogging and that absolutely everything will flow through him one way or the other. He needs to understand that if he'll continue the way he does, there's a possibility of him not only burning himself out but the team as a whole.

 

[xavi_the_Boss]

And that's the thing, he has clear flaws and deserves some criticism, but the hate just baffles me; he's actually playing his best stretch of football for Barcelona since last year, and is really helping Messi out.

I think the hate for sanchez comes more down to Villa not gettin the minutes he should get but i agree that he is not playing that bad right now.

 

[raskolnikov]

I have to ask, why is their failing because of Messi? He is the creative type not a ball hogging poacher, Alexis and Pedro had their chances to score but couldnt convert.
Its just that being a forward in Barcelona on the wings you need great technical/combination skills but also be able to finish.
Messi could move to right wing when we face a parked bus like he did against celtic and in a few years move back in more of a playmaker role.
Who knows what the team looks like then, its the trainer's job to make it work, we might have a bad year then some changes and be deadly again.
I dont feel Messi will end up hurting the team in the long run, just contributing in a different way. But thats 4/5 years from now, I do am interested to see how the whole Neymar thing plays out, he wont play second fiddle to Messi and he shouldn't, its the coach's job to make him fit in while keeping messi as effective.

 

[Doobs]

Still no excuse for him to miss sitters, he needs to score.

 

[raskolnikov]

I think the hate for sanchez comes more down to Villa not gettin the minutes he should get but i agree that he is not playing that bad right now.

Yes, Alexis is not playing that bad currently, just lacking goals.
People are to harsh on him, not necessarily Barca fans but football fans in general, they are always ripping Alexis even if he had a decent game.
I do want Villa to be a starter though, David deserves more respect and isnt a lesser player.

 

[VivaBarca]

It's not necessarily his ego per se I am afraid of. He still seems quite a decent guy and naturally with the position he enjoys on the field, he can get frustrated or angry (occasionally, rightly so). He is also much older now than he was back then and with that comes a certain degree of entitlement.

WHAT I am afraid of though, is that his style of play will evolve even further in terms of ball-hogging and that absolutely everything will flow through him one way or the other. He needs to understand that if he'll continue the way he does, there's a possibility of him not only burning himself out but the team as a whole.

I actually think Messi ball hogs less, he obviously gets the ball a lot more as he's more central but he definitely doesn't dribble as much as he used to.