Alexis Sanchez

[Kerrybai]

Come to think of it does anyone else find it crazy that we play Messi as a false 9 and put no other outright striker on the field? Etoo was perfect with Messi. Ibra failed, and it seems that Pep and Tito have decided that Messi does not need another striker with him on the field. Hopefully Sanchez and Pedro's form in front of goal will be a wake up call for Tito that we need an outright striker on the pitch at all times.

 

[DonAndres]

Come to think of it does anyone else find it crazy that we play Messi as a false 9 and put no other outright striker on the field? Etoo was perfect with Messi. Ibra failed, and it seems that Pep and Tito have decided that Messi does not need another striker with him on the field. Hopefully Sanchez and Pedro's form in front of goal will be a wake up call for Tito that we need an outright striker on the pitch at all times.

Not necessarily a striker. A versatile goalscorer. I mean we're certainly not going to have a tall, slow targetman out wide. We need a central/wide forward with speed who is capable of drifting in with attacking runs and is good with the ball at his feet. Deulofeu will fit this bill within a few years (he has the speed of an outright winger but drifts in and scores like a seasoned center forward) so i doubt a transfer is necessary. Until then i agree that Villa and Tello should start over Alexis and Pedro should start to get his scoring boots back (at least in big games).

 

[Kerrybai]

Not necessarily a striker. A versatile goalscorer. I mean we're certainly not going to have a tall, slow targetman out wide. We need a central/wide forward with speed who is capable of drifting in with attacking runs and is good with the ball at his feet. Deulofeu will fit this bill within a few years (he has the speed of an outright winger but drifts in and scores like a seasoned center forward) so i doubt a transfer is necessary. Until then i agree that Villa and Tello should start over Alexis and Pedro should start to get his scoring boots back (at least in big games).

True, I'm not suggesting an Ibra type player. But the thing is Sanchez never fit the bill of of a forward capable of drifting in and scoring goals. I hate to say it but I feel the Barca management bought the wrong player.

Deulofeu could be the perfect player as he can hit the back of the net but is it too risky? Should we buy someone to plug the next 2-3 years while he develops?

 

[DonAndres]

True, I'm not suggesting an Ibra type player. But the thing is Sanchez never fit the bill of of a forward capable of drifting in and scoring goals. I hate to say it but I feel the Barca management bought the wrong player.

Deulofeu could be the perfect player as he can hit the back of the net but is it too risky? Should we buy someone to plug the next 2-3 years while he develops?

We have enough players to fit the bill while he develops. Honestly Iniesta is really going to occupy the left wing for the next few years along with Villa and Tello as secondary options. Pedro has already cemented his spot on the right wing for now (although he will rotate a bit with Deulo when he is promoted). Iniesta, Villa, Pedro, Tello, possibly Cuenca, and sadly Alexis will be enough to fill the wide spots for the next year and a half or so. By then Deulo will be getting adequate playing time and developing to a better all round player for Barca and will fit seamlessly into the lineup within 2 years. The likelihood of Deulo failing isn't that high and by then we'll have backup Canteros in Dongou and Sandro in case he doesn't pan out. Neymar will also come around then and i doubt he'll be worth his price but he will probably be a good asset. I'd prefer Dongou to Neymar though because he provides that strong, lightning fast, X factor forward that Eto'o had. It would give us another dimension in attack. That is, assuming he succeeds as well. Also Sandro is underrated to me and really looks like a faster version of Villa and has deadly finishing. With all these additions and possibilities i see us having more problem picking which forwards are best rather than having a lack of goalscoring forwards completely.

 

[Kerrybai]

We have enough players to fit the bill while he develops. Honestly Iniesta is really going to occupy the left wing for the next few years along with Villa and Tello as secondary options. Pedro has already cemented his spot on the right wing for now (although he will rotate a bit with Deulo when he is promoted). Iniesta, Villa, Pedro, Tello, possibly Cuenca, and sadly Alexis will be enough to fill the wide spots for the next year and a half or so. By then Deulo will be getting adequate playing time and developing to a better all round player for Barca and will fit seamlessly into the lineup within 2 years. The likelihood of Deulo failing isn't that high and by then we'll have backup Canteros in Dongou and Sandro in case he doesn't pan out. Neymar will also come around then and i doubt he'll be worth his price but he will probably be a good asset. I'd prefer Dongou to Neymar though because he provides that strong, lightning fast, X factor forward that Eto'o had. It would give us another dimension in attack. That is, assuming he succeeds as well. Also Sandro is underrated to me and really looks like a faster version of Villa and has deadly finishing. With all these additions and possibilities i see us having more problem picking which forwards are best rather than having a lack of goalscoring forwards completely.

You could well be right and I hope you are. I think we can both agree that Alexis simply is not up to it. Not sure if you watched the Chile Argentina game but Alexis was fantastic, he was a leader on the pitch and looked dangerous throughout. He just doesn't fit our system. If we play Villa on a regular basis then I think you will be right that we will survive until Neymar arrives or Deoul comes good but if we stick by Sanchez and Pedro then I think we should remain worried.

Dongou over Neymar is good in theory but I have not seen enough of him and I'm one of the few around here who think Neymar could be sensational.

 

[DonAndres]

You could well be right and I hope you are. I think we can both agree that Alexis simply is not up to it. Not sure if you watched the Chile Argentina game but Alexis was fantastic, he was a leader on the pitch and looked dangerous throughout. He just doesn't fit our system. If we play Villa on a regular basis then I think you will be right that we will survive until Neymar arrives or Deoul comes good but if we stick by Sanchez and Pedro then I think we should remain worried.

Dongou over Neymar is good in theory but I have not seen enough of him and I'm one of the few around here who think Neymar could be sensational.

I did watch Chile vs Argentina (if you are talking about the most recent one) and i agree Alexis did look dangerous. That game wasn't really great though i have to say haha. It was mostly just both the midfields cancelling each other out. Although when there were attacking moments both sides looked dangerous and i did notice Alexis was playing well. Messi's goal was really memorable though (that pullback with all those defenders running at him).

As for the Sanchez underperforming thing, there has to be a breaking point where Tito will stop playing Sanchez in vital games and let Iniesta or Villa have a go. I think Iniesta will be preferred for this season but if he plays in midfield then i expect Villa to get the nod over Alexis. Deulo will start to be integrated by next season and we can survive until then.

Dongou over Neymar would work if Dongou does realize his potential because he is still really raw and has a chance of not making it. I do think Neymar is a great player with great potential but i honestly don't think he is NECESSARY for Barcelona. He'll fit in and score goals and provide assists in regular matches but he doesn't seem to be that intimidating presence we need against parked buses or in vital CL ties where we need a different dimension. I mean Neymar has great dribbling, tricks, finishing, and he's improving on his passing. However that kind of player makes up half of our squad. We need a strong, quick, powerful player who can add another style of play and throw off the opposition while still fitting into our style. This is where Dongou comes in. He brings power to combine with elegance. Plus if we do want a typical finesse, dribbling, passing forward like we usually have, Sandro can do the job perfectly. Neymar is most likely coming and definitely could be an amazing player but he's more of a luxury than a necessity.

 

[khaled_a_d]

Come to think of it does anyone else find it crazy that we play Messi as a false 9 and put no other outright striker on the field? Etoo was perfect with Messi. Ibra failed, and it seems that Pep and Tito have decided that Messi does not need another striker with him on the field. Hopefully Sanchez and Pedro's form in front of goal will be a wake up call for Tito that we need an outright striker on the pitch at all times.

Last season Pep used Alexis many times as a second false 9 beside Messi , And those was probably his best games (like first Classico in Madrid when he scored the equalizer ) ,thing is that was used only when we played with 3 defenders ,we were more playing 3-5-2 with Alves on the right side and I8 or another player in left with both Messi and Alexis moving freely in front ,those lineups aren't gonna be used again
with the current 4-3-3 ,We need a player who can finish chances and score ,the mid-field and the attention Messi gets will always free the other players in front line and give them chances ,so whether it is a true striker or winger isn't the case if you ask me

 

[Kerrybai]

In a world of man cities and Madrids we simply have to add neymars to compete at the highest level. With so many payers hitting their peak it would be a Shame to trust in a player like deulo and then discover he is not Barca quality while he costs us trophies, that's not to say I'm against him, I've always felt our youth products should be number 1 but it's about striking a balance. A balance we have got badly wrong with Sanchez. Sanchez may not have been wonderful in the chile game but I think you also noticed that he was a different player, a leader with confidence as opposed to a follower afraid to be himself. Either way he's not a goalscorer and that's what we need.

 

[barca7788]

i am neither alexis fan nor pedro hater but i really love his style than pedro`s. and how he is there in right place at right time. pedro is doing shit whole season and still everyone puts their finger on alexis.
i know we paid a lot for him while pedro was our youth product but once signed they should be treated same. and performance wise i will have alexis before pedro.

 

[Karnivore]

Would that be the same world where Barcelona could spunk 20m on average joes like Chygrynsky and slightly above average ones like song and Sanchez? Barcelona deserve the credit for what they've produced through the youth system, but let's not act like they're poor financially in comparison to those mentioned, because they aunt far from it. Take away that star studded team that's come through the academy and there's still about 150m worth of talent that's been bought in, that includes youth players who have been bought back for ridiculously large fees

 

[El Guaje]

i am neither alexis fan nor pedro hater but i really love his style than pedro`s. and how he is there in right place at right time. pedro is doing shit whole season and still everyone puts their finger on alexis.
i know we paid a lot for him while pedro was our youth product but once signed they should be treated same. and performance wise i will have alexis before pedro.

Agreed.

Pedro has been crap for like 1,5 season and he doesent even get near the sh!t that Alexis does. Alexis aint a goalscoring player and yet hebscored more than Pedro last year even tho it was his first season at barca. The problem is that he does not get to play to his strengths... He still shines whenever he plays for the Chile NT. His dribblings and runs are still there, we just dont get to see them at Barca...

If someone deserves to be benched or even sold, Pedro should be in front of Alexis.

 

[Giannino]

Agreed.

Pedro has been crap for like 1,5 season and he doesent even get near the sh!t that Alexis does. Alexis aint a goalscoring player and yet hebscored more than Pedro last year even tho it was his first season at barca. The problem is that he does not get to play to his strengths... He still shines whenever he plays for the Chile NT. His dribblings and runs are still there, we just dont get to see them at Barca...

If someone deserves to be benched or even sold, Pedro should be in front of Alexis.

Amen.

 

[tariqo]

Give me pedro when he is crap anyday over sanchez & u must be dreaming if u think sanchez will be any good for this team

 

[Chainsaw]

Agreed.

Pedro has been crap for like 1,5 season and he doesent even get near the sh!t that Alexis does. Alexis aint a goalscoring player and yet hebscored more than Pedro last year even tho it was his first season at barca. The problem is that he does not get to play to his strengths... He still shines whenever he plays for the Chile NT. His dribblings and runs are still there, we just dont get to see them at Barca...

If someone deserves to be benched or even sold, Pedro should be in front of Alexis.

Because Pedro actually proved himself as a vital part of this team before his from dropped in the last two years. Something that Alexis barely managed to do since his arrival. And Pedro didn't cost 37 fucking millions at the first place. Pedro keep his head down and try to play his game rather than keep falling down like a lousy diver or bitch to the referees all the time.

Pedro is off-form. Not a misfit, like the other guy.

 

[Galning]

Saying Pedro has been crap for 1.5 years.. is also a bit too much.