Antoine Griezmann

[Messi983]

We don't need two midfielders if he won't come.

We'll just play 4-4-2

Messi-Suarez
(Paco/Munir)

Coutinho-Busi-Raki-Dembele
(Denis)-(Arthur)-(Paulinho)-(Alena)

 

[DonAK]

We don't need two midfielders if he won't come.

We'll just play 4-4-2

Messi-Suarez
(Paco/Munir)

Coutinho-Busi-Raki-Dembele
(Denis)-(Arthur)-(Paulinho)-(Alena)

Rip

 

[Messi983]

Rip

We can also keep Gomes

 

[BarçaBarça]

We don't need two midfielders if he won't come.

We'll just play 4-4-2

Messi-Suarez
(Paco/Munir)

Coutinho-Busi-Raki-Dembele
(Denis)-(Arthur)-(Paulinho)-(Alena)

But Denis, Paulinho and Alena is a very weak bench, and they don't even compete for the starting spots - that is quite bad for us.
Roberto could also be used, but same story - no chance of a starting-spot, unless Rakitic underperforms wildly.

With 1 great CM added we have the possibility of playing Coutinho further up sometimes, and benching Suarez for Dembele.
We are going to need that pressure on Suarez, because he will only decline from here, due to his continueing lack of speed. After 5 games and 120 offsides against him we would wish for alternatives, and if Griezmann doesn't come, another CM will give us possibilities with Coutinho or Dembele further up.

 

[Stanio]

French media L'Équipe contacted his family who denied this decision :
https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Act...hoisi-de-rester-a-l-atletico-de-madrid/907477

 

[gregorrin10]

If Griezmann doesn't come I'd sign two MFs.

Eriksen and Thiago would be perfect for me at this point. Both approaching their prime years, experienced and proven on club and international level, and would inject world class level into our midfield immediately, so young players like Arthur and Alena wouldn't have too much pressure on them right from the start and could learn from them and have enough time to really settle into our club and prove their worth.

As for Eriksen and Thiago, we could get them both for 200M, even 170-180M if we do some successful negotiating. And this way we would sort out our midfield and finally give Messi and also Suarez a world class midfield behind them again and hope they get better (Suarez) and can focus on attacking rather than play making all the time (Messi), and give all our senior players remaining at the club realistic chances for a few more UCL trophies before they leave/retire, mainly thinking Messi, Busquets, Pique, Suarez and Alba right now i guess.

Two world class midfielders were always my preferred choice...we can always push Coutinho up front and bench Suarez if he's not in form, so his starting spot would still be more endangered than it is now. Not to mention new great attackers are breaking out almost every season now, we will have so many great options in the next few years in players like Mbappe, Werner, Sane, maybe even Kluivert Jr, if he properly develops in the next 2-3 years. Heck, there's even Dybala after Messi leaves as a direct replacement (i think there's no one better than Paulo for that role, but only after Messi is gone). We can look for direct #9 or wingers, depending on what's gonna happen with Coutinho, if he would keep playing LW or move back to midfield in time. In someone like Werner we could actually get both in one player, not that i'm saying we need to get him exactly, even though if we would want him, we'd need to go for him, as long he's in a mid-level club like Leipzig and before he ends up at Bayern, which he will sooner than later as the Lewandowski's successor. There's even been talk about it this summer already, ever since it was reported that Lewa was becoming unsettled and wanted a new challenge. We should be looking at players like this, not after they first go to another big club and become world class there after 2-3 extra years, and their price immediately jumps to 100M+. Fabinho comes to my mind at this point too, just went to Liverpool for 50M, where he'll probably start bossing it right away and be worth twice as much after 2 years. We need some serious scouting improvement for that though. And a new, actually visionary Board would be nice while we're at it, but that's a problem for another day (or should i say 3 years until 2021 at least).

 

[BBZ8800]

Eriksen and Thiago would be perfect for me at this point.

If our starting duo last season was Iniesta-Rakitic, then:
1. we have already bought Coutinho for 160M who can play in Iniesta's position
2. we will buy Arthur
3. there is no way that we will both buy Thiago and Eriksen considering that Coutinho is still adapting and Arthur will need time to adapt

4 new Cms in 6 Months is impossible.
Also, a coach changing so many starters is impossible.
Iniesta-Rakitic were a starting duo for 4 years.
Rakitic knows our movements and mechanisms and has chemistry with Busi and other players.
Rakitic was our midfielder with the highest number of played games in the last 4 years.
Also, EV is not interested in crazy experiments.

Imo, even buying 1 more CM is a huge IF in this moment, considering transfers of Coutinho and Arthur.

** And please, don't mention Dybala and Barcelona in the same sentence, we don't want our board to get crazy ideas again

 

[Messi983]

But Denis, Paulinho and Alena is a very weak bench, and they don't even compete for the starting spots - that is quite bad for us.
Roberto could also be used, but same story - no chance of a starting-spot, unless Rakitic underperforms wildly.

But Denis and Alena are on their way to become new Iniesta if given enough playing time and don't forget Arthur will bench Raki in 10 games. Roberto would also be a great midfielder if incompetent EV would stop using him as RB.

Paulinho is useless though and he should be sold.

 

[Joan]

I'll say something odd. We need a Gomes replacement, someone who's able to play in place of Busi and Raki and fight for the spot. Paulinho just doesn't work as a pivot for us, IMO.

So,

Suarez - Messi
Coutinho - Busi - Raki - Dembele
(Denis/Alenya - someone - Paulinho)

That said, someone upfront seems needed but much depends on how Dembele plays as a RM.

Paulinho in more defensive setups like vs. Real Madrid.

If we won't make major changes. In short, I'd sign a forward and a midfielder.

 

[MessiCam]

But Denis and Alena are on their way to become new Iniesta if given enough playing time and don't forget Arthur will bench Raki in 10 games. Roberto would also be a great midfielder if incompetent EV would stop using him as RB.

Paulinho is useless though and he should be sold.

Who said Denis and Aleñá are on their way to becoming the new Iniesta?

Once a decent midfielder is signed, whether that be Thiago or Arthur, you will see just how limited Rakitic really is. This sort of mediocrity shouldn’t be celebrated at a club like Barça.

 

[MessiCam]

I'll say something odd. We need a Gomes replacement, someone who's able to play in place of Busi and Raki and fight for the spot. Paulinho just doesn't work as a pivot for us, IMO.

So,

Suarez - Messi
Coutinho - Busi - Raki - Dembele
(Denis/Alenya - someone - Paulinho)

That said, someone upfront seems needed but much depends on how Dembele plays as a RM.

Paulinho in more defensive setups like vs. Real Madrid.

If we won't make major changes. In short, I'd sign a forward and a midfielder.

This is just a continuation of last year with the same problems, incumbents and tactically limiting players eating up all the game time. Both Dembélé and Coutinho play better further up in the half space.

 

[DonAK]

But Denis and Alena are on their way to become new Iniesta if given enough playing time and don't forget Arthur will bench Raki in 10 games. Roberto would also be a great midfielder if incompetent EV would stop using him as RB.

Paulinho is useless though and he should be sold.

I would sell Paulinho and sign a proper workhorse tbh.

Unless our plan around Paulinho is to plant him in the box and hope he scores.

 

[Sorin]

There are plenty left wings good enough, whether they're reasonable transfer targets is another matter entirely.

But you seem to have missed my point. Not getting another forward means Suarez goes unchallenged for another year. This is tactically limiting... At least Griezmann would have been more versatile.

You're saying all this like I don't want Griezmann. I do, but there's the possibility that he won't come.

So anyway, if Griezmann doesn't come, you'd rather buy the likes of Martial? Sorry man, he's unproven. He was at a good level, not great, for a year and then inconsistent af. He's not a challenge for Suarez no matter how you slice it. Furthermore, we have a manager that doesn't seem to be able to improve young players that much either. If someone were to challenge Suarez, that guy should already be an established world class forward. And that's the problem, who's available and at what cost? All I can think right now is Icardi. And I'm not really sure about him. Otherwise you have to look at the likes of Hazard, Sane etc. Not gonna happen.

Well, there's Higuain for 60 million if you go by the reports.

 

[MTL_Barca]

IMO there is no other attacker besides Griezmann we could bring in instead so i would try to get a real world class midfielder, play Cou, Messi, Dembele up front and hope for the best. But that won't happen because we're stuck with Suarez since Griezmann would probably be the only realistic (so no Mbappe or Salah) player good who would/could bench Suarez so it'll be 4-4-2 again or Suarez pushed to he wing where he sucks even more.

If we dont get Griezmann and Suarez continues getting worse it'll be all on Messi again and next year we will discuss the 200M strikers we can't afford unless we hope he can score all our goals for the next 2-3 years.

Or maybe Dembele can score 30+

 

[Luftstalag14]

Approach Werner now.