Arda Turan

[evilhita666]

The reactions... He was actually one of our better performers. Outside of that error he was okay-ish, better than most of his teammates anyway.

I agree... It's sad to say, but he was by far the best midfielder on the pitch until Iniesta and Rakitic came in... He's clearly not at the level we all expected, but the truth remains that the only reserve that deserves to be ahead of him is Roberto, and maaaaybe Denis if you push me...

And the mistake is exaggerated because it resulted in a goal, but the ball was lost in the opposition's half and we let them run the whole pitch and score from 5 meters from the goal... Busquets, Mathieu and Vidal made even worse passes in our own half but were lucky enough it didn't end up in even more goals, we could have conceded at least 4 goals from Busquets alone...

 

[serghei]

I agree... It's sad to say, but he was by far the best midfielder on the pitch until Iniesta and Rakitic came in... He's clearly not at the level we all expected, but the truth remains that the only reserve that deserves to be ahead of him is Roberto, and maaaaybe Denis if you push me...

And the mistake is exaggerated because it resulted in a goal, but the ball was lost in the opposition's half and we let them run the whole pitch and score from 5 meters from the goal... Busquets, Mathieu and Vidal made even worse passes in our own half but were lucky enough it didn't end up in even more goals, we could have conceded at least 4 goals from Busquets alone...

I agree. Problem for me with Arda is that he plays like a playmaker. We don't need him to be a "10". We need him to be an "8". That means what he does off the ball is at least as important as what he does on the ball. To me, on the ball, his technical quality is only under Iniesta from all our CMs (still have to see Gomes more). But off the ball, his game shows problems. He's still useful as a player I think, but for a big offer around 30 - 35m. we should sell him. He's not exactly what we need atm., and I'm not sure he can be changed at this moment in his career.

 

[evilhita666]

I agree. Problem for me with Arda is that he plays like a playmaker. We don't need him to be a "10". We need him to be an "8". That means what he does off the ball is at least as important as what he does on the ball. To me, on the ball, his technical quality is only under Iniesta from all our CMs (still have to see Gomes more). But off the ball, his game shows problems. He's still useful as a player I think.

I think you nailed it, I was thinking the same during the match, it's his off the ball movement that's severely lacking... That's not to say he is not sloppy on possession some times, but he could really make a bigger impact if he knew where to go when he releases the ball... I also think he may still have some use, especially if we try a different formation in exceptional cases or we can play him as RB, hahahaha!

 

[DonAK]

I think he had a spell of some bad and some good. Him being so lethargic is the most bothersome issue with him. And with the added depth of Denis Suarez, Andre Gomes and Lucho's preference of Rafinha, it could be very difficult for him to get many minutes the way he is playing.

Arda the fighter is gone. I still think his legs are gone after his spell at Atletico and there's no way coming back from that. He'll just keep struggling more to keep up with the tempo of the game, especially if the intensity goes up. He wants to do well, but his legs won't allow him. Kind of get that feeling.

His technical quality might be great, but if he's tiring and not being able to get in to the right positions to release the ball or get it back then he won't be able to show much.

I guess it's not that he didn't want to run anymore for Simeone. It's just that he wasn't able to anymore. And you still require a lot at Barca, with Lucho being the fitness freak he is.

 

[evilhita666]

Arda the fighter is gone. I still think his legs are gone after his spell at Atletico and there's no way coming back from that. He'll just keep struggling more to keep up with the tempo of the game, especially if the intensity goes up. He wants to do well, but his legs won't allow him. Kind of get that feeling.

I agree with this also, and mentioned it last season... That shoe-throwing warrior spirit seems to have faded away, and it's harder to accept bad games when the player looks like he's not trying hard enough...

The question is that Lucho, the fitness freak, seems quite fond of Arda, so I don't really know what's going on...

 

[serghei]

The question is that Lucho, the fitness freak, seems quite fond of Arda, so I don't really know what's going on...

Only logical explanation is that Lucho thinks he can help him get back his fitness level. We'll see what happens.

 

[Flavia]

I agree... It's sad to say, but he was by far the best midfielder on the pitch until Iniesta and Rakitic came in... He's clearly not at the level we all expected, but the truth remains that the only reserve that deserves to be ahead of him is Roberto, and maaaaybe Denis if you push me...

And the mistake is exaggerated because it resulted in a goal, but the ball was lost in the opposition's half and we let them run the whole pitch and score from 5 meters from the goal... Busquets, Mathieu and Vidal made even worse passes in our own half but were lucky enough it didn't end up in even more goals, we could have conceded at least 4 goals from Busquets alone...

What bothers me more about him now, it's his laziness on the pitch. He's not really trying or showing a different posture from last season. He has quality, but I don't think he fits Barça. Lucho is using him in a position he's not very good at. I liked one combination he had in the edge of the box today, that's where he excels.

 

[F4THi]

Busquets had a 1000x worse performance yet doesn't get 10% of the criticism Arda gets, disgusting agenda

 

[amircule]

He seems to like getting better, but unfortunately his body isn't doing him any good.
I feel bad for him

 

[Flavia]

Busquets had a 1000x worse performance yet doesn't get 10% of the criticism Arda gets, disgusting agenda

Are you really comparing Busquets, a legendary DM for Barça, who is an important piece in Barça's success since 2008, to Arda? Busquets has credit, and a lot of it. If anyone has an agenda here, it's you.

 

[evilhita666]

Busquets had a 1000x worse performance yet doesn't get 10% of the criticism Arda gets, disgusting agenda

I'm trying to defend Arda, even though he's giving me very little to work with, but come on, Busquets is a club legend and has proved himself a thousand times so he gets some relief (even in absolutely horrible games like today)... On the other hand Arda hasn't really showed much for us, and is closer to be a failure than a success for our club, so no agenda at all...

 

[gasgas]

Who performed better in this game, Busquets or Arda?

 

[evilhita666]

Who performed better in this game, Busquets or Arda?

In my opinion, Arda performed better by a mile! That's not to say he had an impressive match, though...

 

[Stric]

That's true, Busquets is a Barca legend at this point - but there's something else here and it's called scapegoating. There's one scapegoat in each "era". Before Arda it was Fabregas. Obviously, a lot of the criticism is warranted, but so much of it isn't. There's been a huge overreaction regarding Arda's time here. Even if he was the best performer on the pitch, this thread would still be crawling with insults and criticism in the post-game hours.

 

[evilhita666]

That's true, Busquets is a Barca legend at this point - but there's something else here and it's called scapegoating. There's one scapegoat in each "era". Before Arda it was Fabregas. Obviously, a lot of the criticism is warranted, but so much of it isn't. There's been a huge overreaction regarding Arda's time here. Even if he was the best performer on the pitch, this thread would still be crawling with insults and criticism in the post-game hours.

I called it a few days ago, he's the new Alexis, because Fabregas was rightly called scum, hahaha!