Devils
Senior Member
Seri, Denis, Veratti, Dybala, Arthur...
Anytime a player is linked with Barca and Xavi is asked about it his answer nowadays is always the same..."He has Barca DNA"
Arthur
- Thread starter Jair Ventura
- Start date
Seri, Denis, Veratti, Dybala, Arthur...
Anytime a player is linked with Barca and Xavi is asked about it his answer nowadays is always the same..."He has Barca DNA"
SeloBarca
Senior Member
He has also said that alot of players in La Masia dont have Barca DNA and that the Academy has become to sloppy.
He also thinks that we shouldnt buy back players that once left Barcelona, they left for a reason.
But ye, barca DNA has become a thing, and media probably have their part in making him say it.
He also thinks that we shouldnt buy back players that once left Barcelona, they left for a reason.
But ye, barca DNA has become a thing, and media probably have their part in making him say it.
Blaugrana Bull
HiiiPoWeR
The best players and core of the team are "technical" players. Messi and Busi.
Diversity in the squad is needed but the best players in world are never workhorses. Some have a high work rate yes, but that is not their outstanding ability.
Diversity in the squad is needed but the best players in world are never workhorses. Some have a high work rate yes, but that is not their outstanding ability.
DonAndres
Wild Man of Borneo
Your biggest mistake here is the assumption that all of football history is equal in relevance. It simply isn't. Football is and has been evolving and you seem to be living in the past needing to catch up. Pretty much all of those 107 years before Messi are completely irrelevant to what it takes to be a winning, superior side in today's football.
The reason why superior midfield play and the ability to control the game is so crucial to success these days is because that is how football evolved. When Pep and Barca rose to the top of the world, they redefined what the template for a truly elite team looks like and evolved tactics to be better suited for winning. The rise of 'Messiesque' or 'Xaviesque' short technical players everywhere in the sport of football has been a dominating trend this past decade in line with how the game is played the right way now.
I've little doubt right now that a team like the current Man City would thrash most if not all historically significant European club teams from before 2008. There's a reason why in the recent years the teams with the best technical players have been overwhelmingly successful over their lesser so rivals. RM have been playing counterattacking physical football for years but it was Kroos+Modric and the evolution into the premier midfield in Europe that got them to be back to back CL champions, never would've happened without them. Both Pep's Barca and our 14/15 team had an insane midfield + Messi who singlehandedly wins midfield battles. Heynckes Bayern also had that superiority in the center of the park. City now are dominating the EPL like almost no one has ever done because of the way they adhered to Pep's system and built a roster with the best midfield and elite technical players.
Pep, Messi, Xavi. These were the pioneers but even they are NOT the whole big picture. It's not "just because we have Messi" that the technical Barca team has been successful, but rather because that is now the best way to ensure victory and other teams have been gaining a taste of Barca's success by using the same principles and similar (but worse) players. It's the key, the critical evolution of the game. And teams either adapt to it or get left behind.
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BBZ8800
Senior Member
It seems that you, but all of us, see only what we want to see and our fixated only on that part.
Imo, I said it numerous times, teams were shocked in 2009 and didn't know how to defend against it.
It was a shock and teams were caught off guard.
So, TikiTaka was awesome, but a huge part of it's success was that shock and how the opponents were confused.
Over the next 2-3-4 years, little by little, the opponents figured out 2 things:
1. how to defend better AGAINST Barca
2. and how to kill Barca in the most efficient way (quick counters)
And then more or less, all teams started to play in the same way against Barca.
Some fans will say:
1. no, TikiTaka didn't become less efficient. It is about our coaches, players, ageing Xavi/Iniesta.
We don't press/run/play triangles as before, whatever.
For football, you always need 2 sides.
And a part of your strength and results depends on your opponents.
If Xavi-Iniesta will play at 100% in 2009' against teams who are shocked with TikiTaka, they will win 34 matches out of 38.
If you will clone Xavi-Iniesta in the 2014 (4 years later), and let's say that Xavi-Iniesta will be of the same age as in 2009, their team won't win 34 out 38 matches, but let's say 30 out of 38 matches.
Now, the same, copy Xavi-Iniesta into 2018, and their play will win 26-28 matches out of 38.
Again, BECAUSE teams have learned how to neutralize Xavi-Iniesta type of play (park 2 buses of 4+4 players infront of your box, leave the flanks open since Barca won't cross, try to kill Barca on counters whenever possible).
Go back and look La Liga matches from 2008-09 and check how an average La Liga team defended against us in 2009 and how they defended in 2012, 2014 or 2016.
Ok, people will add: but Xavi declined, blah blah, this is why we weren't as good anymore.
Well, ok, we can't actually clone Xavi. But also, we won't ever have a new Xavi again.
So, Barca's version of declined Xavi is the best version of Barca in a current era which you can get.
1. so, we won't have a new Xavi, the brain of TikiTaka
2. plus, teams learned to neutralize TikiTaka way better than in 2009-2011 when they were shocked
About RM, this is the part imo where you see only what you want to see.
You are mentioning Kroos, Modric, Isco etc.
Now, for example, remove CR7, Benzema and Bale and put Pep's attack into RM's sides.
You will have an awesome midfield (Modric, Kroos, Isco), but you will have attacking line from 2009 with physically weak players in Jesus, Sane and similar.
Now, imagine Kross, Modric, Sane, Jesus. Lol, I don't want to imagine that team.
Park a bus against them, and they are dead.
There is no room on the ground and they don't have a plan B.
And why did Real won all these CL trophies?
= because they had a Plan B (unline Barca and Man City) and actual players who can score and win in their plan B, and those were Cr7, Benz, Morata, Bale, all players who can score both:
1. with feet (Barca's style)
2. with head (Barca can't do that)
3. longshots (Barca does that rarely)
4. corners (we suck there)
Remove Real's headers after crosses and headers after free kicks and they would win 15 points less in each season and they wouldn't win those 3 CLs.
So, Kroos and Modric DID help, but they are only A PART of a story.
Real won because they had the whole package:
1. faster, mobile, technical midfield
2. attackers able to score in a lot of ways (unlike Barca's classical short forwards)
And there it is, you see only what you want to see.
You see Real's success mostly in midfield.
While I see their success as a mix of:
1. midfield
2. attackers able to score in 3-4 different way, unlike Barca's/City's players
I mean, again imagine a team of: Coutinho-Alena-Arthur, Griezmann-Messi (and xx player).
This team will play good through the ground.
Which will be good enough against majority of La liga teams, even though we will struggle more than in 2009.
But in a CL, wehn we'll face Juve/Bayern/Atletico/Real/Psg, you'll have the same old thing as in the last 15 years, when almost in every single CL defeat, we lost to physically stronger teams.
Btw, if you'll ask me what is my dream team/dream tactics, well my dream for Barca is what a German NT team is doing (or Bayern pre-Pep):
1. playing TikiTaka (or a version of it), playing a possession based football
2. but with taller, stronger, faster (and yet technical midfielders), like German NT midfielders
3. and having attackers who are tall, strong, fast and technical (like German attackers) who can score both with feet, head, longshots and after corners
So, I am not actually dreaming about 11 Fellainis.
I am dreaming about slightly taller, stronger and faster Barca.
And so, Coutinho-Alena-Arthur is not what I want to see on a field.
If we have 1 Coutinho, we need to pair him with 1-2 stronger midfielders like Rakitic.
In attack, we can't play with guys like Munir, Arnaiz and similar. What Real and German NT is doing, imo, is a way to go.
Real still played like Barca (in midfield), right?
Germany is also playing like Barca, right?
Also, can you reply, what is your answer: why are our players falling down like 13 years old kids against some strong teams (Atletico, Psg, Juve), like in a Psg vs Barca last year:
Some fans will reply: lol, this is not because of short players. This is because of Lucho's bad tactics.
But then again, since 2000, we have lost almost every CL KO round in the same fashion.
Every year, we lost in the same way as Lucho's Barca against Psg and Juve.
I have said a lot of times that I have a feeling as watching the same match over and over for 20 years. (We play technical and nicer, they play less nice but have stronger players and we usually lose 1:2).
It is not as if we short players can never win a CL.
If we buy 3 Coutinhos and play with short players, we will probably win 1 CL in 5-6 or 10 attempts, like with MSN.
It is not as if Pep invented a technical/possession style.
We always played that way, but he brought it to an extreme level.
But imo, Pep is stuck and he isn't evolving.
As said, I would rather have a German's NT team style than Pep's city's style.
If Pep will face 2 physically stronger teams (Bayern, Juve, Psg), I don't see how he will survive.
If he will be lucky with a draw and he will face only Portos, Shakhtars and similar, he can go all the way.
But still, as always, I would like to see Pep's teams vs German-type of teams like Bayern or Real from the last 4 years.
Pep plays like Spain in 2010.
While these teams play like Germany in 2014.
That is my view on Pep's and TikiTakas evolution.
His evolution is:
1. buy even more expensive/better players for TikiTaka and do the same thing over and over
2. or raise TikiTaka to even higher/better level
The option:
3. trying a plan B or something new as a new weapon when a Plan A is not working=doesn't exist in his head
This is how I see lots of guys on this forum.
When our team is not working, instead of trying evolving or trying a plan B with a different type of attacks/players, the answer is always: we need to go back and buy Xavi's type of a controller, Iniesta's type of a player etc.
I mean, when I see someone seriously mentioning Coutinho-Alena partnership as something which could work in a CL against stronger teams in 2020, 2022 or 2025, it is really hard to even try to reply on these posts and these ideas.
So, one more time, I don't want 11 Rakitics or 11 Fellainis (even though Raki is way better).
I want some Coutinhos, but paired with some German type of players whoa re offering both some muscle and technique.
I have wrote before and I will stick to it: imo, 2009's Pep's team would struggle today and it would experience similar problems to Tata's and Luchos' teams in terms of huge problems in breaking (evolved) buses.
Buses in 2009 were on a Mickey Mouse level.
The opponents evolved.
Lots of our fans are still stuck in 2009'.
DonAndres
Wild Man of Borneo
Football only evolves forward. This is the case with literally every sport, basketball for example will never revert back to how 3 pointers were less emphasized before the late 2000's. Yes, Pep was not the first to ever play 'possession football' but it is simply naive to think Cruyff's total football of the 90's or Ajax's before that was really even that close to the system that brought Barca to the top of the world in 2009. It was a clear step forward in football that combined the most evolved tactical systems both offensively (control, ball movement, spacing) and defensively (high pressure, collective defensive unit) in a way that truly revolutionized the sport. Cruyff's Barca or Ajax never got even close to perfecting it the way Pep did.
Also, I believe you're missing the big picture here. It is not about HOW the goals are scored. Zidane's and Ancelotti's RM emphasize crossing and wingplay to attack the goal WAY more than Pep's Barca ever did. It's the foundation, the fundamental approach to the game that was different from others. We've scored 'tiki taka' goals with or without Xavi/Iniesta and that midfield, and RM have scored a lot of heavy wingplay crossing/crowding the box type goals with or without Kroos/Modric.
The *key* difference is that they had the midfield to control the center of the pitch, pin the opponent back, and inflict their will on the game. It is being proactive and having control of the outcome, that leaves the opponent at the mercy of your players and how well they perform on the day. The alternative is having less control of a game, being more open/end to end, and thus giving your opponent more room to punish you and opening up the probability in favor of the opponent. They have more CHANCES to upset you or catch you off guard, versus being suffocated and not having the chance to play the way they want to.
You have a mathematical mind so I'll draw it out for you in those terms. The more control of a game you have increases:
-# of chances for your team to drive at the goal
-Time on the ball in their half (more time to run the attacking plays that favor you most)
-less time on the ball for opponents to have opportunities
-less space for opponent attackers to occupy dangerous positions (they are pinned back, and thus nullified)
It's probability. The best and most efficient approach to winning, combined with having the quality players to break the defense down in the final third.
It's very similar to chess. He who controls the center dictates how the game plays out and is in charge of the flow, while the opponent is left REACTING to that and playing the game you want. You maximize your effectiveness and offensive opportunities while also totally nullifying the opponent, all in one stroke. From all of Pep's quotes the idea seems that he had a very strict control of how we played the game in the center and as a collective, plus the defensive pressing and shape of the team. However, he says he didn't tell Messi anything about how to attack, he wasn't strict about HOW chances are created in the final 3rd (we also had plenty of crossing from Alves for example), as those are things that vary based on space/positioning of the defense. It was just about securing the control of the midfield and the tempo of the game, everything beyond that rests on the quality of the players more than anything else.
If we look at RM during Mou's era vs RM post 2014 under Zidane/Ancelotti they both score a lot of the same types of goals. However they became far more consistent with Kroos/Modric as weaker teams were less likely to build momentum against them and take control of the game. Instead of just relying on the superiority of their goalscorers and chance creators they had a blueprint to take control and inflict their will on opponents more, and they won most of their difficult CL ties being by far the more overwhelming side. Pep's City too is more reliant on wingplay and crossing than his Barca system. But again, it's that central pillar of midfield and control and dominance that makes them that superior, it's not about whether it was 'fast/physical crossing goals vs tiki taka goals'.
And yes, parking the bus is a counter-strategy to high controlling teams. However, that is not a sustained way of succeeding and no team that sits back has been successful in Europe for more than 1 year (Chelsea and Inter) whereas others like Juve/Atleti sustained their performance in Europe making it to multiple finals but once more being thrashed by the very high controlling teams that were better than them. It CAN work, as it forces the possession side's players to be performing at their best to create chances and finish them with little space. However it's very reliant on luck to actually overcome the superior side, as Chelsea showed. Atleti also stopped us with bus-parking strategies but that was in a period where our coaching and squad was very weak and unbalanced (plus major defensive woes), it is not anywhere near a proper representation of what total football is. Last season was a clusterfuck, PSG 4-0'd us and never parked the bus doing it they were just better which is why the subsquent Juve loss also clearly indicates issues of lineup balance and squad issues (Mathieu in Turin should be ample reminder).
M
MessiCam
Guest
[MENTION=16942]BBZ8800[/MENTION] has a predefined conclusion and is working backwards to support it.
But Xavi in a recent interview has already addressed this. The problem was not Barcelona's midfield being overrun by physically stronger sides (since when are Verratti and Rabiot physical beasts?) but rather Lucho's tactics of inviting pressure in his own half in order to play in the forwards with a long ball. He spoke in length about the training involved in such tactics too like the midfielders training specifically for 10 - 15 metre sprints while the defenders and wingers had their own longer distance program etc. He said he didn't like these tactics as it's better to play with the ball in the opposition half because the opposition first has to recover the ball and then has to cover significantly more ground on the counter. Look at Lucho's passing maps and you always fins needless passing amongst the defenders and not concentrated in midfield. Valverde has addressed this, thank god.
In other analysis, and this was discussed to death, the conclusion was that playing Messi as a right wing caused Lucho an endless amount of problems because they essentially played a midfielder short because of the need of the RCM to cover for a centrally drifting Messi. After that PSG game Lucho adopted a 3-3-1-3 or a 4-3-1-2 system depending on the opposition in order to get Messi in a central position and maintain midfield balance and they went on to lose only 2 games (Malaga and Juventus) after the tactical change. I think Barcelona dominated against Juventus but there is nothing you can do when a team defends like that and Suarez and Iniesta missed golden chances too.
Anyway, [MENTION=16942]BBZ8800[/MENTION] also needs to ask himself how workhorses will cope against a parked bus...
Edit: Had to sort out some stuff so couldn't finish my post...
Also, BBZ keeps harping on about the Champions League but it's very difficult to win. Since 1990 (around the time of Cruyff's era), no team has played in more finals than Barcelona (6). Winning 5 and losing 1. The only other teams to have played in 6 are Real Madrid (winning all of them), Juventus (winning 1 and losing 5) and Milan (winning 3 and losing 3).
As said in an earlier post, his idea that Barcelona field players of the German national team stature is tantamount to complete abandonment of the clubs style and values because it is not just based on possession but position and play too. Players can't stay in their positions when there is a lack of technical ability to win duels. (Would you trust Paulinho/Gomes/Rakitic to beat a press or would you trust Iniesta/Coutinho to do so so you can maintain your position and wait for the pass?)
And who are these strong, technical players he speaks of in the German team other than Kroos and maybe Draxler?
But Xavi in a recent interview has already addressed this. The problem was not Barcelona's midfield being overrun by physically stronger sides (since when are Verratti and Rabiot physical beasts?) but rather Lucho's tactics of inviting pressure in his own half in order to play in the forwards with a long ball. He spoke in length about the training involved in such tactics too like the midfielders training specifically for 10 - 15 metre sprints while the defenders and wingers had their own longer distance program etc. He said he didn't like these tactics as it's better to play with the ball in the opposition half because the opposition first has to recover the ball and then has to cover significantly more ground on the counter. Look at Lucho's passing maps and you always fins needless passing amongst the defenders and not concentrated in midfield. Valverde has addressed this, thank god.
In other analysis, and this was discussed to death, the conclusion was that playing Messi as a right wing caused Lucho an endless amount of problems because they essentially played a midfielder short because of the need of the RCM to cover for a centrally drifting Messi. After that PSG game Lucho adopted a 3-3-1-3 or a 4-3-1-2 system depending on the opposition in order to get Messi in a central position and maintain midfield balance and they went on to lose only 2 games (Malaga and Juventus) after the tactical change. I think Barcelona dominated against Juventus but there is nothing you can do when a team defends like that and Suarez and Iniesta missed golden chances too.
Anyway, [MENTION=16942]BBZ8800[/MENTION] also needs to ask himself how workhorses will cope against a parked bus...
Edit: Had to sort out some stuff so couldn't finish my post...
Also, BBZ keeps harping on about the Champions League but it's very difficult to win. Since 1990 (around the time of Cruyff's era), no team has played in more finals than Barcelona (6). Winning 5 and losing 1. The only other teams to have played in 6 are Real Madrid (winning all of them), Juventus (winning 1 and losing 5) and Milan (winning 3 and losing 3).
As said in an earlier post, his idea that Barcelona field players of the German national team stature is tantamount to complete abandonment of the clubs style and values because it is not just based on possession but position and play too. Players can't stay in their positions when there is a lack of technical ability to win duels. (Would you trust Paulinho/Gomes/Rakitic to beat a press or would you trust Iniesta/Coutinho to do so so you can maintain your position and wait for the pass?)
And who are these strong, technical players he speaks of in the German team other than Kroos and maybe Draxler?
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BBZ8800
Senior Member
You didn't get me.
My idea is not to park the bus.
This is what others are doing against TikiTaka.
My idea is instead of blindly repeating the same thing and expecting a different outcome (Einstein's words) is to try change something.
I'll try in numbers, it is easier for me.
Let's say that Pep's Barca 95% of shortpasses and 5% of counters and crosses.
Also, in Pep's Barca, there is 99% of possession and 99% of short, technical players.
My idea is: move away ONLY slightly from Pep's ideas.
So, lower the obssession about possession from 99% to 80%.
And have a mixture of Coutinhos and some Rakitics.
And to drop amount of short players from 99% to 70%.
In short:
If you have a 168cm player, he will be good on a ball, and good in tight spaces.
But weaker in arial duels and in some physical duels.
If you have a 190cm stronger guy, he will be better in duels but weaker in tight spaces.
So, you can't have both worlds: a short guy and a tall guy with a lot of strength.
Then, my idea is (this is just an example, I wouldn't actually measure player's height and strength):
= instead of Pep's idea to play with physically weak players with 168-172 cm height, let's move to 176 cm tall guys.
Or another analogy:
If Pep plays with 90% technique and 10% muscles
= let's evolve and move to 80% or 85% technique and let's have 15-20% muscles
Again, my idea is NOT play with 11 Fellaini's.
But I would be willing to sacrifice some small amount of beauty, dribbles and technique for a little more height, pace and strength.
IF Rijkaard's Barca played 8,5/10 in terms of beauty.
And if Pep's Barca played 10/10.
Well, I would be willing to sacrifice some beauty and go back to a 8 or 8,5 level of beauty.
If we will gain other things like midfield balance, defense, some pace and strength.
So again, I am not actually dreaming of 11 Fellainis who will play hit and run football.
I still want Barca, Barca who will play nice.
But playing Pep's level of nice is not my priority and not my goal, because again, I think that Pep's teams will fail in CLs.
About a RM, I understand that midfield control brings more possession and more chances.
But we talked about that also. Seri is slow. Arthur is questionable.
RM's midfielders again seem faster and stronger than Seri and Arthur (and Coutinho and Alena).
So, it seems that we are going in circles (our board) all the time.
Coutinho needs to play with Rakitic.
Coutinho can't play with Seri or Alena.
Rakitic on the other hand, needs Alena or Coutinho around him.
Rakitic can't play with Paulinho or Gomes.
So, Rakitic+Gomes is not the answer.
But Coutinho paired with Alena is also a disaster (since we are not in 2009 anymore) also.
So, if we have 1 Coutinho, we will need muscles in some other midfield players.
So, I would just tune down Pep's ideas from 100% to 80% and add some muscles and pace, and a plan B (crosses, counters, corners).
About City, you mentioned that they play crosses.
Well, that is a wrong plan since they have Jesus in the middle.
That is the same as playing crosses for Messi, Villa and Iniesta.
I said, NOT only during Lucho.
Barca is losing against the same type of teams since 2000, and always in the same way.
With or without Lucho.
We played 6 finals, and 4 with Messi, so mortal Barca actually played only 2 finals.
So, we played 2 finals (or 4 more with cheating codes called Messi).
And teams without aliens, like Juve and Rm managed to play 6 finals.
Why?
Because they have more dimensional play than our classical style.
When you remove Messi from maths, teams whom I admire to some extent are more successful than ours: play with short technical players till death.
I said above: Rakitic-Gomes duo sucks.
I wouldn't trust them.
But also, Coutinho-Iniesta duo sucks. They would have been eaten alive by Bayern or Juve.
We would look like 13 years old kids (Denis Suarez) playing vs grown men.
Aboout German NT team, their height in the last WC final:
Midfield: 191, 186, 183, 183, 180
Attack: 184 cm
And then, you would apply a pressure on them with Coutinho-Iniesta duo.
Good luck with that.
Now, try to apply a pressure with Coutinho-Rakitic and we have way more balance suddenly.
That is exactly my point.
Cou-Rakitic is way better than what some of you want here in: Cou-Alena-Busi and similar nonsense.
M
MessiCam
Guest
BBZ8800 is crediting only Messi (the most technical player on the planet) for 4 Barcelona finals. I wonder what Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Henry, Ronaldinho did... Twiddle their thumbs I suppose.
I also don’t know where he gets the idea of a Coutinho/Iniesta duo... The only time I’d go along with it is if Iniesta could play a deeper role at a really high level. It’s why I’ve been calling for a deep lying playmaker.
He’s also of the opinion that pressuring an opponent is all about physically bullying them off the ball. It’s not... It’s just as much about forcing plays into certain areas and inducing mistakes.
But anyway, technical players win over physicality all day long for me.
I also don’t know where he gets the idea of a Coutinho/Iniesta duo... The only time I’d go along with it is if Iniesta could play a deeper role at a really high level. It’s why I’ve been calling for a deep lying playmaker.
He’s also of the opinion that pressuring an opponent is all about physically bullying them off the ball. It’s not... It’s just as much about forcing plays into certain areas and inducing mistakes.
But anyway, technical players win over physicality all day long for me.
khaled_a_d
Senior Member
If there is a ridiculously good & young player,whether he is very technical or physical freak, I doubt any of you would be against him in the team
Ultimately the question about Arthur is how good is he?
We aren't buying him due to a need anyway,our midfield can do the job next season most likely.
Ultimately the question about Arthur is how good is he?
We aren't buying him due to a need anyway,our midfield can do the job next season most likely.
jamrock
Senior Member
I'm on my phone was always so I don't have the time to type a long story or present this the way I would like.
But here is a list of all the past CL winners
https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/champions/index.html#/
Out of this list, who are the winners that weren't the best tactical & technical team.
Also of this list how many were the bigger and better physical team.
Go throw in all and give me the list I'll wait.?
At the end of the day the team with the most talent shines through more often than not.
bbz is stuck in that 2-3 year period where the physical teams like Chelsea would do well in the CL and inter ( who needed a volcano and a incorrect office goal to beat us), forgetting that even in that period we won with our midgets because they were vastly superior technically.
But here is a list of all the past CL winners
https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/champions/index.html#/
Out of this list, who are the winners that weren't the best tactical & technical team.
Also of this list how many were the bigger and better physical team.
Go throw in all and give me the list I'll wait.?
At the end of the day the team with the most talent shines through more often than not.
bbz is stuck in that 2-3 year period where the physical teams like Chelsea would do well in the CL and inter ( who needed a volcano and a incorrect office goal to beat us), forgetting that even in that period we won with our midgets because they were vastly superior technically.
xXKonan
Senior Member
According to Miguel Rico, Andre Cury is in Brazil to negotiate with Gremio for Arthur.
http://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fc-barcelona/20180126/44285156154/cury-arthur-brasil-barca.html
http://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fc-barcelona/20180126/44285156154/cury-arthur-brasil-barca.html
M
MessiCam
Guest
I’ve already said I don’t have a problem with physical or workhorse type players. My issues lay in that for some reason our midfield is awash with them. Paulinho, Rakitic, Gomes as well as Roberto.
Roberto, although not physical, I can understand because he has morphed into a workhorse (probably due to his utilitarian nature) but he has good technical as well as tactical abilities. Him and one of Rakitic/Paulinho should be enough. With Iniesta, Coutinho and Busquets we’re only ever going to need 1 at any given time.
Also, I’ve watched Arthur play, and I don’t doubt his ability. He is fantastic for his age both defensively as well as with the ball and a deep lying playmaker is exactly what we’re missing to make any sort of expansive system work. The fee Gremio want is unrealistic though.
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