Illuminati confirmed .
Illuminati confirmed .
Where's Mandrake; I've got a few inquisitive questions for our intermittent fan.
I saw BBZ was fanboying over Raki again (comparing him to Messi, etc, on another thread; or something like that) and it prompted me to ask you something a little more relevant and stylistically pertinent since both play in midfield unlike Rakitic and Messi who are worlds apart and nothing alike:
1- Who do you think is the better player, peak Vidal or peak Rakitic?
2 - Who do you think has had the better career our of the two?
3 - Who do you think will have the better season for us?
4 - Do you think Vidal will eventually bench Raki once he settles in here?
1. I haven't followed Rakitic as much as Vidal. I can say that peak Vidal, which was probably 2013-2014, was ridiculous. I think it was during that season that he was Juve's top goal scorer, player with most assists and player with most ball recoveries. I believe they're a bit different, Vidal being more a b2b midfielder and Rakitic a more classical quality CM.
2. Career wise, Vidal has played in 3 of europes top teams and won many titles and Raki has only played at 1 so far, but he's won more than Vidal. Internationally, he did reach a WC final with Croatia which is probably even with Vidals 2 copas with Chile. I think Raki has an edge on who's had a better career so far.
3. I'm not sure how Vidal is doing after his last knee surgery. Most of his seasons in Europe he gets his best form around march. At a club like Barça that's usually fighting every title at that time that is good news. Raki is coming from an intense WC, where he was pushed to the limit, so he'll probably take a while to hit his stride again. Vidals winner mentality makes me think he'll have the better season. He won't allow himself to not perform.
4. I think they can play together fine. Vidal in Chile's NT shares the midfield with Díaz, Aranguiz and Valdivia quite successfully. I think Busi is similar to Díaz, Rakitic with Aranguiz and Valdivia with Coutinho. I'm not sure if Barça is going to play 4 4 2 or 4 3 3. Vidal is an extremely versatile player; he's played as LB, CD, libero, CM and AM. I really enjoy watching him as AM, since with his pressing capability and quality tackles it means he's recovering the ball almost at the other teams box. But I think Barça have enough quality in the AM department and want him a little further back. But it's always good to have the alternative.
Rumoured numbers:
7 - Malcom
8 - Arthur
15 - Lenglet
22 - Vidal
Huge pressure on Malcom if he takes 7.
Coutinho already got the #7 last week.
How would you rate his performance?
Promising imo. Looks good coming after an injury.
This guy is a beast. I he stays fit and focused he will be an automatic starter.
Rakitic and Busquets have nothing on him.