Coutinho, Verratti or Mahrez?

[Pepe Silvia]

Im biased but I do agree w Xavi here: “Coutinho is a player I have always thought is special - but under [Liverpool coach Jurgen] Klopp he has gone up another level. On form there are not any better midfield players in Europe."

 

[hardyboy]

Im biased but I do agree w Xavi here: “Coutinho is a player I have always thought is special - but under [Liverpool coach Jurgen] Klopp he has gone up another level. On form there are not any better midfield players in Europe."

Xavi said that last year before the season. Coutinho hasn't shown any significant improvement to warrant himself the best midfielder in the world..

 

[serghei]

Which is precisely why I would think twice before spending £60m on him too. Especially considering that we might need another type of midfielder to function alongside Busquets if Messi's position is cemented behind the CF like a CAM.

Verratti can retain possession, dominate the center of the field, tempo of the game and is good defensively. Our priority might be a RW rather than an attacking midfielder, and for that role Bernardo Silva or someone like Ousmane Dembele(in 2018 or 2019) suits us better.

Hm, there is a pretty big chance imo that Coutinho has an extra gear in him that would be unlocked at a better team. Many players are like that. You could see that creatively, he's more advanced than his teammates at Liverpool, at Barcelona he'd be around Neymar for example, a player who speaks the same language. There are better options than him for what we need atm, but Coutinho as a replacement for Iniesta is a sweet option. And it would work on the left because Neymar works in defence as well, so it's not he'd be left alone to defend that flank. But yea, I also feel we need a CM more than an AM. Rakitic doesn't cut it anymore for me.

Verratti should be dropped from any discussion here. The man said like a dozen times he sees himself at PSG. Same with Thiago. I'd rather focus our energy on realistic targets, and drop names like Thiago, Verratti or Isco.

 

[gasgas]

Coutinho is a winger/CAM, we have plenty of those. There are plenty cheaper options in the market

Mahrez: yet another winger, left footed, cuts in, won't compliment Messi.
You can't have two players on the right all cutting in, it's chaotic. One needs to be able to overlap another

Veratti: deep laying playmaker, this is what we need.
Creative, Defensively solid, young, great passing and holding the ball.
Perfect midfielder for us

 

[Barcaman]

It's a silly poll. Verratti is never going to happen.

 

[serghei]

Coutinho is a winger/CAM, we have plenty of those. There are plenty cheaper options in the market

Mahrez: yet another winger, left footed, cuts in, won't compliment Messi.
You can't have two players on the right all cutting in, it's chaotic. One needs to be able to overlap another

Veratti: deep laying playmaker, this is what we need.
Creative, Defensively solid, young, great passing and holding the ball.
Perfect midfielder for us

Iniesta is a CAM as well. And he needs replacement too. Atm we have nobody good enough to play instead of Iniesta, who is really showing his age this season. Since we can't sign a CM like Koke or Verratti, we might as well go for a CAM to replace Iniesta, than to make a poor CM signing just for the sake of it.

I'd rather go with Rakitic/Gomes 1 more season and sign an Iniesta replacement instead, if the market does not allow us a top CM signing in the summer.

Anyway, we need CM/CAM, RB and possibly RW depending on Messi's desire to play in the right.

 

[gasgas]

Iniesta is a CAM as well. And he needs replacement too. Atm we have nobody good enough to play instead of Iniesta, who is really showing his age this season. Since we can't sign a CM like Koke or Verratti, we might as well go for a CAM to replace Iniesta, than to make a poor CM signing just for the sake of it.

I'd rather go with Rakitic/Gomes 1 more season and sign an Iniesta replacement instead, if the market does not allow us a top CM signing in the summer.

Anyway, we need CM/CAM, RB and possibly RW depending on Messi's desire to play in the right.

Lol Iniesta is not a CAM, he's a CM

You tell me which set suits Iniesta better

Set 1: Hazard, Debruyne, Ozi, Di Maria, Arda

Set 2: Modric, Verratti, Thiago, Koke, Pogba,


Iniesta fits better with the second set who are all CMs. because he is a CM
He can't be replaced by a #10 or winger. He is replaced by a CM

If we can't sign a proper CM save the money for when you can. We are already transforming Messi to a CAM, what's the use of adding another CAM.Why have a CAM overload while our CM is a mess???

 

[gasgas]

Coutinho Vs Hazard

Literally the same playing position

Both wingers/CAM none of them fits as the CM Barca needs

 

[serghei]

Lol Iniesta is not a CAM, he's a CM

You tell me which set suits Iniesta better

Set 1: Hazard, Debruyne, Ozi, Di Maria, Arda

Set 2: Modric, Verratti, Thiago, Koke, Pogba,


Iniesta fits better with the second set who are all CMs. because he is a CM
He can't be replaced by a #10 or winger. He is replaced by a CM

If we can't sign a proper CM save the money for when you can. We are already transforming Messi to a CAM, what's the use of adding another CAM.Why have a CAM overload while our CM is a mess???

Iniesta is a CAM. Not a CM.

Set 1.

 

[gasgas]

Iniesta is a CAM. Not a CM.

Set 1.

 

[serghei]

Iniesta was always the more attacking part of Busi - Xavi - Iniesta. Busi was DM, Xavi was CM, and Iniesta was CAM. Ozil and Iniesta are similar players in terms of positioning. Just because Iniesta is less of a goalscorer doesn't mean he is a central midfielder.

 

[BigBarcaBoy]

Veratti

 

[gasgas]

Iniesta was always the more attacking part of Busi - Xavi - Iniesta. Busi was DM, Xavi was CM, and Iniesta was CAM. Ozil and Iniesta are similar players in terms of positioning. Just because Iniesta is less of a goalscorer doesn't mean he is a central midfielder.

Being more attacking of the trio doesn't make him a CAM
Busi was the DM, Xavi and Iniesta were the CMs
One could argue that Messi at False 9 was more of a CAM than Iniesta

Ozil and Iniesta are not similar at all
Ozil plays closest to the box, and his primary goal is to score/assist. If he had top goalscoring abilities, we wouldsay Ozil's role is closer to Messi than Iniesta


Iniesta on the otherhand coordinates our midfield, helps us keep the ball better in midfield and with his dribbling, he helps break the dreadlock and provide room for which players like Neymar and Messi can score and assist

 

[serghei]

Being more attacking of the trio doesn't make him a CAM
Busi was the DM, Xavi and Iniesta were the CMs
One could argue that Messi at False 9 was more of a CAM than Iniesta

Ozil and Iniesta are not similar at all
Ozil plays closest to the box, and his primary goal is to score/assist. If he had top goalscoring abilities, we wouldsay Ozil's role is closer to Messi than Iniesta


Iniesta on the otherhand coordinates our midfield, helps us keep the ball better in midfield and with his dribbling, he helps break the dreadlock and provide room for which players like Neymar and Messi can score and assist

I think you're mixing up Xavi's and Iniesta's roles. Iniesta always had the tendency to go up when on the ball. In fact, this is the reason Iniesta's game suffered under Lucho a lot of times, because his role has been changed into a CM with more defensive duties, while his natural abilty is that of an attacking midfielder.

Even for Spain, Iniesta was an attacking midfielder, with Xavi being CM, and Xabi Alonso and Busi being a DLP/DM double pivot.

 

[gasgas]

I think you're mixing up Xavi's and Iniesta's roles. Iniesta always had the tendency to go up when on the ball. In fact, this is the reason Iniesta's game suffered under Lucho a lot of times, because his role has been changed into a CM with more defensive duties, while his natural abilty is that of an attacking midfielder.

Even for Spain, Iniesta was an attacking midfielder, with Xavi being CM, and Xabi Alonso and Busi being a DLP/DM double pivot.

Iniesta is a CM, by being a CM you tend to be hybrid. You can play more defensively (DM-like) and more attacking (CAM-like)
Just look at the players i mentioned in Set 2 as CMs you can play them beside a DM and as a CAM without a problem

But try playing players in Set 1 deeper and you will see hell run loose.

So his ability to attack as a CM is fine, Verratti plays very deep for PSG for example but when he goes up it's a key pass or a dribble. CMs tend to be versatile but CAMs nahh

That is why with Iniesta. There were times with Rjikaard he played very deep, with Pep he played further forward because we had Xavi and Iniesta

And with Lucho he plays deeper because we need his CM abilities there


This is something you can't do with Coutinho, Ozil. You either have them play closer to goal where they can score or assist, otherwise they are dead


For Spain Iniesta had to be a CAM, you have two DMs in Xabi and Busquets and a playmaker. He had to be given attacking duties

But his natural position doesnt change. He's a CM