Daniel Alves

[Mr Hulot]

Sorry,maybe I am sentimental, but I cannot imagine Barcelona to just give up on Alves just because he played a bit below his own extremely high standards..I mean after all these years, don't you people start to bond with our players as characters too?
Of course the club is bigger than players, but that football manager 2013 logic of yours doesn't seem pleasant at all to me and that is the reason I liked a lot the fact that Puyol signed a contract that will keep him until he is 38 years old, even though he is not as excellent as he once was..

 

[xaviniesta]

Emotional post.

well said

 

[Deco 20]

Another good game.

He did make some weird passes in attack but was near flawless in defense. I had him as my MotM (just)

 

[xaviniesta]

he was really good, but lets be fair, not MOTM. but i can see that you are just trying to make a point here, which is still very good. him and pique are vital to this team.

 

[DonAndres]

Good game. Probably not MOTM worthy but MUCHHHHHHH better than last game. Although i found it weird how much he was drifting centrally while pedro was still out wide.

Also to those who are wanting him to leave, the moment we have depth in defense you want to sell a guy because his starting role could be displaced? Obviously he isn't who he used to be and he isn't undisputed starter with Montoya and Adriano fighting for starts. However it's actually good that all of them are there. The competition for the fullback spots can only make them improve. Even as Alves does degrade with age, we need him to keep squad depth and have an alternative outlet so that we remain a strong side. Imagine if Alba were to get injured. We would ultimately have to revert back to the right side because then the attacking fullback would be Dani. Just because he isn't as great or as important as before doesn't mean he isn't vital.

 

[Deco 20]

he was really good, but lets be fair, not MOTM. but i can see that you are just trying to make a point here, which is still very good. him and pique are vital to this team.

I'm obviously using different standards for Messi and Alves

He'd still be in my top 3 regardless, based only on performance and not reputation as I believe he was our best defender while other candidates for MotM all had something going against them. For Cesc it was the fouls which should/could have resulted in a red card, he was way to reckless. Pique almost lost the ball in his own penalty area. Thiago only played for about 20 minutes. Messi had a stat-piler game cesc. Busquets did very well in the second half but did make some dangerous passes and Málaga neutralized our midfield in the first half, especially until the goal. Iniesta dribbled brilliantly but his passing was wayward.

 

[xaviniesta]

I'm obviously using different standards for Messi and Alves

He'd still be in my top 3 regardless, based only on performance and not reputation as I believe he was our best defender while other candidates for MotM all had something going against them. For Cesc it was the fouls which should/could have resulted in a red card, he was way to reckless. Pique almost lost the ball in his own penalty area. Thiago only played for about 20 minutes. Messi had a stat-piler game cesc. Busquets did very well in the second half but did make some dangerous passes and Málaga neutralized our midfield in the first half, especially until the goal. Iniesta dribbled brilliantly but his passing was wayward.

exactly, everybody had their own little downways, but thats the point, you are using dani to make a point. he himself did make some bad passes with linking midfielders and gave away possession. as for messi, i don't think he had a stat-piler game, i think he actually was really good this time.

 

[Stric]

Good game. Probably not MOTM worthy but MUCHHHHHHH better than last game. Although i found it weird how much he was drifting centrally while pedro was still out wide.

Also to those who are wanting him to leave, the moment we have depth in defense you want to sell a guy because his starting role could be displaced? Obviously he isn't who he used to be and he isn't undisputed starter with Montoya and Adriano fighting for starts. However it's actually good that all of them are there. The competition for the fullback spots can only make them improve. Even as Alves does degrade with age, we need him to keep squad depth and have an alternative outlet so that we remain a strong side. Imagine if Alba were to get injured. We would ultimately have to revert back to the right side because then the attacking fullback would be Dani. Just because he isn't as great or as important as before doesn't mean he isn't vital.

That's not the problem. The problem is that we paid an incredible amount of money for him. You don't expect a 26 mil € player (now) to compete for a spot with Montoya (with all due respect). Sure, everybody has their ups and downs, but Dani has been unreliable for about a year now. The same problem with Sanchez. Having depth is great, but having 26 mil sit on the bench is not. That's why with such players you either expect them to step up and get their shit together, or sell them before their price drops even lower. It's unreasonable to keep such expensive players for competition for spots only.

 

[Deco 20]

Well you're right in a way, but his mistakes weren't as dangerous, and he was definitely one of the best performers. I voted him for MotM because he was one of our best performers (completely dominated that flank) and because I felt he'd been overlooked somewhat unfairly. People usually vote for attacking players so I thought I'd even it out a bit as well as highlight his game

 

[xaviniesta]

thats very good, i understand that. also have no problem with that btw

 

[xaviniesta]

@stric

i think his first season 08/09 was already with 26m so i have no problem if he is at barca for the rest of his career, even if he would compete with oleguer.

 

[Stric]

He's also being paid like a star-player, which he hasn't been for a while. If he continued like this and I was the president, I'd offer him a more modest contract when his current one expires. No need to treat him as the star he used to be if he's not playing like he used to.

 

[DonAndres]

That's not the problem. The problem is that we paid an incredible amount of money for him. You don't expect a 26 mil € player (now) to compete for a spot with Montoya (with all due respect). Sure, everybody has their ups and downs, but Dani has been unreliable for about a year now. The same problem with Sanchez. Having depth is great, but having 26 mil sit on the bench is not. That's why with such players you either expect them to step up and get their shit together, or sell them before their price drops even lower. It's unreasonable to keep such expensive players for competition for spots only.

Over the years i'd say he paid off his price tag. It's not like Torres where he literally was a waste of money completely. Dani has been vital to our squad for years (especially during an injury crisis) so he has more than proven his worth and helped us.

 

[xaviniesta]

well, no offence but luckily ytou are not the president of FC BARCELONA

 

[Deco 20]

He should be treated with respect, not be offloaded like Eto'o. He most likely won't retire here but we shouldn't sell him against his will