Gareth Bale

[Raed]

Abidal might not have performed as well at the start of his Barcelona career as in his last 2 seasons but nevertheless he was a starting defender for the French national team in 2006 which made it into the WC finals and conceded only 1 goal from open play in the whole tournament. Bale is a winger for a midtable club in England who might have played some games as a leftback in his youth (not convincingly by the way). So there is the difference. I have no doubts that we could turn him into a wingback. But we'll never make a proper defender out of a 23 year old so that he will be able to play in a 3 man backline with Alves pushing forward. At best he'll be like Marcelo defensively. At best. Being tall and strong is not enough to become a proper defender I'm afraid. Busquets at CB was a desaster whenever we played him there. Despite his extraordinary sense for positioning and reading of the game, he couldn't make up for his lack of pace. Bale most probably won't be able to make up for his lack of positional sense and discipline and reading of the game just because he has pace.

If we buy Bale, we replace Alves with a no-nonsense right back (anyone out there? Geez, the defenders nowadays are poor). Alves-Bale would be suicide.

So was Cafu and Serginho, yet they were magnificent.

 

[Puyol the wall]

So was Cafu and Serginho, yet they were magnificent.

They play with 2 defensive midfielders who can cover for the full backs as well.

 

[barcelonista]

So was Cafu and Serginho, yet they were magnificent.

Meh. That's arbitrary. That's like saying Di Maria, a left-footed Argentinian winger with good dribbling technique could play as a false 9 because Messi did it. I know that Brazilian wingbacks often start their careers as wingers or midfielders in the youth ranks. Even our own Grimaldo would be such an example. Or Alaba. But that doesn't mean that Bale is suited for that role. Because he obviously looked like a dick when he played there before and got moved further forward while Alaba instantly looked like a world beater in the CL semi-finals against Real Madrid at the age of 19.

They play with 2 defensive midfielders who can cover for the full backs as well.

In fact Cafu became really famous in a 3-5-2 system alongside 3 centrebacks and 2 holders for both Roma in 2001 and Brazil in 2002.

 

[Metaphysical]

playing for a fully functional Bayern Munich in 2012 != playing for a dysfunctional Tottenham Hotspur from 2007-2009

 

[Raed]

Meh. That's arbitrary. That's like saying Di Maria, a left-footed Argentinian winger with good dribbling technique could play as a false 9 because Messi did it. I know that Brazilian wingbacks often start their careers as wingers or midfielders in the youth ranks. Even our own Grimaldo would be such an example. Or Alaba. But that doesn't mean that Bale is suited for that role. Because he obviously looked like a dick when he played there before and got moved further forward while Alaba instantly looked like a world beater in the CL semi-finals against Real Madrid at the age of 19.



In fact Cafu became really famous in a 3-5-2 system alongside 3 centrebacks and 2 holders for both Roma in 2001 and Brazil in 2002.

So when he was in his mid 20s. Point being, full backs and defenders do not learn their trade until later into their 20s. Bale is 23, full of potential and if he plays for 2 seasons as a Full Backs with awesome coaches he will be MAGNIFICENT!

 

[Puyol the wall]

So when he was in his mid 20s. Point being, full backs and defenders do not learn their trade until later into their 20s. Bale is 23, full of potential and if he plays for 2 seasons as a Full Backs with awesome coaches he will be MAGNIFICENT!

We need a LB for next season not 4 years later.

 

[La Furia]

Cafu and Serginho were as much epically skilled and intelligent as they were fast. Bale is an athletic beast, I'm not sure how much his other abilities would translate away from the skill and tactics wasteland of the EPL.

He has "potential" to be a LB, but I haven't seen enough to convince myself he would be MAGNIFICENT.

 

[Raed]

There is not a single MAGNIFICENT LB in the market for next season, except at Madrid. And then, no LB will fit in right away. I know I said the same thing about Alves, but Dani is the devil, you could see it in his eyes.

 

[La Furia]

I also can't understand for the life of me the comparison you and Meta are making with Abidal.

Both were very athletic guys who required/require adapting periods to understand a more technical defending style, but besides that their games are as different as you can get from LBs.

IMO the best case scenario for Bale as a wingback is an old school Maicon type. Abidal was never not a conservative, defense first player, if anything his biggest transformation at Barca was learning to go forward with more confidence. He never scored a goal before FFS.

 

[woobie]

I'm not getting the Cafu/Serginho comparisons either. Whole different skill/tactical/game reading level there.

 

[Puyol the wall]

There is not a single MAGNIFICENT LB in the market for next season, except at Madrid. And then, no LB will fit in right away. I know I said the same thing about Alves, but Dani is the devil, you could see it in his eyes.

And exactly who are you mentioning?

 

[Raed]

I also can't understand for the life of me the comparison you and Meta are making with Abidal.

Both were very athletic guys who required/require adapting periods to understand a more technical defending style, but besides that their games are as different as you can get from LBs.

IMO the best case scenario for Bale as a wingback is an old school Maicon type. Abidal was never not a conservative, defense first player, if anything his biggest transformation at Barca was learning to go forward with more confidence. He never scored a goal before FFS.

Why do you need someone like Abidal anyway? You need something different, you are always changing and therefore with Abidal's absense, comes a perfect opportunity to welcome a change. Your formation is not that far away from AC Milan's either.

Say you get Bale, you could play a 3 5 2, a sligth variation to the 3 4 3 and a diamond shaped midfield which is essentially your 4 3 3.

Valdes
Alves Pique CB Bale
Busi
Xavi Iniesta
Messi
Pedro Alexis
​

It could very well be magnificent.

I'm not getting the Cafu/Serginho comparisons either. Whole different skill/tactical/game reading level there.

Yes, which is compensated by the fact that you play a slightly different game. AC Milan attacked, while you hold possession, so AC Milan depended on Cafu and Serghino play making, where as Alves and Bale aren't as good but won't need to, just provide width. When Xavi succumbs to the wheel chair Fabregas could take his place, he is a better defender than Xavi anyway. What Gattuso had to chase from midfield, Pedro and Alexis provide from the top.

It is different, not ALL that different.

 

[La Furia]

Playing with 2 wingbacks who bomb forward and only 1 DM to cover them is an interesting idea of "magnificent". Being different doesn't mean ignoring basic tactical common sense.

Yeah I know, blah blah blah posession, but when you leave that much space in the back end there is bound to be exploitation of it.

Of course there's the potential for a 3-4-3...

----Mascherano-Pique-????----
Alves----------------------Bale
-------Busquets--Iniesta-------
----Alexis-Messi-Neymar----

Which could potentially be sexy but it pretty much means one of Iniesta, Xavi and Cesc being played, and good luck with that.

 

[Metaphysical]

I also can't understand for the life of me the comparison you and Meta are making with Abidal.

Both were very athletic guys who required/require adapting periods to understand a more technical defending style, but besides that their games are as different as you can get from LBs.

IMO the best case scenario for Bale as a wingback is an old school Maicon type. Abidal was never not a conservative, defense first player, if anything his biggest transformation at Barca was learning to go forward with more confidence. He never scored a goal before FFS.

I'm not comparing him to Abidal. he is a different player for sure.

but athletically and technically he has everything needed to replace Abidal. it's just a mental adjustment he has to make (and one I think he is capable of making given he started his career as a LB, and even guys as rampaging as Dani & Adriano have shown they can sit back and defend if asked to).

and anyway, why not try and improve on Abidal? why not have someone who retains a defensive solidity but can also come forward with more menace? the problem with Bale right now is that he delivers in too high a volume for a guy who essentially does one thing over and over again. cut down the volume, time the attacks better, and you have a more efficient and productive player that is harder for defenders to stop.

if we wanna make sure we have someone conservative there, and play the safe option and just replace Abidal like-for-like, then we should just get Bruno Martins Indi tbh. he's a big black defensive LCB/LB. only 20 years old too so plenty of potential to grow into a stud for us.

 

[Maria]

Why do you need someone like Abidal anyway? You need something different, you are always changing and therefore with Abidal's absense, comes a perfect opportunity to welcome a change. Your formation is not that far away from AC Milan's either.

Say you get Bale, you could play a 3 5 2, a sligth variation to the 3 4 3 and a diamond shaped midfield which is essentially your 4 3 3.

And who is the 3rd player in that back 3 of yours?

When Xavi succumbs to the wheel chair Fabregas could take his place, he is a better defender than Xavi anyway.

Just because he makes more bad tackles, it doesn't mean that Cesc deffends better then Xavi.