Gerard Deulofeu

[Zangash]

People are underrating player's footballing intelligence which is connected with player's "normal" intelligence.

Barca is a club where you need to have everything. And the way we play, attack, defend, play off the ball, apply pressure, we need extremely technically gifted players who also have a high (footballing) IQ (even though that one is again connected with a normal IQ).

Ok, not all of our players need to be rocket scientists, but most of our current players are extremely (footballing) smart players.
1. Messi is very smart in decisions, movement, build up+technically a GOAT
2. Xavi is the smartest footballer ever+technically extremely gifted also
3. Busi is extremely smart+with a good technique
4. Iniesta is very, very smart+with a world class technique
5. Pique is smart, Neymar and Suarez all have enough of footballing intelligence
-- Ronaldinho was smart, Etoo was smart, Larsson was smart
-- Edmilson was smart, Marquez was smart, VanBronckhorst was smart, Van Bommel was smart

On the other hand, who weren't the smartest guys around?
1. Alexis
2. Guily
3. Oleguer
4. Belletti in some moments
5. Tello

Today:
1. Alba isn't the brightest guy in the world
2. Mascherano also isn't the rocket scientist

Anyway, you see, all of players who aren't "smart enough for Barca's level" later can't cope too well with our passing style, with our fast and smart play/movement/build up etc, and they are usually "weak spots" in our attacking/intelligent gameplan.

And yes, you can have 1-2-3 players in the team who aren't as smart as Xavi (like Alba or Masch, who have some other strengths), but if you have "dummies" on CF or CM positions, then you won't be Barca, but Liverpool and some average team.

I know that this post may sound extremely offensive, but think about our golden players (from any era), all of them were extremely "footballing smart" with a world-class technique.

Now, Deulo: (pros and cons)
+ he has a nice technique
- his work ethic and attitude may be questionable
- but he just isn't "smart" enough for Barca
(he may improve slightly, but that isn't exactly a skill where you can improve as much as in other areas)

Adama:
+ good technique and physique
- horrible footballing IQ and decisions

Munir, on the other hand:
+ has nice footballing IQ, and this is why I personally believe more in him than in Deulo, Adama or Halil
- the question is whether his technique and other parts of his game will be good enough for him to succeed at Barca
= but again, he has something which Deulo, Adama and other guys don't have, and which is extremely important for succeeding in Barca

Samper:
+ the same story, this guy HAS very good footballing IQ
+ he has a nice technique and tactical knowledge
= we have to see whether that will be good enough for him to make it here

Halilovic, on the other hand:
+ the same as Adama, awesome technique
- low footballing IQ and poor decisions
- weak physique
- problematic attitude in the past

People are constantly looking "mostly" at player's technique, dribbles, goals and similar things.
But when you look deeper, you won't find too many "dummy" players that made it here, and that stayed for too long.

(Once again, my apologies for writing this kind of a post, but I don't know how to explain this point in a better way)

Solid post. For some reason, that made everything click for me. Footballing IQ. Some players have it and some don't. Huh. The likes of Sandro, Adama, Deulofeu, Halilovic, Dongou, etc aren't very smart, are they? But then there's Samper, who might possibly be a genius (imo)...

You've drastically changed my mindset by posting this. Hmm. Time to hop on the BBZ bandwagon before it turns into a jet and goes in liftoff.

 

[Richard.H]

All that means is you haven't been watching. You probably watched him play against Madrid (Which I admittedly did not watch, as it was during class hours on a weekday for me) and judge him completely on that game alone.

And seriously, if you think Suarez has been killing it, you have not been watching. It's a wonder how you see Suarez is doing better because he sat on the bench while Deulofeu was trusted enough to play in the Bernebeu, and by the way, he was only trusted to play that game in the first place because he was, indeed, playing well for Sevilla prior to that.

Yes, Deu was playing so well that he didn't even start against Espanyol during the prior week (not even as a sub).


Deu was trusted in the Bernabeu because the Sevilla frontline is absolute dogshit. Not only that but emery was playing with 3 DM's so he probably felt the need for more creativity upfront, which Deu no doubt provides. Just because Emery started him against RM does not imply that he was playing "well". Average, maybe, but by no means "well".

 

[Zangash]

Yes, Deu was playing so well that he didn't even start against Espanyol during the prior week (not even as a sub).


Deu was trusted in the Bernabeu because the Sevilla frontline is absolute dogshit. Not only that but emery was playing with 3 DM's so he probably felt the need for more creativity upfront, which Deu no doubt provides. Just because Emery started him against RM does not imply that he was playing "well". Average, maybe, but by no means "well".

So he didn't start against Espanyol because he's not good enough, but he started at the Bernebeu because everyone in Sevilla's attack sucks? You don't even have the decency to put these contradictory statements in different posts?

Make up your damn mind. Don't know why I'm even talking to you, honestly. I'm done.

 

[spark]

Yes, Deu was playing so well that he didn't even start against Espanyol during the prior week (not even as a sub).


Deu was trusted in the Bernabeu because the Sevilla frontline is absolute dogshit. Not only that but emery was playing with 3 DM's so he probably felt the need for more creativity upfront, which Deu no doubt provides. Just because Emery started him against RM does not imply that he was playing "well". Average, maybe, but by no means "well".

Sevilla played an intense Copa Del Rey game against the same Espanyol team 2 days prior in which they ran themselves into the ground trying to overturn two goal deficit. The fact that there were just 2 days between matches is most likely why they made 6 changes and why even Bacca who never gets rested in league games started this game on the bench. Espanyol also made a bunch of a changes including resting Sergio Garcia their most important player which tells you just how draining that game was for both teams. Instead of playing Emery's thought interpreter you could just follow what is happening on a game to games basis.

 

[BBZ8800]

Solid post. For some reason, that made everything click for me. Footballing IQ. Some players have it and some don't. Huh. The likes of Sandro, Adama, Deulofeu, Halilovic, Dongou, etc aren't very smart, are they? But then there's Samper, who might possibly be a genius (imo)...

I have never said anything about Sandro.

My opinion is that Adama has the lowest footballing IQ+decisions.
Halilovic is slightly better.
Deulo is even more better, but all 3 still have too low decisions+footballing IQ for Barca.

Sandro is ok, normal, imo.
Munir and Samper "understand" the game much better (very good/high footballing IQ).

But again, you need both:
1. normal or high footballing IQ+decisions
2. very high technique skills
3. good professionalism, good work ethic, mental strength, to be injury free etc.

To be a Barca's first team player, you need everything.
You can't make it here without high footballing IQ.
On the other hand, you can make it at Sevilla, Celta, Villareal and other clubs eventually with lower or just average footballing IQ, or with good IQ and average technique. (You don't need the world-class package in those clubs)

But for Barca, since we are the best or one of 2-3 best teams in the world, you need to have more or less everything.

 

[khaled_a_d]

People are underrating player's footballing intelligence which is connected with player's "normal" intelligence.

Barca is a club where you need to have everything. And the way we play, attack, defend, play off the ball, apply pressure, we need extremely technically gifted players who also have a high (footballing) IQ (even though that one is again connected with a normal IQ).

Ok, not all of our players need to be rocket scientists, but most of our current players are extremely (footballing) smart players.
1. Messi is very smart in decisions, movement, build up+technically a GOAT
2. Xavi is the smartest footballer ever+technically extremely gifted also
3. Busi is extremely smart+with a good technique
4. Iniesta is very, very smart+with a world class technique
5. Pique is smart, Neymar and Suarez all have enough of footballing intelligence
-- Ronaldinho was smart, Etoo was smart, Larsson was smart
-- Edmilson was smart, Marquez was smart, VanBronckhorst was smart, Van Bommel was smart

On the other hand, who weren't the smartest guys around?
1. Alexis
2. Guily
3. Oleguer
4. Belletti in some moments
5. Tello

Today:
1. Alba isn't the brightest guy in the world
2. Mascherano also isn't the rocket scientist

Anyway, you see, all of players who aren't "smart enough for Barca's level" later can't cope too well with our passing style, with our fast and smart play/movement/build up etc, and they are usually "weak spots" in our attacking/intelligent gameplan.

And yes, you can have 1-2-3 players in the team who aren't as smart as Xavi (like Alba or Masch, who have some other strengths), but if you have "dummies" on CF or CM positions, then you won't be Barca, but Liverpool and some average team.

I know that this post may sound extremely offensive, but think about our golden players (from any era), all of them were extremely "footballing smart" with a world-class technique.

Now, Deulo: (pros and cons)
+ he has a nice technique
- his work ethic and attitude may be questionable
- but he just isn't "smart" enough for Barca
(he may improve slightly, but that isn't exactly a skill where you can improve as much as in other areas)

Adama:
+ good technique and physique
- horrible footballing IQ and decisions

Munir, on the other hand:
+ has nice footballing IQ, and this is why I personally believe more in him than in Deulo, Adama or Halil
- the question is whether his technique and other parts of his game will be good enough for him to succeed at Barca
= but again, he has something which Deulo, Adama and other guys don't have, and which is extremely important for succeeding in Barca

Samper:
+ the same story, this guy HAS very good footballing IQ
+ he has a nice technique and tactical knowledge
= we have to see whether that will be good enough for him to make it here

Halilovic, on the other hand:
+ the same as Adama, awesome technique
- low footballing IQ and poor decisions
- weak physique
- problematic attitude in the past

People are constantly looking "mostly" at player's technique, dribbles, goals and similar things.
But when you look deeper, you won't find too many "dummy" players that made it here, and that stayed for too long.

(Once again, my apologies for writing this kind of a post, but I don't know how to explain this point in a better way)

There are 4 main things that define footballers ,talent,physical tools,intelligence and work ethic(not work rate) .and you can subcategorize for sure too
Work ethic is the thing fans don't know about ,it is the extra hours players are willing to train .dedication in their life style etc.something we can see its results only
Physical tools is obvious ,height,strength,stamina,speed
intelligence (prefer to call it football IQ) ,the reading of the game and to know what exactly to do
Talent is obvious ,it is that natural ability to do what you want with the ball .though it is the most difficult to put a clear definition for

Players would never make a good career without work ethic ,if you aren't willing to work hard you are never gonna be the top of your job .other factors would get you recognition but that is it

Talents and physical tools are natural ,they can be improved with work but they aren't acquired with exception of strength
football IQ on the other hand ,while some players have it naturally have it since they started playing the game .it can be acquired .it is the one thing that can be learned out of those
Messi was not smart player b4 he was 21.there was many times he kept running with the ball like headless chicken when he was young .he was just too good for people to complain and now he is the world best play maker
That is why when people talk about potential football intelligence is ignored ,it is the something that can be learned .people look at the players talent and abilities and think what they can do when they learn the game at higher levels

Look at players like Montoya and Carvajal .Montoya has been always the smarter and the one with well composed game ahead o his age but he lacked Carvajal speed,stamina and dribbling .at the age of 22 Montoya was on the bench here while Carvajal is starter with RM .why? because you can't teach speed and other tools that Carvajal had to Montoya ,while things Montoya had Carvajal learned

There is obviously many players you can put their names here who had this natural talent and never learned or improved .that is true .(Quaresma is the most obvious answer) ,it isn't guaranteed that players can figure it out and learn .in fact while most player raise their game understanding many don't do it enough.
That is why expecting players potential isn't exactly a science .many variables factors you can't be sure .

 

[DinhoR10]

There are 4 main things that define footballers ,talent,physical tools,intelligence and work ethic(not work rate) .and you can subcategorize for sure too
Work ethic is the thing fans don't know about ,it is the extra hours players are willing to train .dedication in their life style etc.something we can see its results only
Physical tools is obvious ,height,strength,stamina,speed
intelligence (prefer to call it football IQ) ,the reading of the game and to know what exactly to do
Talent is obvious ,it is that natural ability to do what you want with the ball .though it is the most difficult to put a clear definition for

Players would never make a good career without work ethic ,if you aren't willing to work hard you are never gonna be the top of your job .other factors would get you recognition but that is it

Talents and physical tools are natural ,they can be improved with work but they aren't acquired with exception of strength
football IQ on the other hand ,while some players have it naturally have it since they started playing the game .it can be acquired .it is the one thing that can be learned out of those
Messi was not smart player b4 he was 21.there was many times he kept running with the ball like headless chicken when he was young .he was just too good for people to complain and now he is the world best play maker
That is why when people talk about potential football intelligence is ignored ,it is the something that can be learned .people look at the players talent and abilities and think what they can do when they learn the game at higher levels

Look at players like Montoya and Carvajal .Montoya has been always the smarter and the one with well composed game ahead o his age but he lacked Carvajal speed,stamina and dribbling .at the age of 22 Montoya was on the bench here while Carvajal is starter with RM .why? because you can't teach speed and other tools that Carvajal had to Montoya ,while things Montoya had Carvajal learned

There is obviously many players you can put their names here who had this natural talent and never learned or improved .that is true .(Quaresma is the most obvious answer) ,it isn't guaranteed that players can figure it out and learn .in fact while most player raise their game understanding many don't do it enough.
That is why expecting players potential isn't exactly a science .many variables factors you can't be sure .

Montoya is actually really fast. His main problem is he can't attack for shit.

 

[JamDav1982]

Good god he is unbelievably greedy!!!

Sevilla players looked furious with him there.

 

[BBZ8800]

Messi was not smart player b4 he was 21.there was many times he kept running with the ball like headless chicken when he was young .he was just too good for people to complain and now he is the world best play maker

This thing is mentioned on forums over and over.
While I agree with you that Messi wasn't as smart as today, but, imo, he was just "normal" in the past.
He had some good and some weaker decisions.

But, imo, Messi was never lower than 5/10 or 6/10 in footballing IQ. (Even though, imo, he was at worst something like 6-7/10 as a teenager).
Today he is at 10/10.

So, yes, a player can improve in that area.

But again, Messi wasn't as smart as today, but he was never nowhere near the level of Adama, Halil or Deulo, imo.

So, when someone mentions young Messi, Messi can be example of how a player can improve.
But Messi is not a proof how Deulo or Halil will suddenly be as smart as Messi, because they are miles behind him in that area. Again, that is my opinion.

I remember a young Messi, because I was a fan back then (the same as you), and even though he had some wrong decisions, I never considered him as a dumb player (as some posts here may imply). More like a young guy who makes mistakes and he will be better over time.

The same as Munir or Samper today. They are ok, but they make some mistakes.
But they aren't "dummies".

But on the other hand, especially Adama and Halil. They aren't only "young" and naive.
They act as extremely dumb at moments. Painfully dumb. Not dumb in terms: he is young and he will improve.
But like: so dumb that nothing can help him.
(Again, this is extremely rude, but)

So, I will never agree that Messi was anywhere as "dumb" as Adama or Halil, or Deulo.

Look at players like Montoya and Carvajal .Montoya has been always the smarter and the one with well composed game ahead o his age but he lacked Carvajal speed,stamina and dribbling .at the age of 22 Montoya was on the bench here while Carvajal is starter with RM .why? because you can't teach speed and other tools that Carvajal had to Montoya ,while things Montoya had Carvajal learned

You can't make it without IQ.
But also, IQ alone, without other world class skills in everything, also won't work.

 

[Flavia]

I'm reading he was booed by the sevilla fans tonight:

Weloba <time itemprop="datePublished" datetime="2015-02-14">February 14, 2015 - 19:27</time>

It seems there's no patience left for Deulofeu at Sevilla. Barça on loan striker is not performing well under Unay Emery and this Saturday he received some whistles from the fans.
The winger came in during the second half (61') and didn't have the greatest of games. Some fans whistled him when he touched the ball.
Deloufeu, who said yesterday that doesn't want to spend another year on loan, posted a tweet later saying "I learn from everything... More on Thursday".

 

[JamDav1982]

I'm reading he was booed by the sevilla fans tonight:

Weloba <time itemprop="datePublished" datetime="2015-02-14">February 14, 2015 - 19:27</time>

It seems there's no patience left for Deulofeu at Sevilla. Barça on loan striker is not performing well under Unay Emery and this Saturday he received some whistles from the fans.
The winger came in during the second half (61') and didn't have the greatest of games. Some fans whistled him when he touched the ball.
Deloufeu, who said yesterday that doesn't want to spend another year on loan, posted a tweet later saying "I learn from everything... More on Thursday".

Those comments he made midweek would not of gone down well as he only thinks of himself.

To make selfish commenst like that and then come on and play like he did today it is inevitable Sevilla fans will be unhappy.

 

[xavi_the_Boss]

There was one Moment were a Sevilla Player(maybe Navarro) was clapping and showing the crowd they should also do it when Deulofeu tried to pass instead of taking a shot.

 

[Alarcón]

There was one Moment were a Sevilla Player(maybe Navarro) was clapping and showing the crowd they should also do it when Deulofeu tried to pass instead of taking a shot.

Yea but funnily enough, passing the ball in this situation was a bad decision

 

[Adversus]

So he didn't start against Espanyol because he's not good enough, but he started at the Bernebeu because everyone in Sevilla's attack sucks? You don't even have the decency to put these contradictory statements in different posts?

Make up your damn mind. Don't know why I'm even talking to you, honestly. I'm done.

He probably started against Madrid because he has the pace and trickery to hurt them on the counter by himself however he also probably played badly for the same reason he was picked which was because the frontline was isolated from the midfield. I wouldn't read too much into the pros and cons or what it means being picked for a game like that. What would be more interesting to me is if he was being picked for the games that Sevilla could or should win rather than the ones they definitely won't or definitely will.

 

[impeh]

sadly they seemed pretty confident on revista that he has no future with barca

its about 2mins in