The problem is your extremist viewpoint. Try a more balanced approach.
Ok.
But I will give you a million dollars if you help me.
Mc Lovin is hired as a coach of Barca tonight.
You have current players in your rooster.
Can you tell me which 3 players would you play on any away La Liga game?
And now try to FIELD a team with Frenkie-Arthur together, where a team won't be flawed BOTH in defending and attacking?
Again:
=at Barca you have to look for RIGHT NOW. A lot of money from fans, Tv, sponsors is invested. We need titles RIGHT NOW as a NO1 priority. A future is a secondary problem.
Now, in a current team where Messi will play at least THIS and 1-2 more years, you need 1 guy who will babysit for him.
So, even without Messi in a team, you still need a midfield which has a balance of defending, possession and attacking.
But when you have Messi in a team, you need to strengthen your defensive area of midfield to compensate for him.
A problem no2:
Not only that you need to compensate for Messi, you also need to compensate for Suarez.
So, midfield needs to defend even more to cover for these 2.
Messi will be here for 2-3 more years.
Suarez will be here at least till summer of 2020'.
A problem no3:
Sergi Roberto is good in attack and meh in defending.
So, a midfield, especially a right side has to cover: for Messi, somewhat for Suarez, and for Sergi Roberto.
Now, the option 1 is to play Semedo.
Then you are getting more defense behind Messi, but we suck in attack (with not having Roberto).
So, if you play Semedo instead of Roberto, then you need an extra attacking midfielder behind Messi to offer support which you lost due to a loss of Roberto.
And then you have Frenkie-Arthur who are horrible in attack.
And then, when you play Frenkie-Arthur plus Semedo around Messi=Messi is not as good as now, isn't it?
His passes are not as good and he is always man marked by 2-3 players.
Yet, when you field Roberto who is drawing away players on right and with Raki overlapping with Messi, then Messi suddenly has more room to dribble and shoto or to give deadly passes to Suarez and Friezz, who are also marked less heavily since 2 defenders are at Rakitic and Roberto.
So, an option with Arthur-Frenkie-Semedo is still not too great in defense because Frenkie-Arthur are funky positionally in defense.
And our attack is quite poor and sterile in that lineup.
So, we have to go back to Roberto in La Liga matches since he offers way more to Messi.
And then, if you have Messi and Roberto, we are again back to a point no1: where a right sided midfielder and midfield in general need to cover for Suarez, Messi and Roberto.
And then you have Arthur with:
14 tackles, 5 interceptions, 4 clearances, 0 blocks in the whole season (920 minutes).
And Rakitic in the last 3 matches in 240 minutes:
3 tackles, 6 interceptions, 4 clearances, 2 blocks.
23 vs 15 won balls.
Rakitic will catch in 300-ish minutes Arthur's defensive achievement from this season.
Also, remember the old rule: it is hard to play more than 1 newbie per line (defense, midfield, attack).
Frenkie is a new guy and it is easier for him when he plays around guys who know everything about our tactics and movement.
If you pair Frenkie, a new guy, with Arthur who was benched for half of the last season (in the start and in spring), you are basically playing two rookies together.
Now, please, reply honestly:
You are a new coach and the board told you that you don't have a lot of credits.
You will get a few matches to turn a team around, and they will keep you ONLY if you will win majority of matches.
If not, they will sack you after 3-4 matches and hire Gallardo.
And now, you don't have too much coins or credits, and you are playing a key CL group game against Dortmund.
Or you play away at Calderon.
Honestly, what will you pick?
1. a safe Busi-Raki-Frenkie, Roberto, Messi-Suarez option
2. or will you risk with fans favorites and unknown lineups with RB Semedo, CM duo Frenkie-Arthur (or even worse, please don't play another rookie Alena/Puig with them)?
Also, if someone will reply: but but but Xavi and Iniesta...
Xavi started to play in 1999.
He was a senior for 5-6 seasons when Iniesta started to play with him.
And when Busi came, his teachers were Xavi who played for 10 years as a starter and Iniesta who was in a team for 4 years.
When Raki started, he was in a trio with Iniesta who was here for 10 years and with Busi who was here for 7 years.
Now, again: do you think that Frenkie will learn easier with two veterans or with another rookie Arthur?
Also, don't forget my main question: in a team with Messi, Suarez and RB Roberto, how will you strengthen a defense in midfield with any combination of Arthur-Frenkie?
Look, in some other time with some different teammates, Frenkie-Arthur might have worked better.
But: it is what it is at Barca.
We have Messi/Suarez and someone needs to compensate for them RIGHT NOW.
For me, it is not a coincidence that our team was a total mess in this season on away matches when we benched babysitter Raki and even Busi in some matches.
We went too attacking and too-possession based and no one was able to win the ball back in midfield.
Plus, there was zero chemistry and cohesion in midfield.
Frenkie is chaotic and ventures around too much.
Arthur presses the opponents too high and leaves a hole behind his back.
Yet, Rakitic is mostly always "on his position" at a right side of midfield, covering for Messi and helping to Busi and Roberto.
Now, can you offer some ideas for RIGHT NOW?
How would you win La Liga this season with Arthur-Frenkie-Messi-Suarez this season?
Since, remember, that combination got us into a worst league start in the last 15 years and we were on a verge of a CL KO in group stage, until EV reverted back to safe, proven Raki-Busi-Roberto option.