Ivan Rakitić

[BBZ8800]

Rakitic had exactly 0.1 more tackles pr 90 than Arthur for last season's La Liga. For every ten games we play, we get one more tackle. What a fucking difference huh.

Not true.
But let's do the maths.

Whoscored says, La Liga:
Tackles:
0,9 Raki
0,6 Arthur
Interceptions:
1,5 Raki
0,3 Arthur
Clearances (headers):
0,8 Raki
0,3 Arthur
Blocked shots:
0,2 Raki
0,0 Arthur

Raki played 34 La Liga matches.
Arthur played 27 matches.

Maths:
Raki 31 tackles
Raki 51 interceptions
Raki 27 clearances
Raki 7 blocks
= 116 defensive contributions over 34 matches
Arthur
16 tackles
8 interceptions
8 clearances
0 blocked shots
= 32 defensive contributions over 27 matches

That means that Raki made 3,41 defensive contributions per match last season.
While Arthur made 1,19 defensive contributions per match last season.
That is +2,22 actions difference per match.

But then again, imo, it is safe to say since Rakitic was better in every single defensive stat that he is probably better in unmeasurable stats like babysitting, covering, positioning.

Look further:
If Busi is the same factor, since he played BOTH last season and this season, the only two changed factors in midfield were Raki&Vidal subbed with Frenkie&Arthur.
La Liga last season:
Rakitic=0,9 tackles+1,5 interceptions+0,8 clearances+0,2 blocks=3,4 in total
Vidal=2,4 tackles+0,9 interceptions+0,6 clearances+0,2 blocks=4,1 in total

La Liga, midfield duo THIS season:
Frenkie=1,6 tackles+0,8 interceptions+0,4 clearances+0,2 blocks=3,0 in total
Arthur=0,9 tackles+0,4 interceptions+0,3 clearances+0 blocks=1,6 in total

So, last season, Busi was a pivot and 2 CMs infront of him, Raki&Vidal combined made around 7,5 defensive contributions per match.
This season, when Busi is a pivot, 2 new CMs infront of him, Frenkie and Arthur combined have around 4,6 defensive contributions per match.
So, a current midfield has 2,9 defensive contributions LESS on every single match.
Also, you can easily add unmeasurable things like covering, where they are again probably weaker since they are young and weaker in majority of defensive skills.
Plus you can add a lack of chemistry between them.

When you sum it all, are you guys STILL 100% sure that CM duo Frenkie-Arthur has nothing with our defensive woes outside of a Nou Camp this season?
We were never THIS bad in defense in EV's 3 years, except, suprise surprise, in moments when we played together 2 CMs who, when paired, have the weakest defensive stats?

On the other hand, our key passes have gone up from 1,2 with Raki+Vidal to 2,0 with Frenkie+Arthur.
So, we gained +0,8 in key passes per match.
And lost -2,9 in defensive contributions per match.

It seems that a loss in defending is outweighing a +0,8 gain in key passes for now.

We were never on the verge of being eliminated since we had a home game. If am not mistaken we have many 5-0 games at home this season and are pretty dominant. Away from camp nou our problems seem to be getting worse and that is because WE DONT HAVE A DEFENDING TEAM and we give away possession too much because our midfielders are playing too high up the field. The answer to this problem is not to sacrifice even more possession for the shake of 2 interceptions. The answer is to re eastablish our possession game even away from home, by using better tactics.

I have already replied to you in Ernesto's topic.
Can we play a possession game at all with all these grannies?
Messi will be dead after 30 minutes of constant movement.
Busi and Suarez also.

You guys are acting as if we are in 2011 and as if we have a team from 2011.

Also, this thing which you have mentioned how our midfielders play too high.
Today, they didn't play THAT high.
Rakitic was pressuring high up the pitch a few times, but he was most often sitting deep and he didn't leave his defensive position.
While when Arthur-Frenkie play, Arthur is chasing the opponent's like a madman too often, and if he doesn't win a ball, he is leaving tons of space behind his back.
I have no idea whether EV has instructed Arthur to press like a madman, or that is Arthur's idea.
And then, if that was EV's idea, then why he hasn't instructed Rakitic tonight to do the same. Instead, Rakitic played in his deeper, babysitter role.

Also, iirc, when Frekie and Arthur play together, then EV is picking Frenkie to play on the right because he is a better defender, to babysit for Messi.
Today, with Raki and Frenkie, EV picked Raki to play on the right, since he is probably even better defender/babysitter for Messi.
On the other hand, when some of you guys want Frenkie as a pivot, and then Arthur and someone else as a CM (imagine Puig). Who would be a right sided CM behind Messi then?
Arthur or Puig?
Since a midfielder on the right side needs to defend extra hard.
And Arthur is weak in defending and Puig is extremely light physically and probably won't be able to defend against grown men.

But you guys don't want to think too much about defending.
You will just reply: no, Puig is good, he moves the ball nicely, we need to bring back our possession game back.
You also. You don't want to defend. You want to bring back possession at all costs to compensate for a lack of defending...

We WILL be koed with these indeed old players, who should not be there anymore on starting list in playoffs by any top team, like we used to. It was visible how geezers just couldn't keep up the tempo in second half and after Borussia scored looked like it could fall apart any minute with less luck. And against completely out of form, timid team on Campnou.
We can't park buses and we have evidences for that.

I am not talking about Anfield.
We will lose there either way.

I am talking about matches like tonight's and random la liga away matches like Levante, Leganes and Osasuna.
Where we struggle in this season and we haven't in the past.

** I don't have an answer for Anfield's match, though.
You think that we would have bigger chances with more possession, maybe.
On the other hand, when we would lose the ball, they would have probably killed us even more with Arthur-Frenkie as midfielders who need to defend.
From 0:4, we would maybe turn to more possession and even heavier 1:6 defeats. Quite possible.

 

[DonAndres]

We won in the end?
Do you realize that we were on a verge of being KO'd in a group stage for the first time since 1999, with this possession based midfield duo?

Since we can't have both:
1. Do you want possession and being Kod in a group stage
2. Or less possession and wins?

Again, we can't have both with these old players.

I'll take wins.

Ackshualllly you're quite wrong sir. If you notice, Dembele did not play at all in the early season when he was injured and we lost several away games. Then Dembele has been getting regular minutes since late September and Barca have improved drastically.

Our record when Dembele was injured or benched: 3 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses.
Our record when Dembele is fit and playing: 8 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss

The truth is that DEMBELE is the reason we have improved so much. Dembele gives us so much dEfeNSiVe sTaBIliTy, not Rakitic like you said. In fact, lets throw in some more empty buzz words like that. Dembele also gives us positivity, youthfulness, spirituality.... These are very crucial and tangible things that you can measure on the football pitch.

Dembele also played minutes when we beat Liverpool 3-0, but didn't play any minutes at all when we lost 0-4 at Anfield. That is no coincidence at all.

Dembele is the key for Barca to win AND Dembele is the reason we are defensively strong. We were on the verge of being KO'd in the group stage for the first time since 1999 without Dembele. You have to decide, since we can't have both:

1. Do you want less Dembele and being KO'd in a group stage?
2. Or more Dembele and wins?

Again, we can't have both without Dembele.

I'll take wins.

 

[Gnidrologist]

 

[BusiTheKing]

Not true.

Lol why are you using pr. appearance when I was talking about actual playing time. Use whatever you want for your own posts but don't try to deceitfully disprove mine.

Arthur: 15 tackles, 1441 minutes: 0.94 tackles pr. 90
Rakitic: 30 tackles, 2643 minutes: 1.02 tackles pr. 90

Rakitic gives 0.08 ≈ 0.1 more tackles pr. 90. I even rounded up lol.

 

[KingLeo10]

If I had known winning an important CL game because of Messi and Suarez with Rakitic on the field would unleash BBZ like THIS, I might have chosen group stage exit, dawgs.

 

[BusiTheKing]

We could also talk about the fact that Rakitic gets dribbled past nearly twice as much as Arthur. Last season: 0.85 vs. 0.43 pr. 90.

 

[BusiTheKing]

Or what about the fact that Rakitic hasn't made a single tackle in 8 appearances this season in La Liga lol.

 

[BusiTheKing]

He did make 1 interception, congratulations.

 

[George_Costanza]

Ackshualllly you're quite wrong sir. If you notice, Dembele did not play at all in the early season when he was injured and we lost several away games. Then Dembele has been getting regular minutes since late September and Barca have improved drastically.

Our record when Dembele was injured or benched: 3 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses.
Our record when Dembele is fit and playing: 8 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss

The truth is that DEMBELE is the reason we have improved so much. Dembele gives us so much dEfeNSiVe sTaBIliTy, not Rakitic like you said. In fact, lets throw in some more empty buzz words like that. Dembele also gives us positivity, youthfulness, spirituality.... These are very crucial and tangible things that you can measure on the football pitch.

Dembele also played minutes when we beat Liverpool 3-0, but didn't play any minutes at all when we lost 0-4 at Anfield. That is no coincidence at all.

Dembele is the key for Barca to win AND Dembele is the reason we are defensively strong. We were on the verge of being KO'd in the group stage for the first time since 1999 without Dembele. You have to decide, since we can't have both:

1. Do you want less Dembele and being KO'd in a group stage?
2. Or more Dembele and wins?

Again, we can't have both without Dembele.

I'll take wins.

 

[DonAK]

 

[Horatio]

My go to meme when I speak to latinas over whatsapp.

 

[Aryagorn]

the worst player on the pitch. He should be sold in Jan

Lol why are you using pr. appearance when I was talking about actual playing time. Use whatever you want for your own posts but don't try to deceitfully disprove mine.

Arthur: 15 tackles, 1441 minutes: 0.94 tackles pr. 90
Rakitic: 30 tackles, 2643 minutes: 1.02 tackles pr. 90

Rakitic gives 0.08 ≈ 0.1 more tackles pr. 90. I even rounded up lol.

The old fart with his ugly propaganda got busted.

I can't for the life of me fathom how he gets to keep parading with his make believe cooked up numbers suiting his agenda constantly! [MENTION=2]Barcaman[/MENTION] Could you please kick the old fart out

 

[Gnidrologist]

Well, i'm constantly getting a bit triggered by his relentless fake news harassment. Quite literally shaking sometimes.

 

[Lepi]

I’m reading this and i cant belive you haters and interner managers,,,guy got standing ovations last night For his performance from real footbal fans at Camp Nou.
But i’m guessing he probably fooled them all 👍🏻
Btw,,,what did you got last night?

 

[George_Costanza]

I’m reading this and i cant belive you haters and interner managers,,,guy got standing ovations last night For his performance from real footbal fans at Camp Nou.
But i’m guessing he probably fooled them all ����
Btw,,,what did you got last night?

Who got a standing ovation? Do you understand what's a standing ovation is?