Josep Maria Bartomeu

[DonAK]

Need to get a proper midfield and put it in the hands of a no 10 like Coutinho and tell Messi to focus on final third.

Since Messi dropped deeper and team just look to defer to him they have not been as effective in CL. the one year he went back to RW Barca won the treble.

Team is just far too much focused on Messi - goals, assists, build up play.

Messi at his best is not a playmaker he is a difference maker in final third and needs to get back to that but wont happen.

I kind of agree. For that reason I believe we also need another WC midfield signing alongside Coutinho. Rakitic has been good this season, but he just isn't the kind of player we need to make a difference and create stability and also create chances for the team.

Perhaps Messi will do that if we get a midfield capable of dribbling past players and actually creating something.

 

[Stoichkov1]

Conte I dont think has ever managed to get past last 16 of CL. He seems to intense and boring style training etc to maintain a challenge on multiple fronts.

His main fault was getting knocked out by Benfica in 2014 in Europa League. The final that year was in Turin.

Allegri with more or less the same team made a CL final.

 

[jamrock]

Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel

 

[JamDav1982]

I kind of agree. For that reason I believe we also need another WC midfield signing alongside Coutinho. Rakitic has been good this season, but he just isn't the kind of player we need to make a difference and create stability and also create chances for the team.

Perhaps Messi will do that if we get a midfield capable of dribbling past players and actually creating something.

Might be wrong but think Messi wants to play centrally and wants the freedom to move where he wants/defend when he wants.

The move to RW was always just temporary it felt like.

Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel

You sound like a train.

He is off to PSG is he not?

 

[Stoichkov1]

Might be wrong but think Messi wants to play centrally and wants the freedom to move where he wants/defend when he wants.

The move to RW was always just temporary it felt like.

Messi wants to play centrally because he doesn't have the stamina to play RW anymore.

 

[khaled_a_d]

Need to get a proper midfield and put it in the hands of a no 10 like Coutinho and tell Messi to focus on final third.

Since Messi dropped deeper and team just look to defer to him they have not been as effective in CL. the one year he went back to RW Barca won the treble.

Team is just far too much focused on Messi - goals, assists, build up play.

Messi at his best is not a playmaker he is a difference maker in final third and needs to get back to that but wont happen.

Totally agree, have been saying this for 2 years now, he is the best in history but currently he is a tactical problem at the same time.

I kind of agree. For that reason I believe we also need another WC midfield signing alongside Coutinho. Rakitic has been good this season, but he just isn't the kind of player we need to make a difference and create stability and also create chances for the team.

Perhaps Messi will do that if we get a midfield capable of dribbling past players and actually creating something.

Replacing Rakitic might be nice start and everything, but then we have a problem of balance too.

Do we play 4231 (or 442 whatever you want to call it) as we are doing more or less now in the league? Thing is would always put Messi in same position, he will continue to be AM more than a 2nd striker. I am all for 4231/442 right now as it helps Rakitic and most of our current players to play in their comfort zone

Do we go back to 433? That could create a more balanced midfield but what about the sides? we need balanced flanks so that midfield don't get dragged distally, Messi days as RW are over, do we keep Suarez and Dembele and play with non-symmetrical 433 like Lucho last days? or play Messi as false 9? but then again signing Griezmann -which seem inevitable- makes those ideas unlikely.

I don't know man, it is always easy to say that a world class addition will solve problems, and in many cases they do tbf. but sometimes it just doesn't work that way.

 

[DonAK]

Totally agree, have been saying this for 2 years now, he is the best in history but currently he is a tactical problem at the same time.



Replacing Rakitic might be nice start and everything, but then we have a problem of balance too.

Do we play 4231 (or 442 whatever you want to call it) as we are doing more or less now in the league? Thing is would always put Messi in same position, he will continue to be AM more than a 2nd striker. I am all for 4231/442 right now as it helps Rakitic and most of our current players to play in their comfort zone

Do we go back to 433? That could create a more balanced midfield but what about the sides? we need balanced flanks so that midfield don't get dragged distally, Messi days as RW are over, do we keep Suarez and Dembele and play with non-symmetrical 433 like Lucho last days? or play Messi as false 9? but then again signing Griezmann -which seem inevitable- makes those ideas unlikely.

I don't know man, it is always easy to say that a world class addition will solve problems, and in many cases they do tbf. but sometimes it just doesn't work that way.

Play a 4-3-3 with Messi as a False 9 closer to the goal and Griezmann as an inside forward on the right side, move Dembele to the LW.

Drop Rakitic and bring in another creative midfielder that isn't slow as hell that is capable of getting past players. Tell Dembele to get his ass running defensively like Neymar often did in his final season, Griezmann can already do that. Semedo or whoever our RB is going to be need to be more potent offensively too.

The two midfielders + Griezmann and Dembele need to constantly move off the ball, Messi too need to make more runs off the ball.

Give the keys to chance creation from deep to Coutinho and the other midfielder. I cannot find a better solution this problem.

A 4-2-3-1 could work if we had a prime Arturo Vidal alongside Busquets, but we don't. We have Paulinho. The Brazilian guy that got no positional awareness.

As for the midfielder alongside Coutinho then I don't know who could work. We need someone that can start right away and be consistently great. Losing out on Kroos for 25m really hurts right now. He would have brought the balance needed.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is an interesting player that would get the guys that want physical players start drooling too with his impressive stature and strength, 1.92m tall and strong like a bull, but he's not WC yet or at that level and I don't know how he would work. I would prefer an established midfielder.

 

[jamrock]

A 433 would simply mean the end of saurez, we will need inside forwards, I am a saurez lover but if he as to go so be it.

 

[khaled_a_d]

Play a 4-3-3 with Messi as a False 9 closer to the goal and Griezmann as an inside forward on the right side, move Dembele to the LW.

Drop Rakitic and bring in another creative midfielder that isn't slow as hell that is capable of getting past players. Tell Dembele to get his ass running defensively like Neymar often did in his final season, Griezmann can already do that. Semedo or whoever our RB is going to be need to be more potent offensively too.

The two midfielders + Griezmann and Dembele need to constantly move off the ball, Messi too need to make more runs off the ball.

Give the keys to chance creation from deep to Coutinho and the other midfielder. I cannot find a better solution this problem.

A 4-2-3-1 could work if we had a prime Arturo Vidal alongside Busquets, but we don't. We have Paulinho. The Brazilian guy that got no positional awareness.

As for the midfielder alongside Coutinho then I don't know who could work. We need someone that can start right away and be consistently great. Losing out on Kroos for 25m really hurts right now. He would have brought the balance needed.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is an interesting player that would get the guys that want physical players start drooling too with his impressive stature and strength, 1.92m tall and strong like a bull, but he's not WC yet or at that level and I don't know how he would work. I would prefer an established midfielder.

That seem like the most reasonable solution tbf, but we need to define who is that freakin awesome midfielder we can afford while getting Griez & a must sign back up CB (sorry, don't want another year that both Umtiti & Pique are relaxed about their status in the club) just after already signing two of the most expensive players in history.
May be we can do it with superb scouting, superb job in selling players.
But realistically, this is a tactical problem we will have to accept while Messi is still here. The coach will be only capable of picking which problem is the least dangerous

 

[Barcilliant]

The coach is a big issue but so are the players. These guys won alot of stuff early in their careers and now lack the motivation and physical ability. This board lacks the balls to make the changes required.

Dark times ahead....

 

[Devils]

The coach is a big issue but so are the players. These guys won alot of stuff early in their careers and now lack the motivation and physical ability. This board lacks the balls to make the changes required.

Dark times ahead....

Yeah but they also been humiliated multiple times in the CL over the last few years and have watched their main rivals claim the trophy back to back. You'dthink at some point they would show some fight or motivation.

 

[DonAK]

That seem like the most reasonable solution tbf, but we need to define who is that freakin awesome midfielder we can afford while getting Griez & a must sign back up CB (sorry, don't want another year that both Umtiti & Pique are relaxed about their status in the club) just after already signing two of the most expensive players in history.
May be we can do it with superb scouting, superb job in selling players.
But realistically, this is a tactical problem we will have to accept while Messi is still here. The coach will be only capable of picking which problem is the least dangerous

It's going to be a big problem not only finding the money, but finding that player. Eriksen is an intriguing name, but could he really fit those characteristics? I don't know.

Perhaps we could trick Bayern into a 20m + Gomes deal for Thiago but he's constantly injured.

I'll tell you one thing though. Even if I'm fine with signing Griezmann now, I would not mind signing someone like Timo Werner for that role instead. Blazing speed, always making runs in the box and behind the defence, can actually be a threat from crosses too.....

 

[te amo barca]

For once we should sign a coach who can set up an attacking gameplay where players have a clue what to do when we need a goal. Haven't had such a coach since Pep. I am talking about managers like Tuchel or Sarri. On the other hand, remember how everyone wanted Sampaoli and now he looks very suspect as a manager. Hard choice. But please, Barto, call a proper coach and not a former Barca player this time. I hope we don't go for Oscar Garcia for instance.

 

[jamrock]

There aren't a lot of great CM out there which is exactly what we need in order to make the 433 work again, 4-2-3-1 is the easiest solution to find a player for

 

[Barcilliant]

Yeah but they also been humiliated multiple times in the CL over the last few years and have watched their main rivals claim the trophy back to back. You'dthink at some point they would show some fight or motivation.

You are right. The board also rewards them with renewed contract and pay increases. Too comfortable and entitled.