Josep Maria Bartomeu

[JamDav1982]

I certainly hope you are right.

Odriozola only played in two games for Bayern this season after he was loaned and I have seen some Bayern fans praising him, some even went as far as wanting to sign him, so I don't know if he is that bad. I don't think he will be a starter at Real Madrid though as I think he is worse than Hakimi, but would be a nice squad player.

I think how we are ridiculing Real Madrid's squad depth is like how a guy with a 100 bucks mocking someone who has 300 buck as not being rich enough.

Who is 'ridiculing' Real?

They have a lot of good young players that may develop further with nothing as certain as is made out.

Likes of Regulion/Mendy are ages with Lenglet and FDJ yet are made out to be some great future bet in way those players are not as much as starters.

For Ordiozola there is Emerson. Who knows who will be better player there long term.

For Viniscius, Rodryo and Reiner there is Fati, Trnicao, Pedri and even Dembele if ever gets fit etc. Lets see how they all pan out in terms of first team football.

 

[mc_lovin]

How do you explain most literate fans being happy with how we're being run and the opposite being the case at Barca?

Literate fans... okay. Madrids appraoch is better looking thats for sure. But its not like we are devoid of good talents, heck, Ansu had probably more impact than Rodrygo and Vinicius combined - and I dont expect him to be the next big thing either.

Its all a game of chance, but just investing heavily in talents rarely (if ever) worked out. Thats my whole point, and it shouldnt be too controversial. One more thing: like your replacement for Ronaldo (Hazard) we kind of have one for Messi already lined up - unfortunately he sucks on every other position in this team ;-)

 

[JamDav1982]

Still doesn't explain how it's seen as impossible to call Messi departure if you're a Barca fan or executive. It makes all the sense in the world. Clean slate, lots of room freed up for Griezmann at RF and maybe even Coutinho at LCAM. Why is it not being considered? Loyalty? Lol, you lot are a sentimental bunch.

Messi is almost mythical, face of team, still best player and brings so much off the field.

No board will want to be ones who got rid of him before he wanted to leave.

Personally would like to see them make changes, rid the older core and give him instruction of this is how to play or can leave but just wont happen.

 

[mc_lovin]

Messi is still a net positive as well - even with his age. Dont know why thats supposed to be a negative point for us.

 

[El Gato]

Literate fans... okay. Madrids appraoch is better looking thats for sure. But its not like we are devoid of good talents, heck, Ansu had probably more impact than Rodrygo and Vinicius combined - and I dont expect him to be the next big thing either.

Its all a game of chance, but just investing heavily in talents rarely (if ever) worked out. Thats my whole point, and it shouldnt be too controversial. One more thing: like your replacement for Ronaldo (Hazard) we kind of have one for Messi already lined up - unfortunately he sucks on every other position in this team ;-)

Well duh, you don't want to listen to perennial whiners who don't think critically about what's going on and just moan how "Madrid is nothing without CR" or "we're going down the Milan/Arsenal route", do you?

Disagree about Ansu impact being that much more. Tho he's younger so it's perhaps a little more impressive I guess. Rodrygo had the youngest hattrick in CL history, scored on his debut etc etc. Zidane rates him. And he rates Vini. Guess it comes down to how you measure impact.

What other talents are you investing in in positions that will need filling in the next 1-3 seasons? Firpo is a decent buy, but not a 'talent'. Alena doesn't seem likely to remain. Perez is done for after Roma. Denis is finished. Puig will get bodied if he doesn't get in the gym, and he said he won't if I remember correctly. Who else is Barca after? Genuine question really, because it doesn't seem like you are looking at Upamecanos or anyone else seriously.

 

[JamDav1982]

Well duh, you don't want to listen to perennial whiners who don't think critically about what's going on and just moan how "Madrid is nothing without CR" or "we're going down the Milan/Arsenal route", do you?

Disagree about Ansu impact being that much more. Tho he's younger so it's perhaps a little more impressive I guess. Rodrygo had the youngest hattrick in CL history, scored on his debut etc etc. Zidane rates him. And he rates Vini. Guess it comes down to how you measure impact.

What other talents are you investing in in positions that will need filling in the next 1-3 seasons? Firpo is a decent buy, but not a 'talent'. Alena doesn't seem likely to remain. Perez is done for after Roma. Denis is finished. Puig will get bodied if he doesn't get in the gym, and he said he won't if I remember correctly. Who else is Barca after? Genuine question really, because it doesn't seem like you are looking at Upamecanos or anyone else seriously.

Denis is a Celta player.

MATS doesnt need replaced. Other than him potential in Emerson, Araujo, Todibo, Firpo, FDJ, Arthur, Pedri, Puig, Trincao, Fati, Dembele.

Question marks over some if not most but those are the type of players Barca would be looking at for some to improve and make first team.

 

[khaled_a_d]

Who else is Barca after? Genuine question really, because it doesn't seem like you are looking at Upamecanos or anyone else seriously.

Trincao on RW, though we don't have that position currently.

Pedri look like the real deal, but is just too young. But he has Iniesta starter kit.

Moriba is very highly rated within Barca.
Reis was a decent buy too.

Mingo (not sure if correct name) is a recent purchase in CB. We will see how he develops,Aroujo seem like a good back up CB.

Emerson might be best RB of his age group in Liga.

That along Fati of course.

If we get a couple of starters and couple of back ups from those names it will ease rebuild a lot.

 

[El Gato]

Yh I'm doing this off the top of my head and no loanees stood out that I can remember. Todibo was slow AF against Dortmund and that's all I remember. Trincao played well in the one game I've watched last week, but nothing anyone would rave about. Does he play U20s? Don't know what warrants Vini or Rodrygo being equated to him or Pedri.

Damn, didn't even know Emerson was yours. He's good from what I've seen. I'd bin Semedo and play him for sure.

 

[mc_lovin]

Well duh, you don't want to listen to perennial whiners who don't think critically about what's going on and just moan how "Madrid is nothing without CR" or "we're going down the Milan/Arsenal route", do you?

Disagree about Ansu impact being that much more. Tho he's younger so it's perhaps a little more impressive I guess. Rodrygo had the youngest hattrick in CL history, scored on his debut etc etc. Zidane rates him. And he rates Vini. Guess it comes down to how you measure impact.

What other talents are you investing in in positions that will need filling in the next 1-3 seasons? Firpo is a decent buy, but not a 'talent'. Alena doesn't seem likely to remain. Perez is done for after Roma. Denis is finished. Puig will get bodied if he doesn't get in the gym, and he said he won't if I remember correctly. Who else is Barca after? Genuine question really, because it doesn't seem like you are looking at Upamecanos or anyone else seriously.

Thats the point, no? Think critically. In no way I am saying that we are better off than Madrid, but this overly pessimistic attitude (of Donak for example) sucks. Thats my whole gripe with this.

I would be more than pleased if we played our hand more moderately (like Madrid), but, right now, assuming everything works out for you is naive. Just as it would be naive to think Ansu, Trincao and the likes will be the solution to our problems.

 

[JamDav1982]

Yh I'm doing this off the top of my head and no loanees stood out that I can remember. Todibo was slow AF against Dortmund and that's all I remember. Trincao played well in the one game I've watched last week, but nothing anyone would rave about. Does he play U20s? Don't know what warrants Vini or Rodrygo being equated to him or Pedri.

I dont rate Todibo highly and would sell him for anything over 20m but it is a list of the players bought and looked at by some as building towards future.

Comparison to Rodrygo or Viniscius would be Trincao/Fati/Dembele.

 

[El Gato]

@mc_lovin
So why treat it as a problem that needs to be solved? If you don't win for 2 years does that mean there's a problem? Or perhaps I'll rephrase - if you were to do what Madrid does, do you think you'd be more or less happy than you are now?

 

[mc_lovin]

@mc_lovin
So why treat it as a problem that needs to be solved? If you don't win for 2 years does that mean there's a problem? Or perhaps I'll rephrase - if you were to do what Madrid does, do you think you'd be more or less happy than you are now?

Winning nothing for 2 years is a problem, yes. I would rather take our current roster and compete than a bunch of talents and finishing 3rd. And yes, thats a rather extreme example (as we bought our fair share of talents as well/La Masia).

I would have been happy with your approach when we were top of the world, but right now I would rather see us go for immediate impact (like Frenkie - which is harder though).

 

[Luftstalag14]

I haven't watched Emerson lately, certainly not after the restart of football but last season and earlier this season when I was following Real Betis pretty closely he didn't strike me as that good at all. He is tall, physical and has the ability to drive the ball forward but he wasn't good at making those crosses and inward passes when he was in an advanced position and he was bumbling defensively. Not too promising in my opinion. Of course he could improve later.

 

[te amo barca]

What fruits would you expect at this stage if you were an RM fan? Or last season?

Last season we found at least one replacement at LB, this season we found another. We continued to wind down contracts of players who are past it, but can't be kicked out because they still have something to give provided they don't play in exactly the same setup all the time (i.e. slot in Mendy, Valverde, Hazard and Asensio at different times). These vets stop being seen as a problem if a manager and the board treat them with merit, meaning they don't get played when they're a reason for us losing (Marcelo) and they don't get unwarranted extensions (Modric). You think they're a problem because we're not winning? Fair enough. How do you explain most literate fans being happy with how we're being run and the opposite being the case at Barca?

Talent is always a gamble, but it's better than barely anything like Barca are. And when you're doing it responsibly, you can't help but be optimistic. It's understanding of a strategic gamble. If it's just Messi's titles that reassure of a being level with us, then I don't understand how you can be more certain things will be OK going forward when you take that away.



Why do these ties matter so much? Raul, a club legend, got binned when it got ridiculous. Iker did as well, as he should have. SAF binned Keane. Inter fell on their own sword by keeping the people who delivered their CL after Mou left. These are difficult decisions, but it's in everyone else's interest to make them. Messi is 33 and people really want to believe he is worth sacrificing another 3 years of recruitment by buying players who must at least be able to be shoehorned into positions around him as he gets older and older? While also staying behind the status of other vets?



Theo is doing great at Milan, Llorente is currently immense at Atleti, Kovacic great at Chelsea, Ceballos is up in the air in a shit Arsenal side. Vallejo is still 23 and already experienced quite a bit, while also playing well vs the likes of Juve, his problem is being a glass boy so it's as stupid to call him a failure as it is to say Hazard is a flop. None are failures, only never been better than their seniors at Real. Easy to jump to these words.

Isco isn't dead as he showed vs City. He's just a squad guy who never reached the level he was slated to get to.

Didn?t say they were bad players. Meant that they failed at Madrid.

6 of them playing in the same position? What do you mean? There are two LBs, two RBs and three FW/AMs in that group.

That?s right, two LBs, two RBs, two LWs. Only one of every pair makes it as a starter, and the Brazilians have Hazard playing in their main position (LW).

 

[Luftstalag14]

Winning nothing for 2 years is a problem, yes. I would rather take our current roster and compete than a bunch of talents and finishing 3rd. And yes, thats a rather extreme example (as we bought our fair share of talents as well/La Masia).

I would have been happy with your approach when we were top of the world, but right now I would rather see us go for immediate impact (like Frenkie - which is harder though).

I think our board wants immediate impact to make the best out of the last couple of years of Messi's career and I can certainly understand where they are coming from, however I'd rather buy more younger players and start rebuilding and transitioning while Messi is still here and start building the team up (I think in some aspects one can argue we are doing that, it is just that we are still extremely dependent on Messi and without him we don't know how to play) and get them into a groove and go trophyless for a couple of seasons than going for immediate impact and only start thinking about replenishing the squad after Messi is officially gone. I think having Messi right now is both a blessing and a curse (certainly a real blessing if we look at his whole tenure with us) and we are just kicking the can down the road.