Liga Round 8: Barca - Sevilla 1-0

[JamDav1982]

Sport dont have much a clue with these line ups they guess.

Even if that eleven.. which doubt is.... it would be Lamal on the left.

 

[te amo barca]

Cancelo hasnt been great last two games. Very erratic and it is contributing how easily cut through Barca are when he goes into midfield and gives away ball that much as well as not great positionally.

On ball he will always have moments he looks like prime Alves but trying to set a structure in team when he plays as erraticly as last two game is not easy.

As mentioned already... Balde has been poor and asked to play LW and Cancelo has been poor on ball consistently and asked to go into midfield.

Needs more balance.

I don't think many will disagree that Cancelo's been sloppy past 2 games and Balde is having a bad season for now. The problem is that their replacements do not exist in this squad, and it's not even about profiles. Alonso is just a retired player at this point and Cancelo is the only right back

 

[JohnN]

Cancelo is erratic indeed, but no other good options for RB. We should probably play Kounde there and Araujo RCB, if he Cancelo wants a rest.

For mid perhaps Germin, Gavi, Goundo. I just don't want to see Romeu...

Felix, Lewy, Yamal for forwards. But Raphinia can play too in al honesty and unleash Yamal later on.

Without FDJ and Pedri our team isn't the same for obvious reasons. We have to pull through this period.

 

[ajnotkeith]

Fermin is excellent. He has a lot of development to go but has a high ceiling, he's athletically very good.

I need to see him playing a full game but from the sub appearances and preseason he looks very fast and moves like an athlete. Good stamina, good shot power/accuracy, good presser.

Seems like a good 8 type if given space in midfield to move up and down and go on runs with ball.

 

[te amo barca]

Fermin is excellent. He has a lot of development to go but has a high ceiling, he's athletically very good.

I need to see him playing a full game but from the sub appearances and preseason he looks very fast and moves like an athlete. Good stamina, good shot power/accuracy, good presser.

Seems like a good 8 type if given space in midfield to move up and down and go on runs with ball.

I have an idea.. Fermin at right-back

 

[JamDav1982]

I don't think many will disagree that Cancelo's been sloppy past 2 games and Balde is having a bad season for now. The problem is that their replacements do not exist in this squad, and it's not even about profiles. Alonso is just a retired player at this point and Cancelo is the only right back

Not convinced Cancelo will play RB v the top sides this season but in general he is obvioulsy the best RB.

The point is there needs to be more balance than him stepping into midfield and Balde going to LW. Leaves team too open at times.

Both players need to get better on ball and system tweaked a bit.

Doesnt help when have likes of Romeu trying to cover them either.

 

[te amo barca]

Not convinced Cancelo will play RB v the top sides this season but in general he is obvioulsy the best RB.

The point is there needs to be more balance than him stepping into midfield and Balde going to LW. Leaves team too open at times.

Both players need to get better on ball and system tweaked a bit.

Doesnt help when have likes of Romeu trying to cover them either.

The problem is that with Xavi's current positional setup, especially since Felix was brought in, Balde at LW and Frenkie at left CDM is the only "natural" solution without shoehorning Frenkie in an interior position higher up the pitch again.

In a more rigid setup that we had when Xavi came, Alba and Alves were natural inverted fullbacks, forming a 2-3/3-2 with Busquets in midfield, and the two interior midfielders were free to venture forward, and the two wingers created width naturally.

Anyone can see though that Balde is not fully comfortable playing so high up the pitch. It also makes us vulnerable as you said because whenever there's a turnover he's just way too high up.

So unless Balde can learn to play inverted fullback, Felix can be comfortable at starting as a touchline winger in buildup, and Frenkie play as a lone CDM, we will have only a semblance of defensive solidity. And with the current players, this won't happen unless Xavi finds something. Xavi played Gavi at LW to protect the left-hand side from this proneness to being exposed with gaping holes, but that made us play terrorball in offense. I'd rather Xavi continue with this than the haramball we witnessed last spring

 

[JamDav1982]

The problem is that with Xavi's current positional setup, especially since Felix was brought in, Balde at LW and Frenkie at left CDM is the only "natural" solution without shoehorning Frenkie in an interior position higher up the pitch again.

In a more rigid setup that we had when Xavi came, Alba and Alves were natural inverted fullbacks, forming a 2-3/3-2 with Busquets in midfield, and the two interior midfielders were free to venture forward, and the two wingers created width naturally.

Anyone can see though that Balde is not fully comfortable playing so high up the pitch. It also makes us vulnerable as you said because whenever there's a turnover he's just way too high up.

So unless Balde can learn to play inverted fullback, Felix can be comfortable at starting as a touchline winger in buildup, and Frenkie play as a lone CDM, we will have only a semblance of defensive solidity. And with the current players, this won't happen unless Xavi finds something. Xavi played Gavi at LW to protect the left-hand side from this proneness to being exposed with gaping holes, but that made us play terrorball in offense. I'd rather Xavi continue with this than the haramball we witnessed last spring

Nah the midfield set up is fine.

The prior set up had Barca out of Europe to Frankfurt, out of CL and trailing Real in league.

This set up suits FDJ/Gavi etc all a lot better.

No top teams are restricting the midfield to positional cones in way Xavi did when first came in... and it didn work. Barca got better once dumped it.

 

[JamDav1982]

The problem is that with Xavi's current positional setup, especially since Felix was brought in, Balde at LW and Frenkie at left CDM is the only "natural" solution without shoehorning Frenkie in an interior position higher up the pitch again.

In a more rigid setup that we had when Xavi came, Alba and Alves were natural inverted fullbacks, forming a 2-3/3-2 with Busquets in midfield, and the two interior midfielders were free to venture forward, and the two wingers created width naturally.

Anyone can see though that Balde is not fully comfortable playing so high up the pitch. It also makes us vulnerable as you said because whenever there's a turnover he's just way too high up.

So unless Balde can learn to play inverted fullback, Felix can be comfortable at starting as a touchline winger in buildup, and Frenkie play as a lone CDM, we will have only a semblance of defensive solidity. And with the current players, this won't happen unless Xavi finds something. Xavi played Gavi at LW to protect the left-hand side from this proneness to being exposed with gaping holes, but that made us play terrorball in offense. I'd rather Xavi continue with this than the haramball we witnessed last spring

Nah the midfield set up is fine.

The prior set up had Barca out of Europe to Frankfurt, out of CL and trailing Real in league.

This set up suits FDJ/Gavi etc all a lot better.

No top teams are restricting the midfield to positional cones in way Xavi did when first came in... and it didn work. Barca got better once dumped it.

Balde doesnt have to learn to play inverted full back either to be more defensively strong.

 

[ajnotkeith]

Balde isn't that good going forward tbh or being stationed high up.


Xavi's idea was, he's fast and decent technically, he must be able to beat players, but always more to it than that.
He complains in a lot of games about how Balde couldn't find 1v1 successes.
Balde is best on the ball deeper where he can sprint forward into the space but isn't that good when closer to the goal and has to beat his man/put accurate service with fewer touches.

 

[Porque]

Rumour is that Xavi calls Araujo Reiziger when he puts him at rightback.

 

[Porque]

Balde isn't that good going forward tbh or being stationed high up.


Xavi's idea was, he's fast and decent technically, he must be able to beat players, but always more to it than that.
He complains in a lot of games about how Balde couldn't find 1v1 successes.
Balde is best on the ball deeper where he can sprint forward into the space but isn't that good when closer to the goal and has to beat his man/put accurate service with fewer touches.

It's a stretch (from Xavi perspective) to expect your fullbacks to beat his defended one on one, especially in short spaces or starting from standing.

Generally if the fullback would consistently beat his man one-on-one then he wouldn't be a fullback.

That's not to say that Balde shouldn't improve his final ball. But the onus to beat the man should be on Felix and Raphinha and this should be the comments In the pressers.

 

[JamDav1982]

The trend at moment is for back four with one player stepping into midfield.

Balde can still offer a lot when required if is one of the sitting defenders as way Pep plays it as he values above almost anything else that those three sitting defenders have to be strong 1v1 defenders.

My guess is over next while may see Lamal tried a bit on left and Cancelo tried at times on RW to start trying to find options.

 

[Devils]

I'm here.

 

[Timo]

Araujo or Kounde right back. Not Balde. Balde his last game against Mallorca was not good. So I would not let him play against his foot at right back.