Errr... No.Tata wins this one
Errr... No.
No. He needs fresh blood, young and good players. Promoting Samper and getting Gundogan or/and Koke would be a start.As far as Lucho goes - he has great ideas, but he just lacks something when it comes to midfield tactics - maybe just needs an assistant who knows everything there is to know about midfield.
No. He needs fresh blood, young and good players. Promoting Samper and getting Gundogan or/and Koke would be a start.
With the transfer ban the future doesn't look bright though.
Easy to say that now but at start of season the majority of people seemed to think Iniesta had not declined and that Rafinha was on a par with Thiago or a future Barcelona star.
I argued last summer that Iniesta had declined, Rafinha was not as good as people think and Rakitic was average. This would be the worst Barca midfield in years. The vast majority did not agree.
So a lot of people acting like generals after the war now.
I wasn't content with our midfield from the start. Aging Xaviesta, raw Rafinha, in and out Busquets and a mismatched signing in Rakitic never gave me the feeling of assurance. I thought Suarez would be a great signing initially because he's such a brilliant striker but his overall game leaves much to be desired.Easy to say that now but at start of season the majority of people seemed to think Iniesta had not declined and that Rafinha was on a par with Thiago or a future Barcelona star.
I argued last summer that Iniesta had declined, Rafinha was not as good as people think and Rakitic was average. This would be the worst Barca midfield in years. The vast majority did not agree.
So a lot of people acting like generals after the war now.
I wasn't content with our midfield from the start. Aging Xaviesta, raw Rafinha, in and out Busquets and a mismatched signing in Rakitic never gave me the feeling of assurance. I thought Suarez would be a great signing initially because he's such a brilliant striker but his overall game leaves much to be desired.
It's not a sin to be wrong but I'm disappointed with how things turned out. I blame the board for everything though. Lucho wanted Cuadrado and Koke. Never wanted Suarez but Bartomeu brought his name up to the table and he for some reason approved the transfer. 70m that could've had been spent a whole lot better and wiser.
I remember that.I argued last summer that Iniesta had declined, Rafinha was not as good as people think and Rakitic was average. This would be the worst Barca midfield in years. The vast majority did not agree.
“Luis Suarez was on the table and our new coach Luis Enrique, when he signed, we explained everything quickly and he said ‘of course, if you can bring Luis Suarez to our club, bring him – he is a fantastic player.’Lucho did want Suarez he had the choice to say no and didnt. Which he was correct on.
Suarez has added a lot and was the correct signing to improve the front three. Which had been badly lacking in big games the season previous.
“Luis Suarez was on the table and our new coach Luis Enrique, when he signed, we explained everything quickly and he said ‘of course, if you can bring Luis Suarez to our club, bring him – he is a fantastic player.’
I don't get the feeling as if Suarez was requested by Lucho but it certainly was hard to say no if everything was being closed down as he's a fantastic striker. No matter the case, signing the Uruguayan was a mistake in hindsight imo. I'm not sure if the problem ever lied in our front line. The article, from which I brought up the quote above, also says that Zubizaretta at the end of last season thought it'd be good to bring a great striker like Suarez to the club. Funnily enough, he never thought it's the middle that needs strenghtening. In the end, he's gotten a player no-one ever heard of and who was clearly not good enough to ever start a competitive game and Rakitic, who never was destined to fill in the Barca midfielder role, for positions which really needed reinforcements.
Yes as I said Lucho was given the choice on Suarez and was correct to agree the signing.
He said no to Kroos as well. If Lucho didnt want Suarez he could have said. Thankfully he did want him.
The front line was as weak as any area of the team last season and Messi as a false nine was no longer working. Just look at how many goals were scored against Atletico Madrid and that basically gave up any hope of league or CL.
Koke didnt want to leave Atletico. That is no one at Barcelonas fault.
Kroos should have been signed but Lucho rated the likes of Rakitic and Rafinha too highly. Thats not the boards fault when they offered him so much power.