Luis Enrique

[Alarcón]

You're just ignoring the fact that Kroos was offered to Barça, and was rejected. I'll search the Bartomeu quote, and post here when I found it.

I'm not ignoring it. I'm aware there's a big possibility that happened, the question is who he was rejected by, because I doubt it was Lucho. Again, if the board had accepted Kroos and suggested him to Lucho, I can't imagine Lucho would have rejected. Maybe back then they were sure they'll get Koke and that's why he was rejected, who knows.

The babysitting arguments isn't ludicrous. Are you watching the games? Because that's what Rakitic's been doing. Playing wide, covering for Alves all the time.

That's what Rakitic is doing part of the time, but not all the time. Many times when we have the ball, he's not in the right position to receive it, often because he's too far up the pitch. I think it was against Celta where Rakitic was essentially on the right wing towards the end of the game, ahead of Alves. You can't possibly tell me this is babysitting? It's just bad positioning, whether from Rakitic, or instructed by Lucho, I don't know, but I don't think Lucho tells him to position himself on the same line as Neymar and Suárez, and leave Busquets alone so the latter has to pass directly to the attack.

I agree the midfielders are too wide but that doesn't tell the whole story. They have certain defensive duties and they can't neglect them or we'd have 100 counters a game against us. It worked reasonably well in the first few games but it's obvious we struggle to create chances this way. The key is finding the right balance and that's not only due to the coach but also the 2 midfielders and their abilities.

 

[Flavia]

I'm not ignoring it. I'm aware there's a big possibility that happened, the question is who he was rejected by, because I doubt it was Lucho. Again, if the board had accepted Kroos and suggested him to Lucho, I can't imagine Lucho would have rejected. Maybe back then they were sure they'll get Koke and that's why he was rejected, who knows.

That's what Rakitic is doing part of the time, but not all the time. Many times when we have the ball, he's not in the right position to receive it, often because he's too far up the pitch. I think it was against Celta where Rakitic was essentially on the right wing towards the end of the game, ahead of Alves. You can't possibly tell me this is babysitting? It's just bad positioning, whether from Rakitic, or instructed by Lucho, I don't know, but I don't think Lucho tells him to position himself on the same line as Neymar and Suárez, and leave Busquets alone so the latter has to pass directly to the attack.

I agree the midfielders are too wide but that doesn't tell the whole story. They have certain defensive duties and they can't neglect them or we'd have 100 counters a game against us. It worked reasonably well in the first few games but it's obvious we struggle to create chances this way. The key is finding the right balance and that's not only due to the coach but also the 2 midfielders and their abilities.

There are no positional mistakes from the players. Just checked all the positioning map for all matches. The mdf's are protecting the fb's, as Lucho's system is to attack thru the fbs, with the forwards more centrally. Rakitic and Alves switch places at times, but Ivan's primary job is covering Alves, when he goes up the pitch. Ludicrous is you claiming that isn't happening, when it's obvious to everyone else it is. We are not playing thru the midfield. Messi is dropping deeper this season than he ever did before, and that's not by chance. It has a very specific reason.

Kroos wouldn't be rejected if Lucho wanted him, I don't know how you think that's possible. He had to give the "ok, go ahead" for all transfers, including Douglas (“The most important thing is that Douglas is a player asked for by the technical secretary and Coach Luis Enrique,” the President insisted.) and Vermaelen.

I found the text about Lucho pushing hard for Suarez: http://www.mundodeportivo.com/20140...ion-luis-enrique-luis-suarez_54411223827.html
The board had contacted with him before, but after the biting incident they weren't so sure of bringing him in, but Lucho was.

 

[messi2140]

Didnt help him that much , or he needs something much taller

 

[khaled_a_d]

I do. And Kroos while being a better player is also fantastic on corners.

I know people like to belittle proven stars and said that less know players are better, but so far I see no possible comparison.

Kroos at Bayern was awesome and I said it here myself last summer while some people tried to belittle him.

I didn't have the time to watch every RM games so I had to rely on the debate I watched that did a deep analysis about his season debut.

And yeah, he's even better than he was at bayern, and yeah I see no problem in saying he's a more complete players than rakitic, and being a killer on set pieces.

He would have never fit our system tbh,it would be worse than Cesc situation .won't argue that he is better player than Rakitic but then again Rakitic cost more than 10M less the board can say all what it wants about how big spending we did ,fact that considering we have spent less than transfer budget in 2012&2013 we yet paid only 67M for signings that is made for 2 summer,the board was saving money this summer too and 10M difference is a lot for them
Problem with Barca is the system ,whether it is the old tiki-taka system that needs player who are very dynamic and seems very tough to apply on different players or the new Lucho one were midfield job is to cover for full-backs
we need to start a more old fashioned football that allows us to use all gr8 players we have and gives us more flexibility with our transfers ,but in this system Kroos would have looked like a flop and Rakitic was probably gonna look like a beast too with RM (he was bound to go there if we went for Kroos) and it would have been a meltdown here

 

[Flavia]

the board was saving money this summer too

Saving money for what? The transfer ban? Rakitic was 18m, Kroos 25m. There was money left, money wasn't the problem. Just the usual lack of vision and competence from zubi, lucho and co.

 

[DonAK]

They have been saving money for quite a while by not getting a CB

 

[gatsu]

Saving money for what?

 

[Barcilliant]

Lol@people arguing over Kross. It's done and dusted.We all know how shitty this board is. If Lucho is going to play this style he needs a defence that sits MUCH deeper. Rakitic is not being used properly. Use him as an Am and get Busquets and Masch to cover him. Ini should be benched or used as a sub.Batra and MATHIEU should be first choice cb pairing.

 

[DonAndres]

Saving money for what?

 

[khaled_a_d]

Saving money for what? The transfer ban? Rakitic was 18m, Kroos 25m. There was money left, money wasn't the problem. Just the usual lack of vision and competence from zubi, lucho and co.

They came here to decrease debt with a financial project not a sport one ,and most reports say he actually cost 30M not 25

 

[Qonny]

I think it's time we make some big changes in the system, since this one obviously hasn't been working for a long time. Just the fact that most top players won't adapt to the way we play, coupled with our recent failures on the big stages (and here I'm not only talking about winning games, but winning them in a convincing manner).

I think it's hard for anyone to replicate the tiki take we played under pep, and I think its time to move away a bit from it, at least for a while. Football changes and it's quite obvious that opponents have figured us out. And just to point out, we haven't played tiki taka for at least three years now, and I'm all for us doing it if we're doing it right, but with this current board, our current players, and with the coach we have now (or any coach except pep that I know of), I just don't see it happening, anything else than pathetic attempts of replicating it (where the whole purpose of the style is somehow overlooked or forgotten).

I say we should move away from this pointless sideways passing, and not just keep possession for the sake of possession, but for the sake of a way to win matches. Possession with a meaning. What we desperately need, as far as I can see, is more movement from the players, quicker transitions, and more pressing. A quicker overall game. The sad thing though is I just don't see that happening anytime soon, until the people responsible start thinking outside the box a bit more.

 

[Barcilliant]

http://www.espnfc.com/spanish-prime...end-his-secretive-ways-at-barcelona?asStory=1

 

[hamad138]

Lucho gave an ok for kroos, but someone on the board convinced all that its better to reject him. His agent offered then a Pre Agreement so he can come next Year for free, but they said no because they didnt want to damage their good relationship with bayern.

 

[Chainsaw]

Lucho gave an ok for kroos, but someone on the board convinced all that its better to reject him. His agent offered then a Pre Agreement so he can come next Year for free, but they said no because they didnt want to damage their good relationship with bayern.

Buying a player doesn't damage a relationship between two clubs! So now the Real's relationship with Bayern is damaged because they bought Kroos??! Such a lousy excuse for wasting the chance to buy a world class midfielder for a good price. Apparently buying Kroos for 25m was less necessary for Barca than buying a crooked Vermaelame for 15m!

 

[rixxer]

I am in the wagon with Sumlit here. Especially agree with an opinion that Lucho is at least trying to move forward from midfield domination to more attack oriented set up, but there are obvious problems with that as any kind of transitional approach usually reaveals. Abandoning the midfield in the way we are doing it again and again is the most troublesome and the most obvious, part of that problem is also that defensive players are not suitabe for that kind of football as well. And some answers may really lay in the condundrum moving Mascherano to midfield (because lack of cover and short of defensive power in the midfield) besides Busquets, but Lucho so far has been very stubbornly against that idea.

I still believe he is gonna realize that some things needed to be change. And some of his ideas may work, we have seen some flashes here and then. Called it hope, then