Martin Montoya

[Irish_Cules]

I think he had a good game. He was great in defense, especially his positioning, and he made intelligent passes and great runs in attack. The only thing he lacks at the moment is end product - he takes too much time to think when he's (almost) on his own, instead of just delivering the ball to the middle, but that will surely improve with time. I hope Tata didn't get to angry with him at his last chance.

And Sumlit, I don't agree that Montoya is below average in attack, not at all. If you had watched him in his Barça B days, you'd know that his strengths have always lied in attack. It's obvious he's not made the most out of the good situation he's been in this season, but it's encouraging and telling that he actually gets in those sorts of situations. I can't remember a single time when Alves made the kind of run that Montoya did plenty of today and I said Montoya was similar to Alba for the sole reason that they're both fast and rely heavily on those sorts of runs - the only difference being Montoya currently doesn't make a lot out of his chances. I still stand by my point that Montoya is way more similar to Alba than Alves is - even in defense, both Montoya and Alba have great positioning, another similarity. Just because Montoya is not as good as Alba doesn't mean they're not similar.

You shouldn't judge a player on a couple of performances, on what he does at the moment, but rather on what he can do. If Montoya unlocks his true potential, he'll become one of the best RB's in the world.

Good post.

He was poor in the final third today and I think those hesitations were down to a lack of confidence/game time. He makes great runs and gets into good positions though so theres no reason to worry. The one thing I really like about Montoya is the way he closes down the opposition. He's tenacious with his pressing in both halves of the pitch.

 

[Cule4life]

Only thing lacking today was the final ball. He made intelligent runs and was good in defense. Im sure with practice and experience he will iron out the mistakes committed in delivering the final pass

 

[RomarioCBF12]

played good last game, but dissappointed tata today by not delivering that ball to neymar for the hattrick.

 

[Sumlit]

I think he had a good game. He was great in defense, especially his positioning, and he made intelligent passes and great runs in attack. The only thing he lacks at the moment is end product - he takes too much time to think when he's (almost) on his own, instead of just delivering the ball to the middle, but that will surely improve with time. I hope Tata didn't get to angry with him at his last chance.

And Sumlit, I don't agree that Montoya is below average in attack, not at all. If you had watched him in his Barça B days, you'd know that his strengths have always lied in attack. It's obvious he's not made the most out of the good situation he's been in this season, but it's encouraging and telling that he actually gets in those sorts of situations. I can't remember a single time when Alves made the kind of run that Montoya did plenty of today and I said Montoya was similar to Alba for the sole reason that they're both fast and rely heavily on those sorts of runs - the only difference being Montoya currently doesn't make a lot out of his chances. I still stand by my point that Montoya is way more similar to Alba than Alves is - even in defense, both Montoya and Alba have great positioning, another similarity. Just because Montoya is not as good as Alba doesn't mean they're not similar.

You shouldn't judge a player on a couple of performances, on what he does at the moment, but rather on what he can do. If Montoya unlocks his true potential, he'll become one of the best RB's in the world.

Sorry man I really disagree. Montoya had a very poor game in attack today. He was very tentative, had poor touches, poor passes, and poor crosses. He was solid on defense, and that is a good thing considering he had been shaking on defense as well, but not today.
He is not a good attacking fullback, and the comparisons to Alba are mind boggling to me. Montoya was Arbeloa like on offense today. If you cannot remember Alves making runs, I don't know which Alves you've been watching.

If I judge Montoya by what he can do like you ask, then there is no way in hell I can come to the same conclusion you came that he might someday become one of the best RBs in the world. It's just not realistic.

 

[Alarcón]

Sorry man I really disagree. Montoya had a very poor game in attack today. He was very tentative, had poor touches, poor passes, and poor crosses. He was solid on defense, and that is a good thing considering he had been shaking on defense as well, but not today.
He is not a good attacking fullback, and the comparisons to Alba are mind boggling to me. Montoya was Arbeloa like on offense today. If you cannot remember Alves making runs, I don't know which Alves you've been watching.

If I judge Montoya by what he can do like you ask, then there is no way in hell I can come to the same conclusion you came that he might someday become one of the best RBs in the world. It's just not realistic.

Then let's just agree to disagree. I've been watching Montoya for years so I know that he can be a real threat in attack.

And if Alves is really making those runs, as you say, I wonder why he's only had 1 single assist - in 11 games - this season, which came from a cross. Either you're lying or he's been just as "tentative" as Montoya in attack.

I've compared Montoya to Alba because, as I've already said, they're both very fast and their offensive contribution is based on making runs in behind the defense. Again, I have never said Montoya was as good as Alba. But please, instead of just saying those comparisons were "mind-boggling", give me some reasons why they are.

 

[CatalinR10]

He takes an eternity to cross the ball when in a good position. It pisses me off.

 

[DinhoR10]

He takes an eternity to cross the ball when in a good position. It pisses me off.

Yup, he's really good at getting into those positions but he takes like 3 touches when he should just one touch pass it.

 

[Antimadridista1]

Poor finishing actions. He could assist like 2 or 3 goals.

 

[beautifulgame]

well, here's to hoping he forces those nerves to settle after today. he knew on his face that he messed up those times.

 

[darthvader7888]

He had a decent game IMO, even though his final product was lacking.

 

[Ritchie]

Tata was really annoyed with him when he messed the chance up at the end. Final product needs to improve if he wants to take over from Alves.

 

[Sumlit]

Then let's just agree to disagree. I've been watching Montoya for years so I know that he can be a real threat in attack.

And if Alves is really making those runs, as you say, I wonder why he's only had 1 single assist - in 11 games - this season, which came from a cross. Either you're lying or he's been just as "tentative" as Montoya in attack.

I've compared Montoya to Alba because, as I've already said, they're both very fast and their offensive contribution is based on making runs in behind the defense. Again, I have never said Montoya was as good as Alba. But please, instead of just saying those comparisons were "mind-boggling", give me some reasons why they are.

It is fine to disagree, people have different opinions.

Assists are not the only outcome of making those types of runs. Fullbacks can play one-twos on the wing and unlock the winger for the cross. Besides, Alves hasn't played much or as well as his normal self this year, but since joining Barca he has had over 60 assists from the RB position.

Arbeloa gets into position quite often, he's just awful at delivering good passes and making good decisions once he's there. Getting into position from deep runs is what fullbacks do.

Montoya is absolutely nothing like Alba. Alba is a pure offensive fullback with excellent speed to recover and intercept balls, but defense is not his strong suit. Montoya so far has shown to be the exact opposite. Defensive minded fullback with much improvement needed on offense. The fact that they're both speedy is meaningless. Most fullbacks are speedy player. That's what the position demands.

It really matters not what Montoya has done in Barca B. He has moved on to face greater competition and will henceforth be judged on his performances against them. I judge him for what he has done and shown so far. That he might improve and grow in the future is perfectly valid.

 

[Irish_Cules]

IF he was truly defence minded then he wouldn't have gotten into those great positions on 3-4 occasions today. Not all full backs get into those positions. Montoya seems to know when to make these runs and he has the speed to do them. The other night against Celtic is an example of this when he set up Neymars first. Yes, his end product was poor tonnight but that doesn't mean he isn't an attacking full back. If you watch him with the Spanish Under 21s he is a constant threat down the right hand side. His end product is usually much better and if he gets more game time on the right then I'm sure we'll see his full potential.

 

[Sumlit]

IF he was truly defence minded then he wouldn't have gotten into those great positions on 3-4 occasions today. Not all full backs get into those positions. Montoya seems to know when to make these runs and he has the speed to do them. The other night against Celtic is an example of this when he set up Neymars first. Yes, his end product was poor tonnight but that doesn't mean he isn't an attacking full back. If you watch him with the Spanish Under 21s he is a constant threat down the right hand side. His end product is usually much better and if he gets more game time on the right then I'm sure we'll see his full potential.

Getting into wide attacking positions is what modern fullbacks do. What separates the good offensive fullbacks from those less offensively skilled ones is what they do when they're there. His offensive side needs a lot of work.

Like I said, Arbeloa finds himself in wide attacking positions plenty of times, specially for Spain because they actually play build-up football as oppose to Madrids counter, but once he's there he often takes a bad touch, makes an erred pass, or delivers a poor cross. His offensive skills are poor.
Obviously Montoya is no where near as bad as Arbeloa, even if he had some Arbeloa touches today, but his offensive skills need polishing.

 

[Flavia]

‏@barcastuff 32 min
Montoya: "I attack a lot but I have to improve my last pass. And I also hope to finally score."