Mavericky Puig

BusiTheKing

Senior Member
there is a weird amount of selective attention going on. every time he makes a mistake, it confirms this hypothesis that he's a fraud. everytime he does something good, it's brushed to the side.
 

BusiTheKing

Senior Member
i guess it's normal that this is what happens when prospects have been in that limbo for a while; people's opinons harden, they become inflexible to conflicting evidence. but i am here to tell you that i see beyond the irrational tendencies of the human race, i have seen the glories of football heaven, i have deduced the clockwork principles of ball and field and foot and god, i have seen the light and it's name is riqui puig
 

vegitot

Senior Member
Lol are you seriously saying that it's normal for midfielders to just stay in the same position and shrug off opponents coming to take the ball away? Honestly doesn't sound like we're watching the same sport. Physical superiority is important for attackers who receive the ball with one defender in the back but for midfielders it's sort of besides the point and has much more to do with ball control and awareness.

Xavi and Busi didn't just 'stay in the same position'. Perhaps they navigated with a little more spatial intelligence and coolness than Puig but what you're saying isn't really supported by any layer of reality.


He actually have some points. Mavericky's physique is even below mediocre. It's just bad. Look at Xavi's physique then compare to him, you see massive difference. Not even mention players like Xavi, Iniesta....have enough balance and strength to deal with every kind of opponents. Mavericky's only asset is his agility which is good but nothing special.

In reality he plays like a headless chicken all the time, has no sense of position, awareness. This may look good if he comes from the bench in last 10-20 mins. It is usually bad when he plays from beginning. Most of the time he looks mediocre at best (except for the match vs AM last season or last match last season). Forget about defending because he is simply bad, usually kicking other players legs...

Forget about Barca, don't think he can start for anyteam in Liga with his current abilities.
 

BusiTheKing

Senior Member
He actually have some points. Mavericky's physique is even below mediocre. It's just bad. Look at Xavi's physique then compare to him, you see massive difference. Not even mention players like Xavi, Iniesta....have enough balance and strength to deal with every kind of opponents. Mavericky's only asset is his agility which is good but nothing special.

In reality he plays like a headless chicken all the time, has no sense of position, awareness. This may look good if he comes from the bench in last 10-20 mins. It is usually bad when he plays from beginning. Most of the time he looks mediocre at best (except for the match vs AM last season or last match last season). Forget about defending because he is simply bad, usually kicking other players legs...

Forget about Barca, don't think he can start for anyteam in Liga with his current abilities.

His point wan't that Riqui Puig is not physically strong. That's not a point, that's an observation. His point was that Riqui being of below average physical strength has had to resort to move all the time as he can't hold his own. This is a ridiculously stupid point as it is what literally any midfield not name Adebayo Akinfenwa does when in possession of the ball; move around.
 

BusiTheKing

Senior Member
He actually have some points. Mavericky's physique is even below mediocre. It's just bad. Look at Xavi's physique then compare to him, you see massive difference. Not even mention players like Xavi, Iniesta....have enough balance and strength to deal with every kind of opponents. Mavericky's only asset is his agility which is good but nothing special.

In reality he plays like a headless chicken all the time, has no sense of position, awareness. This may look good if he comes from the bench in last 10-20 mins. It is usually bad when he plays from beginning. Most of the time he looks mediocre at best (except for the match vs AM last season or last match last season). Forget about defending because he is simply bad, usually kicking other players legs...

Forget about Barca, don't think he can start for anyteam in Liga with his current abilities.

what is, by the way, the point of this sort arguing. simply declaring: 'he's bad. he wouldn't start for any team'. then I say. 'no he's actually good. he would start for any team'.

it's not very stimulating to my intellectual libido
 

vegitot

Senior Member
His point wan't that Riqui Puig is not physically strong. That's not a point, that's an observation. His point was that Riqui being of below average physical strength has had to resort to move all the time as he can't hold his own. This is a ridiculously stupid point as it is what literally any midfield not name Adebayo Akinfenwa does when in possession of the ball; move around.

He runs like a headless chicken almost every time. He doesn't want to get a physical contact. Compare to Pedri for example who deals with opponents, you see the difference.
 

vegitot

Senior Member
what is, by the way, the point of this sort arguing. simply declaring: 'he's bad. he wouldn't start for any team'. then I say. 'no he's actually good. he would start for any team'.

it's not very stimulating to my intellectual libido

It is back up with his performances plus the fact several coaches don't rate him at all.
 

BusiTheKing

Senior Member
It is back up with his performances plus the fact several coaches don't rate him at all.

I might be inclined to agree if there's was more of a pattern than what you're hinting at. Valverde was conservative with him as he was with any other prospect. Setien really liked him. Koeman doesn't like him. That's really one coach. So what? Mourinho discarded KDB. How much does that tell you? In any case it's not an argument, as that line of thinking would bind us to conclude than whatever a coach does is correct. Obviously that is not the case. If we automatiaclly just default to the current coach's opinion, it wouldn't be very much fun having a discussion forum, would it?

And no, I don't think your point is backed up by his performances. Otherwise I wouldn't be arguing with you.
 

vegitot

Senior Member
I might be inclined to agree if there's was more of a pattern than what you're hinting at. Valverde was conservative with him as he was with any other prospect. Setien really liked him. Koeman doesn't like him. That's really one coach. So what? Mourinho discarded KDB. How much does that tell you? In any case it's not an argument, as that line of thinking would bind us to conclude than whatever a coach does is correct. Obviously that is not the case. If we automatiaclly just default to the current coach's opinion, it wouldn't be very much fun having a discussion forum, would it?

And no, I don't think your point is backed up by his performances. Otherwise I wouldn't be arguing with you.

Till now Valverde is pretty right about Barca youngster. Setien only used him because there is no other option. Koeman doesn't rate him. And there are all international coaches don't rate him at all. This is discussed several times so i don't mention it here.

If only Koeman doesn't rate Puig but other coaches rate him then there is nothing much to discuss like De Bruyne. But the truth is opposite.
 

BusiTheKing

Senior Member
Note that I'm still not saying I believe that Puig is good enough to be a Barca player. But this 'headless chicken' regurgitating is getting a bit old. He's more erratic, yes, but if we're at that level of hyperbole, then Pedri's weaknesses, being timid, conservative, slow, toothless, could be very quickly blown up to Rakitic proportions as well.
 

fergus90

Senior Member
The real test for Riqui Puig's potential is how he plays after being trusted and plays several matches somewhere. Because he does always play everything at 100mph, which is why he's sometimes effective and adds a spark in the last 15/20 minutes.

However, he's always trying to force things and can disrupt the rhythm at times, that is true. It can be argued though, that it's something that can be changed in his game with time and experience even if it doesn't come naturally to him.

Truly he should go somewhere to play football every week to nurture his ability and learn to read moments of a game. He does possess very good technical ability, moves the ball fast, and can play one-touch passes very well, but positionally he's very suspect and leaves huge spaces in the midfield.
 

BusiTheKing

Senior Member
Till now Valverde is pretty right about Barca youngster. Setien only used him because there is no other option. Koeman doesn't rate him. And there are all international coaches don't rate him at all. This is discussed several times so i don't mention it here.

If only Koeman doesn't rate Puig but other coaches rate him then there is nothing much to discuss like De Bruyne. But the truth is opposite.

International coaches? Are we going to default our judgement to the opinions of people who don't watch him play anymore than we do? That's ridiculous. A coach's opinion has wheight because they see him in training everyday. International coachs base their picks much more on what they've seen on the pitch and naturally we haven't seen anything from Puig because he hasn't played.
 

BusiTheKing

Senior Member
The real test for Riqui Puig's potential is how he plays after being trusted and plays several matches somewhere. Because he does always play everything at 100mph, which is why he's sometimes effective and adds a spark in the last 15/20 minutes.

However, he's always trying to force things and can disrupt the rhythm at times, that is true. It can be argued though, that it's something that can be changed in his game with time and experience even if it doesn't come naturally to him.

Truly he should go somewhere to play football every week to nurture his ability and learn to read moments of a game. He does possess very good technical ability, moves the ball fast, and can play one-touch passes very well, but positionally he's very suspect and leaves huge spaces in the midfield.

This is true. Something that has to be considered, too, is playing for Barca these days means playing very slow, cautious football. I would like to see him in a team that is attuned to his temperament and moves accordingly.
 

Bobo32

Senior Member
There is no real point arguing here I agree Busi. But with some posters it's at least a bit fun and can be informative. Check vegitots posts ITT from one and a half year ago...
Puigs critics have spent the summer when he didn't play just growing more certain in their view, almost building up their hate it seems. These feelings about players is a bit foreign to me, but they really seem happy to see him fail.

So far this season he played a pretty great 45 minutes in the first game, and a very uneven second game, where I agree he seemed much to eager to prove himself, a bit stressed. He is obviously in a pretty tough spot, needing to impress the coach, it's not enough for him right now to play like Pedri did some games and have the ball 30 times per game and just pass it sideways... Koeman said at the start of last season, too, that Puig passed too much on foot and to little into space, a bit strange to then see him play Pedri so much...

Puig needs the instruction: calm down, wait for the moment, you'll play even if you don't assist or score or even if you have one or two silent or bad games.
 

ajnotkeith

Senior Member
I can see him being very successful in a counter-attacking team. Sure defensively he is not the greatest but when he pushes the ball forward and pings long passes he can be very effective at that '100mph' style. I think people don't have a lot against him for sporting reasons but because he's become a bit too big for his boots, he's become arrogant over the past 2 years. He should understand minutes are earned not given in any top club let alone Barca, and he's young yet. If he wanted to have a future here he'd go on loan and prove himself, develop his game and fill in the possession side of it/bulk up a bit, have a good season in LaLiga and then present his case to Koeman where it will be a lot harder to reject.

It stinks of nepotism that his future at the club is being decided by whether Laporta likes him or not, but at the end of the day you can't force him into Koeman's plans if he doesn't want to play him. Unfortunately in Koeman's style of play he will struggle a lot to get minutes, he really really needs to have a good season out and come back (his future at the club will be guaranteed by Laporta who certainly won't agree to any loan purchase option)
 

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