So you're saying Thiago and Isco are never going to make it then? Cause neither are established internationals, and until recently neither could be considered important for their respective teams (Only Isco has changed this as of late).
Rafinha Alcantara
- Thread starter Plip
- Start date
So you're saying Thiago and Isco are never going to make it then? Cause neither are established internationals, and until recently neither could be considered important for their respective teams (Only Isco has changed this as of late).
JamDav1982
Senior Member
Both Thiago and Isco are established players and internationals.
So no I am not saying they wont make it.
Rafinha is neither established as a top player nor an international.
Thiago and Isco together have a grand total of 11 caps put together for spain, and neither have played a tournament with the side yet. Hardly what you could call established.
Edit: Also Thiago hasn't established himself as a top player yet, Isco has as of late but at this point Thiago can't be called more than a highly rated prospect. As he has yet to string together 10 consecutive games for any team (Hyperbole).
khaled_a_d
Senior Member
Define recent times?Deco wasn't established player at 22 .Rakitic and Yaya too at club level and it is unfair to put such comparison in NT .huge difference between Brazil and Croatia/Ivory Coast .being rotation player at Barcelona is bigger achievement than all of those has done at same age
JamDav1982
Senior Member
Sorry was meaning all the Barca midfielders that had come through system.
At 22 you are at a top club having been in the spotlight for years and have a chance to prove how good you are.
Very few have blossomed to be great after that age from what I can remember.
It is a bit different set of circumstances than Toure and Deco and their route to the top.
We shall see who is right in end but for me he isnt good enough for Barca.
khaled_a_d
Senior Member
Different times and different situations with different players
The problem with young players is that there is no right formula for their development .some players better suited growing in a big team other in smaller ones etc .there is now longer route for La Masia player too btw since Barca B moved to segunda and with the current board .they seem really reluctant with some prospects and every player have to go through couple of seasons with Barca B and then loan b4 getting to 1st team chance .
Rafinha have good skillset IMO .I can see him becoming starter one day if he developed in a good rate but right now I see him a good squad player .always remember with the ban and aging players we are talking about a situation far from ideal anyway
There is a reason this forum is full of discussions about Koke/Veratti/Pogba/Gundogan/O.Torres/Kovacic and the list goes on
Like I said his primary problem is that he's an AM who is trying to convert to CM position. Those midfielders you mentioned were not played out of position. If he played AM in Barca, I believe he'd already be Brazil international. He's ideal for that position. If I was Brazilian coach I'd have tried trio Neymar-Rafinha-Moura behind striker in 4-2-3-1.
JamDav1982
Senior Member
Not saying there is any right formula but the vast majority of top midfield players have done a lot more than Rafinha by this point.
It is the exception that players bloom later so to start acting like Rafinha is still young to have done much is not accurate.
It is not about how Rafinha is developed, if he doesnt make it it is because he is not good enough. He has a development and a system to come through in that most other players can only dream of.
JamDav1982
Senior Member
I agree that he is a AM and not a CM but he would be nowhere near the Brazil squad as a AM.
Antimadridista1
New member
Yep, good performance. He needs to do more though, that is quite obvious.
L
linetty
Guest
Iniesta-Rafinha is a disaster, they just can't pair up, can't blame him.
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