Joan
Well-known member
Pretty much.
Rafinha Alcantara
- Thread starter Plip
- Start date
Pretty much.
Raketa10
Senior Member
Lineup was good for sure since we won 5-1 but you would probably play Krkic or Deulofeu over Dembele so that's nothing new.
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Total-Football
Senior Member
Just like BBZ said. I would play him at the start over dembele and vidal if only for the way he shields the ball. PEople should understand the importance of possession in our game.. for some reason people do not. Our whole plan revolves around maintaining the ball, and thats the reason we always look good physically towards the end of games, we do not run a lot beforehand thanks to possession. Until Dembele, Malcom or any other contender shows that they can help maintain the ball better, who should start and who offers more creatively is not even a question.
Having said that, Rafinha unfortunately has a lot of shortcomings creatively. I hope Malcom steps up and be an option instead of Rafinha.
Having said that, Rafinha unfortunately has a lot of shortcomings creatively. I hope Malcom steps up and be an option instead of Rafinha.
Cule4life
The Culest
Except BBZ says possession style is outdated and we shouldn't play it.
Malcom can't show shit from the bench. If Rafinha fails, Bob will play on the wing.
BBZ8800
Senior Member
Possession style is good enough for La liga and EPL, as you can see in Barca's and Pep's cases.
Why?
Because you will play mostly against mediocre and weaker teams here.
And if you keep possession, you will:
1. have the ball all the time
2. the opponent won't have too many chances at all
3. you will eventually score due to quality individuals like Messi, Suarez, Coutinho who will score a goal this or that way eventually since you have a ball around the box all the time
A CL is a different story.
Opponents there are capable to stop majority of our slow-possession attacks and they are also capable to hit you hard and finish you on counters, unlike Getafe and Las Palmas.
So, if you play against Getafe and just pass a ball around the box, gaps will open eventually and you will have a few clear chances this or that way.
If you play against Atletico, Juve, Bayern, Liverpool and similar, they will neutralize our attacks and score easily on counters.
Further, to play faster, you don't need ONLY Dembele and Malcom.
For example, we played some counters even in the first 60 minutes with a faster transition from Busi, Arthur and Rakitic.
Or with long balls from Rakitic (for example a first goal, his long pass to Alba, who crossed to Coutinho).
So, to play faster, you don't actually need FASTER players only.
You can play faster even with a turtle slow midfield like ours, as long as they are faster in transition, and if they pass forward fast in key moments (and attackers need to move and position themselves well), like today.
But I guess that for majority of people, a recipe for playing a faster, more direct football is: buy two fast wingers and pass the ball to them who will create a havoc with their pace, lol.
One of my friends is a professional footballer and whenever he played (on an amateur level) with us, he always yelled at me (or some other guys who dwelled on the ball): pass the ball (as soon as you can), a pass if always faster than the fastest player in the world.
Aka: a well played, fast and a well timed pass to a teammate is always "faster" than the fastest player in the world who is running with ball IN HIS FEET.
In Barca's terms: a well timed one touch pass from Busi/Arthur/Raki to Roberto/Alba/Suarez is always faster and a more deadly option than a fast player (Dembele/Neymar) running with the ball from a center of a pitch to an opponent's box.
It doesn't mean, though, that faster players or wingers can't help.
But you can play faster and direct football even with players of average pace, as long as they are executing passes and movement perfectly.
We played the fastest football under Pep with Busi-Xavi-Iniesta where two of them were turtles.
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Cule4life
The Culest
What do you mean? Play possession football in La liga and then a different style in CL? Oh if things were only that easy......
That one timed touch pass from Busi/Arthur/Raki can't be intercepted against a quality side (who don't leave space behind unlike Madrid today) by turtles. Fast wingers will beat their man to that pass.
That one timed touch pass from Busi/Arthur/Raki can't be intercepted against a quality side (who don't leave space behind unlike Madrid today) by turtles. Fast wingers will beat their man to that pass.
te amo barca
Blaugrana al vent
Unfortunately for Rafinha, that injury in 2015 which cost him a yard or two of pace makes him ineffective on the wing. Current Rafinha is a CAM, but we have no such position in 4-3-3 or 4-4-2. He is more suited for the CM role where we are stacked and also have Alena and Puig coming up. For the sake of his career, he should leave in the summer.
khaled_a_d
Senior Member
That s more or less Messi current position, AM/SS
te amo barca
Blaugrana al vent
That's only his position because Leo does not stick on the wing. He is a RW on paper, and his tendency to stay central hurts the structure of the team. He's been better at it this season though compared to the last two.
Valverde has found a new Gomes, his name is Rafinha Alacantra.
Offers nothing, just keeps drifting here and there, rarely gets the ball, doesn't have the pace, doesn't defend, frustrating to watch.
I don't get the point of him playing over Dembele and Malcom, when you know he will be 26 soon, and most likely be gone next summer.
Offers nothing, just keeps drifting here and there, rarely gets the ball, doesn't have the pace, doesn't defend, frustrating to watch.
I don't get the point of him playing over Dembele and Malcom, when you know he will be 26 soon, and most likely be gone next summer.
playing this guy when he has Dembele and Malcom available...
Valverde should be gone for good, it will definitely harm us in the long term, if this guy remains at a club for a while.
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