Rafinha Alcantara
- Thread starter Plip
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L
linetty
Guest
DonAndres
Wild Man of Borneo
1 assist and created 2 moves that led to goals vs Betis in the first half alone. He's really been shining recently, he's quite capable of fighting for time in our midfield because of his abilities (he starts deep and carries it forward as the team moves along, so he's not an out and out AM).
L
linetty
Guest
Glad to hear he's doing well. He'll be a great addition to our midfield.
Great intensity once again. Like
Again
So your saying he can be a xavi replacement (Not ability type-wise) and be a deeper-lying playmaker?
JamDav1982
Senior Member
No he is nothing like Xavi plays it forward quicker and takes more risks he will play in AM, out wide or even false nine to cover Messi.
DonAndres
Wild Man of Borneo
Not exactly, I'm just saying that he's a player who drives forward from deep and will track back in defense. He's definitely attack minded (although still good at maintaining possession) but he's not the type of midfielder who only roams forward and thus opens us up defensively. This is great for him since it means he has the option to play alongside Cesc or Iniesta in midfield instead of just battling the two of them for playing time in one spot.
We'll assume 4 main rotation midfielders next year in Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc, and Rafinha (I think Roberto has to be fringed for players of this quality). Since Rafinha has a uniqueness about him and versatility in where/how he plays, he could assume a number of different roles. He'd be the playmaking attacker driving forward when playing alongside Xavi or even Iniesta. With Cesc he'd be a quality linkup player. His style allows him to not be a liability regardless of who his partner is, so there are more situations where playing him is an option and thus he gets more time (especially with Xavi's age).
If he continues this way at Celta Vigo, it's almost guaranteed that he'll perform well at Barca (since his teammates here would provide better support). That way he gets to show his abilities in a team that services him better and he doesn't have too much pressure on him to lead. This gives him a chance to assume more responsibility as he pleases when he gets more comfortable.
I know he's not like xavi, just asked how deep he could play and still be effective and xavi himself used to take more risks when he was younger.
Edit: He answered, so he can play next to a AM-type player like cesc or iniesta
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