Sergi Roberto

[Joan]

Can be quite illustrative for the average fan but it tells little to nothing!
You simply can NOT compare Semedo and Alba, with or without heat-maps.
Alba has a position-wise more or less true winger in front of him, Semedo does not have that "luxury"...

As far as attacking goes, Semedo can do a back-pass, or finding Rakitic, or looking for Messi in the middle (already manned by two) or maybe and rarely look for Suarez, who is either offside or standing in his unmistakable position facing backwards and waiting to fall.

Furthermore Semedo is not a bad dribbler, whereas both Alba and Roberto have no talents for that, at all. The coach doesn't use this difference.

Depends on what you expect from it. It represents all the touches one had. And approximate locations. By the way, you missed the point of the post if what you see is a comparison between Alba and Semedo. The accent was on Roberto. Also notice that I didn't criticize Semedo's attacking contribution. Made some interesting runs, found himself in dangerous positions more than once - and created the most beautiful chance of the match with a well-placed pass for Suarez.

All I said is that he wasn't an option for the midfield as often as Roberto usually is. Represented in pure quantity of touches. It's not a proof, but an indication. Think that was one of the main reasons we found it hard to escape their pressure.

Hope you don't want to say that Messi plays as a winger...
Messi never plays on the RW. He only starts from there and it is a huge difference for a RB playing behind that abandoned space...

On the contrary. That's what I wanted to say, quotation marks might've helped. Said in the same post that with no true wingers in from of them, I prefer Roberto.

 

[Potroh]

On the contrary. That's what I wanted to say, quotation marks might've helped.

If I misunderstood you, then I apologize.

Said in the same post that with no true wingers in from of them, I prefer Roberto.

This sound like Valverde, who - I suppose - thinks similarly, that's why uses Roberto against worse opponents.
But in that case he is, more or less, using an extra midfielder, that makes defense really vulnerable.
If it works, fine. But the number of goals conceded in Liga (despite Ter Stegens great form and crucial savings) shows a trend, that is not really encouraging.

 

[Messi983]

We had problems in defense at the start of the season but are not really conceding that many goals in La Liga since second half of November. MATS still had some crucial saves but he didn't have as much work over the last few months than early in the season.

I think we've started to play better in defense after 3-4 home loss against Betis. Including that game we've conceded 18 goals in 12 games (opponents scored against us in 10 consecutive games), after that game only 13 goals in 19 games:

clean sheet: 11x
1 goal conceded: 5x
2 goals: 2x (Valencia, Sevilla)
4 goals: 1x (Villarreal)

Excluding the game against Villarreal which was more of an outlier with Umtiti and Lenglet playing together for the first time we've conceded only 9 goals in 18 games.

 

[Danic]

People who think Roberto is a good dribbler maybe have a different understanding of "dribbling". He makes good runs in wide open spaces and get past players but he never ever dribbles in tight spaces.
For me "dribbling" is a different thing...

 

[Havesaks]

People who think Roberto is a good dribbler maybe have a different understanding of "dribbling". He makes good runs in wide open spaces and get past players but he never ever dribbles in tight spaces.
For me "dribbling" is a different thing...

Whoscored:
Semedo attemps 1.5 dribbles per game. Succesrate 0.9. = 60 %.
Roberto attemps 0.9 dribbles per game. Succesrate 0.6. = 66 %.

I think a lot of people count robertos runs through the line, as dribbling, and thats ok imo. Whoscored apparently doesn't.

 

[Potroh]

People who think Roberto is a good dribbler maybe have a different understanding of "dribbling". He makes good runs in wide open spaces and get past players but he never ever dribbles in tight spaces.
For me "dribbling" is a different thing...

Agreed.
Those folks who consider almost every forward movement with the ball as being a "dribble", simply trying to overwrite the traditional terminus-techniques in football history.
(and poor Garincha is turning in his grave...)

 

[Devils]

Miss of the season.

Semedo would have put that in with ease.

Sickening.

 

[putogusiluz8]

How the fuck do you miss that?

 

[CatalinR10]

destroyed an amazing play with that finish

disgusting.

 

[MagIX]

Great match

 

[Joan]

Great match

Aye, was very good

 

[te amo barca]

Great match, moronic miss.

 

[XaviV]

Great match, moronic miss.

Looks easier than it is.

 

[Arizona Scott]

Looks easier than it is.

Nah all these keyboard warriors would have roofed it.

He just got unlucky, he could try that 100 times turning it on the face of the goal and only purposely hit De Gea like 5 times.

 

[Horatio]

Aye, was very good

Jamdav that you?