Sergi Roberto

[Stric]

The way I see it, you can have a mediocre winger, or a mediocre fullback, or a mediocre CB or whatever, but you can't have a mediocre midfielder in Barca's midfield trio. Especially not the CM.

 

[Barcaman]

 

[evilhita666]

His first touch is what worries me the most, it seems to have disappeared completely in the last few months...

 

[Fibonacci]

He is young and he can develop, so the door obviously shouldn't be shut on him. It's just that a lot of the high Roberto love is because he's tagged with the unlucky role of being everyone's romanticized heir-apparent to Xavi and in a sense Thiago too. Due to this, they create a over-reaching player profile and expectation for him only for it to be extremely idealistic. Whatever he's done so far hasn't warranted some of the odd commendation he's received, but that's not to say he's trash or incapable of amounting to anything.

Perhaps there are those who think this way. But at least speaking for myself, I don't see him as the heir to either - he's a different player from both Xavi and Thiago. However, I do see a player who can be useful and who, if he develops sufficiently, might have a successful career at Barca. I also recognize the fact that he's playing only his first season for the first team, and I am willing to give him time. If we want to avoid going the Real Madrid way, we need to be patient with youngsters, and not judge them instantaneously by too high standards.

There is this strange contradiction here on barcaforum. On the one hand, people demand that young players get more time so they can develop. On the other, they get constantly criticized for not playing according to some lofty standard that people expect from them. The playing time is meant for them to get to that level, so obviously they won't be there yet.

 

[Flavia]

Perhaps there are those who think this way. But at least speaking for myself, I don't see him as the heir to either - he's a different player from both Xavi and Thiago. However, I do see a player who can be useful and who, if he develops sufficiently, might have a successful career at Barca. I also recognize the fact that he's playing only his first season for the first team, and I am willing to give him time. If we want to avoid going the Real Madrid way, we need to be patient with youngsters, and not judge them instantaneously by too high standards.

There is this strange contradiction here on barcaforum. On the one hand, people demand that young players get more time so they can develop. On the other, they get constantly criticized for not playing according to some lofty standard that people expect from them. The playing time is meant for them to get to that level, so obviously they won't be there yet.

Think you missed the point... It's not about him being already at a top level. Just that he doesn't seem talented enough to be a world class midfielder one day. But he can become a great squad player, keita-like.

 

[CatalinR10]

our new keita

 

[DinhoR10]

I suppose we'll have to just wait and see what happens with him and whether or not he uses his window as the only young midfielder on the team this season to show what he's got. He seems to have already convinced Tata to a certain extent. I still remember the guy who ran through Bayern in the pre season even saw a hint of that in the league game against levante. I think he's got potential.

 

[Alissa]

I'm just not convinced, he was terrible yesterday.

 

[Fibonacci]

Think you missed the point... It's not about him being already at a top level. Just that he doesn't seem talented enough to be a world class midfielder one day. But he can become a great squad player, keita-like.

No, I think you completely missed my point. Most people who defend S.Roberto (like me) do so because they realize he's young and that he can be a useful squad player. Then DonAndres comes up and says we hail him as the next Xavi or Thiago. What I pointed out is that really only few people do so. In fact, the irony is that DonAndres and co themselves expect very much from S.Roberto (and there is this tendency with other youngsters too), they judge him as if he were already an established player. That's why all these reactions, and all these claims that "he's not good enough" (and we know how it was with Bartra).

Youngsters need to be judged slightly differently, and people don't realize this. People should wait at least until the end of the first season to really start making claims about the guy's future. At the moment I'd trust Tata more.

 

[coura]

our new keita

Don´t insult Keita. He was a team player but had great quality. Roberto is a average player who know how to make side passes.

 

[Flavia]

No, I think you completely missed my point. Most people who defend S.Roberto (like me) do so because they realize he's young and that he can be a useful squad player. Then DonAndres comes up and says we hail him as the next Xavi or Thiago. What I pointed out is that really only few people do so. In fact, the irony is that DonAndres and co themselves expect very much from S.Roberto (and there is this tendency with other youngsters too), they judge him as if he were already an established player. That's why all these reactions, and all these claims that "he's not good enough" (and we know how it was with Bartra).

Youngsters need to be judged slightly differently, and people don't realize this. People should wait at least until the end of the first season to really start making claims about the guy's future. At the moment I'd trust Tata more.

You're new to the forum, unless you also have another user here. I don't think DonAndres' comment were about you at all. A lot of people, back when Thiago was sold to bayern, claimed for a while Roberto was better than him, that he was a great talent, the "patient midfielder", etc. I still think you didn't understand the critics.

 

[CatalinR10]

 

[Fibonacci]

You're new to the forum, unless you also have another user here. I don't think DonAndres' comment were about you at all. A lot of people, back when Thiago was sold to bayern, claimed for a while Roberto was better than him, that he was a great talent, the "patient midfielder", etc. I still think you didn't understand the critics.

I'm new in terms of having an account, but have been following the forum for a couple of years at least. You're right that some people said that. But you have to keep in mind that a) it was not the majority of people, and that b) it was a sensitive time and people were doing it probably as much out of disappointment in Thiago as anything else. I do think that DonAndres' comments were directed towards me, but never mind.

 

[DonAndres]

I'm new in terms of having an account, but have been following the forum for a couple of years at least. You're right that some people said that. But you have to keep in mind that a) it was not the majority of people, and that b) it was a sensitive time and people were doing it probably as much out of disappointment in Thiago as anything else. I do think that DonAndres' comments were directed towards me, but never mind.

To clear anything up, they weren't directed towards you it was simply a reply to you. You seem sober in terms of your analysis on Sergi Roberto even if you do share a different opinion. I'm just making a comment based on those who rated him because they wanted him to be better than Thiago or fulfill their idea of "next great La Masia midfielder" and there was quite a bit of that. I never expected so much from Roberto and believed that he hasn't lived up to it, nor have I said that he is a bad player simply because he's not the most talented. I'm just saying that the praise should be within reason, not desire. I even said before he could be a useful squad player and stand by it.

 

[Antimadridista1]

I didn't like his performance. He didn't create much offensively. He misses something.