Seydou Keita

[LaMessiah]

He did an awful job to be honest. What the hell are you guys on? Bad touches, positionally unaware, horrible giveaways. He is not cut out to be a DM

don't agree at all, he was everywhere. he's never gonna have the touch and passing of busquets but he makes up for it in other ways. just like with masch at cb, he just needs time. it's obvious this is going to be a very real option for pep going forward

 

[House of Flies]

don't agree at all, he was everywhere. he's never gonna have the touch and passing of busquets but he makes up for it in other ways. just like with masch at cb, he just needs time. it's obvious this is going to be a very real option for pep going forward

he was everywhere in the wrong way. he contributed to all of porto's major counterattacks. xavi basically had no influence in the midfield cause of keita being so unaware of being free. horrible dm. he is good at playing on the left of the center midfield and found himself basically there at all times. guarin was getting the better of keita at all times.

he also takes too many touches on the ball before passing which does not go well for us at DM.

 

[Catalonian Devil]

Remember when Pep started the Abidal in CB experiment? We were slaying him down left and right covering our eyes each time he starts there, some were saying Pep was mad to even consider the idea. Take a peek in the Eric Abidal thread now.

My point is that before we start slaying the Keita in defensive-midfield experiment, lets give Pep a chance to prove us wrong again. Abidal was horrific as well his first few starts in CB, but obviously Pep saw something in him that we didn't, and needless to say how that turned out. Keita might have sucked balls his first few starts in DM, and just like everyone, my stomach turns at the sight of his name in that position, but this time I won't be quick to judge him like I did with Abi. Afterall Pep must see something in him that we don't, and he surely knows his players better than we do.

Not saying he'll definitely become the next Anteater, but lets not jump the gun like we did before.

 

[ryuken]

I dont think he had a good match at all, and frankly was suprised to see him even start as DM while Busquet is on the bench

 

[House of Flies]

CD, i will be correct in my assessment. Keita is not cut out to be at CM and that is considering all the talents that Pep has, mainly cause of 2 reasons-

a) positionally terrible

b) take too many touches until an eventual pass

these two cannot be corrected given his age and busquets/mascherano, who are both younger, having a major headstart on him. keita' strength lies in those amazing late runs into the box, you are completely taking that out when you play him at DM. his natural tendency is to be that box to box man. why abidal and mascherano got into CB was because of abidal being a damn good cover and mascherano being a damn good stopper. these qualities were present in them before they were converted into playing CB.

also really needs to shave that goatee off. he looks like a retard in that.

 

[Moe]

The silent killer!

He rarely is mentioned as a great signing, but god damn the guy is useful!

He definitely paid back every penny of the 14m Barca paid for him. One of the best back-ups ever. his mentality and quality are good influence in the dressing room.
still, I think he had a bad game yesterday but at least I know he worked his ass off. and as Meta said he's improving.

 

[Catalonian Devil]

CD, i will be correct in my assessment. Keita is not cut out to be at CM and that is considering all the talents that Pep has, mainly cause of 2 reasons-

a) positionally terrible

b) take too many touches until an eventual pass

these two cannot be corrected given his age and busquets/mascherano, who are both younger, having a major headstart on him. keita' strength lies in those amazing late runs into the box, you are completely taking that out when you play him at DM. his natural tendency is to be that box to box man. why abidal and mascherano got into CB was because of abidal being a damn good cover and mascherano being a damn good stopper. these qualities were present in them before they were converted into playing CB.

also really needs to shave that goatee off. he looks like a retard in that.

I do agree with you in your assessment, don't get me wrong I'm not a fan of the idea. Having said that there must something Pep sees in him.

Maybe its his 'coolness'? Despite him not being technically gifted, he has learned to ease his way out of pressure, either by calmly outsmarting his opponents or doing his 'fake pass', he loves the latter. Taking too many touches can be corrected IMO, it just a habit he's used to due to playing a different role, don't think its impossible to get rid of that habit.
I think he's a decent passer of the ball as well, I don't see him playing too many misplaced passes that can expose us.

The main downside like you mentioned is his positional awareness though, which is key for the DM position.

Again, I'm not a fan of the idea, just interested in what Pep is thinking...

 

[iced1776]

CD, i will be correct in my assessment. Keita is not cut out to be at CM and that is considering all the talents that Pep has, mainly cause of 2 reasons-

a) positionally terrible

b) take too many touches until an eventual pass

these two cannot be corrected given his age and busquets/mascherano, who are both younger, having a major headstart on him. keita' strength lies in those amazing late runs into the box, you are completely taking that out when you play him at DM. his natural tendency is to be that box to box man. why abidal and mascherano got into CB was because of abidal being a damn good cover and mascherano being a damn good stopper. these qualities were present in them before they were converted into playing CB.

also really needs to shave that goatee off. he looks like a retard in that.

He obviously can't play the one touch game as well as La Masia products, but at the same time how many times do you see him losing the ball because he took too long to get rid of it? Almost never, and even if he is a bit slow from that position you can hardly say he's killing the team's attacking flow. When he played in Iniesta's AM position his late runs to the box are helpful, but that is exactly where his slow distribution does hurt the team's possession game. The occasional header does not justify the lack of creativity in the midfield.

 

[House of Flies]

erm what? did you see the game?

if kleber didnt screw up the counterattack and was not for mascherano's tackle... the 2 on 1 would have been a goal. another mistake that he made was a direct pass to christian rodriguez due to a horrible touch.

its not attacking flow. he keeps xavi away from regions that he is most devastating in. keita is a bad choice for dm.

 

[Barcaman]

Again; not Keita's fault for having to play there but let's be honest here.
It's easier to close one eye to someone's inadequacies when you are enjoying a win. That's what some of the Cules are doing here and in few other threads.
Both competitions were tight affairs that could have easily left us empty-handed had it not been for fantastic Messi. I can imagine how the comments would have been different had we lost.

 

[Barcafan 2304]

Again; not Keita's fault for having to play there but let's be honest here.
It's easier to close one eye to someone's inadequacies when you are enjoying a win. That's what some of the Cules are doing here and in few other threads.
Both competitions were tight affairs that could have easily left us empty-handed had it not been for fantastic Messi. I can imagine how the comments would have been different had we lost.

Very true

 

[Metaphysical]

defensively I think he's just fine as a DM. he's mobile, tackles well, and covers play nicely.

but he is farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr too poor on the ball to play at pivot (that's not to say he's poor on the ball in general, but our pivot has to be an exceptional passer). apart from taking too long to pick his passes, he often makes poor ones where he just doesn't see an opponent who can intercept. against defensive teams at the Camp Nou this won't be an issue, but if a team is pressing us, then it definitely becomes a problem.

plus he's left-footed. and the positions our midfielders take up are for a right-footed pivot. it sounds silly, but look at how often he could make the quick pass if he was comfortable with his right. but because he has to shift it onto his left, he often has to dwell.

 

[Aryagorn]

Keita at DM means Xavi's awesomeness has just gone 10 fold downwards...just saying

 

[e28makaveli]

defensively I think he's just fine as a DM. he's mobile, tackles well, and covers play nicely.

but he is farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr too poor on the ball to play at pivot (that's not to say he's poor on the ball in general, but our pivot has to be an exceptional passer). apart from taking too long to pick his passes, he often makes poor ones where he just doesn't see an opponent who can intercept. against defensive teams at the Camp Nou this won't be an issue, but if a team is pressing us, then it definitely becomes a problem.

plus he's left-footed. and the positions our midfielders take up are for a right-footed pivot. it sounds silly, but look at how often he could make the quick pass if he was comfortable with his right. but because he has to shift it onto his left, he often has to dwell.

Very good observation. We need a two-legged pivot more. This is why Busquets is a lot better back there. Thing is Kieta is faster and stronger than Busquets so we will see him more against physical opposition, when Masch is doing CB duties.

 

[zanela]

Remember when Pep started the Abidal in CB experiment? We were slaying him down left and right covering our eyes each time he starts there, some were saying Pep was mad to even consider the idea. Take a peek in the Eric Abidal thread now.

Having already played as a CB for his national side, Abi was already familiar with that position. So i wouldn't term it as an experimentation. While he isn't positionally adept at CB, his tenacity and pace makes up for it.

Keita, on the other hand lack the tools to be a Barca DM.

defensively I think he's just fine as a DM. he's mobile, tackles well, and covers play nicely.

I wouldn't say he tackles well. His tackles are quite erratic and bady timed. Either conceding Fks or going in to the book and giving that 'I did no wrong' look. And, he's more often than not covering up for his own errors (esp at DM) to shield our defense. If it isn't for Xavi's extra defensive duties in Keita's presence, our defense would've more counters to deal with.