Xavi Hernández

[malvolio]

He booted those players because we had a good squad regardless of them. We boot out Busi, Alba, Pique, and who exactly can come in to replace them from the bench or B team? We are shit and it's time for Barca fans to accept it. You can't really count on players like Eric Garcia, Mingueza, Nico Gonzalez, Puig to perform on a decent level weekly (one game sure they can be good, but next game they will be bad. Lacking that consistency). With the seniors at least he knows what he will get every week and their limitations. Nico can score a goal one minute and be completely out of position the next.

Spot on! Not to forget the fact that we had money for transfers back then. We got a one man team in Alves for peanuts when compared with his output.

 

[KingLeo10]

He booted those players because we had a good squad regardless of them. We boot out Busi, Alba, Pique, and who exactly can come in to replace them from the bench or B team? We are shit and it's time for Barca fans to accept it. You can't really count on players like Eric Garcia, Mingueza, Nico Gonzalez, Puig to perform on a decent level weekly (one game sure they can be good, but next game they will be bad. Lacking that consistency). With the seniors at least he knows what he will get every week and their limitations. Nico can score a goal one minute and be completely out of position the next.

Nico is better than Busquets.

Any of our CBs except Umtiti are better than Pique.

Alba and Alves there are no good alternatives for true.

 

[JamDav1982]

FDJ can play DM.

Garcia is not worse than the shit Pique shows and at least is taking a chance and not accepting a player who is done.

Left back is about only position have little option but Alba is not at some huge level can be replaced.. Gaya? Wijndal? Not sure how been to much this season but looked class v Ajax.

 

[Birdy]

The only one that cannot be replaced with immediate effect is Busi.
He is a special player, despite all his flaws, that you just can't find on the market.
His skill-set is totally different from FDJ who is not a pivot, but a libero and a box to box.

There is no one in the squad who can directly replace him, and expect the coach to get same things. Maybe Nico can play some games his position, as he played there with the B team, and that's it.

On the contrary:
Pique is a horror-show, and whatever he can do, Eric Garcia can do (and more)
Alba is good on the ball, but a black hole defensively, and come summer, Gaya is a 10fold upgrade on him
Dani Alves is an old fuck, who can't run anymore, so many many options better than him on the market, and in the squad.

Honestly, Xavi can RIGHT NOW ditch Pique and Alves, and Alba come summer.
The only one he can't ditch so easily is Busi

The fact that he is not ditching them, means he is playing his Amigos.
Let's be honest here

 

[JamDav1982]

Busi can absolutely be replaced and dont need anyone trying to copy him either.

What was the great 'skill set' today?

Being such a threat on ball Real let him have it to then target Barca and Busi on the break?

The big failing is thinking he is unique and cant be replace he absolutely can be.

He was amateur for two of the Real goals today.. what does it take for him to no be good enough? Five fuck ups? Six? More?

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

Busi can absolutely be replaced and dont need anyone trying to copy him either.

What was the great 'skill set' today?

Being such a threat on ball Real let him have it to then target Barca and Busi on the break?

The big failing is thinking he is unique and cant be replace he absolutely can be.

He was amateur for two of the Real goals today.. what does it take for him to no be good enough? Five fuck ups? Six? More?

No need to ask those questions. Benching him at Barca seems to be harder than throwing Messi out.

It's insane. Absurd.

 

[serghei]

Nico is better than Busquets.

Any of our CBs except Umtiti are better than Pique.

Alba and Alves there are no good alternatives for true.

Only Garcia could play instead of Pique. Lenglet and Umtiti are worse.

If he doesn't drop Busi, sure, he's to blame for that, but a lot of other veterans play because the positions aren't covered except by worse players.

 

[Birdy]

Busi can absolutely be replaced and dont need anyone trying to copy him either.

What was the great 'skill set' today?

Being such a threat on ball Real let him have it to then target Barca and Busi on the break?

The big failing is thinking he is unique and cant be replace he absolutely can be.

He was amateur for two of the Real goals today.. what does it take for him to no be good enough? Five fuck ups? Six? More?

Stop being childish for once!

It gets also in my nerves seeing him still be a certified starter at 33 and walking.
But who can directly replace him from our squad?
Yes, NO ONE!
Even on the market, I can only think of Jorginho having a kinda similar skillset.

Something that is not the case for the other Amigos

 

[khaled_a_d]

Pep came in with 1/10 of Xavi's stature as a player and booted R10, Deco, and co.

For all his lying in the media, Pep is truly a GOAT tier manager...because he is decisive and visionary. Xavi is not.

Pep is one of the goat coaches (or one of them) and for that it will never be fair to be compared with him.
It is like comparing new prospects to the absolute legends of the game, like Messi, Pele, Maradona,MJ, Lebron etc.
Sure, every now and then one prospect prove he deserved that comparison, like Messi & Lebron did. It is just a rare sight.

We don't need Xavi to be Pep, but just turning into a coach who can lead us back to Liga title will be huge for us.

 

[khaled_a_d]

The only one that cannot be replaced with immediate effect is Busi.
He is a special player, despite all his flaws, that you just can't find on the market.
His skill-set is totally different from FDJ who is not a pivot, but a libero and a box to box.

There is no one in the squad who can directly replace him, and expect the coach to get same things. Maybe Nico can play some games his position, as he played there with the B team, and that's it.

Directly is the key word.
It will never happen, and it is childish to look for direct replacement.
Before Busquets we had Yaya, before Yaya it was Emdilson playing DM and before him Marquez played DM, and before him it was Motta and before him it was Davids.
Non of those really resembled each other, and his successor won't be anything close to him.
Time to accept that and move on, Busquets is old, slow and now tired too.

 

[JamDav1982]

Stop being childish for once!

It gets also in my nerves seeing him still be a certified starter at 33 and walking.
But who can directly replace him from our squad?
Yes, NO ONE!
Even on the market, I can only think of Jorginho having a kinda similar skillset.

Something that is not the case for the other Amigos

FDj can replace him. Change formation and replace him.

The 'unique skillset' is a load of nonsense. He is getting dominated and targeted in big games.

It is the same as arguing Alves has a 'unique skill set'.. he does on ball but cant run and is long past his best.

Again... the idiotic thing is thinking have to try and replace him or copy his style which has not been dominant in years in big games.

Lazy cliche not based on reality. He is easily replaced.

How many poor games and mistakes does it take before admit he cant do it at top level anymore?

Just keep shouting 'he cant be replaced' then watch as he is too slow, is terrible positionally and is torn to bits in another big game.

No top team in world have a DM like Busquets and Jorghinho is far more mobile and plays with Kante next to him not two more attacking mids.

Barca thinking his 'skill set' is so unique and beneficial is type of thinking that contributes to Barca with this quality of squad that cant compete.

Likes of Scholes or Pirlo could still be playing now if teams ignore their legs going as keep pointing to a 'skill set' they cant replace. That argument is totally flawed.

 

[Birdy]

Directly is the key word.
It will never happen, and it is childish to look for direct replacement.
Before Busquets we had Yaya, before Yaya it was Emdilson playing DM and before him Marquez played DM, and before him it was Motta and before him it was Davids.
Non of those really resembled each other, and his successor won't be anything close to him.
Time to accept that and move on, Busquets is old, slow and now tired too.

For that, we need a different coach apparently.
Yes, there are spectacular other systems and coaches, but the way Xavi sees football, Busi is the pivot par excellence.
So, it's super immature and counter-productive to whine every day here about Busi when Xavi is the coach.

I am contrasting him with Pique Alba and oldie Dani, because this latter lot is playing just because of their names, not because of their skillset,
nor they add something that the coach cannot find in other squad members
Busi will be the last to be replaced from all of them

 

[serghei]

Yeah, that's the issue. Managers are looking for a guy who can directly replace Busquets. This is not how it works. You lose some of his precise and bold passing at times, but you win mobility, acceleration, you cope better with pacey, cagey games that Busi suffers greatly in, you win in defensive transitions and in the many areas where Busi drags the team down.

I guarantee you Guardiola would drop this Busi in 3 games.

 

[khaled_a_d]

For that, we need a different coach apparently.
Yes, there are spectacular other systems and coaches, but the way Xavi sees football, Busi is the pivot par excellence.
So, it's super immature and counter-productive to whine every day here about Busi when Xavi is the coach.

I am contrasting him with Pique Alba and oldie Dani, because this latter lot is playing just because of their names, not because of their skillset,
nor they add something that the coach cannot find in other squad members
Busi will be the last to be replaced from all of them

This is the coach thread, so I think it is fair to expect people to blame coach for his consistent mistake.
And it is also rational to hope the coach will one day to see it, or at least the board will see it and phase Busi out

 

[JamDav1982]

For that, we need a different coach apparently.
Yes, there are spectacular other systems and coaches, but the way Xavi sees football, Busi is the pivot par excellence.
So, it's super immature and counter-productive to whine every day here about Busi when Xavi is the coach.

I am contrasting him with Pique Alba and oldie Dani, because this latter lot is playing just because of their names, not because of their skillset,
nor they add something that the coach cannot find in other squad members
Busi will be the last to be replaced from all of them

What other full back can Barca play with the Alves skill set?

Or buy with that skill set?

Same argument you use with Busquets but not applied to Alves...