If you ask most here it's Alba who can serve a purpose. Busi and Pique in particular should be benched.
Alba is saved by a lack of options, and to an extent Busi as well. Pique on the other hand shouldn't play regularly.
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If you ask most here it's Alba who can serve a purpose. Busi and Pique in particular should be benched.
Alba is saved by a lack of options, and to an extent Busi as well. Pique on the other hand shouldn't play regularly.
Mentioned Busquets because i guess he is useful in seeing out games against low quality sides? He is still a decent passer, and knows how to draw freekicks.
Wouldn't start him against decent teams though.
Alba is a joke defensively, and not contributing enough anymore going forward to make up for it, perhaps in January there are options available.
The whole back line lacks intensity. That's the biggest issue, the back line and its exit routes are playing handball.
In our best game in our best run last season (1-6 win @ Sociedad) this was our lineup.
---Steg----
Mingueza-Frenkie-Lenglet
Dest-------------------Alba
-------Busi*-Pedri-----------
---Messi-Dembele-Griezmann
This continued when Pique returned but fizzled out when he had a string of games. Mainly because the intensity and the speed of the game diminished.
But you look at the above lineup and you can create a visual of how the bolded players moved to close down their opponents asap.
Two key omissions in defence made it work. Pique (Mr. Laidback Pausa de la Relax) and Araujo who struggles to find quick short exits.
Mingueza was playing at a high level at this moment and IMO was the perfect foil for the back 3 covering the RCB, DMR, WB space.
*Over 5 metres in the short space press.
BBZ is right on this one.
In our best game in our best run last season (1-6 win @ Sociedad) this was our lineup.
---Steg----
Mingueza-Frenkie-Lenglet
Dest-------------------Alba
-------Busi*-Pedri-----------
---Messi-Dembele-Griezmann
This continued when Pique returned but fizzled out when he had a string of games. Mainly because the intensity and the speed of the game diminished.
But you look at the above lineup and you can create a visual of how the bolded players moved to close down their opponents asap.
Two key omissions in defence made it work. Pique (Mr. Laidback Pausa de la Relax) and Araujo who struggles to find quick short exits.
Mingueza was playing at a high level at this moment and IMO was the perfect foil for the back 3 covering the RCB, DMR, WB space.
*Over 5 metres in the short space press.
BBZ is right on this one.
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BarcaOG
Banned
Agree. Busi is fine as long as he is adequately supported. There is no redeeming Pique however.
Precisely. Hence the diamond.
100%
I used to think otherwise and was a FDJ fan but I am afraid this is true. He keeps doing this and it's completely unproductive.
Yep. All garbage, especially that ridiculous clown Pique.
This I disagree with. Without Messi the only difference (though it is important) is that we now suck both against strong teams (against which Messi couldn't do anything anyway) and weak teams.
The main issue is this: Pique is a clown. His lack of discipline is revolting.
BarcaOG
Banned
couldnt agree more
Messigician
Senior Member
Gracias Xavi
Barcelona have transfer listed Sergi?o Dest. He will leave in January.
? @NicoSchira
Barcelona have transfer listed Sergi?o Dest. He will leave in January.
? @NicoSchira
FinBarcelonafan
Well-known member
I guess some harsh things were said during Bayern game
Birdy
Senior Member
I wanna expand a bit on the above.
You are right, this was our best game last season.
But it also occurred during a 3 month interval when the team played under Koeman the best football i can remember since Lucho.
And if Sociedad, Sevilla or Bilbao are not top quality opponents, we had our best game against top opponent at the same period:
vs PSG away
when the line-up was exactly the same, and if I want to portray exactly how they positioned in space, it was more like that:
-----------------MATS
------Mingueza-Frenkie-Lenglet
Dest-------------------------------Alba
-------------Busi------Pedri-----------
------Messi--------------Griezmann--
---------------Dembouz
Reasons why this formation brought the best out of everyone are:
- Pique not around the pitch
- Frenkie as libero:
I can't possibly emphasize this more, but apart from this being his best position so far, this guy is phenomenal in making the right runs with the ball in the build-up so as to evade any pressure.
Unfortunately, I can't find the vid of his summary in that game I posted in the past. They have taken it down.
- Lenglet was the only off player in that backline as he is slow, and only played because of being left-footed.
If Araujo was OK, Araujo and Mingueza (of last season, not the current) would be cut for this system that requires the RCB and LCB to make those covering runs away from their box and close to the sideline.
Araujo is phenomenal in that type of game, as he showed this season even as an RB in a back 4, which does not suit him
- The width given by wing-backs meant that the usual problems with MEssi and Griezman unable to provide width were remedied
- Both Alba and Dest are better as wing-backs than full-backs, since their defensive flaws are not exposed, and they can be more influential in going forward and creating, which is their trade
- Dembele playing up top:
best chances of the game fell on his feet (OK he wasted them) which would not have been possible if a less mobile and quick player was playing there, be it Griezman or the ones we have now Depay Luuk and co. Even Fati i doubt he would have managed to be on the receiving end of those chances.
- That system also dispelled the myth that Busi can only play as a pivot.
He was perfectly fine with Pedri on his left doing similar things.
Koeman fucked up when some defenders returned from injury and thought it's OK to play geriatric and retired Pique in the center of the back 3, losing all of Frenkie's abilities to drive forward,
while making a double crime in the form of 1: moving Frenkie in the md meant we saw again a Busi-FDJ-Pedri as trio with Busi the pivot,
which meant one player less in the half spaces, which meant a different, more conservative and less effective system of 3-5-2 and not 3-4-3.
That was evident in the derby against RM some weeks later.
All in all, I think this is still our best system despite Messi and Griezzy gone. It covers many flaws of the squad in general, and utilizes the best skills of Frenkie.
Besides, Depay struggles as CF, it's clear he wants to occupy the left halfspace and face play, instead of holding up the ball with his back turned.
When all players are available, this system could be something like the following, and is not at all different from Xavi's 3-4-2-1 he used against Benfica:
-----------------MATS (Neto if MATS slucks)
---------Araujo-Frenkie-Eric
Dest-------------------------------Alba (Balde)
-------------Busi(Nico)--Pedri(Gavi)----------
-------Fati/Nico-------------Depay--
------------------Dembouz
OK, I know it does not suit Fati as it appears, but
1) it's crucial that our fastest and able to dribble player (Dembouz) leads the line against top opposition that tries to press
2) If you remember the Benfica game the 'interiors' Gavi and Nico, found themselves many times close to and inside the box with opportunities to shoot.
I would rather have Depay and Fati there. I trust their attacking instincts more, and the defensive work can be taught easier
Messigician
Senior Member
qatarman will deffs get at least this season
BarcaOG
Banned
i see u are somewhat torn about diego's legacy
Messigician
Senior Member
Lmao
Windhook
Well-known member
Not torn at all about his legacy. Greatest footballer ever and bad personality. You know the difference.
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