Douglas was on a free though (close to it). He was horrific though. Vermaelen has been good when he isn’t hurt, which is rare
So apparently Thiago is basically offering himself to Barça and Bayern are willing to sell. I swear if this trash ass board can’t make this happen. I’m cringing thinking about our midfield next year.
What's wrong with a MF of Coutinho/Busquets/Rakitic/Dembele? Don't get me wrong I'm not turning down Thiago by any means, but we could also add Sergi to the mix if Semedo can be the full time RB and we get a formidable backup there.
Dembele isn’t a midfielder. And we rarely saw coutinho as a midfielder this year. Not saying he wouldn’t be good there, but I don’t trust his defensive responsibility. I would love adding Thiago. Was so pissed when he left but I’m sure all the talk is bullshit
Just watched the Argentina game. Maybe I’m crazy, but assuming Argentina doesn’t advance, I don’t see Messi playing football much longer. I could see him playing another season, and then retiring to Newells Old Boys in Rosario. Dude clearly was dead after their Copa Centario loss. And he’s going to be broken after this tournament. To me, he doesn’t seem to enjoy playing anymore.
People said he was going to retire at age 26? Who actually said that? He would be 31-32 after next season. He has nothing else to accomplish at this point. His World Cup chances are done.
Dude doesn’t even need wheels, is the thing. He could float around in the MF and be a Xavi, which he’s slowly been moving into each year.
That’s not what I’m saying. I think he literally just doesn’t enjoy playing the sport anymore. He was amazing last year but he’s not enjoying himself
*taps mic* this thing on? #Barcelona i really like our signings so far. nice infusion of young talent
Agreed. I really hope Mina isn't sold, I think selling him would be short sighted. It's just maddening that more youth players can't be cultivated from la masia.
definitely needed some younger blood, and malcoms versatility should be really beneficial in getting him in the lineup now maybe get a cm and jettison some of the flotsam from the roster and well really be cooking
For sure. Finally didn't cave in for whatever asking price, either. A nice change to see on multiple fronts.
Not really sure what the plan is for the front 6. I know Valverde's talking about getting back to a 4-3-3. I suppose it all depends on how ready Arthur is.
What’s everyone seeing for our XI? Ter stegen Roberto Pique umtiti alba Arthur busquets rakitic Coutinho Suarez messi Ter stegen Roberto Pique umtiti alba Coutinho busquets rakitic dembele Messi Suarez Think I prefer sticking to the 442 for now. We really need to get dembele out there and I don’t see any way that happens in a 443
I can’t see them deploying Coutinho in the midfield. There’s no defensive responsibility in his game. I honestly don’t see how Malcom or Dembele fit in a lineup with Messi-Suarez-Coutinho. That team would get eaten alive on counters
If we’re rolling out a 433, it has to be that Arthur is ready to go as Xavi-lite. Otherwise, 422 until that time. Also, I’m really not that concerned with how Malcom fits in right now. Let him figure out how he factors in. The biggest concern is figuring out how to run a midfield sans Iniesta and Paulinho
One thing we know about Valverde is he likes organized formations. Players who have maintain their defensive duties. Dembele, Countinho and Malcom all lack those traits. Strange set of players we have right now.
Was going to post something similar last night, like a 4-2-3-1. I think playing Messi centrally with support on either side with Rakitic and Busquets covering will allow the front 4 to be free flowing and creative. Messi can go wide and play with Alba/Sergi, or he can stay central and create for Coutinho/Dembele/Suarez. I'd really like to see that formation.
Arthur is going to crack the XI pretty quickly. Midfield of Arthur-Rakitic-Busi is pretty nice. With Messi, Countinho, Suarez along the front line.
Surprised so many have Roberto starting at RB. Semedo is much better. He has everything needed to be one of the best RB’s in the world. He just needs to be given consistent playing time. Stop doing Roberto and the team a disservice by playing him in an unnatural position. Also, please just sign Thiago (who is begging to come here) and be done with it. We need another CM and a healthy Thiago is still top 5 in the world. It would be one of the best summers we’ve had in a long time.
Would be fine with the signing if it’s as low as reported. Dude is way too hungry to turn into Turan 2.0 ()
Love the move even if he’s on his last legs. Vidal is a dog. Val obviously values a physical presence in the middle as he should, and this is a better deal than the Paulinho one last year. In addition to his tactical value given Val’s preference, he’s clearly a character. Amidst our ever growing collection of trophies, there are a couple of inexcusable performances from the last few years where we could have used someone with his nonpassive personality on the field.
This squad is ridiculous. Where’s the hole? LB depth? But that’s easily filled by Lenglet or Umtiti really.