He already had a contract until 2023. That's a year and a half of access to medical facilities. What does he need 5 years of access to medical facilities for, an operation to turn into a cyborg? Is he having an affair with the team physio?
Yes, I could totally see than happening. They could match his wage demands and could market him as the best french player not called Mbappé.
Wondered about that, too. Maybe Umtiti thinks he needs mire than 1.5 years to get back to his best and hopes he can recover fully over the 4.5 years of training at a top club at the highest level, best medical treatment etc.?
If he's not very good anymore maybe he's just scared of where he might end up? Yes he's earning a little less now, but he gets to stay at a large club for the next several years.
That would be a good benefit. But we're being told on this thread that this deal, with a reduced salary, makes it easier to send him out on loan. That would remove the benefit of 'being at a large club.'
Unlikely:
Umtiti confirmed that he cried at the meeting, so we know the whole thing isn't a fabrication. In the same interview he talks about medical treatment and says he saw 3-4 doctors and that the final decision on not to get surgery was his. He says he chose that because it was his career on the line, not the doctor's.
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The problem is, it's not as if he got one bad injury that could be fixed. He had knee surgery, then a thigh muscle, now a tendon from another thigh muscle, his body just seems to give up on him and he's only 19.
And that happenned in both legs.
Is Barca playing him to much? Does he get enough time to regenerate? Is the medical team dealing with his issues in the right way? Is he advised and supported in regard to his lifestyle?
I'm not a Barcelona pro, someone like @Daysleeper might know more but i think i've heard the 1st knee surgery didn't go as planned and he had to go for a 2nd one. Then people said Barcelona rushed a bit to have him back on the pitch the 1st time but they seemed pretty careful after that.
Pique is better than anything else they have except Araujo. Alba is the only option they have. Busquets, yeah, but A) he's still one of their best players most of the time(he's a liability in high intensity, fast paced games, like what Athletic put them through, but the majority of their opponents aren't really capable of it) and B) they're not really optimized to drop him right now. With De Jong's continued struggles plus the only way they can make it work is by switching to a double pivot with Nico next to him(Busquets would be sort of redundant) and Xavi seemingly doesn't want to do that - in all honesty they'd be better off selling De Jong in the summer - Dani Alves brings experience and class and appears to be still physically capable enough and Xavi really doesn't seem to rate Dest, so...
I've always loved Busquets but but he makes enough mistakes now that I think it makes sense to make Gavi the false 9 (he turns so well and seems too small for the midfield battle) and play a diamond with De Jong sitting and Nico and Pedri either side, with Torres and Depay up top.
Once Xavi took over, the entire medical staff got fired. Our previous medical board was one of the worst in Europe. The problem for Fati and Dembele is that the type of injuries they have in the past tend to make them more injury prone in the future. Fati is so damn good when he plays but being this fragile this young is a little bit scary. Hopefully he recovers and has a good career but it’s been really rough for him.
Ouch
Manchester City but not as good
Exactly
Tactic wise just the same school of Cruyff, LVG, Pep, Arteta and now Xavi.
Love you slipping Arteta in there . Not sure he begins in that company quite yet, though it's been a good couple of months.
It does help that a lot of his players were used to what he wanted from them. He deserves a ton of credit for sure.
Xavi actually complained that some of his players did not understand Positional Play. It is the basic methodology of Barcelona.
On point. Especially if you have superior players. It's easily the best systems to make advantages in quality count. It should be the system of choice for every elite club rich enough to attract elite players.
You could have said to me: Cruijff is the Barca coach today or Pep is the Barca coach today... and I would believe you.
