How's Velverde still in a job?
La Liga 2019/20
- Thread starter carvajal
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De jong is good at carrying the ball forward from deep, but he's not much of a goal threat
Arthur is a goal threat. Both offer good penetrative passing and final ball, but De Jong is better defensively and in deeper areas, while arthur is better closer to goal on account of being a goal threat
De Jong isnt an attacking player. He scored something like 4 goals in his 3 seasons for Ajax. I hope by playing further up at Barca he can develop that..
Cool not sure why I thought it was the other way around
EDIT: Though looking at the stats it doesn't seem that either of them have been much a goal threat at least in terms of production (2 in 35 for Arthur at Gremio and 5 in 57 for De Jong at Ajax)
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They've got to get Griezmann central and drop Suarez, what the feck is he supposed to offer on the left wing??
Is there any chance Barca go 4-2-3-1 and play Griezman behind Suarez?
what you say about not burning them is very sensible, but getting in September with Unzue for example... In any case, I'm afraid you're not going to have that luck
After Atlético and Barcelona, and considering our terrible match in Paris, the most logical thing would be a great reaction, with "intensity", as Zizou says, but I think the strength of Lopetegui's Karma will be unbeatable
The only reason he's playing side is because Suarez is completely and utterly undroppable. Left wing first half and right wing in the second.
Valverde even abandoned a 3 man midfield just so he could bring on Messi and Fati without having to drop Suarez.
But Griezmann can't play as a 9, he's tried that at Atletico and failed miserably. It's messi position or wide which is why this move never made sense.
It's going to take another Injury to make this happen. Until then, it's going to be Griezmann on the wing every game.
How do the journalists never ask about Suarez and his form? It's so obvious to anyone who watches them play that Suarez is an absolute liability and yet he's questioned about his decision to never drop him.
Can't Messi go to the right?
The simple solution which i don't understand why Valverde hasn't tried yet* is to just play Messi in the hole and suarez and griezmann as strikers
*as in use griezmann and suarez as strikers to get the team to adapt while waiting for messi's comeback
*as in use griezmann and suarez as strikers to get the team to adapt while waiting for messi's comeback
The games he did play as the striker when Suarez was out injured were his best.
I agree the move never made any sense and using that money to sign Neymar would have been far more useful but now that he's signed, wasting him out wide is making things worse.
I think he simply doesn't want to. Hasn't played there in years (I think)
He may be good at those things but I've yet to see him do any of them consistently for Barca. Fair enough if it's down to managerial instructions - I wouldn't know.
I watched a lot of Brazil in the copa just gone, and yes, he was more proactive with his passing and whatnot, but his range and creativity still left a lot to be desired, imo. I still thought he was brilliant because I don't take his ability to resist pressing opposition and being able to keep his team ticking for granted at all.
I'll bow to yours (& @giorno 's) superior knowledge on this then, mate.
There wouldn't be any width then assuming that they play their 3 in midfield behind these 3.
When Messi came on today I thought Messi would be behind the two of them but Valverde just shifted Griezmann from the left to the right wing.
Fati/Dembele, Griezmann and Messi is the attack they need to go with and De Jong, Arthur and Rakitic in midfield.
Instead we'll keep watching Suarez and Roberto.
Barca also really missed Alba today. He's a left wing entirely on his own.
He's no De Bruyne or David Silva, to be sure. But he's got enough for that job on a team with Messi, Suarez and Griezmann
That is what the wingbacks are for. Also Suarez, Griezmann and Messi having free roles would mean they'd move to the wing on occasion, as needed
Besides, get those three close together and you don't even really need width, they can get through the middle against nearly anyone
No need to be sarcastic. We have a difference of opinion is all.Ha, I wasn't being sarcy! That was a serious post. I don't watch all that much of Barca so I'm far from an expert on anything related to them
Because Messi tracks back as much as I do and their midfield will be overrun with 3 players constantly ahead of the ball with 2 man midfields v 3 IMO.
It really doesn't work that well. Alba is the only one who provides any width coupled with great end product and he was missing today. They're going to need a way to drop Suarez for the away games. They're not good enough to carry him anymore.
They'd also get overrun in midfield like they constantly did today with just Vidal/Rakitic and De Jong in a MF 2.
Well that depends, barcelona mainly want to defend through the high press so it's just a matter of fine tuning their movements for that
Otherwise, you get griezmann to drop back onto the midfield line and shift to two banks of 4. Which is what they did in dortmund btw
On the one hand i kinda agree about dropping suarez now that they have griezmann
But on the other hand, for all his flaws suarez is still capable of those moments of brilliance that can win you a game. And i'm still not so sure they have enough quality to drop him
Which is why he should be used in the home games where his flaws can be hidden and Barcelona are still good enough to win most games. He's still going to score goals because Messi is back now and he'll have much better service but he's a complete liability in attack. We saw it in Dortmund and today that he just finds it impossible to make simple passes and linkup with his teammates. He'll make first time passes that go straight out of play, he'll try dribble past everyone and run into defenders. He was magnificent at his peak but the time has come to use him sparingly but unfortunately Valverde doesn't have the balls to do what's needed.
That would require barcelona to be a different club
Griezmann - Suarez
Messi
Alba - Arthur - De Jong - Roberto
Lenglet - Pique - Semedo
MATS
Messi
Alba - Arthur - De Jong - Roberto
Lenglet - Pique - Semedo
MATS
3412, because why the hell not.
I like that. Just replace Semedo with Umtiti.
Sounds good, but I don't think it's so easy to sit down Busquets (regardless of performance).
In the center Artur and De Jong would be fine, perhaps in a diamond, with the Brazilian advanced, but although he has done well recently I am not sure if that´s his ideal position.
In a line of two they seem to have too similar profiles.
Barca have had enough time to find a successful system for all their new tools (My opinion is still that Griezmann at Barca wouldn't work long-term).....they are lucky that their other two rivals have problems too.
Yeh, because La Liga is the biggest trophy in football world.
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In last 12-18 months Suarez has really declined as all round World class player. He can still finish but everything else he just looks clumsy.
That may be where Messi is actually a hinderance in that with them being great mates you don't suddenly just drop his best friend to the bench permanently when he only has a year left.
The logical situation is of course though Greizmann through the middle.
Anyway pleased to see Granada get a brilliant win. They were woeful up last time in La Liga (remember they finished with Tony Adams guiding them to defeat after defeat) but they've come back up with some really good players in their squad, Venezuelan duo of Yangel Herrera and Marchis are pretty decent imo, Herrera is on loan from Man. City.
That may be where Messi is actually a hinderance in that with them being great mates you don't suddenly just drop his best friend to the bench permanently when he only has a year left.
The logical situation is of course though Greizmann through the middle.
Anyway pleased to see Granada get a brilliant win. They were woeful up last time in La Liga (remember they finished with Tony Adams guiding them to defeat after defeat) but they've come back up with some really good players in their squad, Venezuelan duo of Yangel Herrera and Marchis are pretty decent imo, Herrera is on loan from Man. City.
It is amazing that Suarez is still being used. As you say him being Messi best buddy is not helping Barcelona. They bought Griezmann. Use him in the position where you get the best out of him.
Truth is messi played like 60 minutes and suarez like 2 games and a half so far
Many were saying it about Suarez last season. Didn't step up for them in the CL, one goal in the whole competition wasn't it? Lukaku scored more I think last season.
Who were they supposed to drop him for? Dembelé's physio and coutinho's wife?
No, just shows his decline from 2017 onwards when he was last all round WC striker. Shouldn't be starting now.