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I think we do, we have a lot of depth in midfield but apart from Busquets we don't have a player of the same caliber as Xavi/Iniesta who can be expected to play at the same level 3 years from now. Gundogan would be the ideal long term replacement for Xavi that we've been looking for, and he's...

Our current midfield can't support an AM, and turning Coutinho into an AM/CM would be a waste of his talents and our time. However, we can easily accommodate an AM provided that we have a CM who can distribute the ball intelligently and provided some needed defensive coverage to the backline...

Me too! Müller is basically the attacking version of Busquets: intelligent, unorthodox, and very effective.

I would really like to see a midfield XI of Busquets-Gundogan-Torres, with Arda, Raki, Iniesta as backup. Iniesta will be 32 by next season, and Arda/Raki are like Pedro in that they are quality players but are not the long term XI midfielders we're looking for. Finally, the likes of Rafinha...

Assuming that Gundogan's transfer fee was in the 15-20m range, then even if he hadn't regained his pre-injury form he would've still been a decent sub who adds depth to our squad; and in this market that's what 15-20m gets you. So he was basically priced as if he would never regain his form...

I would rather see Gundogan or Torres in that spot; so no, not necessarily.

I would say Iniesta was a AM/CM, since he was the link between our midfield and attack. It would be a mistake to assume that Coutinho won't evolve as a player, and in any case there is no need for him to play like Iniesta, were he to replace him. Our style of play is completely different now...

I agree with you that playing Coutinho as CM would be a waste of his talents, and a waste of a spot for us (given that there are better alternatives for CM). But I don't agree with the premise of your argument. Iniesta has been playing as a CM since the start of last season to compensate for...

Because if you want to stay at the top, you need to keep getting better. I'm not advocating for radical change, unless you consider playing with 1 offensive FB instead of 2, to fall under this category. Our current style has brought us tremendous success, and while Lucho deserves most of the...

Not necessarily, if you play a 3-4-3 with 1 FB as the 4th man in midfield. So it's the same midfield as a 4-3-3 + 1 attacking FB who is always upfront; which defensively turns into a 4-3-3; except that you have Masch as RB instead of Alves. That's essentially Pep's formation: Abidal-Pique-Puyol...

If all you've watched was the CL final, then I guess you're right. If you think I'm the only one sharing that opinion then I suggest going through Alves' player page. Perhaps you should consider the fact that Reus may be a better player than Pedro. Read my original post, not my reply to...

The 3-3-1-3 is in fact our system, since Alves is used more as a winger rather than a traditional FB. So, having Reus there means that we have an actual Winger instead of a declining RB. Now, replace Mathieu with Alba and that's essentially the same formation that we've been playing with.

We could've easily accommodated Reus by playing him on the Right and placing Messi in the center behind Suarez where the opportunity to exploit the space created by the attacking trident in front of him would be magnified and his passing would be even more impactful than what it already is. In...

He's capable of playing both as a CM or AM, and he does play a very Xavi-esque role for Spain's U20:

Óliver Torres. Real signed Isco when he was about the same age as Torres currently is and look how it turned out for them. Granted, he may not have the same immediate impact on our squad as any of the players you mentioned, but neither will Verratti, Koke or Pogba since they'll all be cup tied...

We could sign Gundogan, and if he doesn't regain his form – sign Torres a year later. But by that time it may simply be too late. Look at how much Koke would have cost if we had tried to buy him last summer when he was 22, and by the end of next season Torres will be 22 as well. Signing both...

I explicitly stated that they're currently not on the same level, but that Torres has the potential to be in 2 years time, which IMO doesn't seem farfetched. 2 years ago, the same things would have been said if someone had suggested signing Verratti/Koke. From a risk perspective, it seems to...

Why are we going after Gundogan when we can get Verratti/Koke for the same price… in the form of O.Torres. He's only 2 years young than V/K, which means that if he can emulate their progress, we can have a world class CM in 2 years time; or even as early as next season, considering that both V/K...

I also would prefer Gundogan to Pogba, mainly because he is equally capable of both dictating the pace of the game or playing in a more fast-paced opportunistic style that we've currently adopted (by necessity, rather than choice, I would add). Another thing to bear in mind is that Pogba (if we...

Up until now I was of the opinion that Gundogan was worth the gamble (at the right price), but now I think our best bet would be Óliver Torres. He may not have the same immediate impact, that a more established player would. But were to sign someone like Pogba, it is almost certain that he...