EdmondDantes
New member
Is he making the next squad list or will Valverde bring back Rakitic?
6 - Carles Alena
- Thread starter raki
- Start date
JohnN
Senior Member
Is he still our player? I can't understand why he was considered a starter at the first match of the season and then left out of the squad for the next games and left to rot on the bench in the last game. What kind of manager does that? Make up your mind. Either give him some chances or don't.
Ghostmaster
Danger Ahead
That is really mind blowing, starter in the first game and then not even making a squad list.
serghei
Senior Member
Typical Valverde lashing out at young players every time they make mistakes. While other players continue to make them and still get minutes. Roberto was the worst player vs Bilbao and yet Alena was the patsy for that game.
Alena should get minutes before Roberto and Rakitic, who have no future in this team. Alena can still be more than a squad player and yet he is denied this chance by this clown of a manager.
He brings more attacking wise than any of Roberto and Rakitic. In fact, he is the only clear attacking midfielder we have, just not good enough to start instead of other players who aren't natural AM but still give more in this position at the time being.
In terms of profile:
DMs: De Jong, Busi, Rakitic, Roberto
CMs: Arthur, De Jong, Roberto, Rakitic
AMs: Vidal, Arthur, Alena, Roberto, Rakitic.
De Jong should slide in the DM spot, Arthur should be first pick for the CM position. Vidal, Arthur, and Alena should get the most minutes as attacking minded midfielders.
Roberto and Rakitic are squad CMs and DMs, with very low chances of starting in the AM position. Meaning they get to play only when Arthur and/or De Jong are rested in the CM/DM positions. Or when Semedo is rested in case of Roberto.
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RIZALDINHO
Member
it looks like his barca career is over as long as valverde is still our manager
EdmondDantes
New member
Feel for us, Rakitic is out the door and is still getting minutes over him.
No manager is good enough to elevate an Alena level talent to be good enough for a club like Barca.
Said it numerous times, but the only reason the bloke has himself a place in the first team is because he from the academy. If we had bought him from a Segunda club for 1-2m a few seasons ago everyone would be at his throat going on about how he is stealing a spot from more worthy La Masia talents.
Great talents will always find a way to get minutes even under a stubborn manager. Fati is a good example. Above average talents like maybe a Puig or Todibo will sometimes become good players under a better coach. Mediocre talents like Alena however will always fail under every and any manager.
JohnN
Senior Member
But Rakitic at 31 after the worst season of his declining career and soon to be out of the club is good enough for a club like Barca. Got it.
Aye.
What a rubbish argument.
Instead of responding to anything I said you decided to go for the cheap straw man. Shame.
Rakitic is not very good these days and the club wanted to get rid of him in the summer. He barely plays these days and gets thrown a few garbage minutes every couple weeks. He has done a lot for the club through the years and giving a few inconsequential minutes before he inevitably leaves is the way to deal with his situation with dignity.
Alena is a zero player, has done nothing for the club and will never develop in to anything worthwhile. Valverde gave him quite a few chances last season and he showed very little. At Barca you have to take your chances.
I will bump this thread when he's struggling to come of the bench for some mid-table La Liga team in the near future. Some people never learn. "Xavi and Iniesta came from La Masia so every talent from there can make it under the right manager!" Yeah, go take a look a La Masia's record before the golden generation because I really doubt you were a fan before that point.
JohnN
Senior Member
That wasn't an argument. That was Irony. I 've used arguments against your assertions on the Valverde thread multiple times and you went into hiding. So, let me respond they way I see fit, as any other user here.
If you want an actual response, this is it:
You assert that:
"No manager is good enough to elevate an Alena level talent to be good enough for a club like Barca."
"Alena is a zero player, has done nothing for the club and will never develop in to anything worthwhile."
You also claim that:
"Valverde gave him quite a few chances last season and he showed very little. At Barca you have to take your chances"
I am curious to know how you come to these conclusions. Alena last year, only got chances while surrounded by the second team players around him.
In the last preseason match against Napoli he was great. In the first match of the season he was pretty average, as all of our players. Our worst player by far was Sergi Roberto that day. Also, Rakitic did nothing more than Alena.
He may not be the brightest talent we ever produced, but he should get actual chances to show what he's got.
Rakitic doesn't need those chances. He can start other games to rest players, but why use him for 30 minutes on a done game?
Why did Bob keep starting after his disasterclass against Bilbao, but Alena got thrown into oblivion? After being subbed off at half time mind you.
Another claim:
"Great talents will always find a way to get minutes even under a stubborn manager. Fati is a good example."
Fati's main reason for starting some matches, was our bad luck with injuries. We had, Messi, Suarez and Dembele out, leaving us with Griezmann, Perez and Fati.
Even then, I personally said Valverde should get some credit for his choice to use him, as he could easily have opted for a different formation or something else.
You can't seem to criticise EV for absolutely anything.
Consider the following and please, tell me if you can acknowledge some.
EV has been wrong and stubborn about:
- Using Sergi Roberto as a right back instead of Semedo, who is much better there overall, hindering his development by depriving him of continuous game time.
- Trying to fit Sergi Roberto in the squad no matter what, even if we have a stacked midfield, full of players.
- Using Rakitic and Sergio Busquets all year long in 2018-2019 with no rest whatsoever.
- Starting the same lineup, that got obliterated in Camp Nou by Liverpool, one week later in Anfield.
- Using Coutinho as a left winger consistently last year, while it was painfully obvious that it didn't work.
- Using Griezmann as a left winger consistently this year, while it is painfully obvious that it doesn't work.
- Not using Alena at all costs in any meaningful match last year, even though his first team players were over 30 years old.
- Not using Malcom to rest other players even if he proved he was a decent backup with some very important goals.
- Never ever resting Suarez, even while he was carrying an injury.
- Not including our only backup left back in the squad list against BVB.
- Failing to gradually introduce our only backup center back at any point, so he has to get his first ever start against Sevilla.
These are some good starting points.
I have seen improvement in some aspects this season, but that does not negate all of the above.
tacticvarium
New member
[tw]1183749557450133505[/tw]
Still haven't learned anything
Still haven't learned anything
FinBarcelonafan
Well-known member
I would try him again in some games instead of Busi/Raki or Vidal. I think he can be more valuable than Busi/Raki at least. Vidal is the must sub for the late game.
tacticvarium
New member
I still believe in his talents but he won't get enough playing times here.
It's better for both him and Riqui to go on loan or leave the club.
soul24rage
Senior Member
I would add the option to sell them with a buyback clause.
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