Defender for next season?

Pique is gone .

zanela said:

Either way, i just don't want to see the Puyol-Masch tandem in the big games next season.

Click to expand...

I agree with you..separately they have been our best CBs this season, but they make a terrible partnership because they too similar as players.

pique-puyol>pique-mascherano>puyol mascherano. IMO


when they are on their best ofcourse.

zanela said:

If we don't buy a CB, then Bartra rotating with Piqué, and Masch rotating with Puyol shouldn't be a problem. And depending on how Bartra performs, we can decide on a CB purchase for the subsequent season.

Either way, i just don't want to see the Puyol-Masch tandem in the big games next season.

Click to expand...

I agree that the team probably already has all it needs for next year at CB, but only if some super, combo LB/CB type can be brought in to replace Abidal. Tough to find, I would pick Vermaelen.

Masch sure is not loved on this forum. He's already gone over 4000 minutes this year, including almost all of the big games, and the team's defense has been really good. He might not be the best in the air or the best on set plays, but he is the best at tackling, and his ball skills have improved to Barca level. No matter who joins the team, Masch will play just as much next year. He will beat out any new guy just the way he has beaten out Pique.

Maria said:

We should try to replace Puyol while he's still with us and can play 30 games/year, not after he's gone(kind of like what we're doing with Xavi). And I don't want Thiago Silva at Barca because he would be too expensive for his age and the CBs coming from Serie A have rarely made it in La Liga.

Click to expand...

Isn't that what we're doing with Masche?

I never thought so. Playing a defensive mid in the center of defense cos you don't really have better options to me isn't the same as going out and getting someone who's a CB by position.

I consider him to be a CB now. And he's pretty similar to Puyol as a player.

I'd really like to know what's the long-term plan of the club with him.

We'll just have to agree to disagree then, Jon. I'd never put Mascherano at anywhere near Puyol's level.

Still think that Barcelona needs a CB by role for next season though the really good options are rather limited.

We don't really need a CB, Pique in form is the best CB in the world and I think he'll regain that form.
Mascherano will be (and already is at times) a good replacement for Puyol, who can still play a few years.
If Puyol retires, I think Muniesa will have to step it up (or Bartra/Fontas?).
But if we have to buy a CB, I'm most interested in buying Javi Martinez and turning him in to a CB (like we did with Mascherano)

However, buying a LB might me necessary. Adriano is doing good but if Abidal can't return, I think we should buy Alba.

Alaba asap <_<. I don't want Alba as our LB. Not that he's bad, it's just he's not the best player defensively. I still think a good CB would be Botia considering the price.

woobie said:

I never thought so. Playing a defensive mid in the center of defense cos you don't really have better options to me isn't the same as going out and getting someone who's a CB by position.

Click to expand...

people seem to forget what a huge role the guy played last year when puyol was injured, including the champions league final. he's been immense in that position so why not keep him playing there? i've said it before, he's a cb on this team, not a dm. and he's a perfect short term "replacement" for puyol while we bleed in the youngsters like bartra and muniesa. heart, hunger, tackling, reading of the game, sure he could improve in the position but he's been monumental the last two years. might not be his natural position but he's been a beast there.

By all means keep playing him there, but other teams will see it as a weakness -- positioning IS a big thing for centerbacks. I still contend that Barcelona would improve as a squad if they had another really good natural CB.

woobie said:

By all means keep playing him there, but other teams will see it as a weakness -- positioning IS a big thing for centerbacks. I still contend that Barcelona would improve as a squad if they had another really good natural CB.

Click to expand...

it's possible. to me, masche has been immense and deserves the spot.

masche was/is much better for this team at the cb than the dm, imo

if rosell, tito and zubi think we need a cb i'm all for it, but i'd much rather a young guy like hummels than someone pushing 30.

As good as Mascherano has been during his FCB time (since he started to play more in the defence than in his natural position as a DM that is) he is not a natural CB and we saw that against RM and Chelsea. Yes, the team was not particularly good in any of those 3 games but it is under such circumstances that world class CB's can show their worth and determine whether the opposition team scores or not.

We definetely need a new CB and we should have already bought one last year. I and several others wanted that to happen but overall we could not complain as players such as Sánchez and Cesc were bought and Mascherano proved himself as a CB in the biggest stage (CL-final)

Personally I would prefer Hummels, Silva, Sakho or Yanga-Mbiwa. Someone who is young but experienced and proven on the highest level, physical strong, quick and with a good technique and reading of the game.

Obviously there are not many players who have all that and those you have are not necessarily good enough to play for FCB but if I should mention one player who would be a brilliant option and probably a successful one, then it would be Thiago Silva. And yes, players from the Italian league have not always shown the same worth in the Spanish league (and vice versa) but I am pretty sure that Thiago Silva would do the job.

Although it is completely unrealistic my own personal favorite is Raphael Varane who I have always praised on the forum even before he moved to RM. People laughed when I said that he could become better than Ramos and Pepe in the upcoming years.

Fantastic talent and just the type of player we could use as well and 9 years younger than Silva...