Roberto was horrible last season defensively too in a vast majority of the games that mattered. Atrocious in both legs vs. Chelsea, made Willian look like a god winger. Atrocious vs Roma even though he wasn't a defender but was getting killed 1v1 all the time. Horrible vs RM in the 2-2 and got sent off. Horrible in the game he played in the Supercup vs RM where we lost 2-0. The only significant game where he was solid defensively as a RB was the 3-0 Clasico.
Alves in 15/16 made do just fine with a lazy Messi abandoning RW and Rakitic as his only defensive support. We were superb that season with an extremely long unbeaten run and honestly unlucky to not make it through in CL. The season after in the EXACT same situation Roberto was horrible and led to us having to change formation eventually because of how often he'd get targeted and abused. Nothing changed on that right hand side except Roberto, so enough with that excuse that he is the only defender who's seen his wing get exposed.
There is no evidence at all that Roberto is even close to acceptable defensively for the CL/high stakes level. At most you've provided extremely flimsy excuses for it. It is baffling that a guy who is flat out unplayable in big games defensively and has 0 UCL assists and a career of multiple high profile disasterclasses in the UCL is seen as "the best we can do" at RB.
Both Paulinho and Dembele abandoned their defensive work most of the game against Chelsea, Roberto was attacked by Alonso,Willian and Hazard, at least 2 of them at each time while Paulinho and to lesser extent Dembele not giving any support in a 442 formation where Raki doesn't support right side. Same thing against RM with Coutinho playing his worst game here, and Roberto was doing very well considering 2 of Benzema,Cr7 and Marcelo was on him alone. Do you seriously expect any FB to look good when 2 players are overlapping him? You are gonna bring Roma game when talking about RB? I mean seriously
Our struggles on right side started with Alves, don't twist things man, we started that season with Messi as RW, around January he moved to SS and left the right side, we play RM after break and Zidane exposes right side with Alves, we almost lose the league, get out of CL and even struggled in CDR final after every coach attack us from this side. Roberto had to pick up the shit that started with Alves, so no Alves wasn't even close of being superb at that year when teams attacked him with no support.
So enough with this theory, no RB in the world would do well if he is left alone, no one in front of him, and even the CB supporting him is now the worse one.
