20 - Sergi Roberto

[mixer]

Stats don't lie. Thiago played plenty of games when he came back from injury & would have played way over the % of games it said on his contract had he not been injured at the start of the season.
I'm looking forward to seeing Sergi next year now. That's the amazing thing with Barca. Someone else just gets promoted and, more often than not, does just as good of a job. Sergi Roberto is a quality player. He can control games, set the tempo, brilliant vision & passing; all those stereotypical attributes you'd expect of a La Masia graduate.

Wow, everything I heard about him so far was like "he's not good enough, he won't perform" etc... I doubt he is that good, as you said, but he may be a good sub

 

[Aryagorn]

Why do you think guys think that Tito will all of a sudden trust Roberto when he didn't even trust Thiago who's better than him?

May be he just didn't like Thiago's cunt-like attitude!!

 

[Irish_Cules]

I have heard that he has stagnated a bit with the B team this season. I don't watch him enough to judge him properly but from what I've seen of him when he has played with the first team he has impressed me. A good box-box midfielder. It will be interesting to see how he does this season.

 

[DonAndres]

People act like he's gonna surprise everyone and suddenly become a star when he goes to the first team, but really he shows very little of the ability or ambition to do so. He's a correct player, not a future starter.

 

[Meitux]

Well thats how it is,he doesnt share the same potential as Thiago who would be a future starter.Now we need to buy someone and i mean not for the bench,someone who will be starter

 

[Aryagorn]

People act like he's gonna surprise everyone and suddenly become a star when he goes to the first team, but really he shows very little of the ability or ambition to do so. He's a correct player, not a future starter.

He probably might not have the ability but accusing him of not showing the hunger is dubious

 

[JimmyGuitarist]

People act like he's gonna surprise everyone and suddenly become a star when he goes to the first team, but really he shows very little of the ability or ambition to do so. He's a correct player, not a future starter.

Sergi has a lot of ability but he has the usual question mark for a player his age, whether he can show his ability consistently. It's looking a bit far ahead, but considering you've said he won't be; he can become a future starter if he does what I mentioned. I've watched a lot of him and he can be Xavi'esque in the way he can dictate play: albeit against weak opponents. But now Tito & Andoni have said he'll replace Thiago, he might step up. There's no question mark over his ambition. Roberto stated himself that he would “fight to stay here all my life.”

 

[Indignado]

Wow, everything I heard about him so far was like "he's not good enough, he won't perform" etc... I doubt he is that good, as you said, but he may be a good sub

You never know how the players turn out on the highest level, how they develop etc. When Dortmund bought Gündogan, they considered him a failure and wasted money in the first year. Now he's one of the best in the Bundesliga. Tello and Cuenca weren't even that impressive with the B team, but they showed how good they can be with the best team in the world. It depends on many factors and Roberto could just as well turn out to be a future starter for Barca, he surely has the talent.

 

[spark]

People act like he's gonna surprise everyone and suddenly become a star when he goes to the first team, but really he shows very little of the ability or ambition to do so. He's a correct player, not a future starter.

I dont know who you are to question his ambition tbf? Busquets started out as an attacking player in the B team and before that. There was little to suggest he would turn into the finest defensive midfielder of his generation. Being tactically smart and carving out your own niche in the squad can also be a path.

 

[DonAndres]

I understand there's a possibility of him surprising everyone but it's not very probable IMO. Players could be less than known and then suddenly step up in senior teams but think of the examples brought up. Pep is the one who gave trust to Busquets/Pedro despite them not being well known academy stars. He also brought up Tello, Cuenca, etc. from the academy and showed their ability on the highest stage. This season Deulofeu who was the star of our B team got barely 2-3 games. Roberto most likely won't get the adequate game time to develop much from where he is now. I don't think he shows any real quality that sets him apart and would give him the edge in the fight for playing time against Song, Cesc, Xavi, Iniesta, etc.

If he were to be more ambitious, he'd request the loan and impress there so he actually has the chance to compare against his seniors for playing time.

 

[Sumlit]

IMO this is a clear case where one player is viewed as more promising because he is more extrovert and plays with more flare (Thiago), vs another who is more reserved and forgoes flare for fundamentals (Roberto).

There are still question about overall talent and ultimate potential. However I think in this case perhaps Thiago has been a little overhyped, while Roberto has been a little underrated.

There is also a very valid argument to suggest that Sergi Roberto has performed better than Thiago when playing for the first team. Granted, Sergi Roberto has played more limited minutes and in different circumstances.

 

[Povikas]

Patience, young padawan.

 

[Zuess99]

Geez he is 21, have some patience . Maybe he is a late bloomer. I just don't think he has the flair that thiago has but that doesn't mean he is less of a player, maybe his passing and vision is better.
Let's just have a little patience .

 

[ceefoo]

Not for this season. Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc, Busi, Song and Sergi are enough.

This. Two players for each position is enough.

I know song is physical and can go forward but he can't start in that cm spot. Running a game like Xavi is what's needed in that position and song could never do this.

Agreed. Song could play CM for any other club but Barca. The only position he would fit in is at DM. Busquets is a much better alternative at CM, if we need to sure up the midfield.

I'm looking forward to seeing Sergi next year now. That's the amazing thing with Barca. Someone else just gets promoted and, more often than not, does just as good of a job. Sergi Roberto is a quality player. He can control games, set the tempo, brilliant vision & passing; all those stereotypical attributes you'd expect of a La Masia graduate.

Me too. I don't understand why so many members look outside La Masia, when we have one of the best canteras in the world. If Busquets was not given an opportunity in the senior team, he would possibly never have fulfilled his potential and his career could have stalled.

Unless Tito trusts these Barca B players with first team appearances, we will never know how good they can become. I really hope Tito keeps his word and gives Sergi plenty of playing time next season. Being a World Cup year, he should implement more rotation and use his squad wiser, unless he wants burnout/injuries of his "stars" by April again.

Trust in La Masia​

 

[DonAndres]

IMO this is a clear case where one player is viewed as more promising because he is more extrovert and plays with more flare (Thiago), vs another who is more reserved and forgoes flare for fundamentals (Roberto).

There are still question about overall talent and ultimate potential. However I think in this case perhaps Thiago has been a little overhyped, while Roberto has been a little underrated.

There is also a very valid argument to suggest that Sergi Roberto has performed better than Thiago when playing for the first team. Granted, Sergi Roberto has played more limited minutes and in different circumstances.

It's not about giving up flare, it's that he currently doesn't offer much other than being a player who can pass the ball correctly. He doesn't try to get forward much, he doesn't have great vision, he doesn't dictate a game well or control all aspects of buildup play, and he doesn't offer much defensively either. He's not error prone or anything but he relies too much on caution and correctness to be great or add anything to our game, unlike Thiago who actually could dictate a game with immense ability and use his flair/attacking ability to keep our play lively. So far, he hasn't impressed me or shown anything that sets him apart and I doubt he'll even get the chance to change that, let alone see if he actually can.