21 - Frenkie de Jong

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Porque

Senior Member
For his it is that he doesn't release "correctly" because the team around him is not moving to space normally.

If he's DMC in the EPL where they are pacy and dynamic then his options will be obvious.
 
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ajnotkeith

Senior Member
Porque said:
Pretty sure he can play in a mid 3 and also DMC. It's a matter of tactics.

If we want the DMC to play like Busquets then no one can play like Busquets.

But all the top teams in Europe play with a 433 and none have Busquets, yet they all do fine and exceed us in recent times.

Clearly Frenkie can be successful in aorw vertical side.
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Busquets is no more 'unique' than any other DM is. People are adding fine nuances to his game and position that don't actually exist.

No player is a perfect replica of another and every player has different characteristics, that isn't just exclusive to Busquets.
 
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ajnotkeith

Senior Member
jamrock said:
Busquets at his best is hella unique, crazy AF to not see that lol.
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Is he at his best though? Or anywhere near it?

At this point there is hardly anything special about him at all. Last season his passing wasn't even that good. 88% pass completion over the last year.
 
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Porque

Senior Member
ajnotkeith said:
Busquets is no more 'unique' than any other DM is. People are adding fine nuances to his game and position that don't actually exist.

No player is a perfect replica of another and every player has different characteristics, that isn't just exclusive to Busquets.
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We're unique because our play from defence to attack is built around Busquet's quarterbacking up the pitch at handball (or EuroBasket) pace. Very Spanish, Very Barca.

And thus for us to play this way accomodating Busquets (which has it's advantages just as building around Messi did) makes Busquets very unique- albeit dated. Just as the playmaker is no longer functional we may be seeing Busquets as the last remnant of the ball playing defensive mid too.

Modern football is a bit more athletic and mechanical than that, players can step in and out for eachother and the system doesn't break. If we bring in Frenkie for Busquets our system breaks, in the same way that if Liverpool put Busquets in for Fabinho that their system would break too.
 
serghei

serghei

Senior Member
Porque said:
We're unique because our play from defence to attack is built around Busquet's quarterbacking up the pitch at handball (or EuroBasket) pace. Very Spanish, Very Barca.

And thus for us to play this way accomodating Busquets (which has it's advantages just as building around Messi did) it is very unique- albeit dated.

Modern football is a bit more athletic and mechanical than that, players can step in and out for eachother and the system doesn't break. If we bring in Frenkie for Busquets our system breaks, in the same way that if Liverpool put Busquets in for Fabinho that their system would break too.
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True, this is Xavi's biggest flaw, but I still hope he will correct it. Busi would be an asset still if you can play vs City or Liverpool and achieve 75% possession somehow. This is impossible. Even against Madrid it was 50-50. In these conditions, you basically get to smell Busi's filthy socks 50% of the time. It's not like these top sides would fear you so much that they will park the bus and hope for the best. They will properly have a go at you and expose Busi's defensive weakness.

2011 Barca would carry this Busi very well. This team can't. If anything, some of our players that we brought would prefer a bit more end to end games for the benefit of added speed of play. Raphinha in particular would benefit from Busi missing. Probably also Lewandowski.
 
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jamrock

Senior Member
Busquets biggiest asset was his almost total press resistance, now has he's gonna older that has fallen off significantly.
 
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Porque

Senior Member
serghei said:
True, this is Xavi's biggest flaw. Say Busi will be an asset still if you can play vs City or Liverpool and achieve 75% possesssion. This is impossible. Even against Madrid it was 50-50. In these conditions, you basically get to smell Busi's filthy socks 50% of the time.

2011 Barca would carry this Busi. This team can't. If anything, some of our players that we brought would prefer a bit more end to end games for the benefit of added speed of play. Raphinha in particular would benefit from Busi missing. Probably also Lewandowski.
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I think this will go back to conversations in the post 8-2 era about not being able to have Pique-Busquets-Messi-Suarez in the modern era.

Looking at the way the team should lineup next season

-Azpi-Araujo-Kounde-Alba-
------- Busi ------------
--- Kessie - Pedri ---
-Raphinha ------ Ansu -
----- Lewa -----

What surrounds Busquets can/should compensate for his shortcomings and when he is caught in turnovers over the long space. So we would play to his strengths for the majority of the games.

Actually the weaker link is that left side where Alba is mentality shot in the defensive phase and Ansu hasn't proven to be physically there for an intense game of pressing. We would need Ferran at his best.

Of course too it would be nice if Xavi see's that we should switch to a more disruptive dmc in tough games, just as he switches to Araujo at fullback.
 
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ajnotkeith

Senior Member
Porque said:
I think this will go back to conversations in the post 8-2 era about not being able to have Pique-Busquets-Messi-Suarez in the modern era.

Looking at the way the team should lineup next season

-Azpi-Araujo-Kounde-Alba-
------- Busi ------------
--- Kessie - Pedri ---
-Raphinha ------ Ansu -
----- Lewa -----

What surrounds Busquets can/should compensate for his shortcomings and when he is caught in turnovers over the long space. So we would play to his strengths for the majority of the games.

Actually the weaker link is that left side where Alba is mentality shot in the defensive phase and Ansu hasn't proven to be physically there for an intense game of pressing. We would need Ferran at his best.
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It's not worth playing to his strengths and accomodating his huge weaknesses anymore. He doesn't add enough. Even his passing has significantly slipped over the past year, and his press resistance/ball-retention went from world-class to disappearing. All he does now is dive at a slight contact to try and win a foul after being pressed.

Playing with an energetic, progressive, vertically minded DM would add a ton of benefits without losing very much if they were of good quality.

If Busquets is a liability in defensive transitions, and similarly for offense it's not clear how much he is really adding, what are we accomodating him for? 5 yard passes and diving for fouls in his own half?

It might sound populist or simplistic but I think that's the reality. He doesn't add much anymore.
 
serghei

serghei

Senior Member
jamrock said:
Busquets biggiest asset was his almost total press resistance, now has he's gonna older that has fallen off significantly.
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Busi was no doubt elite in his prime, but he's had next to him probably the only midfielder who could never be pressed or dispossessed at least in the modern era, his current coach Xavi :lol:.

Xavi was dispossessed maybe 5 times per season. :lol: In in three of the times, the pitch was bad.
 
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Porque

Senior Member
Messi983 said:
Gary "7-0" Neville :lol:

He's the worst coach I've ever seen and even worse as a pundit.
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Decent business man though, albeit mainly through association to that man in Valencia who is a huge United fan. But at heart, a Mancunian Tosser as the tweets prove.
 
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