6 - Carles Alena
- Thread starter raki
- Start date
Haven't seen him being a good controller though. Xavi looked so natural in that deeper role ever since he made the debut.
But yeah, it's tough with these comparisons.
M
MessiCam
Guest
He is no Xavi and his first touch and move need work, especially with his back to goal. He does this thing where he touches the ball into space and pivots to find it. It looks cool but better players won't so easily be fooled by it. That said, his second half was good and maybe that's because the midfield played closer together. He showed he could distribute the ball and linked well with his wings. He needs more playing time with the first team.
Nothanks
New member
Well there are two positions he can play in our current setup, RCM or LCM
our only possible options for those positions:
Iniesta - will retire here or leave within 2-3 years
Rakitic - should be sold honestly
Gomes - we seem to want to sell him
Turan - we want to sell him
Denis Suarez - his direct competition
Paulinho - he is always gonan be a 12 sub, not his direct competition
Sergi Roberto - well he is used more as of RB these days than CM so i wouldn't worry too much about him.
if we buy Arthur then he needs to compete with denis suarez and arthur for a spot.. and if he cannot displace denis suarez in midfield then he really doesn't deserve a spot in the team.
if we buy arthur AND coutinho then i can see alena struggle to find a spot in the team.
our only possible options for those positions:
Iniesta - will retire here or leave within 2-3 years
Rakitic - should be sold honestly
Gomes - we seem to want to sell him
Turan - we want to sell him
Denis Suarez - his direct competition
Paulinho - he is always gonan be a 12 sub, not his direct competition
Sergi Roberto - well he is used more as of RB these days than CM so i wouldn't worry too much about him.
if we buy Arthur then he needs to compete with denis suarez and arthur for a spot.. and if he cannot displace denis suarez in midfield then he really doesn't deserve a spot in the team.
if we buy arthur AND coutinho then i can see alena struggle to find a spot in the team.
God Serena
New member
He wouldn't get a chance even if our only midfielders were Paulinho and Arda Turan.
MessiDinho10
New member
Arthur is very much a CM rather than attacking midfielder right? I think Arthur and Aleña in midfield with Busquets behind them is very good potential-wise. We just need to get rid of some deadwood.
tacticvarium
New member
Lucho 2.0?
BigBarcaBoy
Active member
Confused
DonAndres
Wild Man of Borneo
One doesn't necessarily need to begin as a 'Xavi' to end up becoming a controller. Thiago was more attack minded in his early days but added patience and tempo to his game over the years. Kroos had an even more radical transition from an attacking mid to deep lying controller.
The real indicators as to what role Aleña will eventually take are his skillset. He turns into space, routinely plays off teammates in 1-2's, passes between lines, and generally navigates the pitch looking to get involved wherever. He's really similar to young Thiago in that regard. Not the most imposing presence in any one area of the pitch yet, but involved and active in all phases of buildup play.
Once he starts playing more minutes with the first team he'll settle into a bigger role with bigger on ball responsibilities. As a youngster his focus is really about constantly moving and providing support rather than being the primary initiator or running the play. Patience with the ball and confidence to be a primary outlet are both things that come in spades with age and experience; even if he doesn't become as ball dominant as Xavi he still will probably be a creative and tempo setting player in the midfield.
And if Arthur+Aleña really is the future of our midfield then both of them can combine into a well controlled and rhythmic duo. Neither has to be the distinct 'Xavi' or 'Iniesta' but they can form an imposing unit with Busi to control the midfield and set up an offensive transition.
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