Adrien Rabiot
- Thread starter Lutece FC
- Start date
Raketa10
Senior Member
Yeah and than we will be fucked up even more...
Raketa10
Senior Member
Only in case Rabiot remains in Paris and as things stand right now that won't happen, that's probably the main reason PSG went for FDJ.
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khaled_a_d
Senior Member
I remember early last season you told me you don't expect Busquets to last long and that you would prefer if we line up a replacement for him (Fabian Ruiz IIRC) and I thought DM is last of our worries. For me I took the other side at the end of last season.
I don't see Busquets as starter beyond next year, and tbh I don't even think he deserves to be starter next year. He is slow and he costs us in defense.
Raki & busi are 31 after this season, so we need a future replacement for sure. Typically we play with 1 DM and 2 CM midfield. Right now only Busquets is true DM we have, Raki & Vidal can play the position (did Arthur play there yet?) but both aren't really that good at it, neither is Roberto.
In CM we have Arthur taking one spot, but we have Raki,Vidal,Coutinho,Roberto,Alena all capable playing the other spot, with Puig and Collado in Barca B too.
Joan
Well-known member
Are we speaking of the same forum?
Messi983
Senior Member
My point was (knowing Barça's philosophy with club legends) Busi will stay a starter for at least the next 2-3 seasons (or possibly until he leaves/retires - I don't see him playing past his mid thirties) whether he deserves that or not so I don't see a point to buy his longterm replacement now and we have capable enough backups for not spending crazy money to get one. I could be wrong but I think this could be also one of the reasons why FDJ prefers PSG over us. They have an open DM spot for him, we don't. Everyone assumes that he would be a perfect fit for one of our CM positions but what if he prefers to play DM? Whenever I've watched Ajax he was the one of their midfielders who has consistently dropped the deepest and he was often also used as a 3rd CB (like Busquets many times earlier in his career) so I think that's where he feels most comfortable and he just wouldn't be able play this role with us for the next few seasons.
I think Arthur has played as DM in Brazil and in his short time here he has also shown abilities to drop deep and help in build up play but we usually prefer taller players for DM position and Arthur is not like Kante who can compensate for his lack of height with other attributes so I don't see Arthur as a full time DM in the future. Or maybe I'm wrong and we are considering him possibly taking over Busi's role eventually and that's why we're looking after Rabiot so we'd have one taller CM if we'd play with a smaller DM. I'm not as obssessed with tall players as @BBZ but we probably agree we should have at least one midfielder over 170 cm.
Anyway, this is probably 2-3 years away but for now with Busi still an unquestionable starter I think Arthur could easily cover DM position for a few games if needed. The same for Raki. Vidal is more a box to box midfielder and I don't see him playing as a lone DM in serious games but if we'll get Rabiot I think he'll leave next summer (although I like him) so we shouldn't really include him in any mid-term plans (next season or two) right now.
I think Abidal sees Rabiot as a replacement for Raki but we'll probably also give him a try as DM. We'll see how things will work next season when Raki will still be here though. All of this IF we'll actually sign Rabiot which is still far from a given. I think he's leaving PSG but it's quite possible they'll sell him to a club like Liverpool or Arsenal before the end of this months for 15-20M€ rather than risk losing him to us for nothing. Unless we already have a personal deal with him and he'll reject to be sold to another club.
khaled_a_d
Senior Member
My point was (knowing Barça's philosophy with club legends) Busi will stay a starter for at least the next 2-3 seasons (or possibly until he leaves/retires - I don't see him playing past his mid thirties) whether he deserves that or not so I don't see a point to buy his longterm replacement now and we have capable enough backups for not spending crazy money to get one. I could be wrong but I think this could be also one of the reasons why FDJ prefers PSG over us. They have an open DM spot for him, we don't. Everyone assumes that he would be a perfect fit for one of our CM positions but what if he prefers to play DM? Whenever I've watched Ajax he was the one of their midfielders who has consistently dropped the deepest and he was often also used as a 3rd CB (like Busquets many times earlier in his career) so I think that's where he feels most comfortable and he just wouldn't be able play this role with us for the next few seasons.
I think Arthur has played as DM in Brazil and in his short time here he has also shown abilities to drop deep and help in build up play but we usually prefer taller players for DM position and Arthur is not like Kante who can compensate for his lack of height with other attributes so I don't see Arthur as a full time DM in the future. Or maybe I'm wrong and we are considering him possibly taking over Busi's role eventually and that's why we're looking after Rabiot so we'd have one taller CM if we'd play with a smaller DM. I'm not as obssessed with tall players as @BBZ but we probably agree we should have at least one midfielder over 170 cm.
Anyway, this is probably 2-3 years away but for now with Busi still an unquestionable starter I think Arthur could easily cover DM position for a few games if needed. The same for Raki. Vidal is more a box to box midfielder and I don't see him playing as a lone DM in serious games but if we'll get Rabiot I think he'll leave next summer (although I like him) so we shouldn't really include him in any mid-term plans (next season or two) right now.
I think Abidal sees Rabiot as a replacement for Raki but we'll probably also give him a try as DM. We'll see how things will work next season when Raki will still be here though. All of this IF we'll actually sign Rabiot which is still far from a given. I think he's leaving PSG but it's quite possible they'll sell him to a club like Liverpool or Arsenal before the end of this months for 15-20M€ rather than risk losing him to us for nothing. Unless we already have a personal deal with him and he'll reject to be sold to another club.
Well, I guess it depends on whether we are discussing what we are hoping to happen, or what we expect to happen.
For me, I think Busquets shouldn't be a starter after next year (or after this year) and a replacement should be already in the team during next season. Someone to slowly phase him out.
BBZ8800
Senior Member
You can't play a serious football in 2020 with Arthur&Puig type of midfield, come on.
Anyway, I watched a rerun of Strasbourg
sg tonight on my sportschannel. I don't know about you guys, but for me, Rabiot is coming here to play in the same position as Rakitic.
He doesn't move that much off the ball, the same as Raki.
He plays more forward passes.
He is very good in defense.
And he is some kind of a babysitter.
A few times tonight he shielded the ball in defense with his body, and the opponents were running around him without any chance to get nowhere near the ball.
Also, in the 2nd half, when PSg went all out attack, he played as some sort of hybrid Cb-pivot position with Verratti moving more forward.
Being the last man as a Cb when Psg were exposed to counters and then taking the ball and getting the ball into the opponent's half, and then other guys (better in creation) would continue the action.
Anyway, imo, he is a player for player sub for Rakitic.
Or, there is also a chance that he is a tall Cdm like we had in Edmilson in Rijkaard's days.
Some of you will probably reply: we don't need Rakitic and similar type of players.
Well, he was the most used midfielder both under Lucho and EV.
And EV will play him till death.
So, I guess that coaches love players of Raki's type.
I can easily imagine something like: Busi-Rabiot-Arthur, Coutinho-Suarez-Messi in the next season.
And in 2+ years: Rabiot&Arthur and a 3rd, more attacking midfielder.
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Gnidrologist
Senior Member
Welcome back to mediocrity, Barca.
BBZ8800
Senior Member
KingLeo10
Senior Member
yeah, because your physical workhorse teams juve, atletico, and chelsea are really raking in those CLs.
Gnidrologist
Senior Member
Continuing mediocrity and furthermore abandoning any ambition is not bad?
BBZ8800
Senior Member
yeah, because your physical workhorse teams juve, atletico, and chelsea are really raking in those CLs.
So, let's do it slower:
1. Barca, when played with short, technical players managed to win 1 CL in 107 years before Messi.
And even that CL in 1992 was won due to some lucky factors, late goals and lucky goals.
After that it was Messi.
Sample before Messi, with Barca's type of players is showing that this type of players was never good enough for a CL.
And it was before 2006.
Today, 12-13 years later, football is way more physical than 119 or 13, or 7 years ago, when our type of football was NEVER good enough for a CL level.
But then, you guys like to look at Pep's era, with 2 best midfielders ever, plus alien Messi and think: wow, this is a winning formula! We should try to replicate it!
I don't want to go down that discussion for the 100 000th time.
2. further, about Rakitic/Rabiot, again, if we remove Pep's era when he played with Busi.
Who were our Cdms in the last 20 years?
Cocu, quite similar to Rakitic.
Edmilson, somewhat similar to Rabiot.
Marquez, far worse than both of them in terms of technique.
Van Bommel, more aggressive and a leader type, but miles behind Barca's DNA type of midfielders.
Motta, isn't he more or less the same player as Rabiot?
Yaya Toure, well, he didn't last too long.
1. So, apart from Busi, all of our other Cdms looked like Rakitic/Rabiot.
So, basically, Rabiot is our type of a Cdm, and Busi is an anomaly. Not the other way around, as you make it sound.
2. also, as said, in the first 107 years of our history, our famous style of play (without Messi) won a grand total of 1 CL in 107 years
3. it is a December of 2018, and the game is way more physical than in the past, where our players were already physically too weak (except when they had Messi to mask their flaws).
Please, don't tell me that Arthur-Puig (don't even throw Alena into that trio) is the way to go after 2020?
No, no.
With Rakitic or Rabiot, you have SOME chances to win a CL.
With Arthur-Puig type of players MIXED TOGETHER, your chances are dropping to zero, unless you are drawn with light teams until the final, like Basel, Porto, Arsenal.
THose are the only type of opponents where you can win with Arthur-a new flavor of the month Puig since Alena is suddenly "dead" in the eyes of our fans.
yeah, because your physical workhorse teams juve, atletico, and chelsea are really raking in those CLs.
I just have to quote this one more time, because it is just way too funny.
Please, write me names of technical teams WITHOUT Messi who are winning CLs.
And before you say: RM, lol.
As seen in this season: they weren't winning due to their midfield (because they can't do shit now without CR7), but due to BOTH good midfield and a CF who is able to score with feet and head and who is awesome at both.
So, basically, RM won 4 CL titles due to Ronaldo's insane physical skills and abilities.
So, thanks for backing my claims.
Btw, Spanish NT team is close to what majority of you would like to see at Barca, right?
A bunch of short, technical, fast midfielders who are all awesome in off the ball movement and who look like clones one to another, right?
Yet, they are a joke for the last few years on the highest level.
Tell me more how Arthur-Puig is a way better combination for a CL level than a player 1, Rakitic or Rabiot, a player 3.
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