André Gomes

[serghei]

I've mentioned that already but I seriously doubt one of the strongest team on Earth, aiming to get multiple titles, should work as an experimental ground for players without confidence, psychological problems, etc.



I understand the "sympathy factor" but please tell me HOW one can play on a "new level" if he is seemingly lacking those needed "certain qualities"?
If you can see those qualities in him, then please make a short list for us, just in order to understand. What are those qualities?

In my opinion this is the main question when you decide to go for a certainty, or a player that is still in the development phase. Almost on every player you buy from a smaller team (that is smaller in comparison with Barca) you have to aknowledge the risk that not all players adapt at the same rate, and a good portion of them don't adapt at all in the end. Which is why you have to give them time to see which case is normal adaptation, and which case is more problematic than a normal period of settling in at a club. Right now, Gomes is still in the period where it is normal for a player to still be adjusting at a new club. But if this situation goes on for longer, alarm bells are rigning that maybe we need to sell.

Sanchez' case is great for this example. A player of great ability, with a lenghtier adaptation period. We could have sold him in the 2nd season for 20m. and call it a failed deal. We kept him in his 3rd season and he was the main scorer after Messi, sold him for more than 40m and even made a nice profit off him while also improving our squad with Suarez. De Bruyne at Chelsea is another case of a player who had a difficult adaptation, and he ended up leaving and showing at Wolfsburg that the ability was there, and the reason he didn't show it was because of other factors (same as with Sanchez). Now both these players have shown their value and are rated at about 60m. each.

The key for the club is to try to correctly determine the future trajectory of each player from the point you sign him. And there are some cases which can happen and are known to have happened at many other teams.

1) You convince yourself that the player is not as good as you thought and you try to sell him after a short time to get back some of the money you payed for him. Case in point: Aleix Vidal.
2) You think that the player has the required ability. However, he needs a longer period to settle in. Still, you believe he will do it so you stick with him for longer. Case in point: Alexis Sanchez.
3) You think that the player, while he has the required ability, is not able to integrate in the team and you believe that, most likely, he never will. Case in point: Mario Goetze at Bayern, Angel di Maria at United, Ibrahimovic at Barcelona - for different reasons that are not football related, but more psychosocial.


As a matter of personal choice, I choose to me more optimistic about players. I find it is more rewarding to believe that a player will make it, when in doubt, than to say this player is shit, or this player is garbage, and then see how that player becomes great in the end.

 

[Vilarrubi]

Check october/early november 2014, clearly there were a lot of criticism also.

That isn't 4 games like you said is it...... and the 25th of October was when we lost the Clasico.. EVERYONE was getting criticism.

Rakitic fit into our system quickly for a new signing straight into the first 11.

 

[Potroh]

In my opinion this is the main question when you decide to go for a certainty, or a player that is still in the development phase.

Though I can agree with most of what you've said, I have serious doubts about the "development phase" phenomenon. Let me try to describe my doubts:
- When the player is still developing, he should be used as a substitute for a better or more established player, but mindless rotations in order to prove his supposed abilities leads to the chaos we all see right now.
- The coach should know if he is capable to accomplish the moves needed by him, simply by judging his training work. If the coach is uncertain, unsure of that, the solution is definitely not to give him time and hope that unexpected wonders may happen.
- Be 22-25 years of age, having played important matches in important international competitions, a player should only "develop" on the the field IF there's nobody better in his post.
- If the coach knows he will not get faster, more rapid in decisions, more precise, etc. he should not give him chances in important games, although he still might be used against inferior opponents, but not with the "hope factor". Rather the coach needs to decide if the player - as he is right now - fits into the team, or he does not.
- If the coach doesn't know that a slow, sluggish player will never become 180 degrees different to what he is, than the coach is an idiot, who takes decisions not related to actual football.

As a matter of personal choice, I choose to me more optimistic about players. I find it is more rewarding to believe that a player will make it, when in doubt, than to say this player is shit, or this player is garbage, and then see how that player becomes great in the end.

One player who indeed plays shit in X team, can be indeed the hero of another one. The time-frame I personally think is sufficient to know these bondage factors, is one or two months time, if the player is healthy. After that it becomes experimentation with more emotional factors than pragmatic ones.
The players you mentioned are good examples of X fitting in Y team but Z not fitting into it, and the coach should know that very soon, without the chaos he tends to create.

The mindless rotations are good to make this chaos, as if X play a good game ones, the public and fans tend to think he will be a permanent solution, just by judging that in two unimportant goals X scores in an unimportant game, so it is exactly the method that itself creates the chaos, and unsettles players being in good form.

 

[Chong Li]

How does this empty shirt deserve another start over Raki?

Fishy...

 

[vlad]

can we judge gomes as a bad player who is not material for top club because of his performance for barca, but lets see how other players like busi, suarez, neymar, alba, pique, iniesta, performs until now, so world class proved players, lets be honest, they look unimpressive whole half of the season, almost everyone except messi, so how can we say that gomes didnt show anything and its not material for barca? true, he did show any brilliance, but whole team didnt, how can new players look better then rest, its not possible, its the system, system doesnt work, players dont know what to do, they look lost, its not only gomes, every new player who arrived this season and last season, like vidal and arda.

 

[gasgas]

********* mentioned how he had fun on right flank

Was it true?

 

[Havesaks]

Gomes played well in first half, and yes he had some good deep runs on the right side, this side was was certainly producing more chances than normally and Gomes played a big part in that. Tho Vidal probably offered him more help than he normally gets from our RB. I would love to see those two again on the field as RM and RB.

 

[God Serena]

I think he played very well. Was a far cry from the timid no-show that we're used to seeing. Hopefully he can keep that up in games where he'll actually be challenged and not go back to his usual self, because if he can, he may just prove some of us wrong.

 

[evilhita666]

Well, he had a good assist, but other than that I think he was his usual self... Perhaps I'm being harsh and he was indeed slightly better...

 

[God Serena]

He at least showed a desire to help this time, something I haven't really seen from him to this point. Granted, I know it's Las Palmas and we should just expect a 4+ thrashing, and he'll probably not be anywhere near this level again until we face more trash opponents, but who knows, maybe he really is adapting. Or maybe I'm just desperate for us to have a midfield at this point, it's really all up in the air

 

[BBZ8800]

I think he played very well. Was a far cry from the timid no-show that we're used to seeing. Hopefully he can keep that up in games where he'll actually be challenged and not go back to his usual self, because if he can, he may just prove some of us wrong.

Imo, he was quite good.

He is still somewhat lost in some situations, but seems to be fitting better and better.

3-4 Months ago, he seemed like lost during 80-90% of minutes on the field.
He was always at the wrong place, his movement was strange, he was passing backwards and trying simple passes all the time.

Lately it seems as he is "feeling" the movement of the team and he is starting to be a part of team's movement.

I don't know why, but he is still a Cm in whom I have the highest hopes long term out of Gomes, Denis, Rafinha, Rakitic, Roberto.
(Raki is a proven player, but I am not too sure about his future abilities)

 

[Horatio]

Well, he had a good assist, but other than that I think he was his usual self... Perhaps I'm being harsh and he was indeed slightly better...

He was. He looked clueless in the beginning, but he showing better understanding in the box as he created some chances with good movement. Too bad he didn't finish them.

 

[feggydinho]

he tried today, he's trying to tackle now at least

 

[Aryagorn]

Had he finished that chance, it would have been a very big boost for his confidence..... Too bad he ttook a bad shot

 

[serghei]

Had he finished that chance, it would have been a very big boost for his confidence..... Too bad he ttook a bad shot

He had two big chances. You're probably talking about the first one, but the 2nd one was big as well, as he managed a very good first touch.

Well, he had a good assist, but other than that I think he was his usual self... Perhaps I'm being harsh and he was indeed slightly better...

I thought he was good, not great, in the first half, but with some issues at passing and some bad touches at times. But he also managed to do some first time passes that when they clicked they were pretty nice.