Alessandro Bastoni

[FCBarca]

If my hunch is correct, Bastoni will be the target and with the upcoming WC (June-July), the fiscal year ending June 30 and final stretch of 1:1 - the heavy lifting will happen between March and May, which coincides with the business end of season for both Barça and Inter. Barça will want to ensure a deal is wrapped in priniciple before WC begins

Will require discretion in order to agree on deal with player and club on valuation during such an intense portion of season and the intensity of the off-season we will have

So I expect the rumor mill to pick up in the next month despite no deals being finalized for July 1

 

[Andresito]

Is Bastoni really the guy to bring order to our defence? In his heatmap he is far from a traditional LCB, often pushing as a LB.

 

[Temptation]

He's excellent but I'm not sure this isolated extreme high line system with 2 CBs is the optimal system for him to thrive in.

He's an excellent ball carrier, passer and can move around freely in Inter's 3 CB system.

But he's levels above what Barca have currently. Levels. He's significantly better than Inigo was too.

So still a great signing. World Class and the best CB Barca can sign in this market.

Having said that, Micky van de Ven might be an even better fit for your current system imo. Feel free to ask me more about Bastoni. 👍🏻

 

[khaled_a_d]

The question isn't whether the system is optimal for him, but him being optimal for us.

I think he is as good as it gets in that regard, you won't find many players with better skill for the system. He could be a bit more athletic but then we will be looking for a prime VVD.

However, Italians has usually struggled outside of Italy, and in many cases it was true for foreign players moving to other leagues from Calcio.

Donnarumma and Tonali are obvious exceptions, however both moved at a younger age (22 & 23 while Bastoni will be 27).

Skriniar went from widely regarded as one of the best CB around, to a forgotten name the moment he left Inter at the age of 28.

This is my main concern tbh.

And I kind of agree that he is likely the dream target for Deco, assuming finances allow it.

 

[Temptation]

Is Bastoni really the guy to bring order to our defence? In his heatmap he is far from a traditional LCB, often pushing as a LB.

Actually that heat map is nothing unusual for an LCB in a modern 3 CB system with the exception that Bastoni moves freely into the final third and the left attacking midfield pockets at times which is very unusual and brave for any LCB. Inzaghi's system was based on versatile Footballers that can function in multiple positions and completely switch positions based on tactical rotations and in-game situations in buildup and off the ball.

So the reason for the unusual part of this heat map is Bastoni's unusual brilliance on the ball and the overall system in general.

Defensively he's pure CB material though. Based on attributes, he can easily function as a CB in a 4 man backline.

He has leadership traits and organisational skills so he can bring order to this defense and coordinate the defensive line and offside traps well.

If I had to guess, your current system will probably bring out 75% of the best Bastoni (which is a pretty decent percentage). Under Inzaghi (a master tactician) it was 95% of Bastoni's full potential where his ability and qualities were perfectly utilized and maximized. Flick's dogmatic hyper-offensive system will always make defenders look worse than they actually are with the exception of generational unicorns like VVD.

 

[Temptation]

The question isn't whether the system is optimal for him, but him being optimal for us.

I think he is as good as it gets in that regard, you won't find many players with better skill for the system. He could be a bit more athletic but then we will be looking for a prime VVD.

However, Italians has usually struggled outside of Italy, and in many cases it was true for foreign players moving to other leagues from Calcio.

Donnarumma and Tonali are obvious exceptions, however both moved at a younger age (22 & 23 while Bastoni will be 27).

Skriniar went from widely regarded as one of the best CB around, to a forgotten name the moment he left Inter at the age of 28.

This is my main concern tbh.

And I kind of agree that he is likely the dream target for Deco, assuming finances allow it.

Agree with a lot of points but:

Verratti and Jorginho were excellent in France and England. Calafiori is cooking for Arsenal.

Skriniar declined because of injuries, general loss of motivation and moving to the wrong club and manager. He's a low block/mid block specialist defender not a high line possession system defender. He needed Mourinho or Allegri not Enrique or Pochettino. He's one of my favourite defenders of this generation and both Barca and Madrid were scouting him in the past in his early Inter days.

 

[Andresito]

Actually that heat map is nothing unusual for an LCB in a modern 3 CB system with the exception that Bastoni moves freely into the final third and the left attacking midfield pockets at times which is very unusual and brave for any LCB. Inzaghi's system was based on versatile Footballers that can function in multiple positions and completely switch positions based on tactical rotations and in-game situations in buildup and off the ball.

So the reason for the unusual part of this heat map is Bastoni's unusual brilliance on the ball and the overall system in general.

Defensively he's pure CB material though. Based on attributes, he can easily function as a CB in a 4 man backline.

He has leadership traits and organisational skills so he can bring order to this defense and coordinate the defensive line and offside traps well.

If I had to guess, your current system will probably bring out 75% of the best Bastoni (which is a pretty decent percentage). Under Inzaghi (a master tactician) it was 95% of Bastoni's full potential where his ability and qualities were perfectly utilized and maximized. Flick's dogmatic hyper-offensive system will always make defenders look worse than they actually are with the exception of generational unicorns like VVD.

It asks a lot from the player, usually the LCB RCB remain fairly central with the wingbacks providing the width. Inter's buildup is a bit different with CMs dropping into defence and others pushing up, but that's not the regular way of playing a back three. In this case it's more adapted to Bastoni's ability to cause damage further up. Playing LCB with the cover of two other CBs is pretty comfortable and more forgiving when mistakes are made.

Compare it to Pavard's heatmap at RCB

And Darmian (maybe him playing RWB skews it a bit)

Bastoni

It says a lot about his ability on the ball but that's not what we are lacking in defence, even if he'd improve us there too. Signing a player for those amounts, seeing as he's not a market opportunity yet, who won't be playing at his best level is a question mark for me, even if he's better than what we currently have.

 

[FCBarca]

He effectively is the LB in a back 3 that starts as a back 4, which is similar to what Flick will have him do - he is not just playing as a LCB but a protagonist on that left side

This is the guy

Remember too that Oaktree is a distressed debt fund and their only goal is to get Inter in the black and sell at a profit - if a proper valuation is agreed between clubs, they will absolutely sell their best player. Everything, is predicated on player’s desire…and, for me, I have a hunch he wants Barça