16 - Rodri

I am waiting for CL to see his impact. I can see the calmness on the ball. De Jong is too jerky, Rodri is pure function. Biggest advantage of Rodri is reliable distribution with both feet. I'm waiting to see his trademark long switches of play from one side to the other skipping first station passes. Those can be deadly to Yamal or Gordon in space vs isolated defender.

Imo we have lacked players who can play precise long balls.
 
Loki said:
You feel his experience with every touch. Safe and precise passes, initiating many counter attacks, defending well. He's still not at his peak, but even this form is already impressive enough.
If he stays fit, 80m will feel like a steal.
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Definitely, I especially appreciated these nuances in tight spaces, especially in that final third. His ability to faint one way & then deliver a short decisive touch the other has been honed over & over under Pep. For me, he is not at the level of Busquets in terms of touch or spatial awarness but you can see he's a natural at reading/feeling that - these are the small differences that only the elite WC talents can execute when it matters most. Rodrigo is a match winner who is still trying to get familiar with his teammates & rhythm of Flick's approach - he will be much better as the season goes on but I do feel again it was a statement match

Quite likely we saw something close to our gala XI to start as he kept both Gerard & Gordon who were expected to rotate - feels like Hansi wanted to give a glimpse ahead of CL start of what this team is capable of. It's what I expected tbh once it was clear he was signing with Barça, he would be a difference maker and eventhough his position was not our highest priority it was incredibly fortuitous for things to unfold the way they have/. Hansi Flick's statement was about who this Barça are and I don't think there many questions about that now

Fiesta football
 
Two scenes stood out for me especially against Valencia, which showed his skills with the ball and his quick understanding of the game.

1. His skills dribbling at our own corner, shaking off his opponent with ease with a turn and immediately innitiating a counter-attack with a long pass, while others would have chosen the safety option and just shoot the ball out of play.

2. When Kounde ran forward, the ball was lost and Valencia counter attacked, he was already waiting at Kounde's position to win the ball and stop their attack. That situation showed his quick understanding of the situation and pre-positioning himself perfectly, something Busquets also often did, anticipate the opponent.
 
serghei said:
I am waiting for CL to see his impact. I can see the calmness on the ball. De Jong is too jerky, Rodri is pure function. Biggest advantage of Rodri is reliable distribution with both feet. I'm waiting to see his trademark long switches of play from one side to the other skipping first station passes. Those can be deadly to Yamal or Gordon in space vs isolated defender.

Imo we have lacked players who can play precise long balls.
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Way more useful in defence and faster in progressing ball. Also looks like he could be a threat on corners.

An upgrade on Frenkie easily.
 
Lol

Not to take anything away from our performances but 3/4 times we've played so far have been terrible, flat and lazy.

IDK maybe we made them look that way lol
 
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