6 - Gavi
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te amo barca
Active member
Gavi has the "tekky" type of technique where he can flick and juggle the ball like Ronaldinho in tight spaces. Shows it all the time in training. Showed it in his first season at Barca.
As you said, technique is not the problem.. Gavi is just really immobile and has poor vision/decision-making.
But Gavi also never had a proper season as a real midfielder, not as a fourth midfielder-attacker hybrid or injured for most of it.
I expect him to start developing as an actual midfielder with consistent playing time. He's raw as hell.
JamDav1982
Well-known member
He is slow and cant carry the ball very well unless spins his man to get away but players are more wise to that these days.
Will need to improve on ball and his range/decisions making to play deep.
He is the worst Barca midfielder in the final third by far.. other than Casado. Barely anything in it with those two.
Will need to improve on ball and his range/decisions making to play deep.
He is the worst Barca midfielder in the final third by far.. other than Casado. Barely anything in it with those two.
Gavi can't beat a man one on one and especially down the line. Never has and is as slow as treacle. 27kmh top speed or so.
He's fine moving into space ala midfield where he can feint and grab a half yard but having him at LW against a team hanging for their lives is useless and inept managerial work.
Even Raul Baena doesn't work well in this role against defensive or top sides.
Early days but if DLF doesn't trust Pino or Munoz in this game and expresses Cape Fear, then not a good sign for Spain's tournament.
He's fine moving into space ala midfield where he can feint and grab a half yard but having him at LW against a team hanging for their lives is useless and inept managerial work.
Even Raul Baena doesn't work well in this role against defensive or top sides.
Early days but if DLF doesn't trust Pino or Munoz in this game and expresses Cape Fear, then not a good sign for Spain's tournament.
Don Money Laporta Estruch
I always tell the truth, even when I lie.
They are wasting everyone's time playing him at LW, or even as an AM. He will never make it there.
He has only one position he can make it in and that's as a pivot, preferably in a double pivot.
He had some good performances there at the back end of the season.
Managers are doing him no favours playing him further forward than that.
Even then, he's got a fair way to go to be good enough to be first choice for Barca, even as a pivot.
He has only one position he can make it in and that's as a pivot, preferably in a double pivot.
He had some good performances there at the back end of the season.
Managers are doing him no favours playing him further forward than that.
Even then, he's got a fair way to go to be good enough to be first choice for Barca, even as a pivot.
Joan
Well-known member
Don’t think he can cut it as a pivot, at least not now. Would need to change a lot and become much more disciplined.
He’s got that appearance of aggression going for him but comes up short in defensive duties. Lacking a lot at progressing the ball, he’s slow and weak 1 on 1 to carry the ball forward. Can’t change that but if he wants to play deeper he’ll have to considerably improve on the ball.
That’s partly the reason coaches try him higher up the pitch.
He’s got that appearance of aggression going for him but comes up short in defensive duties. Lacking a lot at progressing the ball, he’s slow and weak 1 on 1 to carry the ball forward. Can’t change that but if he wants to play deeper he’ll have to considerably improve on the ball.
That’s partly the reason coaches try him higher up the pitch.
ajnotkeith
Well-known member
In my view this is an indicator of a real problem, a very conditioned young athlete weighing >70kg should not have a top speed of 27 or 28 kmh.
And as others have pointed out a few times in the past, his biomechanics look seriously wrong. His running is tiny steps and all quads, sometimes he also trips over his feet.
When you run like that it not only makes you slower but means you are putting in significant effort to run small distances.
I honestly think he would really benefit from gait re-education and some more neuroscience guided athletic approaches, because his technique is not the problem. I think with the physical conditions he has it's really hard for him to make the difference, because he can't cover long distances.
His best role is, in fact, literally conditioned by the way he moves. He is good at pressing in short distances and plugging holes quickly because his gait lends itself to good acceleration, but anything over 5-10 yards and he starts to become seriously slow.
He has has pretty good acceleration.
Id imagine the club would be working on increasing his speed and it may be part of the reason for his slimming down. But I'm not sure on how much you can increase his speed even working specifically on the issue.
Casado is another with incredibly slow top speed, and then the new RB, Espart is another. All three similar builds and structures. There's only so much a top speed can be improved. It's one of those things that from youth you generally either have or you don't.
Working on the change of the directions, accelerations and balance would be easier.
For the love of God, when will Spain and Barca learn???
Speed and athletic ability is part of the modern game.
We know De La Fuente is s fraud but Spain and even Barca rely too much on smaller players. You need technique and size nowadays. Its no wonder why we struggle in CL. Spain looked exactly like a Barca tiki taka team at its worst. Lots of possession and no end product.
Thank God Flick has come. Time to give him the players he wants.
I don't rate Gavi at all. He's terrible at the moment. Terrible. And he should never be played on the wing.
Speed and athletic ability is part of the modern game.
We know De La Fuente is s fraud but Spain and even Barca rely too much on smaller players. You need technique and size nowadays. Its no wonder why we struggle in CL. Spain looked exactly like a Barca tiki taka team at its worst. Lots of possession and no end product.
Thank God Flick has come. Time to give him the players he wants.
I don't rate Gavi at all. He's terrible at the moment. Terrible. And he should never be played on the wing.
Well, both Ruiz and Merino are 1.90, but they were even more invisible.
You need good players.
I wouldnt mind selling him if we can get something better.
I mean, hes "ok" but hes not a game changer, he doesnt make desicive passes, he doesnt make decisive dribbles, his finishing is weak, definatly not in air and hes only ok in defense.
ajnotkeith
Well-known member
It's not really about if they are small or big, athleticism is dependent mostly on other factors.
The main problem with Gavi is he is really not athletic. Even though he is in great physical condition (stamina is great, his bodyweight ratio is very good etc), his athletic performance doesn't improve, which is a concern.
I note it because I think he is a really big risk to drop off massively in the next few years due to his athletic predispositions. His serious injuries were not a coincidence. The way he runs with his build is a huge risk for major injuries. It is very hard to play regularly whilst running like he does and maintaining a good athletic level. It's all anterior chain, he puts huge load on his quads, knees and forefoot with tiny steps.
He also has a lot of pelvic tilt which is a big warning sign for mechanical stress.
He has some serious physical issues which will prevent him continuing to play at a top level if they are not fixed. If I was the club, if he regains form at some point, I would consider selling whilst it is possible, because I can guarantee he will not be able to play full seasons past 24 or 25.
ajnotkeith
Well-known member
ImBlaugrana on Instagram: "Gavi reappears at Barça training, walking confidently on the pitch again. 🔵🔴 A powerful step toward his comeback. 💙❤️"
4,740 likes, 42 comments - imblaugrana on December 1, 2025: "Gavi reappears at Barça training, walking confidently on the pitch again. 🔵🔴 A powerful step toward his comeback. 💙❤️".
www.instagram.com
There are signs of problems in the way he walks. If you notice, he is lifting the heel very high before each step (compare it to the guy next to him) and he isn't loading his forefoot. There's also a small bounce at the ankle when he takes a step.
And then when he is running he is loading the front of his foot very heavily, and preferentially loading his quads and knees, with very little posterior chain involvement (hamstrings, glutes etc). He then takes very small steps in his gait.
This is associated with certain neurological conditions, as well as biomechanical issues (limited hip extension, knee guarding etc). I can't say for sure only from videos, and he is also a very conditioned athlete, which means he will have established good compensations to hide the issue, but I wouldn't rule out that there is a serious problem there which is why he suffered severe injuries. It would also explain why his top speed is very low and why he seems to have agility problems only in certain movements.
I have experience seeing the ones I am mentioning which is why I recognised it.
I do hope it is not, but I think there is a lot more here than is being seen at the surface, that could potentially explain his decline in mobility.
te amo barca
Active member
Been running his mouth Araujo-style how nobody gets how good a footballer he is too often lately. He should consider showing that on the pitch instead of talking about it to the press.
He was shocking against Cape Verde, all he did was play 1-2 meter passes to Cucurella and other nearest players. Literally all he did in that game.
Jamologist
Well-known member
Our supposed hardmen are whiney bitches. Sell!
ajnotkeith
Well-known member
This is what Busquets did in his last years. He'd talk about how nobody understands football and the coaches rate him.
Gavi coming out with same bollocks about how in the club they rate him and the fans don't understand football, about how he is a leader on the field and all this.
If that's true, you don't need to tell people you are... because they know already...
ajnotkeith
Well-known member
How much could we realistically get for him?
If we could get 50 or 60m, I think the club would drive him there themselves.
He has already played over 200 games, the vast majority of them starts, and has suffered an ACL rupture along with 2 major knee injuries. He has a build and biomechanics that are heavily associated with injury/fatigue risk.
Unless something changes in his physical preparation he will not last much longer at the top level. I mentioned it above, but his physical condition is hugely problematic.
ajnotkeith
Well-known member
Barcelona star Gavi: ‘I dream of scoring the World Cup final winner against Messi’s Argentina’
Spain midfielder Gavi was one of the three players selected by the national team to speak to the media on the eve of their 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal against Belgium in Los Angeles, a match that could send La Roja into the semifinals. After starting Spain’s opening match, Gavi has lost his...
barcauniversal.com
"I want to score a bicycle kick World Cup winning goal against Messi and Argentina"
"I'm very intense so its normal that my teammates get tired of me"
Another one of these interviews? Its like he is doing exclusives with the media every single day. I must have already seen 8 or 9 different interviews from him in the last 3 weeks.
Honestly starting to come off as a bit ridiculous, he's speaking to the media more than he's actually playing. They all have the same theme as well, about how much of a warrior he is and how intense he is and all that.
Seems like he is totally disconnected from reality, he came through as this hard working player who initially didn't say much, and performed well without needing to talk... and the worse he's gotten, the more smoke he is blowing up his own arse and running his mouth about how good he is.
Jamologist
Well-known member
He never seemed any bright. This also hinders his development.