Nico Gonzalez

He wasn't even that bad.

Slow
Slower hips than 30 years old Rakitic
Zero vision
Releases the ball way too late

We are really overhyping our domestic players.

And I have no idea why is Koeman playing all these average kids.
1. we don't have any other options?
2. or he is trying to buy fans, media and socios with these youngsters?

At least BBZ is having a feast. Bashing a bunch of U19 talents while simping for fecking Coutinho, who has been even worse (literally invisible).

Didn’t think he was slow at all. One of the only positives I saw was his ability to burst forward. Bizarre statements

BBZ8800 said:

Slow
Slower hips than 30 years old Rakitic
Zero vision
Releases the ball way too late

We are really overhyping our domestic players.

And I have no idea why is Koeman playing all these average kids.
1. we don't have any other options?
2. or he is trying to buy fans, media and socios with these youngsters?

Click to expand...

I think your point #2 is the only grain of truth in this post. Koeman clearly has an agenda there.
Nico is good and I like him, but this isn't the time for him.

Nico struggles in games that get chaotic. It is something I noticed last season for B.

But this seasons form at the start to me seems more to do with mentality adapting to first team dynamics than ability. There are glimpses but he is far from his best level.

We should take it slow, as not to kill his confidence. Gavi is a different case, we can push him faster and could be another Pedri.

Nico hasn't developed his game enough to be a reliable sub or rotation option for the first team. Very good at making the safe pass but many youth players are. Currently, another one of the youths who you put with the main-team and they kind of fade into the background doing nothing because they haven't got the experience and ability that you get through seasons of play, and understanding different positions and tactics. Nico has only played pivot with Barca B who were by far the best team in Segunda B last season on paper. No use rushing players into the first-team when they aren't of the level yet. I think a loan would be great for him but for some reason we don't like to loan our Barca B players out without buy options.

And to make it clear, these players could develop to be really good like I've always said! But playing them with the first-team before they are ready doesn't help them, reduces their confidence and they don't get much game time. Not every sub 20 year old should be played with the main team.



He needs to lose weight. He looks more like a bouncer than a football player and it's clearly holding him back, he doesn't win many headers or use his size anyway and it is making him so inagile. He had this problem in Juvenil as well where he was very heavy, & Needs to be way more progressive to contribute in the first-team. Even in Barca B nothing he passed was vertical or in key positions, it's players close to him or behind him which is very necessary a lot of the time but as a midfielder you need to be able to create as well.

Porque said:

Nico struggles in games that get chaotic. It is something I noticed last season for B.

But this seasons form at the start to me seems more to do with mentality adapting to first team dynamics than ability. There are glimpses but he is far from his best level.

We should take it slow, as not to kill his confidence. Gavi is a different case, we can push him faster and could be another Pedri.

Click to expand...

I don't think Gavi should be pushed faster. This performance vs Cadiz is what he will display daily if he plays from start.

vegitot said:

I don't think Gavi should be pushed faster. This performance vs Cadiz is what he will display daily if he plays from start.

Click to expand...

He did well against Cadiz. Pretty good in fact. Should get lots of chances.

Joan said:

He did well against Cadiz. Pretty good in fact. Should get lots of chances.

Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. He had a good game and has plenty of fight in him. Deserves to start the Levante game without question.

BBZ8800 said:

Slow
Slower hips than 30 years old Rakitic
Zero vision
Releases the ball way too late

We are really overhyping our domestic players.

And I have no idea why is Koeman playing all these average kids.
1. we don't have any other options?
2. or he is trying to buy fans, media and socios with these youngsters?

Click to expand...

Funny, I could have sworn you were cartwheeling over in the Coutinho thread for us not to judge players over 1-2 games. In this case, less than a full game.

And here you are with your usual

I'm not judging Nico until he gets a start.

He's probably too slow either way but it's really not true that he doesn't have vision.

BusiTheKing said:

He's probably too slow either way but it's really not true that he doesn't have vision.

Click to expand...

In important progressive pass metrics (Smart, key, progressive) he barely beat or didn't beat the Segunda B median for his position. I've heard many times Nico is really good at scanning etc etc but his forward pass seems to be non existent, barely anything is progressive and I don't think that would appear for the first-team any time soon if it didn't in Segunda B.

Look at Jandro's recent games for Barca B. Is taking a touch and playing crazy line-breaking passes and he wasn't considered for the first-team at all, but if you have good vision, you should be able to do that against Segunda B opposition.

Starts today. Let's see if he can prove he's ready