Some takes here
First of all it was a great, and not average, season just because he managed to stay injury-free the entire season, and now we know why -> physical preparation that Ernie and his stuff were not doing
Then, I will make it very simple:
We have only 3 players in the team that can dribble one or more opponents running with the ball in a forwards direction (and not just be press-resistant with the ball):
Messi
Fati
Dembele
Only 2 of them have that ability combined with burst (Messi has lost it):
Fati
Dembele
Only 1 of them has that ability combined with burst AND with pace:
Dembele
That combination of the 3 abilities above should be enough to tell you why he should be a starter, and why he should be kept at all costs.
He is the only player capable of not only being lethal in the open space, but also breaking low blocks pinned in the penalty box through his movement with the ball in small space.
Without him, and without Fati, you would have an abysmal chance creation, with a sterile circulation and Messi trying always through the middle to dribble 4 or 5 and most of the times failing.
All the rest is just winning coming from standards you do not hold other players against
-Yeah, probably he would suit better a team like Liverpool that would throw early long balls to him. So what? Does it mean that what he can do for Barca is negligible?
-His finishing needs works. Sure, but he scores goals out of the blue that only Messi and Fati do from such a distance. If his finishing was as good as you pretend the standard is, he would have been as good as CR7 of Man UTD days
-His crossing is good if there are players to be at the other end, which is not the case currently.
- Vision, playmaking, and through-balls: irrelevant.
Sorry, that's not his job. It's Messi's and all the other 10s we have packed in the team.
All in all, you think your take on him is that of the club's.
LOL.
It's the exact opposite: club wants to renew him, Laporta is in love with him.
Juve, PSG, Liverpool, UTD have all been interested in him even when injury-ridden.
It's a no-brainer for anyone who has eyes and watches football
The only reason he will go (IF it happens) is him wanting to leave, and not the club wanting him out like is the case with coutinho, griezman, and all the rest.
)) Di Maria has splendid technigue and vision, something that Dumbele lacks. His only asset is speed. That is all. He in an overrated low iq player. His level is Everton, at max. What do you guys smoke? Di Maria...
