8 - Pedri

[Windhook]

That's the issue though. We don't need a defensive tank just someone that is stronger physically and also a good passer. Reality is De Jong is not a DM, he is a CM.

Frenkie in this system feels right, but Barca has to find better defenders. Cubarsi and Inigo carried this whole season, when Kounde and Balde were healthy, but once they weren't all the cracks started to show.

 

[serghei]

Frenkie in this system feels right, but Barca has to find better defenders. Cubarsi and Inigo carried this whole season, when Kounde and Balde were healthy, but once they weren't all the cracks started to show.

He feels right, but I think Olmo and Pedri don't add enough balance together. Olmo is very useful vs smaller sides, or against teams that park the bus, but against teams that bite back, he is a luxury player and a liability for our midfield.

I think it's a bit easier to tweak the midfield with a more physical presence type of player than to find some elite CB like Van Dijk who will play under huge constant pressure and will clean up on his own.

So, for me, our midfield is more unbalanced than the one Bayern had under him. Hence why the feeling that current Barca is a crazyer version of Flick's Bayern, more offensive, but even more defensively exposed.

 

[Windhook]

He feels right, but I think Olmo and Pedri don't add enough balance together. Olmo is very useful vs smaller sides, or against teams that park the bus, but against teams that bite back, he is a luxury player and a liability for our midfield.

I felt Olmo clicked well initially into the season, but it's been disappointment overall. But I'm not making a big drama out of it, those players have been playing together in Spain NT camps since 2020 and injuries happened to majority of them.

 

[Windhook]

 

[serghei]

I felt Olmo clicked well initially into the season, but it's been disappointment overall. But I'm not making a big drama out of it, those players have been playing together in Spain NT camps since 2020 and injuries happened to majority of them.

Yes, but for me there is a difference between first part of the season vs 2nd part of the season. Olmo can be compared a bit with Bellingham for me in terms of role and issues he causes defensively, especially in big games. Not enough intensity, not enough ambition and toughness to really hang in duels in transitions. They both give up very easily.

Of course they have their pluses, but also pose problems because of their poor tactical discipline and lack of intensity in defense.

 

[DonAK]

Olmo just need to impose himself more and be more aggressive.
He's played like the pressure have gotten to him in the biggest games lately.

 

[Temptation]

Flick will not sacrifice this pivot/libero role for a defensive tank like Patrick Vieira was, the kind that is outdated and Real Madrid still kept buying.

Think of Joshua Kimmich. Frenkie/Casado are his profiles and they fit total football. The reason Yaya Toure never made it at FC Barcelona.

Umm Viera was a great all round player.........

Not just a destroyer at all.

 

[MonteCuler]

Pedri has to be La Liga POTS

But they will give it to Mbappe obviously, who had embarrassing first half of the season and invisible in most tough away games Madrid dropped points in

 

[Windhook]

Umm Viera was a great all round player.........

Not just a destroyer at all.

Being destroyer is great enough. He was surrounded by players like Henry, Zidane and Pires.

 

[khaled_a_d]

The idea of stronger CDM is simply aiming for improvement while not realising you are destroying the entire system and doing way more harm than good.

Pedri should stay where he is, he plays deeper, that is like 50% of our improvement this season. That no more he is the most advanced midfielder .

He is the guy with the most ball recoveries in top 5 leagues. You don't mess with that.

This idea is only applicable in replacing Frenkie, but it is very unlikely you get half the player in the market.

Modern 4231 is about using 2 CM anyway. Groetzke wasn't even a CDM before he was in Bayern.

 

[jamrock]

Nah

 

[Maradona37]

Wow, not my perception of Pedri at all. It's the most important quality he lacks. I've made a point of watching him in isolation for a few games and he almost *never* scans when he doesn't have the ball. He's always running laterally to the ball, demanding it, and ball watching. He only scans just before receiving the ball but only to make sure no one is closing him down. He doesn't know where any of his teammates are if they are behind his filed of vision.

Once he has the ball, it's a different story. But it always takes him a beat to orient himself once he's received it. Wish he were in the same class as the players you mention, but he's nowhere close yet.

What I have noticed, however, is the FdJ has vastly improved in this regard. I've also made a point of watching him in isolation. Since being reintegrated into Flick's team, he's always scanning when he doesn't have the ball and playing with his head up. Used to be a much more self-absorbed player that slowed the offense down. I didn't rate him then. Kudos to him for this great improvement.

Fair enough mate. You watch Barca more than me and I like your posts in general. Hence, I will look more closely at him in future and see if I was overrating that aspect of his game.

 

[jamrock]

When we think about the fact that our young players like

Pedri
Balde
Gavi

Are all now sitting on 2 league titles

Cubarsi
Yamal
Fermin

Sitting on 1

it's kind of crazy, what the future holds for this team is limitless if we are smart.

 

[Iniesta Ultra]

Wow, not my perception of Pedri at all. It's the most important quality he lacks. I've made a point of watching him in isolation for a few games and he almost *never* scans when he doesn't have the ball. He's always running laterally to the ball, demanding it, and ball watching. He only scans just before receiving the ball but only to make sure no one is closing him down. He doesn't know where any of his teammates are if they are behind his filed of vision.

Once he has the ball, it's a different story. But it always takes him a beat to orient himself once he's received it. Wish he were in the same class as the players you mention, but he's nowhere close yet.

What I have noticed, however, is the FdJ has vastly improved in this regard. I've also made a point of watching him in isolation. Since being reintegrated into Flick's team, he's always scanning when he doesn't have the ball and playing with his head up. Used to be a much more self-absorbed player that slowed the offense down. I didn't rate him then. Kudos to him for this great improvement.

When I first read his post earlier this week I thought to myself "don't take his troll bait Berkley."

 

[Iniesta Ultra]

Pedri has to be La Liga POTS

what the hell's wrong with you

Yamal puts him to shame