Ernesto Valverde - V1

RMU ReBorn

New member
Lucho is a bit under-rated here - He is far from a fraud.

His substitutions usually helped the team perform better - Not to mention the tactical tweaks he sometimes came up with, Roberto playing RM in Bernabeu for example. Even Rakitic covering the space left behind by Leo. It's not like we were exposed quite a bit by that!

Even when we lost to Juventus, it's not like we didn't create chances or anything like that - It's the stupid wastefulness of the forwards in Turin that cost us the tie!

And he definitely did not let the team lose their motivation.

The losing out on the league in his final season was a direct result of the stupidity of Arda Turan too!
Not to forget we were robbed of 10 points by ref's . That Betis match was disgusting . We deserved to win the league . Rm didn't even managed to beat us in their title winning season . That sums up everything . I remember Lucho playing with our reserve team along with Messi and Masche in Cl against Leverkusen and did the same against Valencia in the return leg after winning 7-1 , winning the CDR final against Sevilla with 10 men and then he deployed Gomes as Rb next season against Alaves in final . Lucho was innovative . It's unfortunate that his plan B was sorted out by other teams after Pedro and xavi left , who were underrated in their final season as they had the ability to win matches comming of from the bench . Alves leaving too didn't helped his cause that left Rw in disarray, with Messi drifting away from his position leaving Rakitic to babysit Sergi
 

soul24rage

Senior Member
Not to forget we were robbed of 10 points by ref's . That Betis match was disgusting . We deserved to win the league . Rm didn't even managed to beat us in their title winning season . That sums up everything . I remember Lucho playing with our reserve team along with Messi and Masche in Cl against Leverkusen and did the same against Valencia in the return leg after winning 7-1 , winning the CDR final against Sevilla with 10 men and then he deployed Gomes as Rb next season against Alaves in final . Lucho was innovative . It's unfortunate that his plan B was sorted out by other teams after Pedro and xavi left , who were underrated in their final season as they had the ability to win matches comming of from the bench . Alves leaving too didn't helped his cause that left Rw in disarray, with Messi drifting away from his position leaving Rakitic to babysit Sergi

VAR really came too late in both La liga and the CL :(
 

RMU ReBorn

New member
2010 Lost to Inter , 2013 lost to Milan in Sansiro , 2015 1-1 draw in Rome , 2017 ; 0-3 vs In Turin , 2018 :0-3 in Rome

Our record in Italy :facepalm:
 

God Serena

New member
I just wish I didn't know several days before our next game that Valverde is going to sit back and defend a 1-0 lead this weekend after subbing out Dembele, with anyone not in the starting XI last season remaining on the bench.

We may win another league title this way but all the joy the club gave me that made me a Barca fan is starting to fade. At least when Tito's Barca was getting dumped on by Bayern and Tata's Barca was, well, being Tata's Barca I was still able to find some enjoyment. As of now Valverde hasn't brought us any success we haven't already been seeing and if our CL success is taken into account it's actually worse, but on top of all of that we're playing terrible football and are ignoring La Masia and any younger first team players completely. We already lost Grimaldo due to Lucho's sheer idiocy and now Valverde's absolute refusal to acknowledge any B team players because he's too busy scratching his head wondering why Suarez can't score and subbing on defensive midfielders to protect a single goal lead 20 minutes before full time.
 

MagIX

Senior Member
In your opinion, which is the best line-up with the players we have, assuming that everyone is in shape (leaving aside the turnover and some tactical change depending on the opponent) ? I mean the perfect 11 starters to WIN THE CL, the ideal (well balanced, defense, midfield, attack) line-up ?
 

soul24rage

Senior Member
In your opinion, which is the best line-up with the players we have, assuming that everyone is in shape (leaving aside the turnover and some tactical change depending on the opponent) ? I mean the perfect 11 starters to WIN THE CL, the ideal (well balanced, defense, midfield, attack) line-up ?

Mine would be a false 9 possession based 433
Mats---------Bob/Semedo, Pique, Umtiti, Alba--------Arthur/Rafinha, Busi/Rakitic, Vidal---------Dembele, Messi, Coutinho

-I think Coutinho is better at LW than at LCM to have more chances for that curler of his and I think Dembele feels more comfortable on that right hand side.
-No idea how good Vidal will fit in this system, but I think Vidal can provide a physical goal threat presence to fill in the void like Paulinho did whenever Messi eventually drops deep.
-I think Arthur/Rafinha can do well on that right interior in a possession based game and I think have the skillset to be press resistant better than Rakitic. We'll need to test them more to find out (its assuming Rafinha stays)
-We have an extra men to defend other than Messi rather than having both Messi and Suarez not defend in a 4231.

The other choice would be a 4231 (Mats---Bob/Semedo, Pique, Umtiti, Alba---Busi, Rakitic---Dembele, Messi, Coutinho---Suarez) but Roma has shown how to play against that formation.
I don't think the recent 433 of (Defence---Rakitic, Busi, Coutinho---Messi, Suarez, Dembele) will do well as Lucho's has shown.
 

George_Costanza

Active member
In your opinion, which is the best line-up with the players we have, assuming that everyone is in shape (leaving aside the turnover and some tactical change depending on the opponent) ? I mean the perfect 11 starters to WIN THE CL, the ideal (well balanced, defense, midfield, attack) line-up ?

Semedo---Pique---Umtiti---Alba

---------Busquets-----
Arthur---------------Coutinho

Malcom----Messi-----Dembele
 

Xaviniesta

Senior Member
EV is going to have to rotate

Dl4dOmMXoAEqeab.jpg
 

MagIX

Senior Member
IMO, briefly:
A 11 with Messi, Dembele, Suarez and Coutinho won't work. I know that many would like to see a line-up with these 4 on the field, but in imo if we play in CL with these we go out again in an embarrassing way.
A 11 with Messi as CF or false 9 with Coutinho and Dembele won't work. Maybe it would work if we would play in counterattack.
Dembele in midfield is wasted. His is LW.

Samedo-Piqué-Umtiti-Alba
Rakitic---Busquets---Vidal
--------Coutinho----------
---Messi------- Suarez----

Or
-------Messi------
--Dembele---Suarez---

Or a 4-4-2, something like Messi-Suarez in front and Arthur in midfield.
 
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henias

New member
IMO, briefly:
A 11 with Messi, Dembele, Suarez and Coutinho won't work. I know that many would like to see a line-up with these 4 on the field, but in imo if we play in CL with these we go out again in an embarrassing way.
A 11 with Messi as CF or false 9 with Coutinho and Dembele won't work. Maybe it would work if we would play in counterattack.
Dembele in midfield is wasted. His is LW.

Samedo-Piqué-Umtiti-Alba
Rakitic---Busquets---Vidal
--------Coutinho----------
---Messi------- Suarez----

Or
-------Messi------
--Dembele---Suarez---

Or a 4-4-2, something like Messi-Suarez in front and Arthur in midfield.

Tbh, we havent really seen the 4 play in the CL so it's hard to tell but if u want them to play together I would still put Messi as a false 9 with Dembele on the right. We look more balanced that way. If Valverde plays the same way he did now in the CL(Messi RW, Dembele LW, Suarez CF) then for sure we will get embarassed like you said.

In any case, Suarez has been a major culprit as he has been underwhelming for many years, opposition dont even take him seriously now. I would still believe our best lineup for the CL to be:

Malcolm/Suarez-Messi-Dembele
Coutinho---Busquets--Rakitic
Alba--Umtiti-Pique/Lenglet-Semedo

Obviously the issue now is the coach being to afraid to break away from old formations and ideas, little to zero experimentations, so it makes it even harder to tell if other ideas could actually be better. Which is why some people keep having the impression that having a change for the better would be "devastating" or "bad", it wont be. Because we need that big change long ago and we just never did.

Glad we got the tough group, and Ev will be forced to change now if things go south, otherwise it will be curtains for him.
 
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