La Liga Round 14: Barca - Alaves 3-1

[Loki]

A step back again, sloppy performance for the most part. Only part of the game the team was focused was when they conceded early and wanted to turn the score again.
And it's evident we can't play without Frenkie and Pedri.

 

[jamrock]

You would think we just lost two games back to back in la Liga ffs, when you read through this page.

People here are miserable as hell.

We concede Chances, it doesn't matter who we play in our xi or we are facing, it's the nature of the football we choose to play.

But the team just picked up 6 points without the starting midfield & raphinha not being fully back without breaking much of a sweat.

We just need to figure out away to be competitive in the big games this season.

 

[draconifire]

FC Barcelona Player Ratings per Match: La Liga Round 14: Barca - Alaves 3-1

The ratings for the Alaves match are online, guys.
Have at it.
Cheers.

 

[Andresito]

I don't consider Pedri elite yet, but he is our best midfielder by a mile.

Why you avoiding quotes on this

 

[gregorrin10]

You would think we just lost two games back to back in la Liga ffs, when you read through this page.

People here are miserable as hell.

We concede Chances, it doesn't matter who we play in our xi or we are facing, it's the nature of the football we choose to play.

But the team just picked up 6 points without the starting midfield & raphinha not being fully back without breaking much of a sweat.

We just need to figure out away to be competitive in the big games this season.

Twitter influence most likely, that place is a cesspool of negativity, overreactions and rage baiting. Lowest of the low.

 

[gregorrin10]

He is elite vs smaller teams but vs more athletic sides he looks half the player. But the rest of our midfielders aren't even capable of looking great vs medium to lower competition. This makes Pedri our best midfielder but not quite as good as the best in the world at CM. Mostly because of his subpar athleticism.

Again, explain who is an elite midfielder right now then?

This should be good...

 

[serghei]

Again, explain who is an elite midfielder right now then?

This should be good...

Could be an argument that neither is. But about 7 players of similar quality, all with flaws of different types. Maybe Vitinha is a cut above the rest.

However, Pedri's flaw is costly in big games. You can't stress enough how important speed and athleticism are in midfield vs top teams. And I'm not speaking about being a big muscular guy here, but having good stamina, quick feet, and not being pushed aside easily.

Maybe you can find a setup where Pedri is surrounded by more athletic players left and right as this would help him a lot. This is what we should do at Barcelona. You already have Pedri and Yamal who impress nobody in terms of aggression and intensity, softer types who don't cope with contact well. There is no more room for weak players. And the issue is apart from only Pedri and Yamal, we have other 4-5 similarly weaker players on physical terms.