Rafael Márquez

[Porque]

Doubt we are selling Araujo, but he now owes us a discount.

The other two we can always sell if possible.

If we have 80m+ on the table for him and he is not renewing then we have to strongly consider it. Next Summer he is worth half, while CB is where we hold depth in quality.

Reality is if funds are tight that Christensen has more squad value considering he is a decent DMC which we may not be able to sign.

 

[jamrock]

If we have 80m+ on the table for him and he is not renewing then we have to strongly consider it. Next Summer he is worth half, while CB is where we hold depth in quality.

Reality is if funds are tight that Christensen has more squad value considering he is a decent DMC which we may not be able to sign.

Fair point, if he's holding hard on a renewal and that kind offer comes in, you definitely have to consider it.

 

[Porque]

Fair point, if he's holding hard on a renewal and that kind offer comes in, you definitely have to consider it.

Just want to add that I think Araujo will renew as he hasn't come across as one of those guys where extracting maximum wage is his motivation.

 

[khaled_a_d]

MD also

Yeah.
Main source seems to be F.Polo, who is considered tier 1 source.
However Polo has been talking non stop last month, he went full Gerard Romero. Which either means he is Deco new mouth piece, or know jack shit and cashing on reputation.
Interestingly, Polo previously said we were working on Amorim but now he is going to Liverpool. Probably we were hoping to low ball Sporting and that went out of the window with a club who can pay it, and on top of that give him signings.

I think this kind of support @Porque point. The club is heading for a bit of rebuild and youth movement with austerity measures and what is better for that than B team coach? Certainly not a Flick or a Tuchel who will whine all season long due to lack of signing. Amorim would have fit the description too.

I think this is also Deco strategy, who is a youth oriented SD from what it seems.
I expect us to try to renew everyone from FA class 2026, and probably extend loans of Felix/Cancelo (both were great for a free loans) but the alternative will always be a young player.

It doesn't help that FA class of 2024 is ass.

 

[Porque]

Question.

Should the B team coach also be 3rd coach at the first team ( when fixtures align?).

 

[Messi983]

Question.

Should the B team coach also be 3rd coach at the first team ( when fixtures align?).

Could have some benefits especially in our current situation when we depend a lot on promoting kids from within but I'm generally leaning towards no. Might work at a lower level (and some smaller clubs could be doing that already) but not in big clubs imo. Coach would be just too over worked and couldn't focus on a specific job. We're not only talking about him sitting on the first team bench during the games but also being present at trainings every day while at the same time also do everything at BA. That said, Rafa would probably be more useful than anyone in Xavi's current staff.

In other news, club reportedly wants to renew Rafa. Good news, he is doing well and would like to see him stay at BA for another year. Not so much on the first team bench but will give him a chance if they decide so. But I have feeling he might leave and try to prove himself outside of Barca if Xavi will stay.

 

[Porque]

Yeah. He doesn't really need another year at the B even if they promote. As you suggest, he could get a decent midtier LaLiga job as the likes of LE before did and Iraola.

One thing he has over Xavi is he is more in control of his emotions. He doesn't seem to be an outstanding tactician or anything, but he has always been a leader for club and country in his playing days and this seems to have extended to his management career do far.

 

[khaled_a_d]

I would like to see him staying another year, and if Mascherano do decent job in the Olympics, he should take over him in 2025, just like he did as a player before lol.

If not, I think Belletti will take over.

 

[serghei]

The club already had austerity measures up to this point. I think they are looking to improve the squad, not weakening it even more. Paid less money for our squad in transfer fees than fucking Everton and a bit more than Notthingham Forrest. How can it get more austere than bottom Premier League sides level spending?

Almost all of the main players are already registered anyway. If we manage to sell a highly rated player like Araujo or De Jong for a lot of money this is gonna allow us to sign 2-3 players in key positions that are very much needed. Especially if we manage to sign at 1 to 1.

 

[khaled_a_d]

Barca has 2nd highest paid first team squad in Europe according to UEFA btw.
There is simply several ways of looking at spending, in some of them we are the poorest and in others we are one of the biggest spenders.

 

[Porque]

Say what you may about his managerial ability ceiling, one thing is for sure, that Rafa Marquez is a natural leader having been Mexico's captain until his late 30's.

And atleast when he git sent off, it was because of a headbutt or high challenge.

Think it will become glaringly obvious that if there wasn't any money for a top manager (there is, watch the loopholes we pull to give Xavi his final wish this summer), that a fresh approach with even Marquez would have revitalized our squad to an extent.

 

[khaled_a_d]

Say what you may about his managerial ability ceiling, one thing is for sure, that Rafa Marquez is a natural leader having been Mexico's captain until his late 30's.

And atleast when he git sent off, it was because of a headbutt or high challenge.

Think it will become glaringly obvious that if there wasn't any money for a top manager (there is, watch the loopholes we pull to give Xavi his final wish this summer), that a fresh approach with even Marquez would have revitalized our squad to an extent.

That is true.

And we might face a problem next season if Marquez decides to go elsewhere looking for an opportunity.

Right now it seems we are heading for a toxic season, like the one we had with Koeman.
It is because we are hoping to get an elite manager in 2025 but Xavi might lose fan (Catalan) support soon and it seems many players aren't supporting him as much.

Marquez offers a safety net atm, because he is a popular ex-player who paid his dues for next coaching job. He offers the perfect temporary coach like Di Rossi for example.
If he leaves, we will have another Barjuán situation, where you have a guy who can only take over for 3 or 5 games.

 

[Messi983]

Rafa Márquez analyzed with his usual coldness Deportivo's narrow victory against a Barça Atlètic that was superior in the game for a good part of the match: "They are the best team in the category and today we have competed with almost all youth players." The Mexican added that "we are happy with the performance we get from each of the players, especially with their age." Barça Atlètic even fielded three youth players (Bernal, Guiu and Alexis Olmedo) and a cadet (Guille Fernández).

Don't think there is anything wrong with his statement but as said during the game I just had a feeling he looked "happy to compete" rather than actually trying to win. And that mentality won't bring you far.

Ofc you can have big desire to win (and Rafa was a winner as a player but even more so was Xavi and that hasn't fully transformed to his coaching career) but still fail to do that against better or (in this case especially) more experienced opponents. Lucas Perez alone has played more top level games than our whole team together and he's far too good to play on this level even at his age. And they have some other solid veterans too. And good youngsters like David Mella who is one to keep an eye on for future although I believe he's more of an effort guy than extraordinary talent (but hard work can get you far as well).

Back to Rafa, while I appreciate and quite like his calmness (especially seeing Xavi beeing booked every other game, lol) I sometimes think he should show more passion. But I understand that's just who he is as a person. You can't pretend to be someone you're not, players are smart enough to see through you. That also doesn't mean he's not a good leader.

What bothers me the most with him he often looks too passive and reactionary rather than proactive and on a higher level that could be a problem. For example yesterday he waited until 75th minute to make offensive changes while we needed two goals (his first sub was a change at CB which was a good move imo). But he should have brought Guille and Darvich (he only played few minutes when we probably already gave up) sooner just to refresh the team and bring more creativity eventhough we played well overall.

Tactically there are some ideas I like. Mainly how he use Casado as inverted RB/DM. I think he has improved a lot and wouldn't mind giving Marc first team minutes next season. Ideally Roberto would join amigos in Miami and Casado would take over his role in the first team (I think he's ready for that) but that's unlikely as Xavi wants to keep our beloved captain. And it's not like Xavi would use Casado the same way as Rafa anyway. I know club wants to renew and keep him around longterm but I wonder what plan is for him for next season if BA is not promoted. He'll turn 21 in September so keeping him at Primera RFEF level for another season makes little sense to me. Maybe a loan to a Segunda team or possibly lower table La Liga club. Could do fine for a side like Las Palmas if Pimi stays there (strong rumours he won't though).

Anyway, I digressed again so back to the last point about Rafa. I think he can become a good coach but still has a lot to learn. Hopefully he won't do a Xavi and will have his learning course outside of Barca though. After next season obviously as I want him to stay in BA for another year (and there were repots he'll renew) and continue developing this young team where he does a good job.

Quite possible he'll be thrown into the water sooner than expected though if Xavi gets sacked as Rafa would be the obvious choice as interim manager (might also be one of the reasons why he'll stay around in hope to get first team job). Hopefully won't happen though as I think something really disastrous would need to happen for Laporta to sack Xavi (and that would have further disastrous financial consequences) and we could also potentially ruin Rafa's longterm future as a first team coach in 3 or 5 years when he will be more ready.

But I think before that he should go down the Xabi Alonso or at least Thiago Motta route. Take over a struggling big(ish) club or a perenial lower/mid table team in a top 5 league and turn their fortune around (that said obviously can't demand or expect from him to do what Xabi is doing). That's the first step. Work in a stable environment but in a club with certain financial restrictions is another. And then ofc have a clear vision of how you want to play (still some work to do here for Rafa but I think he's learning) and develop the players you have (think he's already good in this aspect as many players looked improved under him).

That said, short to mid term I see him more going in the Garcia Pimienta direction. Which wouldn't be bad for his own career but probably not enough to ever seriously considering his return to the club. You never know with this club though as being a former player is usually a very big if not the most important factor we consider when hiring coaches. Whether that's good or bad (there are arguments for both I guess) it's for another debate.