₦airaland Forum

patrickmuf:
Pedri is special, very special...

That Adama guy has been marking Yamal closely but for the goal, Yamal sat him down...

AirBere:
I understand why Kounde was starting so many games. He gave Yamal support against LBs like Adama.

AirBere:
The level of intensity Barca showed Vs Tico was too much. I think players will be too tired to turn up today. I have a feeling Barca will drop points today.

andrewbaba44:
I pity rashford

He is lucky Barca fans like him

If we go buy am e no suppose pass 7M euros

Kilishihunter:
I felt for the Bilbao LB Adama who had a good battle with lamine when he slipped as the latter was about to shoot at goal. Lamine now has 14 laliga goals this season at just age 18. I hope he becomes better with goals as he gets older and gains more experience

Kilishihunter:
This kid that's linked with us from Tottenham vuskovic. How good is he chief?

jpmoriarti:
Onye amuma ugha 🙄🙄🙄

AirBere:
Lucky escape

Meanwhile, Barca have looked their best and have conceded just one goal(goal mouth scramble) without Dejong. An 18 year old who's supposed to be playing u-17 world cup or in the academy is screening the back 4 better than a seasoned professional.

jpmoriarti:
Bernal only played the first half. So what's your piont?

My problem with your analysis, is that it focuses solely on the individual but this is a team's sport.

It takes 11 players doing there work very well for the team to succeed. That's why it's massively unfair to pin the failings of the team to a single player, also the contrary is true.

For Hansi Flick way of playing, if a single player didn't press well when the team was out of possession, the whole tactics collapses.

AirBere:

He played half the game today. How many halves did he play in the previous games?

Okay he played one half because Flick is smart enough to share minutes and keep him fresh for Newcastle. Those who took over for DM duties were Casado and then Eric Garcia. Two players that are inferior to DeeJung but they saw the game through with a clean sheet.


When DeeJung comes back, result will be indifferent. Mid players drains team energy

jpmoriarti:
You're just arguing with both side of the mouth. This has turned into arguing for argument's sake.

At one piont, you claim we cannot win a big game if Dejong played and at another time, you claim that we cannot keep clean sheet with Dejong playing as DM.

Which is it? Because both are incorrect.

AirBere:

If you like twist my words till thy Kingdom come but my point is very clear with DeeJung and I've been very consistent...DeeJung is a liability defensively, Barca has lost every big game with him this season especially without Pedri, won all big games without him and looked better defensively.

The Koko be say, Barca isn't winning the UCL with him starting or playing significant minutes. Let's say it's the UCL final. If he starts, Barca will lose from first half. If he's taken off on time, barca can equalise and even get a result. If Barca is winning and he comes in and plays more than 10mins, in that period Barca will concede and lose the game.

jpmoriarti:
You couldn't predict yesterday's match. And now you want to predict UCL final when we're yet to play in the R16.

You're hilarious 😂

Instead of blaming Frenkie de Jong, why not blame the club who couldn't fill the DM role after Busquets left?

Dejong wasn't bought to play DM alone. Everyone knows he needs a more defensive partner besides him. He has always needed a partner.

However, Barcelona unfortunately couldn't buy one after Busquets left and he had had to play that role all by himself. It's like asking Toni Kroos to play the DM role all by himself in every game.

You're saying it as though you're the one who suddenly discovered he couldn't play the role all by himself. Flick has acknowledged this time and again. And every Barca fan knows this. But Barcelona is financially limited right now.

Also thankfully, Marc Bernal has stepped up again after his ACL. He's the more defensive midfielder we have. Also Casado, who's been inconsistent.

Be that as it may, I won't sit here and blame Dejong as though it was his fault that the club was unable to replace Busquets when he left. He's doing the best he could to help in a role he's not entirely cut out for. It's like asking Pedri to perform the DM role in each game.

andrewbaba44:
I pity rashford

He is lucky Barca fans like him

If we go buy am e no suppose pass 7M euros

AirBere:
Rashford is not Laliga coded. I predicted his Laliga struggle even before he was officially signed. The stats are okay but he'll keep failing the eye test because he needs space to operate. He fits EPL, Bundesliga and UCL. He's your UCL wildcard.

Even for free I'll not want him in my team. He's Sancho with more speed and shot power. He's a waste of space because his salary will always be astronomical to what he'll offer on the pitch. Rashy can't dribble a cone. Lazy uncoachable English players. Sancho 🤝 Rashford.

patrickmuf:
Where is the space to operate in the EPL?

Go to the Manchester United thread from 3-4 years ago, and you'll find Manchester United fans complaining about the things Barcelona fans are experiencing now. Imagine if Rashford could beat his man how dangerous Barcelona could be.

AirBere:

Yesterday's game was difficult for me to predict because DeeJung was unavailable to play. If he was available and played significant minutes, I would've staked my car engine on Barca dropping points. The amount of pressure Bilbao applied from the 80th minute, no way DeeJung is surviving such onslaught.

Meanwhile, the reason why DeeJung can't play the Busi role is because he can't be coached. Vintinha originally a CM is smaller than him and only started playing DM in Enrique's second season at PSG, adapted and doing a great job. DeeJung has been preped for the DM role since the days of Vaverde yet doing exactly what he's been doing in Ajax academy. Almost 9 years at Barca doing same thing lol.

OkpaNsukkaisBae:
La Masia boys

jpmoriarti:
Do you think Olmo or Pedri can be coached to play the DM? Should a good coach who knew their onion even try to do that?

And your comparison with Vitinha doesn't make any sense. Saying because Vitinha could do it, then so could Frenkie de Jong is kinda pointless.

These are two different players with different capabilities and different qualities. It's like saying that since 18 year old Yamal could become the best in the world, then every 18 year old player should become the best in the world as well. Very simplistic comparison that is hardly reasonably realistic.

I have a question for you, can your coach, successfully coach Enzo Fernandez to become the sole DM of your team?

AirBere:
Coaching isn't done in isolation bro. A good coach must watch his players to ascertain if he can do X, Y or Z job. You can't just pick Olmo and train him to play DM. Gavi was an attacking midfielder at la masia. Today when paired with Pedri he acts as the anchor.

When Pedri plays with DeeJung he does so much defensive work that I wonder what's the job of Dejong. Yes Pedri can play DM and have played there multiple times. Olmo is too weak. Even as a forward, he's is so weak and fragile. how can you now want him to play DM lol.

Dejong can play DM but he's just not willing because he can't be coached. He obviously can do it if he wants. Moussa Dembele was a forward before he became one of the most press resistant DM/CM I've ever seen.

Calanoglu was an attacking midfielder. He's now played two UCL finals as a DM/CM.

Enzo won the world cup as the starting Defensive midfielder and will play there for club if the coach wants him there.

jpmoriarti:
Yeah we're going round and round a circle, ain't we?

For the record, Argentina national team plays with Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo de Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Guido Fernandez as their defensive midfielders. Your Enzo Fernandez is a CM at best. Never left alone with the midfield defensive duties

Kilishihunter:
Igor Thiago ke

He should go to another PL team but not Barça abeg. How will we replace lewandowski with Igor Thiago. We are better off with raphinha or olmo false 9 next season gan

AirBere:
Rashford is not Laliga coded. I predicted his Laliga struggle even before he was officially signed. The stats are okay but he'll keep failing the eye test because he needs space to operate. He fits EPL, Bundesliga and UCL. He's your UCL wildcard.

Even for free I'll not want him in my team. He's Sancho with more speed and shot power. He's a waste of space because his salary will always be astronomical to what he'll offer on the pitch. Rashy can't dribble a cone. Lazy, uncoachable English players. Sancho 🤝 Rashford.

AirBere:
I agree. The emboldened is spot on!!!

Compare to Laliga, space dey EPL small. This doesn't mean Laliga is better than EPL. EPL is the best league in world football.

There are more quality players in EPL meaning those players will love to express themselves a bit by attacking leaving some space. In Laliga, most teams play with a line of 5, 6 or a very rigid 4:5:1 system. Teams like Osasuna, Getafe, Mallorca are not even interested in coming out to play. Even this Bilbao used to be very gidigbo.

patrickmuf:
I watch a lot of both leagues. For me, there's less time for players to stop and think in the EPL compared to La Liga. I don't have that players have much more space in the EPL but then, it's fine if you say so.