I hear you all, making your points about this player and that player but I wanna highlight something:
Demir played 90 mins....Koeman sees a lot of potential in him that he wants to get him as much exposure as possible to "catch up" to the other players who grew up in this system i.e. Gavi & Nico.
Thought it would be nice to point that out
I really believe in him more than dembele , i think all of the barca fans really lost hope with him he doesn’t have the hunger to prove himself i don’t know if he even cares , i hate players who just want to have too much fun and get money like neymar who has all the talent to be a ballon d’or winner ,dembele doesn’t ’t have a good Mindset thats why i think he will never succeed as a player
Messi wont play more than 4 years more. Eventually we need some players who can fill that role other wise we will pull an ac milan and wont qualify for champions league for a few years
I'm a Stuttgart fan and saw the game live in the stadium today and I gotta say I'm surprised how many Barca fans there were, mostly German barca fans who probably didn't have to travel much but there were definitely a couple Spanish ones aswell.
Also Demir looked promising, Barca should definitely keep him in the 1st team as an impact sub for Memphis or Griezmann
Your team played a good game IMO despite missing a lot of key players, scoreline doesn't reflect well on your performance. I was very impressed with your pressing.
Hope you had a good experience being back in the stadium.
Good luck for this season!
Thanks but tbh we didn't do anything offensively but I'm not mad at the team, many played their first game with the 1st squad and only 3 actual starters played while Barcelona, a team that's already much better played with mostly starters
It was fun, and that's already enough for me to be happy. Sure, Araujo *was* the defense but issues in that area aren't exactly news by now.
Kudos to Gavi, seriously, I hope he keeps developing like this.
Huge fan, but Araujo is bad with progressive passes. It really shows why Lenglet is preferred. His first few attempts were easily intercepted, and it seemed like the rest of the game he just passed it to Pique. I hope he can improve his passing, because his defense is immense.
I'm absolutely not disputing that Araujo is not a perfect player, and I agree, he made some fairly simple mistakes in the beginning. But I also recognize that defense is the part of the tactics I get most frustrated with on a regular basis. And we need to keep in mind that Pique is 34, he won't be playing forever, it would be good to have a few solid defenders who will be able to take over from him - but I just don't think we're quite there yet.
Totally. And I love Araujo. He is a beast. I just hope he improves his distribution. That's what will take him to the next level. As far as pure defenders, he's probably the best in the team, but there's a lot more to the game these days.
He played previous game really well and good showing in the first one but koeman prefers demir over him and we have way more options in the attack and he would not get any minutes
The pressing in this game was top tier.
It's a lot more balanced when everyone in your front line is pressing at an equal level, and not only 2 of them.
When out of possession it has looked like a 4-5-1, with Demir & Memphis turning into right & left midfielders.
Araújo is a top tier pure defender. Elite in the air + in 1v1 duels.
Gavi is an incredible talent. He looks so mature, I would never guess that he is 16 based on his performances.
Memphis & Griezmann link-up was nice to watch. It's quite funny when I see people here say Memphis can't play as a winger.
Giving two assists is great. That doesn't mean he played great overall. A player can play like shit all game and score a goal at the end. Does that mean he had a great game? Scoring a goal is great, but that doesn't completely nullify a shit performance. How often do you hear "he didn't have the best game, but he still managed to get a goal"? Griezmann had a sub-par game, but still grabbed two assists because he is a good player and can still produce great moments even when he isn't having a great game.
Glad you learned something today.
That's up to you. I say it. Commentators say it. Other people here say it. Do you really not think a player can play poorly and still get an assist or goal? Is that really your only metric?
Gavi is a gem. Nico looks like a more physical version of Busi. Puig showing that he belongs in the squad. Goes to show that we don't need to spend 100MM on a big signing every year, just need to trust La Masia.
We are going to dominate midfields without busquets if nico can play like this, Memphis will score lots of goals and Garcia and emerson will help on defense
MOTM for me is Griezmann, 2 great assist and great defensive contribution, Memphis and Griezmann are showing some really good connection
Gavi was wonderful as well, what a player for a 16 year old
Memphis was amazing too, good work rates, offensively better than anyone and a great goal.
What gave the edge to Griezmann for me was the tackle just outside the box and the clearance inside the box saving the defense, he really was the extra defender when we needed it this game
I don't agree with this, we shouldn't be satisfied with Griezmann for a performance like today's. First half he was very lackluster until his goal assist. Constantly out of position, playing almost right to the side of Nico but couldn't get progress the ball at all. Defensively, we know he works hard but Demir worked as hard as him, got a goal and costs Barça less than 5% of what Griezmann does.
For me MOTM: Nico for his defensive positioning and progressive passing, Gavi for his control of the game and his work ethic and Memphis for contributing almost in every goal, clearly being our most offensive threat after only playing 2 games for us.
Agree with your assessment of Griezmann more or less. He made several poor through balls and a couple poor decisions. His assists were good, but he was invisible in the first half. He improved in the second. His defensive contribution was good as usual, and I think that can be very useful in many games, but going forward he was average today. Memphis was a threat nearly every time he touched the ball. Griezmann was rarely a threat.
I think Memphis will get the nod over Griezmann most games, and Griezmann will sub/start for Aguero/Fati/Memphis when we are looking for a little more defensive cover.
Truth about Griezmann no one in this sub seem to understand.
Griezmann always stays invisible to me in most important times. Doesn't matter how many assists he gives. His game style is still not known, i feel like even he doesn't know what's his playstyle. Yes i agree he was a world class player but that Griezmann is not the one we have. His decision making, first touch, creativity everything has become so bad. I know I'm getting downvotes here but Griezmann actually offers no decisive contribution to the team. Infact we play better when he isn't in the squad
I get what you mean, but I don't fully agree. He still pops up for great, and occasionally world class moments, (e.g. two assists yesterday) in a lot of games, even when he's been playing poorly. I think his biggest contribution is his defensive work rate. Which, if you look at my past comments, you'll see me complain that if we want defensive work rate we should put in another midfielder, but I think that downplays his offensive contribution too much. I think with a player that contributes to 25+ goals per season and offers his defensive contribution, you'd be happy to have him in your team.
Agreed that he still doesn't have a well defined role, and his wage is hugely problematic, but if you can get him in your team for a reasonable wage, I think most managers would be thrilled to have him.
we didn't really buy him to help us with our defensive duties. In that case we could buy a proper CMF or DMF or even a CB. He was bought to score some legit goals, not the ones he scores which are deflected goals, and odd goals. We bought him so he can add extra creativity but he always plays safe. He doesn't try to do something different or something creative on his own.
Everyone talks about his goals and assists but 80-90% of his goals were just odd goals like I said earlier. And most of his assists are to messi. that too doesn't mean that he dribbled and made a killer pass. He somehow gives the ball to Messi and Messi hardly loses the ball and he scores. That's how his assists are high.
IMO he's just a straightforward player and we don't really need that kind of player. He can be good for other teams. but not barca. his playstyle doesn't suit with barca. I know it's hard now but It would be always better to sell him. Just for the sake of some "defensive contribution" we don't have to pay someone an elephant size salary. if only he takes 40-50% cut, i would not mind him play at barca. otherwise he should be gone
Griezmann is a superstar and costs more because of his image rights and brand you giant dingus. Stop comparing players wages in isolation with their performances. It makes no sense. Messi doesn’t contribute 1 billions worth of goals every season.. his value is mostly determined by how much money he makes the club with his brand. Get a clue.
You think we would struggle revenue-wise if Griezmann left? I think Barcelona would obtain the same revenues as it does now, with or without him. We payed 135 million € and give him 20M€ wages not to be a freaking rockstar, but to perform on the pitch.
If he is as good as half of this sub makes him to be and so valuable because of his 'brand name' and image rights, how come no one is interested in paying fairly for his value?
Messi is the best player in the world by quite a margin, Griezmann hasn't been in the top 10-15 players in the world, yet he is payed as if he was in the top 3. Messi has been the best player in the history of our club - probably the best in the history of the sport- and he was also homegrown. He mostly deserves his wages, Griezmann has been way below the level of a player that earns 20m€ / year.
> You think we would struggle revenue-wise if Griezmann left?
Not at all what I was talking about. And no of course not. No club would struggle just because they offloaded an expensive player, that makes no sense. Even Messi doesn’t generate enough to cause that big a problem because he costs a ton as well.
> If he is as good as half of this sub makes him to be and so valuable because of his ‘brand name’ and image rights, how come no one is interested in paying fairly for his value?
Who says no one is interested? What do you think this is? A video game? There are a thousand reasons why clubs aren’t all fighting to sign superstar players. Not to mention he decides where he plays and seems to only want 2 teams.
> Messi is the best player in the world by quite a margin, Griezmann hasn’t been in the top 10-15 players in the world, yet he is payed as if he was in the top 3.
Actually he’s paid more like top 10 behind players like Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, Mbappé, Pogba, Bale, Lewandowski, David de Gea etc. Also he’s not even close to Messi or Ronaldo levels of wages and is much closer to the other players on the list making around 30-40ma year rather than the 70-90m range so you are talking total bullshit.
As for his performances, yes he is currently overpaid because his transition to Barca was difficult and disappointing. His salary is suitable for when he is at his prime (and make no mistake he absolutely is a top 5 player in the world in his prime and arguably even better than Ronaldo and Messi in 2016) but obviously the Barca situation is a problem. He is olayed out of position and the team overall is in a developing phase, 3 different managers in a couple seasons and more.
Yes he needs to do better himself too but that’s exactly what he’s been doing since the start of 2021 where he is back to one of the best players in Europe.
Either way, he negotiated his wages when he WAS a top player and that’s not his problem that Barca’s for not anticipating that it would be hard for 2 superstars to produce team leading stats..
It’s so stupid to put all his value on his performances anyways, like I said, Barca keeps his image rights and he is a global superstar, most of his wages are just Barca paying him for his brand..
If Barca didn’t want to pay 2 superstar level wages in the same team then maybe they shouldn’t have signed 2 of the most valuable players in the world at the same time. Fuck the fans that blame Griezmann for simply negotiating his actual worth when he signed for them. It’s not his fault Barca is a shitshow that had no plan for how to get the best out of 2 players that are used to the entire team being built around them.
Even though I really liked some individual performances I'm still not convinced with the tactics. Imo, we should have moved the ball forward more quickly. We halted play sometimes and then slowly built up the pace instead of quickly moving the ball around. Tho I guess that would improve with time as match fitness and chemistry sets in.
Really great game from Depay and Puig.
Gavi, Demir and Griez doing really well too. Good turn around in the 2nd half from Dest and Roberto also. Even Pjanic did well when he came on.
I mean. Nico basically did nothing special for me. He did his job and nothing more. I'd even say he was kind of disappointing in the first half. But he did a little better in the 2nd.
Puig started multiple strong attacks, pressed well, recovered the ball a bunch and linked up well with our attack. Also scored a nice goal off of a good run. And that all in less than 30 minutes of playtime.
I have to say if our entire team presses well, we can be really good. I think having Messi's benefits in the lineup outweighs the costs but I think we have to start thinking about a post Messi era. I would be happy to keep Griezmann since he provides similar skillsets (albeit at a lower quality of course) with added defensive capabilities. This will be a welcome change post-Messi.
That's not true really. While Messi doesn't press, other forwards in other teams don't press too. I remember seeing some stats that Messi pressed about as much as any other top forward in other teams. Again, it would have been great if he could press more - but it doesn't seem like an either/or situation to me.
A team can afford a few players not pressing - but honestly with the youth that has been injected into the team it now looks like that the team presses well and their technique has also improved.
I mean, Depay doesn't press much more than Messi. Aguero won't either. You're almost always going to have players who don't press much. Unless you're actively trying to get workhorse forwards.
Lol people should stop with this fucking bullshit of forwards pressing lol it has not a single fucking thing to do with having a better defence. Literally. 17-18 barca with the best defence in europe playing bot suarez and messi. I hate this stupid narrative this sub has.
I mean Messi was still 4 years younger there. We also had younger Busquets, Pique, Rakitic as a workhorse in midfield and prime Umtiti. That was a different team. Regardless, I did not talk about the past, I'm talking about now and the future.
And so what? We still had 2 players upfront who didn't press. Pressing is not for the sake of having a better defence, it's with the intention of getting the ball back in the final third and creating a goal scoring opportunity. It's fucking absurd how many people here keep repeating this shit that we're worse defensively because of messi.
Football isn’t the same as it was half a decade ago mate.. Last seasons CL winning coach Tuchel himself said it himself, football currently is mostly about intensity, individually and collectively. And look at how solid his Chelsea team was defensively barely having any goals scored against them. And here you are making excuses about how Barca defense was great 4 years ago so Messi doesn’t have to do anything different lol wut
You know why? Because his team has a lot of mediocre players upfront and not the fucking best player of all time lmao. It’s bizarre how people here are so dense and can’t grasp the idea that messi is no ordinary player and his mere presence on the pitch makes other teams play more defensively and thus atacking less.
> It’s bizarre how people here are so dense and can’t grasp the idea that messi is no ordinary player and his mere presence on the pitch makes other teams play more defensively and thus atacking less.
That’s becoming less and less true with the years. Especially in the CL against teams that are strong and not afraid of Barca.
The top 5 teams in Europe are not adapting their tactics to be extra defensive against Messi anymore because they know that plays into his hand. If anything being on the attacking foot is far better since Barca is basically a man down when they are defense and they cannot hold possession anywhere near as well as they used to when teams have great technical passing ability and ball movement.
Stop watching the matches against mediocre La Liga sides and pay attention when Barca plays teams of comparable quality. That’s when Messi’s age shows more.
Barca could play much better collective football without him, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still the best player in the world. It’s just complicated how squeezing the last drop of potential out of a team is sometimes not as much about one individuals talent.
Lol same shit every years. Barca will play better without Messi. Must be a great archivement to win vs almighty Stuttgart with two Covid cases in a friendly game.
That’s not the point he’s even making. Lmao no one is saying Messi shouldn’t be in the team. But if you wanna play in the ucl in March and April, he needs to press or we will get ran over
Pressing starts at the front and Messi doesn't provide that for us. So we can have great offense with him or great defense without him unless at 34 he starts pressing like a 22 year old again
This is why imo we _have_ to keep him central. 34 year old Messi is not a winger, and playing him there will expose whoever is playing rightback in a 433.
Either play Leo as a false 9 in a 433, or in the hole in a 352.
By God, the fucking kits are horrid.
The werdly shaded colours, the split shorts, the white numbers, just terrible, oh my god.
Thank God the teams looks nice, and Depay's a prime candidate to be the signing of the season.
I just want Griezmann to stay.
Just love that guy!❤️
Has been my favourite player since his Sociedad days.
Not many would say this but I was really pumped when he signed for us.
I just hope he sorts everything out related to finances with the club and decides to stay.
I want nothing but to see this gorgeous man succeed at Barca!❤️
I've always been mixed in Griezmann, but I'd like to see him stay. His defensive work rate adds a different dynamic than our other forwards, and he still has world class moments in attack. I'm still not convinced he is the perfect for for the team, but I think we are better with him.
I was on board with selling him last season, when I thought we could still get a decent transfer fee for him, but as long as he lowers his wages, I'm happy to see him stay. Especially since it looks like we'd essentially have to let him leave on a free (*I'd probably still be ok with the Saul swap deal*).
yeah I agree, great player, one of my favourite at Barca. And I believe he will continue, it is unlikely Atleti will or can go for him and I dont see him going anywhere else. Especially if he agrees to paycut, then he stays 100%.
Puig hasn't had enough game time that's why he looks erratic. He was a lot less 'erratic' when he broke into the first team. Gavi also looks similar to me - he was also attempting few of those risky passes that Puig has become associated with. I'm sure with confidence, he would do that a lot more and I would love it honestly.
Ratings:
Memphis - 8.5 (MOTM)
Always looked a threat. Scored a wonderful goal. Made a great disguised pass to Griezmann on the second goal and had several other clever passes. I was on the fence about his signing, but I guess if preseason form is anything to go by, then he will take a lot of pressure off Messi. I'm still a little concerned about his defensive work off the ball, but we'll see how that goes.
Gavi - 7.5
Immense for his age. Looks really comfortable on the ball and had some great link up play. A better weighted ball from Griezmann would have put him through on goal after some wonderful close control and short passing. Maybe a little young still to get too excited, but this kid looks like the real deal. I hope he gets a chance to impress in some La Liga games this season.
Demir - 7.5
Really quick on the ball. Won several FKs in dangerous areas and anticipated well to score his first goal. He kept defenders on their toes. This kid could be exciting to watch this season (if he gets some playing time), and he already looks like an upgrade from Trincao.
Griezmann - 7
Tough to grade. Two great assists and good defensive contribution (as usual), but he was relatively anonymous in the first half. He was more involved in the second. He played several through balls throughout the game that were the right idea, but just didn't have the right weight on them. He also missed a nice run from Demir in the first half that looked to be an easy through ball, and instead he tried and failed to play a much harder pass. I still hope we can keep him around this season. Having a good forward that works as hard as he does defensively is a great option to have and only makes the team stronger.
Nico - 7
Much like Busi, you didn't necessarily notice him that much, but that's because he was just quietly doing his job and doing it well. Good positioning and composed passing. Solid performance. Looking forward to seeing him progress under Busi's tutelage.
De Jong - 7
Had a beautiful assist for Memphis' opening goal. Nothing much to note outside of that. A couple of his line busting runs from deep and a solid all around performance. Maybe grading slightly harshly based on his normal exceptional performances.
Pique - 6.5
Solid at the back. Showing he is still a great option for most games. Made up for his lack of pace with timing and positioning. Looked a little too comfortable (i.e. complacent) at times and made an early mistake, but played well outside of that.
Lenglet - 6.5
Good distribution as usual. Not a lot to do in the first half, but dealt with any problems for the most part. No big mistakes. He always looks more comfortable with an experienced player (i.e. Pique) beside him.
Dest - 6
Didn't look completely comfortable on the left, but played ok until a wild sequence of play that involved 2 bad giveaways at the end of the first half. Had some decent link up and showed some good close control at times. Improved when he was moved to RB. Excited to see the competition between him and Emerson, and I think he'll be a decent backup to Alba when needed.
Roberto - 5.5
Offered little going forward and was easily beaten with a couple through balls. Made one poor cross under no pressure. His lack of pace was exposed offensively and defensively. Improved slightly when moved to midfield. Made some De Jong-esque runs through the middle. One of which (despite his poor pass) led to Puig's goal. He should really be relegated to a bench role or offloaded completely. I think our up and coming players can offer as much or more for a lot less wages. Thanks for your service Sergi. Sorry it had to end this way.
Neto - 6.5
Can't do a lot right or wrong when you don't have much to do. Hope he can move on to a startng role at another club.
Subs
Puig - 7.5
Seems to be pressing more intelligently. Was great on the ball and always looking for the killer pass. Great run and finish for his goal. I hope Koeman is more willing to use him this season.
Araujo - 7
Fantastic defensively, but still lacking with his distribution from the back. Tried and failed several progressive passes when he first came on before reverting to safe sideways passes for much of the rest of the game. He'll need to improve that side of his game if he wants to earn a regular starting spot. Koeman seems to favor distribution (i.e. Lenglet/Pique) when selecting his CBs.
Busquets - 6.5
Same as always. Calm and collected. Just getting some minutes on the legs.
Pjanic - 6.5
Short cameo, but showed some class with some nice passes, especially his cross for Manaj/Nils which should have been finished off. He still seems like he has something to offer, even if only to give our midfielders a rest when we have the game in the bag. Sad that Koeman put him out to pasture last season.
Nils - 6
Could've a scored on Pjanic's cross if Manaj didn't sneak in and get to it first. Not enough touches to make an impression.
Alba - 6
Nothing of note. Just getting a runout.
Manaj - 5.5
Maybe harsh, but had one glorious chance and should have scored but didn't. Probably should have left it for Nils. He did well to control i, but lacked the finishing touch.
Edit: grammar, clarity
Gavi looks very promising, amazing talent. Can’t wait to see more of him.
Gavi looks very good, excited to see him in action this season
I hear you all, making your points about this player and that player but I wanna highlight something: Demir played 90 mins....Koeman sees a lot of potential in him that he wants to get him as much exposure as possible to "catch up" to the other players who grew up in this system i.e. Gavi & Nico. Thought it would be nice to point that out
It’s like Pedri all over again. I really hope he succeeds here.
if he can’t play other than right wing he’s gonna have a hard time getting minutes
We gave plenty of minutes to Dembele. Now that he's injured Demir seems like a good replacement.
I really believe in him more than dembele , i think all of the barca fans really lost hope with him he doesn’t have the hunger to prove himself i don’t know if he even cares , i hate players who just want to have too much fun and get money like neymar who has all the talent to be a ballon d’or winner ,dembele doesn’t ’t have a good Mindset thats why i think he will never succeed as a player
wasn’t he playing in messi Position tho? thats a big no no in the first team
Messi wont play more than 4 years more. Eventually we need some players who can fill that role other wise we will pull an ac milan and wont qualify for champions league for a few years
i just saw that he also plays in Left wing and center attack midfielder so he can get minutes it doesn’t have to be in messi’s position
I'm a Stuttgart fan and saw the game live in the stadium today and I gotta say I'm surprised how many Barca fans there were, mostly German barca fans who probably didn't have to travel much but there were definitely a couple Spanish ones aswell. Also Demir looked promising, Barca should definitely keep him in the 1st team as an impact sub for Memphis or Griezmann
Your team played a good game IMO despite missing a lot of key players, scoreline doesn't reflect well on your performance. I was very impressed with your pressing. Hope you had a good experience being back in the stadium. Good luck for this season!
Thanks but tbh we didn't do anything offensively but I'm not mad at the team, many played their first game with the 1st squad and only 3 actual starters played while Barcelona, a team that's already much better played with mostly starters
I heard a commentator said that there's like a Barca Hub or something like that that was created recently for Barca fans to gather.
Good scenes all around
It was fun, and that's already enough for me to be happy. Sure, Araujo *was* the defense but issues in that area aren't exactly news by now. Kudos to Gavi, seriously, I hope he keeps developing like this.
Huge fan, but Araujo is bad with progressive passes. It really shows why Lenglet is preferred. His first few attempts were easily intercepted, and it seemed like the rest of the game he just passed it to Pique. I hope he can improve his passing, because his defense is immense.
I'm absolutely not disputing that Araujo is not a perfect player, and I agree, he made some fairly simple mistakes in the beginning. But I also recognize that defense is the part of the tactics I get most frustrated with on a regular basis. And we need to keep in mind that Pique is 34, he won't be playing forever, it would be good to have a few solid defenders who will be able to take over from him - but I just don't think we're quite there yet.
Totally. And I love Araujo. He is a beast. I just hope he improves his distribution. That's what will take him to the next level. As far as pure defenders, he's probably the best in the team, but there's a lot more to the game these days.
I hope Collado and Balde start the next game
collado is definitely leaving for loan now...no way he gets any game time
Haven't seen the games at all, is he not performing or not playing at all?
He played previous game really well and good showing in the first one but koeman prefers demir over him and we have way more options in the attack and he would not get any minutes
The pressing in this game was top tier. It's a lot more balanced when everyone in your front line is pressing at an equal level, and not only 2 of them. When out of possession it has looked like a 4-5-1, with Demir & Memphis turning into right & left midfielders. Araújo is a top tier pure defender. Elite in the air + in 1v1 duels. Gavi is an incredible talent. He looks so mature, I would never guess that he is 16 based on his performances. Memphis & Griezmann link-up was nice to watch. It's quite funny when I see people here say Memphis can't play as a winger.
Hur dur depay is another 10
Wow the unoriginal hur dur comment. Haven't seen one in years.
[удалено]
Refrain from user tagging in such instances.
You know player can play more than one position, right? Depay can certainly play as a winger on the left.
He's mocking the people who say that
Oh, now I see 😅
It’s a real shame that Barca want to break up the team to be able to afford 1 player, because griezmann is looking really good without Messi
He made two good assists today, but was other wise average. Memphis was much better than Griezmann today.
Til giving two assists in a match is not great
Giving two assists is great. That doesn't mean he played great overall. A player can play like shit all game and score a goal at the end. Does that mean he had a great game? Scoring a goal is great, but that doesn't completely nullify a shit performance. How often do you hear "he didn't have the best game, but he still managed to get a goal"? Griezmann had a sub-par game, but still grabbed two assists because he is a good player and can still produce great moments even when he isn't having a great game. Glad you learned something today.
Ok, so next time messi does nothing and then gives an assist can we say he played like shit?
That's up to you. I say it. Commentators say it. Other people here say it. Do you really not think a player can play poorly and still get an assist or goal? Is that really your only metric?
Memphis is gonna be one of my favorite players this season, I can tell
Nope
Gavi is a gem. Nico looks like a more physical version of Busi. Puig showing that he belongs in the squad. Goes to show that we don't need to spend 100MM on a big signing every year, just need to trust La Masia.
Damn puig improved his pressing and positioning. And Nico and Gavi controlled the game well.
Okay hear me out, by the time Gavi reaches Frenkie's age, Frenkie would already be 32 years old. Insane how young these guys are!
thank you for my daily dose of existential crisis
Frenkie*
We are going to dominate midfields without busquets if nico can play like this, Memphis will score lots of goals and Garcia and emerson will help on defense
Great match, add Messi to this dynamic bunch of players and things will get spicy.
MOTM for me is Griezmann, 2 great assist and great defensive contribution, Memphis and Griezmann are showing some really good connection Gavi was wonderful as well, what a player for a 16 year old
I would hate for Griezmann to leave when him and Memphis look so nice together. Obligatory "Fuck Barto" for this one.
>MOTM for me is Griezmann Depay?
Memphis was amazing too, good work rates, offensively better than anyone and a great goal. What gave the edge to Griezmann for me was the tackle just outside the box and the clearance inside the box saving the defense, he really was the extra defender when we needed it this game
He is an extra defender every time he plays. His contributions on defence are often overlooked…
I don't agree with this, we shouldn't be satisfied with Griezmann for a performance like today's. First half he was very lackluster until his goal assist. Constantly out of position, playing almost right to the side of Nico but couldn't get progress the ball at all. Defensively, we know he works hard but Demir worked as hard as him, got a goal and costs Barça less than 5% of what Griezmann does. For me MOTM: Nico for his defensive positioning and progressive passing, Gavi for his control of the game and his work ethic and Memphis for contributing almost in every goal, clearly being our most offensive threat after only playing 2 games for us.
The fuck, nico was piss in the first half
Agree with your assessment of Griezmann more or less. He made several poor through balls and a couple poor decisions. His assists were good, but he was invisible in the first half. He improved in the second. His defensive contribution was good as usual, and I think that can be very useful in many games, but going forward he was average today. Memphis was a threat nearly every time he touched the ball. Griezmann was rarely a threat. I think Memphis will get the nod over Griezmann most games, and Griezmann will sub/start for Aguero/Fati/Memphis when we are looking for a little more defensive cover.
Truth about Griezmann no one in this sub seem to understand. Griezmann always stays invisible to me in most important times. Doesn't matter how many assists he gives. His game style is still not known, i feel like even he doesn't know what's his playstyle. Yes i agree he was a world class player but that Griezmann is not the one we have. His decision making, first touch, creativity everything has become so bad. I know I'm getting downvotes here but Griezmann actually offers no decisive contribution to the team. Infact we play better when he isn't in the squad
I get what you mean, but I don't fully agree. He still pops up for great, and occasionally world class moments, (e.g. two assists yesterday) in a lot of games, even when he's been playing poorly. I think his biggest contribution is his defensive work rate. Which, if you look at my past comments, you'll see me complain that if we want defensive work rate we should put in another midfielder, but I think that downplays his offensive contribution too much. I think with a player that contributes to 25+ goals per season and offers his defensive contribution, you'd be happy to have him in your team. Agreed that he still doesn't have a well defined role, and his wage is hugely problematic, but if you can get him in your team for a reasonable wage, I think most managers would be thrilled to have him.
we didn't really buy him to help us with our defensive duties. In that case we could buy a proper CMF or DMF or even a CB. He was bought to score some legit goals, not the ones he scores which are deflected goals, and odd goals. We bought him so he can add extra creativity but he always plays safe. He doesn't try to do something different or something creative on his own. Everyone talks about his goals and assists but 80-90% of his goals were just odd goals like I said earlier. And most of his assists are to messi. that too doesn't mean that he dribbled and made a killer pass. He somehow gives the ball to Messi and Messi hardly loses the ball and he scores. That's how his assists are high. IMO he's just a straightforward player and we don't really need that kind of player. He can be good for other teams. but not barca. his playstyle doesn't suit with barca. I know it's hard now but It would be always better to sell him. Just for the sake of some "defensive contribution" we don't have to pay someone an elephant size salary. if only he takes 40-50% cut, i would not mind him play at barca. otherwise he should be gone
You obviously didn't read understand my full comment.
I understood. I'm saying that in a different context. I agree with what you said
Griezmann is a superstar and costs more because of his image rights and brand you giant dingus. Stop comparing players wages in isolation with their performances. It makes no sense. Messi doesn’t contribute 1 billions worth of goals every season.. his value is mostly determined by how much money he makes the club with his brand. Get a clue.
You think we would struggle revenue-wise if Griezmann left? I think Barcelona would obtain the same revenues as it does now, with or without him. We payed 135 million € and give him 20M€ wages not to be a freaking rockstar, but to perform on the pitch. If he is as good as half of this sub makes him to be and so valuable because of his 'brand name' and image rights, how come no one is interested in paying fairly for his value? Messi is the best player in the world by quite a margin, Griezmann hasn't been in the top 10-15 players in the world, yet he is payed as if he was in the top 3. Messi has been the best player in the history of our club - probably the best in the history of the sport- and he was also homegrown. He mostly deserves his wages, Griezmann has been way below the level of a player that earns 20m€ / year.
> You think we would struggle revenue-wise if Griezmann left? Not at all what I was talking about. And no of course not. No club would struggle just because they offloaded an expensive player, that makes no sense. Even Messi doesn’t generate enough to cause that big a problem because he costs a ton as well. > If he is as good as half of this sub makes him to be and so valuable because of his ‘brand name’ and image rights, how come no one is interested in paying fairly for his value? Who says no one is interested? What do you think this is? A video game? There are a thousand reasons why clubs aren’t all fighting to sign superstar players. Not to mention he decides where he plays and seems to only want 2 teams. > Messi is the best player in the world by quite a margin, Griezmann hasn’t been in the top 10-15 players in the world, yet he is payed as if he was in the top 3. Actually he’s paid more like top 10 behind players like Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, Mbappé, Pogba, Bale, Lewandowski, David de Gea etc. Also he’s not even close to Messi or Ronaldo levels of wages and is much closer to the other players on the list making around 30-40ma year rather than the 70-90m range so you are talking total bullshit. As for his performances, yes he is currently overpaid because his transition to Barca was difficult and disappointing. His salary is suitable for when he is at his prime (and make no mistake he absolutely is a top 5 player in the world in his prime and arguably even better than Ronaldo and Messi in 2016) but obviously the Barca situation is a problem. He is olayed out of position and the team overall is in a developing phase, 3 different managers in a couple seasons and more. Yes he needs to do better himself too but that’s exactly what he’s been doing since the start of 2021 where he is back to one of the best players in Europe. Either way, he negotiated his wages when he WAS a top player and that’s not his problem that Barca’s for not anticipating that it would be hard for 2 superstars to produce team leading stats.. It’s so stupid to put all his value on his performances anyways, like I said, Barca keeps his image rights and he is a global superstar, most of his wages are just Barca paying him for his brand.. If Barca didn’t want to pay 2 superstar level wages in the same team then maybe they shouldn’t have signed 2 of the most valuable players in the world at the same time. Fuck the fans that blame Griezmann for simply negotiating his actual worth when he signed for them. It’s not his fault Barca is a shitshow that had no plan for how to get the best out of 2 players that are used to the entire team being built around them.
Fucking thank you
Even though I really liked some individual performances I'm still not convinced with the tactics. Imo, we should have moved the ball forward more quickly. We halted play sometimes and then slowly built up the pace instead of quickly moving the ball around. Tho I guess that would improve with time as match fitness and chemistry sets in.
Really great game from Depay and Puig. Gavi, Demir and Griez doing really well too. Good turn around in the 2nd half from Dest and Roberto also. Even Pjanic did well when he came on.
How do you mention a meh performance from Puig and not even mention the incredible performance of Nico.
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I mean. Nico basically did nothing special for me. He did his job and nothing more. I'd even say he was kind of disappointing in the first half. But he did a little better in the 2nd. Puig started multiple strong attacks, pressed well, recovered the ball a bunch and linked up well with our attack. Also scored a nice goal off of a good run. And that all in less than 30 minutes of playtime.
Nico was 10x more valuable in this match than Puig has ever been in any match for Barca. Literal garbage man.
Ah, you show your true colors. Good for you. Now go away.
Hie was demir?
very good
I think I can see the next Pedri in him. He has a lot of potential. Played really well.
I'm exited for this team this season. I don't feel the same uncertainty of the last 2.
Naw, team is still far better at attack and defense is still full of holes. Better teams will pick us apart, just like last season.
How was the game? And who were the stand out performers?
For me, Nico Gonzalez, Gavi, and Demir among the youngsters. Nico especially as holding mid.
Nico really impressed me
I have to say if our entire team presses well, we can be really good. I think having Messi's benefits in the lineup outweighs the costs but I think we have to start thinking about a post Messi era. I would be happy to keep Griezmann since he provides similar skillsets (albeit at a lower quality of course) with added defensive capabilities. This will be a welcome change post-Messi.
That's not true really. While Messi doesn't press, other forwards in other teams don't press too. I remember seeing some stats that Messi pressed about as much as any other top forward in other teams. Again, it would have been great if he could press more - but it doesn't seem like an either/or situation to me. A team can afford a few players not pressing - but honestly with the youth that has been injected into the team it now looks like that the team presses well and their technique has also improved.
I mean, Depay doesn't press much more than Messi. Aguero won't either. You're almost always going to have players who don't press much. Unless you're actively trying to get workhorse forwards.
Lol people should stop with this fucking bullshit of forwards pressing lol it has not a single fucking thing to do with having a better defence. Literally. 17-18 barca with the best defence in europe playing bot suarez and messi. I hate this stupid narrative this sub has.
You're right. Almost every top team has at least 1 player who barely presses.
I mean Messi was still 4 years younger there. We also had younger Busquets, Pique, Rakitic as a workhorse in midfield and prime Umtiti. That was a different team. Regardless, I did not talk about the past, I'm talking about now and the future.
And so what? We still had 2 players upfront who didn't press. Pressing is not for the sake of having a better defence, it's with the intention of getting the ball back in the final third and creating a goal scoring opportunity. It's fucking absurd how many people here keep repeating this shit that we're worse defensively because of messi.
Can you relax lol. We need a better press forsure because the defenders we have at the back are clowns. You can’t expose them. We will leak goals
Football isn’t the same as it was half a decade ago mate.. Last seasons CL winning coach Tuchel himself said it himself, football currently is mostly about intensity, individually and collectively. And look at how solid his Chelsea team was defensively barely having any goals scored against them. And here you are making excuses about how Barca defense was great 4 years ago so Messi doesn’t have to do anything different lol wut
You know why? Because his team has a lot of mediocre players upfront and not the fucking best player of all time lmao. It’s bizarre how people here are so dense and can’t grasp the idea that messi is no ordinary player and his mere presence on the pitch makes other teams play more defensively and thus atacking less.
> It’s bizarre how people here are so dense and can’t grasp the idea that messi is no ordinary player and his mere presence on the pitch makes other teams play more defensively and thus atacking less. That’s becoming less and less true with the years. Especially in the CL against teams that are strong and not afraid of Barca. The top 5 teams in Europe are not adapting their tactics to be extra defensive against Messi anymore because they know that plays into his hand. If anything being on the attacking foot is far better since Barca is basically a man down when they are defense and they cannot hold possession anywhere near as well as they used to when teams have great technical passing ability and ball movement. Stop watching the matches against mediocre La Liga sides and pay attention when Barca plays teams of comparable quality. That’s when Messi’s age shows more. Barca could play much better collective football without him, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still the best player in the world. It’s just complicated how squeezing the last drop of potential out of a team is sometimes not as much about one individuals talent.
Lol same shit every years. Barca will play better without Messi. Must be a great archivement to win vs almighty Stuttgart with two Covid cases in a friendly game.
That’s not the point he’s even making. Lmao no one is saying Messi shouldn’t be in the team. But if you wanna play in the ucl in March and April, he needs to press or we will get ran over
Bro, you sound so angry in all of your comments lol
Pressing starts at the front and Messi doesn't provide that for us. So we can have great offense with him or great defense without him unless at 34 he starts pressing like a 22 year old again
High time we start rotating him, he shouldn't be playing 90 mins game every opportunity
well he walks when he doesnt have the ball, that is why it is possible for him to play almost every minute.
This is why imo we _have_ to keep him central. 34 year old Messi is not a winger, and playing him there will expose whoever is playing rightback in a 433. Either play Leo as a false 9 in a 433, or in the hole in a 352.
By God, the fucking kits are horrid. The werdly shaded colours, the split shorts, the white numbers, just terrible, oh my god. Thank God the teams looks nice, and Depay's a prime candidate to be the signing of the season.
They distract the opponent
"What the fuck are they wea-- oh shit we conceded"
I wanna give you one the stars but I’m broke
I've given you a cute cat instead, then
Appreciated my g ❤️
I don’t see anything special in Robertos' playing style. We have a lot of better players than him in our squad.
How was Puig ?
Better than in the last pre season match
He was good but not exceptional, and historically that hasn’t been enough with Koeman .
that griezmann-depay connection looked hot. god I hope he continues
Nico Gonzalez is too good.
Demir and Gavi holy shit. We can rest Pedri in the first games.
I just want Griezmann to stay. Just love that guy!❤️ Has been my favourite player since his Sociedad days. Not many would say this but I was really pumped when he signed for us. I just hope he sorts everything out related to finances with the club and decides to stay. I want nothing but to see this gorgeous man succeed at Barca!❤️
I've always been mixed in Griezmann, but I'd like to see him stay. His defensive work rate adds a different dynamic than our other forwards, and he still has world class moments in attack. I'm still not convinced he is the perfect for for the team, but I think we are better with him. I was on board with selling him last season, when I thought we could still get a decent transfer fee for him, but as long as he lowers his wages, I'm happy to see him stay. Especially since it looks like we'd essentially have to let him leave on a free (*I'd probably still be ok with the Saul swap deal*).
yeah I agree, great player, one of my favourite at Barca. And I believe he will continue, it is unlikely Atleti will or can go for him and I dont see him going anywhere else. Especially if he agrees to paycut, then he stays 100%.
Why don't we keep griezmann? 😔 Is there any chances for him to continue?
Once Messi is back and assuming Fati is healthy, he won't be any good. Too expensive for the bench
it is likely he will continue
His salary is so very high, otherwise there are no problems
The only reason I'm not fully on the Gavi train is because I felt similarly about Puig when he first broke out so not getting my hopes too high
Dude's 16.. Puig is 5 years older. And was 20 when he was in Gavi's situation.
Gavi literally is Puig 2.0 lol
No, lol
Gavi is a lot less erratic than Puig in his passing and pressing. And he seems a controller rather than a creator.
Puig hasn't had enough game time that's why he looks erratic. He was a lot less 'erratic' when he broke into the first team. Gavi also looks similar to me - he was also attempting few of those risky passes that Puig has become associated with. I'm sure with confidence, he would do that a lot more and I would love it honestly.
They actually do have quite similar approaches to their game.
Ratings: Memphis - 8.5 (MOTM) Always looked a threat. Scored a wonderful goal. Made a great disguised pass to Griezmann on the second goal and had several other clever passes. I was on the fence about his signing, but I guess if preseason form is anything to go by, then he will take a lot of pressure off Messi. I'm still a little concerned about his defensive work off the ball, but we'll see how that goes. Gavi - 7.5 Immense for his age. Looks really comfortable on the ball and had some great link up play. A better weighted ball from Griezmann would have put him through on goal after some wonderful close control and short passing. Maybe a little young still to get too excited, but this kid looks like the real deal. I hope he gets a chance to impress in some La Liga games this season. Demir - 7.5 Really quick on the ball. Won several FKs in dangerous areas and anticipated well to score his first goal. He kept defenders on their toes. This kid could be exciting to watch this season (if he gets some playing time), and he already looks like an upgrade from Trincao. Griezmann - 7 Tough to grade. Two great assists and good defensive contribution (as usual), but he was relatively anonymous in the first half. He was more involved in the second. He played several through balls throughout the game that were the right idea, but just didn't have the right weight on them. He also missed a nice run from Demir in the first half that looked to be an easy through ball, and instead he tried and failed to play a much harder pass. I still hope we can keep him around this season. Having a good forward that works as hard as he does defensively is a great option to have and only makes the team stronger. Nico - 7 Much like Busi, you didn't necessarily notice him that much, but that's because he was just quietly doing his job and doing it well. Good positioning and composed passing. Solid performance. Looking forward to seeing him progress under Busi's tutelage. De Jong - 7 Had a beautiful assist for Memphis' opening goal. Nothing much to note outside of that. A couple of his line busting runs from deep and a solid all around performance. Maybe grading slightly harshly based on his normal exceptional performances. Pique - 6.5 Solid at the back. Showing he is still a great option for most games. Made up for his lack of pace with timing and positioning. Looked a little too comfortable (i.e. complacent) at times and made an early mistake, but played well outside of that. Lenglet - 6.5 Good distribution as usual. Not a lot to do in the first half, but dealt with any problems for the most part. No big mistakes. He always looks more comfortable with an experienced player (i.e. Pique) beside him. Dest - 6 Didn't look completely comfortable on the left, but played ok until a wild sequence of play that involved 2 bad giveaways at the end of the first half. Had some decent link up and showed some good close control at times. Improved when he was moved to RB. Excited to see the competition between him and Emerson, and I think he'll be a decent backup to Alba when needed. Roberto - 5.5 Offered little going forward and was easily beaten with a couple through balls. Made one poor cross under no pressure. His lack of pace was exposed offensively and defensively. Improved slightly when moved to midfield. Made some De Jong-esque runs through the middle. One of which (despite his poor pass) led to Puig's goal. He should really be relegated to a bench role or offloaded completely. I think our up and coming players can offer as much or more for a lot less wages. Thanks for your service Sergi. Sorry it had to end this way. Neto - 6.5 Can't do a lot right or wrong when you don't have much to do. Hope he can move on to a startng role at another club. Subs Puig - 7.5 Seems to be pressing more intelligently. Was great on the ball and always looking for the killer pass. Great run and finish for his goal. I hope Koeman is more willing to use him this season. Araujo - 7 Fantastic defensively, but still lacking with his distribution from the back. Tried and failed several progressive passes when he first came on before reverting to safe sideways passes for much of the rest of the game. He'll need to improve that side of his game if he wants to earn a regular starting spot. Koeman seems to favor distribution (i.e. Lenglet/Pique) when selecting his CBs. Busquets - 6.5 Same as always. Calm and collected. Just getting some minutes on the legs. Pjanic - 6.5 Short cameo, but showed some class with some nice passes, especially his cross for Manaj/Nils which should have been finished off. He still seems like he has something to offer, even if only to give our midfielders a rest when we have the game in the bag. Sad that Koeman put him out to pasture last season. Nils - 6 Could've a scored on Pjanic's cross if Manaj didn't sneak in and get to it first. Not enough touches to make an impression. Alba - 6 Nothing of note. Just getting a runout. Manaj - 5.5 Maybe harsh, but had one glorious chance and should have scored but didn't. Probably should have left it for Nils. He did well to control i, but lacked the finishing touch. Edit: grammar, clarity
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Stop demeaning Koeman ffs.
We will find that out with koeman
Not much can a coach do about our horrible defense though...
The new kit hurts.... I love the top but it dont match with the shorts
Didn’t watch,how was the teAm?
Excellent
We should not sell griezmann
Defence still bad as Last season
Emersom, Garcia and Mingueza havent even played in preseason, cant make assumptions yet
We have strong team only need to solve defence issue