FC Barcelona Discussion

[SirBalon]

On another note, Pablo Moreno moving to Juventus is an odd one to be honest because in general (I do mean general), Juventus traditionally only bet on ready made players and the Italian league (Serie 'A') is very much like this on a larger scale by comparison to the other top leagues.

He should've gone to Napoli if he wanted to try his chance in Italy.

[El Profesor]

Only 1h30min from Arthur´s debut with Barça. It´s happening, @SirBalon! Excited for my boy. Hopefully he impresses Barça fans tonight and I´m also hoping for a good debut by Malcom as well. 

[SirBalon]

8 minutes ago, El Profesor said:

Only 1h30min from Arthur´s debut with Barça. It´s happening, @SirBalon! Excited for my boy. Hopefully he impresses Barça fans tonight and I´m also hoping for a good debut by Malcom as well. 

I'm trying to wait up for it too... Although I may have to go to bed and watch it tomorrow because I've got it for record.  It's getting a bit late but I really want to see Arthur play.

[El Profesor]

Watched the game. It was worth staying up. 

Some impressions: 

- Arthur looked comfortable and had a very good debut. The same for Lenglet; 

- Semedo and Rafinha were very impressive. In my opinion, Barcelona should keep Rafinha. He looks much more confident, the Inter loan did him a lot of good; 

- Marlon was solid. Everton should take a look, a package for Mina, Digne and Marlon makes sense for them;

_ Riqui Puig, he has a future. Kid looks really good; 

- Malcom played with the Barcelona B in the 2nd half, but he showed some flashes, I liked what I´ve seen; 

- The guy who´s impressed from Barça B was Ballou. Good player. I also liked Cucurella.

 

 

[Carnivore Chris]

Yeah I think Rafinha should be kept as well. His only problem really has been the lengthy injury he sustained. Before that, be was part of the set up and was even one of the top scorers for half of a season the other year. After an impressive loan spell at Celta, I was expecting him to kick on and do well at Barça, although he has had his set backs with injuries and definitely deserves another chance for me. He's yet another option in midfield and further proves my point in what I've been saying to @SirBalon about how no more midfielders are required. Links to the likes of Parejo and Rabiot make no sense for me.

Great to see Arthur score and have a solid debut. Impressing in pre-season only helps his case.

Semedo is class, he has to be first choice right back.

Edited July 29, 2018 by The Rebel CRS

[Carnivore Chris]

The Joan Gamper trophy will be a re-run of the 2008 edition and will be against Boca Juniors.

Interesting fixture. The Joan Gamper trophy is the best game of Barcelona's pre-season. It's always a decent fixture and something worth the watch. You also know that the season is truly about to start once that comes around.

Last year's especially, against Chapecoense, was a special night.

[SirBalon]

I'm gonna watch it in a minute because I knew I'd end up falling asleep before it started 

That Arthur goal looks brilliant on that tweet though.

[Carnivore Chris]

It looks like Munir will stay and that makes sense to me. He did well at Alavés and he certainly offers the required depth, as we forget how young he still is. He, along with Malcom, offer options and the club can cash in on Paco Alcacer, who would be a positive signing for alot of clubs in Spain. 

Keep Munir and Rafinha, promote Cucurella and Aleñá and get rid of Digne, Gomes and Paco Alcacer. That makes sense to me. 

Edited July 29, 2018 by The Rebel CRS

[SirBalon]

20 minutes ago, The Rebel CRS said:

It looks like Munir will stay and that makes sense to me. He did well at Alavés and he certainly offers the required depth, as we forget how young he still is. He, along with Malcom, offer options and the club can cash in on Paco Alcacer, who would be a positive signing for alot of clubs in Spain. 

Keep Munir and Rafinha, promote Cucurella and Aleñá and get rid of Digne, Gomes and Paco Alcacer. That makes sense to me. 

Looks like Gomes will be staying due to the injury he suffered against Spurs last night.  There were several clubs chasing him but he'll now be out for two months minimum and I doubt any decent club will bet on signing him now due to the length of time.

[SirBalon]

20 minutes ago, Cannabis said:

Yeah forgot to mention that, with the injury there's no chance he will depart. I don't think he will move in January either so expect him to get another season. 

In a way, the perfect way to bounce back from a disappointing first season. 

Had it been his first season then there would be a pardon available mate.  But last season was his second and he will be going into his third year at the club starting in August.

[SirBalon]

8 minutes ago, Cannabis said:

Time flies 

It certainly does mate and just wait until you hit the 35 years of age mark because for some unknown reason then you stop registering time altogether and years feel like months. 

[El Profesor]

Unlucky break for Gomes. Obviously, injuries are never welcomed but this one in special is tough. I feel like he has to leave Barça in order to rebuild his career and now it´ll take more 6 months. 

[SirBalon]

9 minutes ago, El Profesor said:

Unlucky break for Gomes. Obviously, injuries are never welcomed but this one in special is tough. I feel like he has to leave Barça in order to rebuild his career and now it´ll take more 6 months. 

When Barça signed him I genuinely thought it was a perfect match because of what I'd seen of André at both Benfica and Valencia... Most people if not all thought it was a coup because we also have to take into consideration that the signing was a one on one battle with Real Madrid for his signature on a contract.

Nobody thought it would be like it's been and to be fair, injuries haven't been at fault here.  It seems to be a psychological issue from everything I've read and heard and he just can't get it out of his system no matter how much help has been provided. These types of mental blocks only get worse and worse where sporting performances (form) is in question because we all know confidence is way over 50% of what a footballer needs to perform freely.

Without a doubt he needs to move to rebuild his career and he's still relatively young so there's time.  It doesn't benefit either him or the club for him to have this lingering issue in his professional career.

I also want to add that this is a show of how difficult it is to bed into the Barcelona midfield.  It's the most difficult midfield to cut it and make a mark in the world of club football and he isn't the first to have failed.

[Carnivore Chris]

On 29/07/2018 at 22:23, SirBalon said:

When Barça signed him I genuinely thought it was a perfect match because of what I'd seen of André at both Benfica and Valencia... Most people if not all thought it was a coup because we also have to take into consideration that the signing was a one on one battle with Real Madrid for his signature on a contract.

Nobody thought it would be like it's been and to be fair, injuries haven't been at fault here.  It seems to be a psychological issue from everything I've read and heard and he just can't get it out of his system no matter how much help has been provided. These types of mental blocks only get worse and worse where sporting performances (form) is in question because we all know confidence is way over 50% of what a footballer needs to perform freely.

Without a doubt he needs to move to rebuild his career and he's still relatively young so there's time.  It doesn't benefit either him or the club for him to have this lingering issue in his professional career.

I also want to add that this is a show of how difficult it is to bed into the Barcelona midfield.  It's the most difficult midfield to cut it and make a mark in the world of club football and he isn't the first to have failed.

I was the one who didn't. I rated him highly at Valencia and I can remember banging on about him to you, but I never thought he was the right man for Barcelona from the day he signed, it just wasn't the right fir for me. I also think he left Valencia too soon. In fact, he should probably go back there(in January now) along with Paco Alcacer, as they in the Champions league now and both were settled there.

[Kowabunga]

On 29/7/2018 at 23:23, SirBalon said:

When Barça signed him I genuinely thought it was a perfect match because of what I'd seen of André at both Benfica and Valencia... Most people if not all thought it was a coup because we also have to take into consideration that the signing was a one on one battle with Real Madrid for his signature on a contract.

Nobody thought it would be like it's been and to be fair, injuries haven't been at fault here.  It seems to be a psychological issue from everything I've read and heard and he just can't get it out of his system no matter how much help has been provided. These types of mental blocks only get worse and worse where sporting performances (form) is in question because we all know confidence is way over 50% of what a footballer needs to perform freely.

Without a doubt he needs to move to rebuild his career and he's still relatively young so there's time.  It doesn't benefit either him or the club for him to have this lingering issue in his professional career.

I also want to add that this is a show of how difficult it is to bed into the Barcelona midfield.  It's the most difficult midfield to cut it and make a mark in the world of club football and he isn't the first to have failed.

I wasn't in the bandwagon either. Silky smooth and elegant player but somewhat lacking overall and above all not a clear fit in the Barça system. I guess Barça bet big on him being a very adaptable player in terms of specific roles and he doesn't look good at that.

[SirBalon]

1 hour ago, The Rebel CRS said:

I was the one who didn't. I rated him highly at Valencia and I can remember banging on about him to you, but I never thought he was the right man for Barcelona from the day he signed, it just wasn't the right fir for me. I also think he left Valencia too soon. In fact, he should probably go back there(in January now) along with Paco Alcacer, as they in the Champions league now and both were settled there.

 

1 minute ago, Kowabunga said:

I wasn't in the bandwagon either. Silky smooth and elegant player but somewhat lacking overall and above all not a clear fit in the Barça system. I guess Barça bet big on him being a very adaptable player in terms of specific roles and he doesn't look good at that.

Well it's obvious that what I thought at the time was incorrect because the results are there although I continue to think there's more of a mental issue in all of this than a lack of the necessary attributes.  What's for sure is that the outcome has been exactly what you guys thought initially.

[Kowabunga]

Just now, SirBalon said:

 

Well it's obvious that what I thought at the time was incorrect because the results are there although I continue to think there's more of a mental issue in all of this than a lack of the necessary attributes.  What's for sure is that the outcome has been exactly what you guys thought initially.

I often grow fond of broken things, so maybe I will get in the bandwagon now.  

 

[SirBalon]

Gennaro Gattuso on Riqui Puig; 

"You look at him and you think that he has too much of a baby face to be able to play against the best.  But then when you've witnessed him play you understand that the art of poetry doesn't respect time."

Unforgettable words that I'm sure will be remembered by people as Puig's career advances.

[RandoEFC+]

[Carnivore Chris]

On 05/08/2018 at 09:19, SirBalon said:

 

 

Unforgettable words that I'm sure will be remembered by people as Puig's career advances.

There is a lot of quality within the youth ranks that have potential to do big things. The problem is, do the club have the patience these days? There is high pressure on managers to win trophies and this makes it difficult for them.

With Digne leaving though, this now leaves a spot for one to step into, as Alba needs back-up in that position and I reckon Valverde will want to rest and rotate more in the league this season. It looks as though that man will be Juan Miranda, who has a lot of potential and has impressed in pre-season. I do personally believe that giving the position to Cucurella might have been more ideal though currently due to age. Miranda looks as though he has even more potential than Cucurella and is impressing a lot more, although at 18 it could be rushing him. Maybe a season in the B team would have made more sense first? Then again, he is a real talent and maybe he is ready to be a part of the first team set-up.

Let's also note that Miranda recently signed a new deal for 3 years, with a clause of 200 million euros. This shows the club's intentions of keeping the most talented young players. Oriol Busquets himself now has a huge clause if I'm not mistaken. There is hope.

 

Edited August 7, 2018 by The Rebel CRS

[Danny]

Puig looks like a child, definitely needs some of Messi's growth hormones.

There was a moment against AC Milan where someone's arm rubbed Puig's face and he went down to the floor and done about 10 rolls before mustering the strength to get up off the ground, definitely has that Barce DNA.

[SirBalon]

7 hours ago, Danny said:

Puig looks like a child, definitely needs some of Messi's growth hormones.

There was a moment against AC Milan where someone's arm rubbed Puig's face and he went down to the floor and done about 10 rolls before mustering the strength to get up off the ground, definitely has that Barce DNA.

He's a wicked player mate! 

[Danny]

6 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

He's a wicked player mate! 

He looked like a child but outclassed the men, did look decent!

[Dave]

Messi announced as club captain ahead of Pique.

[SirBalon]

On 10 August 2018 at 16:29, The Palace Fan said:

Messi announced as club captain ahead of Pique.

Piqué will never be first captain at Barça for the simple reason that he's too vocal and straight after proved this after being asked the question in what he felt being nominated as one of the 4 captains.  He said that he will continue to speak his mind!

For those that don't know, the captains at Barcelona are named by the players in a vote and not the coach or anyone in the technical department.