Rumor: FJ under evaluation as possible Alves replacement @ Barca

What is FJ at for this year? 8 or 9 starts? It seems like he's in favor right now - be great if he ran out the season as the #1.

 

Agreed. Getting regular playing time at Barca seems like a long shot. Champions league playing time at B.M. beckons.

 

Nine out of 27. Still not getting the five-star rating from me, though (I consider him a B player: not a regular starter yet). He needs five starts in a row to get that.

 

not really. I have a spanish friend in the usa who lives and breaths Barca. He has been sending me spanish links to FJ and Barca. There is no question that he is under serious consideration as a starting replacement for Alves.

 

It wasn't really 22 of 38, since he moved on deadline day. He missed their first 3 games. 22/35. That's 62%. Now factor in that a few of the games he didn't start were due to an injury.

He appeared in 29 of 35 games overall that he was eligible for in the league. He was their 3rd leading scorer overall, behind Bale and Defoe, with 12 goals and 7 assists.

 

Yep, Deuce was a regular starter w/the Spuds. Fabian is not w/M'gladbach, yet.

 

Being under "serious consideration" as a potential replacement for a player who may or may not leave at one of the most competitive and deep clubs in the world is a far cry from the near assured playing time he will receive at B.M.

 

M'gladbach is playing some pretty good soccer too. Not Barcelona, but not far behind.

 

Alves is leaving/not being invited to stay. And while Barca is deep - is it deep in Alves' position?

I honestly don't think the FJ to Barca is as far-fetched as some think. FJ's style of play and skills match up pretty well with what Barca looks for at left back: good enough defense and ability to get forward and assist in attack/switching sides of play. So while FJ may not be an automatic starter day 1, I don't see him embarrassing himself threading passes to that fearsome front line.

Especially because of Barca's financial penalties, FJ as a relatively cheap buy could make sense to them - to at least consider.

 

It's just nuts. FJ will be lucky to stick at BM's level. While his style fits Barcelona, his skill level just isn't there. Please.

 

Well, they have already two young guys who may prove fit to replace Alves: Douglas and Montoya.

If they're looking for someone else, it's more a temporal solution while the youngsters finish gaining experience.

http://www.espnfc.us/blog/the-toe-p...scores-incredible-basket-shot-during-training

 

I guess you know more than Barca scouts. FJ is very skillful.

 

I

I really don't understand how everyone sees FJ as a particularly technical player. He doesn't have a consistent first touch and his final ball ability is pretty underwhelming. He doesn't cross well and his shooting is far below average. He might be able to think with the Catalonians but his skill would be under the team standard.

What he has is elite pace and elite vision. He's essentially a poor man's Donovan with more bite.

 

I have seen him in person and his touch and skill are fantastic. You sure you aren't thinking of chandler?

 

Chandler is quite good with his club. Today he was right up there with Fabian in the "mad skillz" department.

 

If Barca signs him and he gets some playing time, I will admit I am wrong. My opinion is that it's BS and FJ has no chance of playing at Barca.

 

Barca= Veronica Vaughn
USMNT Fans= Chris Farley
Fabian= Farley's "friend"

 

one difference-this is all over the Spanish press. NOt US press, not Big Soccer, but the "respectable" spanish sports press (as resectable as sports press is ;-) )

 

just passing reports. Personally, I would prefer he stay at BM.

 

Same. He's likely to become an essential part in Gladbach. Also, he lacks some of the flair the Spanish media loves in players. He'd be like Özil, as soon as he has a couple of bad games, the Spanish press and public will bury him as useless.

In Spain they have a very low opinion of Northern European players (and Yanks, by extension), as physical guys with limited understanding of the game. Of course Germans are above that, but not by much. There is much more love for Italians, Portuguese, French or South American types (Mexicans are also usually above derision).

Guys like Bale and Kroos are held to a different standard (sort of like our Yanks abroad in England): the moment they stop producing at the top level, everybody starts saying they are donkeys. Fabian over there wouldn't last in their good graces for long. Because he's barely good enough to be considered, in the first place, for a team like Barcelona. And, second, because he's effective but has very little extra flair.

The Spanish pay their money to see fun moves too.

 

Little extra flair? FJ is a skilled baller. He chooses to make it count rather than do an extra step-over. His team is undeafeted when he starts. Dani Alves is still looking the other way when FJ schooled him a few years back in D.C.

 

Yep, that's what I mean by effective. FJ is that, without bells and whistles: a good player (with his club).

 

It's crazy how Barca keeps getting tied to player transfers when they litterally our out of recourse on at 2 window transfer ban.

 

And I commented on the veracity and judgment of those reports. We'll see.

 

Alves is past it and was a total clown sometimes, but are you really comparing FJ's skill to Alves's skill? FJ isn't even close.