We all joke, but Paulinho's off the ball movement is fantastic. The dummy was class. And watch the 6th goal.
I saw each and every one of Paulinho's games for Brazil in the WCQ, and he has been sensational for them. Was still skeptical -- due to his Spurs days. Now I am feeling more and more convinced that the real Paulinho is from Brazil's WCQ, and not the Spurs version. EPL is not for everyone anyways. Also, Messi should just play false 9.
Its great that Paulinho and Messi has natural chemistry, similar to Neymar-Messi in previous 3 seasons. They knoww where each other is going to make the run.
Good game from MAtS. Saved two point-blank chances. On a related note, Kinda worrisome that Eibar could have easily scored 3-4 goals. Deulo is just not Barca calibre. Plain and simple. Glad to see Vidal play well. Hopefully that was enough to convince V that he should play instead.
why anyone thought that a player that could not make the cut at Everton would be any good to us is beyond me hopefully Deloufeu is shipped out next season...
Well I am not really defending him to any great extent but he had moments of real quality in Milan and before that less so in England and Spain on loan (or sale with buyback), plus, his initial knock was that he thought he was the next superstar, and did not have to play defense. He seemed humbled and ready to work and to adapt to the right situation. And he had the La Masia thing going too. So with Barca sitting with a right to buy him back for 12M, and not having any La Masia forwards to advance from Barca B, and having just spent 30M plus to sign Paco to play behind NSM, and with the threat of losing Neymar, and knowing that if we, Barca, were seeking Deulofeu on the open market the price would be way higher. Plus the experience of Morata at Juve back to Real then sold to England also made Barca jump to sign a young forward back for a reasonable valuation, where, even if he was not a great fit, you could hopefully sell him for a profit. Against that backdrop, and the fumbling buying activity of the Barca board and technical staff, I am still happy the club resigned him. Even before Dembele's injury. Might he turn into a Cuenca or Tello or Gio Dos Santos or countless others who did not ultimately stick with the first team, but it was an OK 12M to spend. Here's highlights:
I disagree. I think he brings pace and positioning when he plays. He needs time to gel with the rest of the team as well. With Deloufeu I think that something good might happen when he touches the ball. He also hustles back and plays the high pressure midfield press that we are deploying this season. I had low hopes for Paulinho and he's exceeded even my wildest expectations. james
He has value vs. bottom feeders IMO. If nothing else he seems willing to run a back line ragged where you can sub in someone of higher quality for the kill. Would I upgrade if give the opportunity? Sure, but he can be useful if used correctly.
Thanks for the history. I wasn't fully clear on what led Deulofeu back to Barca. For $12M I think he is worth it. He could be a good 70th minute sub that injects pace against tired defenders. That said, three years from now he'll be playing at Girona or some club like that and I will have forgotten again what the heck he was ever doing at Barca.
I dunno I still see him as a Cuenca/tello type of player Unlikely to become a Pedro type of player But who knows I suppose...its not like we have options with dembele out
I watched the highlights over and over and am also pleasantly surprised by his intelligent movement and involvement. Great start!
He showed it in the second-half against Getafe and first-half against Eibar. But yeah... that's not nearly enough to warrant substantial playing time.
Notice how he creates space for Messi by taking the defender with him ( on the second goal and more obvious on the fourth goal ) i don't mind him playing as CF in case Suarez gets injured or suspended , at least it'll be much better than Paco and with his strength and jumping/heading ability we might actually find someone who can get on the end of all these countless crosses which go to waste every game.