The Importance of Being Ernesto - The 2017-2018 Season thread [R]

I like the away shirt, kinda 05-06 vibe.

The home shirt is a little bland, though. A question of taste, but in general fewer and fatter stripes work better. I mean how much nicer is the 2014-2015 shirt than the forthcoming one...

 

I still like the 1999-2000 the best.

 

2010-11, with the yellow collar, was probably my favourite kit.

i like the yellow highlighter, hoping for dark shorts though.

 

Favorite home shirt?
Mayba pre-1990s. No sponsor, no frills, just a shirt for the players to wear, not for the fans to buy..
And BLUE shorts, not red!

 

+ individual awards
+ NT stuff

The best Spanish footballer ever? Or just even with Xavi?

 

Roberto left out of Spain's world cup team but makes La Liga's team of the season (ahead of Dani Carvajal and Odriozola), along with Alba, Umtiti, Rakitic, and Messi:

Oblak
Roberto-Bartra-Umtiti-Alba
Parejo-Rakitic-Isco
Messi-Aspas-Ronaldo
​

http://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2018/05/22/5b03cc13468aeb05618b4588.html

 

Has either player ever explained why when they played with Barca Xavi wore 6 and Iniesta wore 8, but when they played for Spain they switched with Iniesta wearing 6 and Xavi wearing 8?

 

Yes. It was because of what numbers were free when they joined the team (or at least made it as a regular). At least I remember reading it being so, could be wrong.

 

Philip Cocu wore #8 during Xavi's first years with Barca. Although Xavi initially wore #26 and then #16 with Barca which tends to indicate that #6 is his preferred number anyway.

With Spain, Xavi didn't wear single digits until WC 2006 (at least that was the first major tournament with his #8). Iniesta wore #13. But for Euro 2008 Albelda, who had been wearing #6, didn't make the squad. There seemed to be an opportunity there for Xavi to go to #6 and Iniesta to #8 but for whatever reason they didn't (maybe its just traditional to keep your number once you have something in the #1 to 11 range).

 

Lousy selection

 

michael cox, from zonal marking, says they both wanted #6 at Barca, so Xavi let Iniesta have it for the national team.

 

maybe they idolized one the past wearers of the #6? Bakero maybe?
interestingly no LBs on the list, mostly midfielders:

Past wearers of #6:
Dani Alves (15/16), Xavi (01/02 - 14/15), Iván de la Peña (00/01), Ronald de Boer (98/99 - 99/00), Óscar García (95/96 - 98/99), José Mari Bakero (89/90 - 96/97), Eusebio (91/92 - 94/95), Guillermo Amor (93/94), Miguel Ángel Nadal (91/92), Johan Neeskens (78/79)

 

So why didn't we keep Iniesta for another year . Seems to be back to his best of late !

Even have him on the coaching staff and part time player .

We have let Puyol , Xavi and now Iniesta walk away from Barca !!!

Criminal

 

Well Puyol was different than the other two, he had multiple injuries, surgeries, long painful recoveries, and decided his body could not take it any more. He did not play elsewhere. The only thing bad was how his boss/mentor was scapegoated by the board, so Puyol himself left our employ and is now a player agent, but that was after he stopped playing.

Xavi and Iniesta are similar, both were playing less and finding it harder to play full games at their highest level twice a week and at the level required by Barca, Liga play, CL play, Spanish NT. Both realized they could extend their careers, get huge paydays, and still be top players in a smaller league (and quitting the national team). They left Barca for much less competitive leagues. Iniesta had that right in his contract, in Xavi's case Barca and he mutually rescinded his contract so he could choose his own path and get a bigger salary (by Barca not insisting on a transfer fee). That to me is honorable of the club, not criminal.

Iniesta had that already written into his contract, Xavi was granted that right in recognition of years of faithful service. Each left when they could still contribute to Barca, albeit in smaller minutes, each left on top, as all great athletes should be allowed to do. Would it help the club to have Iniesta here next year in an even smaller role? Sure, but that was not what Iniesta wanted to do.

 

What i really hated though that Puyol was replaced with Vermaelen who was injured 99% of the time he spent in Barca , even with all the injures and problems puyol faced he would've still been able to play more than him , at least until 2015 when he could've retired in a good farewell with that triple