PBP: UEFA Champions League - Matchday 3 | FC Barcelona v Inter Milan | 24 October 2018 [R]

Arthur was lowkey the best player yesterday

 

Yeah, big "if" in San Siro w/o Messi but even a draw would mean the group is realistically clinched (3 pt lead + tiebreak too much to overcome, IMO).

But let's hear more about how EV has gotten it all wrong!

 

I've seen Rafinha and I can say that he definitely has built chemistry with these lineups from wherever he is on the field. Everything he's done this season has been great.

I get that EV and just about every professional coach/manager is all about getting results then and there, and that they will stick with what they think is proven. "Development" is always a 2nd priority, and ironically for as much as they say La Masia, La Masia, the senior side doesn't really have a lot of room for patience, unless of course they come from La Masia.

I guess I'm more annoyed that this team spent big to sign these kids, and they can barely crack the lineup. I really don't know what happened to Dembele...he was doing well in September, then he had a bad game, was benched, and can't even play in important games anymore.

Hoping that this is a rough patch, but if not, just move on and sell.

 

Basically but not more than your PSG jinx haha.

I just see 140M€ plus 40M€ wasted, why sign them? Bart should be pissed if he spends that much an they don't play. It's like not doing your homework before buying someone. It can't be that hard just watching a few videos. Is EV taking a dump on Bart and the board as well? It's a mystery to me.

 

Dembele is 21, Malcom 21 as well. If they can avoid bad attitude when it's not their time to play, they might succeed here (or not here, elsewhere). Same with Vidal, although older. From the outside, tough to really say how they act in training sessions, locker rooms etc.

 

I mean Dembele was doing well to start this season and all of a sudden he's on the bench. He's 4th on the whoscored ratings for this team with already 1 MOTM.

Suarez wasn't doing so great to begin this season, but he gets the benefit of the doubt and I'm not sure he's been subbed out.

Something's happened and were not seeing the full picture.

 

But like others, seems like you're asking for things that are almost impossible. When Dembele was playing regularly, people were saying how come EV isn't playing Arthur? Then he plays Arthur and all I hear is, how come he's not playing Dembele and Vidal?

You can't start 15 guys each match, unfortunately.

When Dembele was dropped, Barca started controlling matches, getting more possession and better results. We can debate whether that's merely a coincidence or if its cause and effect, but the correlation is clear and obvious.

 

What happened was that they saw how much better the team played and controlled games when Arthur was on. So then you need to bench one of Messi, Busi, Suarez, Coutinho, Rakitic, or Dembele to make a place for Arthur. Dembele was a pretty easy decision of those 6, though I know some would love to see Rakitic dropped instead.

Even when Suarez struggles to score his movement and his passing, his defense, his determination/effort/hustle, and his over all smart team play are generally really important to our team's success.

 

Better results? Seriously? Haha, I'd say opposite. Benching Dembélé just cause he drops balls is stupid. He's a 140M€ purchase that should have not happened if EV and Barto wanted another Messi. Its clear he's not that type of player. Without Dembele Barca would be another 6p behind.

No you can't start 15 players but you don't need to play Craperto or Rafinha or Munir when you have Dembele, Malcom. They don't become better by rotting on the bench or coming in the 88th min either. They should be nurtured. Munir, Rafinha all failed and where loaned out just to come back and take minutes from high profile and more talented players with more potential.

Don't blame Dembele for the shitty defending if Pique, Lenglet, Vermalen. A defence should not leak if a forward loses the ball.

 

half an hour late? no wonder he's on the bench.
and after the way Rafinha played, Dembele needs to get his shit together.

📰 [MD] | Dembélé arrived 25 minutes late before the Barça-Inter match, according to Cuatro

🔶 The players were summoned at 7 and all were punctual, except for the Frenchman who showed up almost half an hour later pic.twitter.com/zQ0f4LoIVH

— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) October 25, 2018

 

These are simply facts. 10 points in 4 games since dropping Dembele. All 4 games against tough opposition, w/o Umtiti. Compare to 5 points in previous 4 games against weak opposition.

The style of play has also improved, even though the rhetoric in this forum hasn't caught-up to that reality.

I don't blame Dembele but the fact is Barca are playing better w/o him. Like I said, could just be a coincidence since the sample size is too small to draw any conclusions. But also have to consider how everything is connected (i.e. offense - midfield -defense) and just because an attacker is scoring some nice goals, doesn't mean the overall play is better with him on the field. And when you're winless in 3-4 games its not the time to worry about a player's development. You have to change something quickly and get some good results before worrying about player's delicate feelings again.

 

🎯 2018/19 group stage pass masters: midfielders 👌 #UCL pic.twitter.com/oPerYFhkDI

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 25, 2018

 

📈 | Barça has reached today 28 home games unbeaten in the UCL.

The ‘Unbeaten FC’. pic.twitter.com/3lvSrCrzA5

— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) October 25, 2018

 

dembele loses the ball too much when he dribbles, with no back up will cause to a counter. he has not linked up well with teammates.

 

OTOH it takes him 20 less minutes to get ready for a match compared to everyone else because he only begins suiting up when he realizes he is being subbed on.

 

he also takes too long to make up his mind and slows the game down.
Rafinha runs slower but thinks faster.
but Dembele is young. he'll be fine, he just needs to grow up and knuckle down.
riding the bench for stretches is part of the process.
we just need to be patient with him.

 

So basically Bartomeu splashed out 140€M just to save his own arse from being thrown out. Clever guy. Apparently this purchase had nothing to do with player quality rather only to please everyone after the Neymar debacle. (or the scouts lied).

 

Its a bit more nuanced than that, but basically "Yes" on both counts.

 

True signings don't always work but it doesn't always depend on the player.. it could also depend on the coach, club or?

I think a signing like Dembele has been handled very poorly, same for Malcom.

I think it's stupid from clubs to try and discipline players by playing worse players ahead of them just to punish so they will stay in line. It's more destructive than constructive if someone doesn't know how to. EV is a simpleton in that regard.

 

Well, Coutinho and Messi are not worse players than Dembele and those are the two that started ahead of him for the most part. Yesterday was the exception, but also fully justified if the rumor about him arriving late is true. Late for practice is bad enough, but late for a freakin' match??

 

also fully justified by Rafinha's performance.