Rumor: Mission Impossible: Replacing Infinito ∞ | The 2018-19 Transfer Thread

True. It would make sense that Chelsea would want him desperately. Man Utd too. Although I don't think any of these options stack-up well to Barca, from AG's POV.

 

Even if AG doesn’t join us, we don’t give a shit. He already embarrassed himself by rejecting us previously. Our main priority should’ve been signing someone like Luka Jovic as a ST, but now he’s moving to LPB. Who’s the best young striker available in the market?

 

Anyways de Ligt deal is almost done. https://www.sport-english.com/en/ne...n-sight-as-ajax-teen-nears-barca-move-7455258

 

?????

https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/football/first-team/players/6899/Alexandre-Lacazette#

 

Supposedly, Man City may oust Gabriel Jesus to make room for Joao Felix.

 

I have always liked Lacazette since his U20 World Cup days, and he would be better than Griezmann in my opinion for how we play.

 

I don't see how Lacazette could be anything more than a back-up striker for Suarez. He never really 'made it' in the EPL playing for a team that has a similar style to Barca. He is not good enough to replace Suarez in the short-term, and not young enough to replace him in medium-term.

That said, if we can get him cheap then it would obviously still help to have a backup for Suarez. But I would prefer someone much younger who wouldn't be disgruntled at seeing a lot of the bench initially.

 

Have you not seen him since Christmas ??

 

Who knows what will happen and when, but Bartomeu confirmed that Valverde will continue as the coach next season.

In my opinion, that's a little surprising. I don't know if it's a good move. I mean, time after time I've been of the opinion that he is a good coach, and suits Barca, but I don't know.

I know the 2nd legs in Rome and Anfield are just two matches, but I'm doubtful whether Valverde can improve our mentality, which were the key in both matches. Admittedly, good signings mean a lot, whoever the coach, and Valverde's Barca is already a team more or less equal to City and Pool, and with a couple of sharp transfers moves, who knows.

 

Madness. If Barca go on to win anything next season then it will be down to the players and not the manager, in the past couple of seasons he has clearly shown that he is tactically inept when it matters.

 

Pique maybe as he seems very vocal. But I am not sure about Messi. He looks like one of those person who does not like to interfere with the board/coach decisions. I mean we are talking about the guy who didn’t even ask his coach for any specific players to be played in the WC which very well can be his last.

 

I don't know. I mean, I'm sure Bartomeu could hire someone that the senior players would be happy about. "Players being behind the coach" at a situation like this, in media, doesn't sound like players really want the coach the continue, it sounds like they are polite in public until the end of the season.

I agree that if it's between Messi and coach, coach goes. But this is not like that.

I also agree that it's not Bartomeu deciding this alone, it's a group decision essentially regardless of who signs or doesn't sign the decision papers officially. Bartomeu is not a footballing specialist compared with some other peopl in the club, and coach recruitment is a football decision, so only right that he isn't alone in deciding.

 

I disagree. Valverde is at fault of our shortcomings like the players, but he also deserves praise for his achievements like the players.

To me, tactics are not Valverde's problem. The problem is our two semifinal losses, and in them, it was a mentality issue, imo.

I feel like people who trash Valverde don't back the trashing with convincing arguments.

If it was up to me, I'd change the coach this summer, but Valverde is a good coach, and if we continue with him, I believe in the team fully.

 

Tactically, we have to make sure not to win a first leg by 3 goals next season so that the mental issue doesn't arise.

 

Yep. Messi's freek-kick at Camp Nou killed us.

It's not only Barcelona, but many, many other clubs at the top as well: it's kinda surprising how teams perform so much weaker in CL away matches than at home. I get the crowd matters etc, but that home/away difference is so huge is kinda bonkers to me.

 

Completely disagree. Forget Rome, or many other games in the last 2 seasons where we struggled to deal with high pressing team in liga and saving the point or winning the game felt like being lucky. You can just watch/recall the 1st leg CL, and wonder what the ******** was EV doing when he named the starting 11 for 2nd leg.

We were struggling to keep pace with this exact lineup at our own home ground and things looked much better when he subbed in Semedo and took out Coutinho. Not only did we look compact but were finding it easier to counter as Vidal and SR were making the runs through the middle instead of using the flanks.

The very next game, where the main objective was to not concede in the first minutes and hit Liverpool with fast counters, this “good tactical coach” fielded the exact team that was struggling at our own backyard just a week ago.

These players definitely had the Roma loss in mind and as soon as the 2nd goal went in, the third just followed because they were shitting their pants. Be honest and tell me if you didn’t feel similarly while watching the match?

The players, fans, media, and the opposing fans all were saying that if Liverpool gets an early goal it will be game on. Everyone knew the Roma loss in this situation will get into our players head and you know who could have prevented all this? Ya the coach, by simply not playing the same ********ing players/formation from a week ago that was struggling at Camp Nou.

 

I don’t know who’s got the daftest board ... us or ManU ..

 

Perfect post

 

It's normal that teams who end up high(est) on the table get a significant amount of their wins thanks to late goals.

1st leg CL? Valverde picked a team/tactics, and that team/tactics brought in a 3-0 win. Well done. I don't know what people were expecting, "getting tactics right = easy trashing of Liverpool"?

The "same team" kept a clean sheet against Liverpool. "Not conceding early" is a good idea that any team wants, but the success of the tactical plan can't be measured by the simple question whether we conceded or not. Like, a plan can be good, even when the execution is not perfect. Not to mention that after the first half, we were losing 0-1 (leading the aggregate 3-1), which, against Liverpool is not a work of a dumb fool. Also, I don't think it's a fact that our main objective was to hit with fast counters.

After their scored their second, yes, I felt a third coming, and like I said, to me, it was a mental issue more than a tactical issue. Simply, it felt like the team felt what the audience felt - that a third was on its way, and in 3-3, a draw, that Liverpool was going to win.

There is no tactic that can guarantee you don't concede early. However you want to defend, conceding takes one attack, and sometimes balls go in. The decisions Valverde had made the whole season had made the team win Liga (comfortably) and got to CdR final, and beat the mighty Liverpool 3-0.

Ultimately, I guess it's a matter of how we view the Camp Nou performance. You think we were poor, I think we were good. I can't expect stylish, easy wins over opponents like these.

As for Roma experience, I think it's easy to say now that it was still a burden. But before the match, a coach should've thought that "well, we started this way in Camp Nou and beat them 3-0, but I think Rome is haunting them so let's put Semedo to RB, take out Coutinho, and the Rome doesn't haunt them anymore"?

We lost 4-3 to a team that is absolutely brilliant. It's a not a sign of stupid coach, it's a sign of small margins. Had a late chance of ours gotten in at Anfield, we would've been in the final, and Valverde would've not done anything differently.

I mean really, there are how many coaches in the world? Let's radically underestimate and say 10 000. Really think that a club at Barca's level, with all the analytical resources, money to pick a coach of their liking, just roll with a dude who is out-coached by forum warriors? Obviously he should get criticism, but what coach is good enough? Pep keeps fumbling at CL, Klopp threw out a huge lead in EPL (and lost 3-0 at Camp Nou), Zidane was totally lost in league last time he played a full campaign, and so on. All of these are good coaches, but margins are small. Those who end up at the wrong side of the margin aren't idiots, even if things didn't go their way that time.

Obviously, agree to disagree. And for the record, I'd rather we change our coach than continue with Valverde, though he is very good regardless of who coaches Barca next season.

 

For whatever reason, Barca at home and Barca away from home are two completely different propositions.
I’m convinced that if Barca had hosted the second legs of Roma and Liverpool they would have advanced.