Correct. Poreba scored a lot of goals so some people believe he's a striker. You have to admit it's nice to ask a rhetorical question like that. Maybe Boltz will be the 2026 MLSNP Golden Boot winner.
MUSINGS I was thinking more about the 3CB vs 2CB banter...and who that would put on or off the pitch. It's certainly arguable which combination of midfielders would end up playing [a) Guti may be gone (and then who would replace him) b) D'avilla may not be as good as Saletros at CDM, c) we don't know how long before Franco is back in form] but it doesn't change the overall choice '1 more CB or 1 more CM'...or '1 more ST'. 5-4-1 (3-4-3) would require us to play TLD and Waterman...and best case 1CB (likely Elliott) is able to occasionally move up into the attack. But our wingbacks have shown they are not fast enough to cover endline to endline, so it would mean all 3 CBs need to remain a back when they are up to be able to interrupt sideline counters and not leave a big hole in the middle. It does pack the box on D and give more players to 'build from the back'. If 2 of the CBs had wheels, or both wingbacks were able to get back, it would be more appealing, but not with the roster we have. Where as a 4-3-3 swaps Waterman (or TLD) for a playmaker...and on D it settles into the common 4-4-2. The Guti and Franco timings, plus who would be the best avail/true impact DP means there are obviously many more ways it could play out...but for me, every combination is more appealing than benching one out of these 3CM combinations to play a 3rd CB. FWIW, if Guti is sold, a DP like Griezmann that can play CAM, False 9, Winger, and even striker would be an ideal add to the roster. IF 3CB is our future, then the role choice for a DP is less clear. Maybe loan Barroso out and pick up a strong right back (think Roldan is a FA). Bottomline, being able to play 3CB at times is helpful, but I really hope that is not how things end up being in most of our games.
Lots of good thoughts. If Fire can play both 3CB and 2 CB formations effectively, it pressures opponents in both pre-game planning and on the field adjustments. At the risk of being repetitive, I repeat that the odds highly favor a Guti sale shortly. Replacing him with a Griezman-like DP CAM now who can also play striker and winger would be a winning idea. It would provide a multitude of options. Not just upfront but also in midfield. Think about it. D’Avilla -#6, Saletros- #6/#8, Franco (late year?)-#8/#10, Guti ( until midyear?)- #10 , new DP -#10/ front row. Careful consideration indicates this would not really be midfield duplication for a team playing a mixture of 3CB and 2 CB formations, especially with the Guti and Franco situations plus a new player and a relatively inexperienced, rapidly developing player. ALL comments welcome.
Per TransferNewsLive- Robert Lewandowski is willing to slash his current salary in half, from 20million euros to 10 million euros, in order to stay at Barcelona.
Multiple Lewy 'news comments' out there....Saudi's offering 30mil..Barca supporters turning on him for missing PK against Atletico, Barca signing a replacement and even tiny rumor of links to Milan...etc Robert Lewandowski.... pic.twitter.com/Ul68z1oc8X— Remiee (@remiebxyy29) December 2, 2025 ❌ Barcelona sözleşmesi sezon sonunda sona erecek Polonyalı yıldız, Robert Lewandowski'nin sözleşmesini uzatmama kararı aldı.🔗 The Athetic https://t.co/SLUeqScY4i— Weex Sports (@weexsports) December 3, 2025 ‼️ 🇵🇱 Robert Lewandowski dostanie ofertę w wysokości 35 mln euro rocznie od jednego z klubów z Arabii Saudyjskiej! 🇸🇦Priorytetem cały czas jest Barcelona, ale zespoły z Bliskiego Wschodu już zerkają w stronę Polaka!ℹ️ Mundo Deportivo pic.twitter.com/8Y8M4CMdZ2— Transfery Piłkarskie (@Transfery_) December 4, 2025 👀⚽ Laporta nie wyklucza, że w przyszłym sezonie Robert Lewandowski zostanie w Barcelonie jako zmiennik.Prezydent klubu zapowiedział, że Blaugrana może sięgnąć po nową dziewiątkę, mimo że kontrakt Polaka obowiązuje do 30 czerwca 2026 roku.Decyzje mają zapaść po rozmowach z… pic.twitter.com/ClcDQlFLUm— Szybka Piłka (@SzybkaPilka_) December 4, 2025 What we do know, is his contract is through the end of June 2026.
Whelp, still not official but now safer to presume Guti is gone and with Franco out for a while, this seems to bring urgency to sign another key midfielder. Until we do, and/or Franco is back, we may need to play the 3CB formation If we sign a DP10 and Franco(wearing 10) comes back strong…kinda forces a decision between Saletros and D’avilla. Option b) go ahead and sign a DP6 and have Franco +Saletros as dual 8s.Yet if we presume we think we won’t get much from Franco at all this year, a DP10 for a shorter term contract (1+1?) could be better for this season.
To have 4 quality versatile midfielders with different strengths when playing 2 or more different formations on a regular basis, especially when considering injuries and mid-match strategies, is not too many providing Budget Resources allow it. It is a plus. No need for any more DMs at this time.
I’m not sold on D’avilla being the DM that takes us any further than we got this year…in that scoring goals was not our problem, being scored in was our problem. Maybe GGGis expecting he will make further strides or maybe Saletros will be a better option (he is going to be wearing #6) but by most accounts he is an 8. Our only other option is Pineda… Will be interesting to see what GGG does with here…
Interesting. Especially considering GGG was our national team coach for a good while. We still haven’t heard anything solid about Guti playing for El Tri, I think he will have a tougher time cracking that lineup than he would with USMNT, so it’s possible he doesn’t make that move even after joining Chivas. But it is possible that he would have stayed with us under a different coach, for better or worse, I believe.
He certainly is a player with lots of potential. At his current stage of development, he may not be the best fit at his position for this club. It will be interesting to see how he progresses. He may be another Djordje M. Wish him all the best.
Will be fun to watch the next HG talent with a high ceiling! https://www.instagram.com/p/DR3Ph33CWx6/ But like Djordje & Guti, next up HG that will excite us and we will likely not get to see mature here… robert_fire10 is lighting up the field and hasn’t grown into his body yet…which is what we saw with Djordje and Guti, while thin they got pin balled around by the men starting in the MLS, and when they grow into their bodies and start to show who they can be…we sell them. It’s a business, but (damn) can’t we wait to sell one until they have taken the arm band?
I guess thats true, I think we should call him in so we can claim the dude, but I guess hes heading to Chivas and thats it.. time to let him live his life... Thank you Guti...