This is a very insightful post IMO. His defensive liabilities are a bit overblown IMO anyways, particularly when he is on the right side. I've seen most of his games for club and country this year and he seems to improving in that aspect of the game. He had a bit of a rough patch in the first US window, but has been solid since then. Looks like he is getting more physical to me, doesn't get pushed off the ball so easily, and doesn't seem to get caught out of position as much as he used to. His recovery speed is surprisingly good. He might not be a finished product yet but he is getting there.
Yeah, I agree, while I think he could be a very good attacker, he has a chance to be genuinely world class at the back
I have no doubt he will get better as a defender. The main question for me is where he is most useful. It reminds me of the Bale situation. If Dest continues to improve his attacking brain, it may not be can he play a more defensive role, but more should he. That will often depend on personnel and line up too, of course, but he also has the potential and smart feet to become a pretty effective attacking winger in the right setup.
I have no problem with two way soccer. A right back in the modern game, at a top side, is expected to have both attacking and defending skills.
Sure, I just think it's an interesting question, whether in the short-medium run Dest ends up moving forward more often in his club formations or stays as more of a FB/WFB. I don't really have a strong opinion either way, and it will depend a lot on where he plays and how they line up, but as a general rule, (all the normal caveats applied) a uniquely effective attacking player is more in demand than a uniquely effective defender. Lots of players have moved up and down the "wing" position through their career. If Dest continues to improve both his attacking and defensive skills it will be interesting to see where he spends most of his "prime time."
Dest is sauce going forward but he’s physically weak and can easily get pushed around or shoved aside. Not a good quality for a defender.
If I didn't already have like a billion bookmarks I never use I'd bookmark this one to come back to it in three years to tell you "I told you so." PS: No, he's not fine defensively. If he were they wouldn't be trying to move him to the wing/wide forward position.
I could be wrong, but I think Dest at right wing these past two games says much more about Barcelona's current weakness at that position than it does about Dest's liabilities as a right back. The fact that he moves from right wing to right back when the 45-60 minute subs come on suggests Koeman sees Dest as his best option at both positions right now. That will likely change when Dembele is healthy, but I see the last two games as a sign of confidence in Dest.
Koeman asks - Dest answers. El Clásico is next, this Sunday at 10:15 AM (eastern). "This’ll be the first Clasico without Lionel Messi following his move to PSG, but there’s no shortage of star power (three Ballon d’Or nominees, three Golden Boy nominees), and the stakes remain high: Real Madrid goes top of the league with a win, whereas Barcelona can move above Real and into second-place with three points. "
[QUOTE = "Suyuntuy, post: 40018741, member: 109021"] Moore is a poor man's Dest. While Sergiño can do well as a RB in a dominant Barça (which this one is not, but it's still a strong team), he should not be a RB with the NT --his lack of defensive chops becomes a problem there. Moore as a RB is poor even for the Second. He'd be a more decent option as a RW or RF there. Same for the national team, where he could be backup to a Dest playing RW / RF. [/ QUOTE] Moore just isn't good of a player, he has good athleticism, but to compare him as a player to Dest is disrespectful in many ways.
And how do you know he is playing up top because they have issues with his defense as a fullback? Could it not be that with Dembele out injured forever they see Dest as maybe the current best option on the right wing?
Adding "poor man's" should be disrespect enough. On wing, Moore has quite accurate crosses. But Tenerife plays with attacking mids on the side, and most of their attacks come centrally, so they have no use for a true winger and when they need one, they have other options (Mollejo, Zorrilla) who may not be as good with the crosses, but are better at scoring (both are forwards too).
He's a great option to have on the field because he's one of the motors in attack. You start a guy like that in a more attacking position with your main attacking RW options injured, and move him back when the team is ahead and there's more coverage on the side. I'd prefer if Dest were held to the RW position, but that's not going to happen.
I'm kinda repeating myself, but the question is as much "Dest's upside attacking" as it is "Dest's deficiencies in defense." I don't think any of us would list Dest, aside from his foot speed, as an exceptionally talented defender. He's not a *bad* defender, but he's at a level where your exceptional talents determine a lot. I don't think it's impossible that as Dest plays more in an attacking position, and as he gains more skill, confidence and tactical nous, he becomes a more and more valuable attacking asset that some clubs/formations will want to involve up high as much as possible. To me Dest has always has an attacker's cockiness/confidence/attitude. If his skill-set going forward rises to match his attitude, he could easily become more of an attacking player in many team's eyes.
Starting el clásico. 🚨 𝘽𝘼𝙍𝘾̧𝘼 𝙓𝙄 !! 🚨#ElClásico pic.twitter.com/ovQn71XdXu— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 24, 2021
In La Liga right now, Dest is: -- 8th among defenders in successful pressuring percentage -- 4th among defenders (6th overall) in percentage of dribblers tackled -- much farther down the table (i.e., behind a lot of defenders) in shot blocking
hmmm. bigger miss than Sarge's there, all things considered. Hope he gets another chance to make up for it!
You just can’t miss that sitter. It’s absolutely a goal that has to happen. This coming off his really terrible finishing In UCL… let’s hope Koeman understands that he’s a right back. the Catalonia press won’t be easy on him.
I am a pretty big fan of Dest... but that miss was downright atrocious. In a game that big? That had to be a 90%er+... just brutal.
That miss while atrocious was not as atrocious as Barca defending the counter. Barca was pressed so high up that is was easy for Madrid to dump it into spaces behind the midfield and they were off to the races.