Barca just went down 2-1. They scored in the first 2 minutes, at 65 gave up a second. Barca have made 2 subs. Araujo and Frenke. Dest still on.
Late, late equalizer to just stay ahead of Athletico. Dest goes 90... Not their finest showing, but Barca claw their way forward.
I thought he battled nicely in the last fifteen minutes when they went to a three back formation and switched Dest over to the left. They had him sit back and he broke up several wide counter attacks and got play headed back in the attacking direction.
I don't think he has been bad for Barcelona, but is it possible that he just isn't a good fit for the team. He clearly is very talented and is champions league caliber. I think he just needs to make sure he gets a transfer to a better fit. A lot of times when it comes to the top of top teams the best players struggle because of fit not because of talent.
He was having trouble covering his side but the way they're painting him as the worst on the field is wrong, Piqué was even worse.
I watched part of the game, most of the first half. It seemed that on the attack he was pushed up into the channel, not out wide, as that was where Adama was slotted. It also seemed like his teammates wanted to pass the ball to anyone but him for some reason. I don't thikn the kid is long for this squad, as to me he is a place filler. As soon as Alves can play, he's starting.
Let's assume that the bolded is true, as I do. That still doesn't make Barcelona a bad place to be. In the short term, Dest should be able to carve out a decent amount of playing time, if he plays reasonably well, behind Alves and Alba, and gets the occasional spot start when either one of them is unavailable, especially if Barcelona advances in the Europa League. In the longer term, well, Alves is not a long-term solution. We can always reevaluate our standing with the club (and Xavi) and the end of the season. I expect Dest to remain in relatively high demand for the foreseeable future. In the meanwhile, I feel Dest - still a young 21 - can benefit from Alves' presence and Barcelona practices generally. If you've ever watched the team practice, the skill level, the quickness, the creativity are all impressive. I think Dest was/is right in not wanting to jump ship at this early point.
Staying as the #1 backup to Alves and Alba wouldn't be the worst role in the world at all given his age/level of experience. But I can't help but feel that he has been a bit neutered offensively since the new coach took over. If this is just a stepping stone then fine... but if every time he plays he is asked to play D the entire time while Alba/Alves have the freedom to do both then I think it might be time for a change. Either way... finishing out there year w/ Barca is hardly a bad spot for him. Just thought he would be playing a bit more than he is. I also never thought he was as "poor" as some where making him out to be. It screamed of scapegoating to me.
My personal rando opinion is it is lucky for Dest that Alves came in and took some of the pressure. Worst case, he decides to move on gets a fancy move this summer. Best case, he impresses enough to stay and take over when the wheels fall off the Alves. But whichever happens, Dest won't likely be the one holding the bag if Barca stumble and he'll happily be brought along if they pull this out.
One of the problems is that the fans don't rate Dest and unlike in American sports where no one gives a toss what the fans think so far they keep buying merchandise, in many places in Europe the fans have actual input and part ownership through their associations --in Barcelona's case, majority ownership by the socis. So that they dislike the guy can be an actual problem and push him to the "For Sale" list. Of course maybe the go broke and some vulture investment corporation from the USA buys them and the rules change, but knowing the culés, that'd mean a revolt, almost a revolution.
I admittedly am not tuned into the Barca Spanish fan world as much as some, but I haven't seen a huge "dump Dest" movement when I've checked in. I'm not sure he's high-profile enough for that. It's part of why Alves arriving was good for him. He doesn't get enough key minutes to likely be the one fans want to dump most. But, again, I don't read a lot of Spanish, so ymmv.
I feel like this “Barcelona doesn’t like Dest” narrative has been extremely overblown. If they really didn’t like him and thought they had better options, they could have sold him by now. They had several windows and there seems to be a market for him. Instead, he continues to be in the rotation and get starts occasionally. So ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Yeah he was fine last game also. Pretty much lock down defense on the flank. His defensive woes are overdone and he is slowly improving with his positioning and awareness in that department to my eye. He is certainly not a center back and as long as he is not asked to play like one too often, he should be fine. Xavi has trusted him enough defensively to play him on the outside in a three man back line a couple of times however, including at the end of last game when they were hunting a goal. Looks to me like he has been instructed to play conservatively as a stay at home outside back in a 4 man line and that is what he did, has been doing lately. The team is an excellent fit for his style in my mind. I don't see his teammates ignoring him, or him struggling with the level. He is excellent in possession and is doing what he is asked to do. It appears like he is still learning the tactical nuance of the attacking game at Barca but where you would you rather have him learn it?? I have no clue whether it will last with him at Barca, but for the time being, he has made it clear this is his preferred team, he is getting playing time, and a hell of an education and I don't really see the downside at this point.
Both systems have their pros and cons. The day a massive recession hits, however, the MLS system will have its moment to shine. The European system has far too many clubs living month to month and depending on criminasugar daddies not to go broke. Pyramid schemes like MLS are slow growth but more resilient to fluctuation, their weak point is if people start losing interest --which is always a possibility with those.
Also I wouldn't even say the ONLINE Barca Spanish fan world is necessarily indicative of the whole fanbase anyway. I think sometimes you have to just ignore fans online, some of these people turned on Messi...
Barca got a little gift today. Good time for Dest to step up and put in a solid shift if he gets the chance on Sunday. Of course, has to get through tomorrow. With Alves not available for either game will be interesting to see how Xavi rotates - if he does at all.
Squad! First Leg Europa League match today v Napoli Note today's early kickoff - 12:45 PM (eastern)
"Only back up to Alves!" would be my full back tattoo and I would never wear a shirt again. Be interesting if he goes today and the weekend - did Barca have any luck with the suspension appeal? I didn't see anything reported.