STILL the world's best RB. What the fuck was Barca thinking letting him go...

STILL the world's best RB. What the fuck was Barca thinking letting him go? Their decline is very much related to him leaving.

Proxy off, monkey

No idea what these idiots were thinking but having him still and letting Roberto fill into the midfield they'd probably be in the Champions league still and top of the league. What a shame.

Is he still 1st choice for Selecao?

Yes, he is, but most of the hue monkeys (including here) thinks he's old, slow and should not play, like Barcelona board thought back then.

he chose to leave because he was sick of backroom politics i believe

> in 3 years when Poop is done with City, Barca have fallen to United levels of failure dude to backroom politics
> rejoins the club
> drains the swamp
> wins the treble

Is he /ourguy/ potentially?

He plays with more energy than most 25 year olds

THat's because he's one of the few players to harness cocaine and hookers to boost his performances.

Are ladyboys the source of Joga Bonito ?

Gives them that extra zip in their stride of a morning and what do you think that smile on their face is from?

I think you're onto something

Barca are shit when it comes to knowing when to let go of a player.

I still contend Xavi left a year early but I think he was fed up with Enrique's egoistic bullshit

Xavi was great subbing Iniesta every game. Now the poor man Iniesta can barely complete 2 games in a row without an injury (I think he only completed like 9 games this season)

Yeah it's hard watching Iniesta these days. It's a coinflip whether he will have a good game or not. They need to sign a AAA midfielder like Verratti and use the Don as a super-sub

Xavi should've stayed an extra season, if not they should have already replaced him with Verrati or Thiago particularly. Purely down to shit management there, how they could think a couple of random Spaniards could fill the hole of Xavi & a tired old Iniesta.

They're fucking lucky Rakitic is one of the hardest working horses around or else they'd really be in trouble.

Agree. Rakitic might not be the most skilled player but he has excellent work-rate and provides that hard muscled edge Barca deeply needed since Puyol's departure

Rakitic role is quite worthless whitout Dani in the right, as we are seeing during this whole season.

Rakitic's role is worthless when he's on the bench and Lucho forces the midfield to mark out wide with no pressing in the middle leaving Buckets exposed.

Rocketic thrived in 2014/15 when there was a lot of pressing in the team still, allowing him to be physical & direct rather than being rounded by wingers constantly and then pressed in possession with only Messi to hold the ball with.

Strangely enough before they went for 3 at the back Roberto was linking up really well with him allowing him to push forward but maintain possesion with Roberto & Messi. It's all down to Enrique's tactical incompetence and shit signings.

lol hell no. Rakitic is pretty much "fresh legs", like Cruyff used to say. He can't control and organize the game, he can't delivery neat passes. He can do the rest tho.

The one who was doing this (and thecnally replacing Xavi's role) was Dani Alves. You just take a look at the passmap of any game and you could see that. The right-side is a dead zone with Rakitic-Sergi Roberto.

Lol did you watch the Clasico?

He wasn't doing it alongside Alves because he had to cover for Alves' attacks, when Roberto plays he gets to push higher up in the center with Roberto covering more albeit still doing some great wide runs & crosses.

Problem has been the 3 at back formations, the poor games as Roberto learns the position more, the poor tactics with the lack of pressing etc.

>1 game

More like
>lol did you watch the whole season?

But yea I think you're one of those who only watch El Clasico

>He wasn't doing it alongside Alves because he had to cover for Alves' attacks, when Roberto plays he gets to push higher up in the center with Roberto covering more albeit still doing some great wide runs & crosses.

Not exactly, they would do all tons of variations like Rakitic going to the right and Alves to the center, or Rakitic inside the area and Messi as midfielder.

And thats the passmap of last game, look who's ocuppying that right area (no one).

Gomes is so fucking worthless. Him playing correlates directly to Barca dropping points. He was 55 million. Unbelievably bad signing.

The right side was occupied by the occasional run from Roberto, it just wasn't the position he took up to stand or spend the most time in.

The pass maps from 14/15 were him a little bit further back because of how Alves would maraude forward moreso than Roberto.

> Talks about 3 seasons
> lol 1 game you only watch Clasico

Umm okay. Sorry I didn't list a dozen specific passmap's from the 3 seasons and spoke in general terms.

If you really watch Barcelona regularly and can't see that the right zone is pretty much dead since the beginning of the season then huh... nothing to talk here.

That wasn't the point though. The point was you said Rakitic doesn't deliver neat passes, that was Dani Alves. Roberto not charging forward as much makes the comment about the right side being a dead-zone a given, which is why I said Roberto to begin with was hanging up allowing Rakitic to go further forward.

Spot on. The prolonged contract renewal process soured his relationship with the club.

Aren't all major football clubs?