In modern times with so many three-man midfields, quite a lot of midfielders have compartmentalized roles.
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I think we need a DM as well but we played Hleb-Flamini-Fabregas-Rosicky as a midfield 4 for much of the 2007-08 season, none of whom were at the time regarded for their defensive capabilities bar Flamini who still played a B2B role that season in my eyes.
We could, in theory at the very least play a 4 of Fabregas-Wilshere-Ramsey-Ozil.
We could, in theory at the very least play a 4 of Fabregas-Wilshere-Ramsey-Ozil.
He's in the squad. That's quite telling.
They don't - they've got prejudices about who's the key player (aside from Messi of course) and how they want to play and have wasted Cesc's passing which is unparalleled.
Muppet in me refuses to believe that
. Muppet killer!Genuine question. It was a glorious year for you ?
If I was an arsenal fan I would too, but looking at arsenals transfer history they either buy youngsters in positions they don't need, that eventually turn into stars.
Or, solid players (not top) players in positions they need them hoping to turn them into league beaters, but eventually need to be replaced in the first 11.(I.e rosicky,arteta,podolski,giroud)
Because you can't get the staff these days. No one's playing one-dimensional DMs whne they could play Vieira, Keane, Robson or Souness.
So, Fabregas is available for 30m after all the flack Woody got for bidding 35m for him last season....
------------DDG-----------
Rafa -- Jones - Evans - Shaw
-----------DM------------
---Kagawa ---- Fabregas
--------- Mata -----------
-----RVP ------Rooney
Bring on the diamond formation!
*rotate Mata, Kagawa and Fabregas as required
Rafa -- Jones - Evans - Shaw
-----------DM------------
---Kagawa ---- Fabregas
--------- Mata -----------
-----RVP ------Rooney
Bring on the diamond formation!
*rotate Mata, Kagawa and Fabregas as required
Of course they know what they are doing, those three coaches have won almost every trophy imaginable and in del bosques case he has won every trophy. What would be the point of basing the team around cesc and not being as successful. Even in matches that he has been used in cm he has being subbed off early. When he first joined barca he said that he was learning a lot of things about tactics from guardiola and the fact that three years later he is still in the same position suggests that he hasn't being able to adapt to them. Its certainly not Barcelona or spain that has to change. In order to get trophies, fabregas needs them much more than they need him.
No Adnan, no deal.
damn right.
Would love to see her at old trafford! cant imagine she would like swapping the sun of spain for the rain of manchester though.barcelona are mad. I would have thought hed take over from xavi.
Fabregas is so good.
Fabregas is so good.
Barca have run up a cul-de-sac if they'd remodelled their team around Cesc they'd have moved to the new synthesis of possession-counter rather than stay with increasingly sterile possession-possession.
Any good hard working team would beat us id say.
He never looked capable of it. He's this decades Riquelme - brilliant player but not good enough for Barcelona to build the team around him, like he needs.
Very good passer, very good vision. Xavi may have hurt his chances by saying koke was the future. I would speculate that xavi hasnt been too impressed with how he carries himself around the club. Since he left arsenal, he has kind of dropped the standards like you say and perhaps a bit anti barcelona style of living. When he was at arsenal he was a top top MF. To add credence to your point, he may have been breed too early and just lost motivation. Can happen
That is a good point, but their media and fans don't seem to want change. Even when martino was winning and getting results he was being criticised for not playing like guardiola did. They may change eventually, but I doubt it will be any time soon. Fabregas has done better there than many people think he has imo.
Yeah, he's one of the best around at playing the final pass, and if he moves this summer I'd be pretty confident he'd get back to his old Arsenal form. Don't think he's capable of replacing Xavi though, he can't turn away from defenders the way Xavi could, he doesn't have the patience that Xavi has (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) and he isn't as intelligent in his movement - great at finding spaces but not so good at knowing when to hold back. You'll get a lot of people saying he wasn't given a chance in midfield but he's spent the majority of his time there, he only really plays as a false 9 when Messi is injured.
I think that his problem is purely footballistic, he is the perfect midfielder in PL or Bundesliga but at Barcelona, He is useless because he plays alone, no one understand how he plays and he doesn't understand how the team want to play.
To improve is to change, to perfect is to change often. I agree. It mirrors our situation kind of. What ferguson did, like pep was so great, that the next manager has to replicate it. If Van Gaal doesnt get us challenging within two years, he will be gone, regardless of what he has achieved.
I agree as well about fabregas being singled out.
Comparisons with Riquelme are so wide of the mark, this is a CM who can run the game at the Bernabeu at 17. Tragic waste of talent over the last couple of years.
id say there is more. Xavi is nearly retiring. They could drop fabregas in that position. Maybe not as good at retaining the ball or deciding when to pass (who is), but very good passing range.
Riquelme has ran many games over his career too. Give him that platform and he's brilliant, just like Cesc. When you have Xavi, Iniesta and Messi though it's understandable if you aren't building around Cesc's strengths.
A lot of good footballers, but a bit of a soft underbelly, which has been one of your main problems for a while. Why not sign someone more defensive and play one of Ramsey/Wilshere further forward (or Cazorla)?
Yes. And Arteta currently isnt strong wnough defensively, which is why you struggle against strong teams.
Yea its hard to replace xavi. God i love xavi. doesnt have messis dribbling skills or ronaldos speed, but they could not do what he does. In the last seven years, ive only seen him really struggle maybe in two or three games. In the confederations cup last year he was caught in possession probably more times in that game than he had in the previous three years combined.
Riquelme was 24 before he came to Europe and 27 before he was running any games.
They can't for a footballing reason, the rythm, Xavi and Busquets control the rythm of the team, Fabregas is more an opportunistic player he decide while he is playing, he doesn't care about the all team mechanic, he can't play Xavi's role, that will destroy the team.
Fabregas can replace Iniesta but not Xavi.
fabregas doesnt have iniestas dribbling technique
And like Cesc struggled to fit at Barcelona despite looking world class at other points in his career.
This thread is giving me horrendous deja vu.
It's been reported for ages that you do, but from what I be read it allows you the option to match bids. Are buy back clauses ever used to any effect? I can't recall one.
Exactly the opposite - he could and should have replaced Xavi but they need to change to his rhythm/talents and they wouldn't.
Fabregas is a first half of season player. He will only play good for first half of the season. It has been a re- occuring theme of his career. That is the main complaint of barca fans. They think he had a shocking second half this year and last. He fades away in that half and always isnt good against top opposition. Arsenal are the eternal faders and they also have ozil who does the same. Would i have fabregas at united i would lean towards a yes, because our midfield is too shite and he would improve it. Why would arsenal want him apart from sentimental reasons i have no idea. They need song more than him, they should be looking at replacing arteta/geodude/sanogo/sagna/gibbs and by cover for wallcott & kos. It would be a waste of money, a bit like willian(not doubting his quality,but they dint need him) was, but chelsea sold mata. Would arsenal sell ozil/ramsey? I dont think so.
He lacks the required patience in his play. He's obviously very good when allowed to break forward. But players like Xavi, who enjoy controlling the game for no other reason than controlling the game, are very rare.
Fabregas wants to get forward, and the get the ball forward whenever it's in his possession. He's also not got the deftness of touch Xavi has. You take away the freedom of Fabregas, and you're left with a 'good' centre midfielder.
So many people predicted that he'd struggle to do that role properly. maybe Barcelona just wanted to flex their muscles, because they were, and still are, players much more suited to that role.
Fabregas wants to get forward, and the get the ball forward whenever it's in his possession. He's also not got the deftness of touch Xavi has. You take away the freedom of Fabregas, and you're left with a 'good' centre midfielder.
So many people predicted that he'd struggle to do that role properly. maybe Barcelona just wanted to flex their muscles, because they were, and still are, players much more suited to that role.
De Gea and Van Persie have an assignment on their hands I'd say!
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