2011/12 first 11 dilemmas

Ok firstly, amused at the under-rating of busi at times!! absolutely hilarious!! when you have a DM thats been molded by the club for the exact role which he has to play, why would you play someone who wasnt over him? busi is perfectly suited to the DM role that we need, because thats the way he as been brought up! We dont need a destroyer, we need someone to always be available to take a pass, recycle possession and anticipate opposition counters, stuff busi is incredible at!

ok so the 4-3-3 is obviously our ideal formation and proven best starting 11! and for 9 out of those 11 positions theres absolutely no question at all as to who starts!
valdes, alves, pique,puyol, abidal for the back 5 positions! whoever said masch over puyol for the big games is an idiot! Its the exact opposite, puyol can be rested for the smaller games, but on the big occasion is when he's at his best and when the team needs his leadership the most so he must start!!

midfield is a given as well! its the best midfield trio in the world and its torn teams to pieces so why change it! busquest, xavi, iniesta!!

up front is where it gets interesting! messi is a complete certainty for starting! villa and pedro however are not so certain anymore!
villa i know always works like crazy for the team and plays out on the left wing for the benefit of the team and we shouldnt be to harsh on him as such but his performances this year just havent been as good so he faces challenges from cuenca and sanchez! likewise pedro always gives it his all and provides huge advantages by stretching defenses with his workrate but if sanchez can do the same and perform better why not start him?

so in short its in the front 3 where the most questions are! villa and pedro have performed for us magnificently on the big stage for us previously but this is a game where the past counts for little and current form is everything! cuenca and sanchez have both looked great when playing so if theres going to be any changes itll be there! i can still see us starting the big games with villa and pedro but sanchez in particular is one who should be given his chance on the grand stage!!

matpol wrote:Yeah, I don't rate Pedro highly, one of the least talented players in the squad.

You've got to be kidding me.

BarcaKizz wrote:

alexjanosik wrote:Why is Cesc Fabregas a part of our best 11?
kizz-I cant believe you would have Fab over Alves.
I mean Fabregas over Dani Alves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What exactly has done to warrant a place over Alves?
Besides looking like a poor lost little kid everytime he plays that is.

On the same token why is Fab ahead of Thiago?Thiago has clearly better.

On the question,the default starting 11 that started the CL final(except Puyol in place of Masch).

?? Where did I put Fab over Alves? I would have Alves every time... My best 11 has neither Thiago or Fab, thats the reality. My best 11 is 4-3-3.

If you're referring to the 3-4-3 I made, Cesc is in there because he's played the 2nd striker position pretty much every time. In fact, I don't really see much need to play that way unless Cesc is in the team. I'd still have Alves in the 3-4-3 if I could, but I don't think he's used that well in it... neither is Xavi. These are 2 of my top players, and this is pretty much why I hate the 3-4-3.

I agree with you on pretty much every point, but that 3-4-3 I made wasn't really my best XI, rather what Pep might go with in big games. If you were to choose a 3-4-3... who would be in it then? I simply don't like choosing it because it doesn't cater for Xavi or Alves at all.

Even in a 3-4-3,Alves would still start every single game.
He has been brilliant in a 3 man backline.He has had to curb his natural tendancies but he has been rock solid at the back.Granted his offensive output decreases in a 3-4-3 but he is no less impressive.
So Alves starts irrespective of formation,especially over Cesc Fabregas.

Giggity5313 wrote:

matpol wrote:Yeah, I don't rate Pedro highly, one of the least talented players in the squad.

You've got to be kidding me.

Thats exactly what i thought... jaw breaker really but its your opinion! After all what Pedro has done and the insane rapid growth.. yes this year he has been less brilliant but the guy is all heart and talent!
second highest player to score goals in the Pep era.