Well, Alves is a boss and he deserves any free number he chooses. If Messi dies tomorrow, I would be OK with Alves getting his number. He is a club legend in my book, and you don't shit on club legends, we are not RM ffs.

The number 6 gets a worthy owner again.Probably the only player in the squad who deserves to wear Xavi's number. The number passes from one club legend to another.Anyone else and there would have been a tinge of resentment from my side.
Alves

Speaking to Oscar Garcia on TV3, Alves also hinted he would be prepared to play in midfield if Luis Enrique required him to following the injury to Rafinha.

"I'm ready to play wherever necessary to help the team," he explained.

"A good part of my sporting career was spent in the middle of the pitch. I began playing as a central midfielder and if Luis Enrique wants, I have no problem playing there."


Make it happen.


Treble winners 15/16 right there.

Aleix instead of Robert

Pogba onbench

Alves could have been moved to the middle a while ago. The same time Lahm was for Bayern, Alves could have done the same for us and I thought so at the time. But obviously we havent another right back who is so reliable.

I for sure would like to see it instead of yesturdays experiement, which for me didnt work because there was too much of a creative burden places on Messi and Neymar's individualism and connection to each other.

Sandro and Munir dont offer anything on the ball, they are both looking to finish chances which are crafted for them. One striker doing that is okay, but not the other winger also. Munir has the ability to do more but his physicality wont allow it, in the youth CL it was different because he wasnt physically over matched like he is now.

Alves has everything to play midfield for us. He is energetic for his age, he has experience covering the right flank and obviously he is a fine final passer and creative player. My only concern would be how he would do in terms of playing the easy passes and secondary to that, losing Rakitic means a loss of aerial ability to fight both teams long goal kicks.

Sergi Roberto as a starter

I honestly don't see what's so good about him. He is as average as one can be. I don't think he has any standout qualities.

He is a great defender, has lots of energy and is quite quick for his size. He has underwhelmed as a CM but done well as a DM or RB in the games he's played.

Ah dunno about great

He seems a passable defender but I think he still has yet to actually go against a one single winger who can dribble a football.

Let us not undervalue him. Best Barca rightback since Dani Alves.

futbol wrote:He is a great defender, has lots of energy and is quite quick for his size. He has underwhelmed as a CM but done well as a DM or RB in the games he's played.

Him being a great defender is still up in the air. He hasn't exactly been tested so far.

Anyway my concerns have more to do with him offensively. He can't link up all that well and can't cross. Against Roma he reminded me of Montoya, he added nothing offensively. Against a team PTB, he isn't going to add anything. At least Alba can latch onto Messi's lofted through balls, what can Sergi do though?

Casciavit wrote:

futbol wrote:He is a great defender, has lots of energy and is quite quick for his size. He has underwhelmed as a CM but done well as a DM or RB in the games he's played.

Him being a great defender is still up in the air. He hasn't exactly been tested so far.

Anyway my concerns have more to do with him offensively. He can't link up all that well and can't cross. Against Roma he reminded me of Montoya, he added nothing offensively. Against a team PTB, he isn't going to add anything. At least Alba can latch onto Messi's lofted through balls, what can Sergi do though?

Casciavit wrote:

futbol wrote:He is a great defender, has lots of energy and is quite quick for his size. He has underwhelmed as a CM but done well as a DM or RB in the games he's played.

Him being a great defender is still up in the air. He hasn't exactly been tested so far.

Anyway my concerns have more to do with him offensively. He can't link up all that well and can't cross. Against Roma he reminded me of Montoya, he added nothing offensively. Against a team PTB, he isn't going to add anything. At least Alba can latch onto Messi's lofted through balls, what can Sergi do though?

tackle and pass

Roberto is done as RB anyway lol

Alves will start now. And Aleix Vidal will be back in 3 months

Guy is on fire lately. What a match yesterday he had

Spoiler:

What a brilliant player Dani Alves is and what a wonderful person to have in a team and squad as well!

I am of course not saying anything new. Most Barca fans know this very well and will annoint him as club legend when his time ends.

The rest of the world continues to underrate him to some extent. Perhaps this is partly due to him not having made a big name as an international player and several other players at Barca getting more credit than him. His supposed lack of defensive abilities and unprofessional behavior on the pitch are grossly exaggerated. All this leads to him being overlooked so often. Compared to him someone like Phillipp Lahm is pretty much treated like a God.

However for a Barca fan he has been nothing short of a blessing, absolutely crucial in all the wonderful times we have enjoyed since mid 2008 and one of the most wonderful team players possible not just on the pitch but also off it.

I think it's mostly to do with hatred. When ALves joined from Sevilla he was the best RB in Europe hands down for the preceding 2 seasons. I've never seen a RB of his ilk. When Barcelona started dominating people stopped rating him. It's the same situation with people underestimating Busquets.

He is essentially a winger, mf and fb rolled in one. He's got the ball control and passing that most midfielders could dream of. Up there with the best RBs I have ever seen and the only RB that can do the role he does at Barcelona. I rate him higher than Cafu.

It's because Barca is a popular team that gets a lot of exposure and has been successful for way too long. The team gets underrated all the time because people tend to choose the hipster choices. Over all those years I always heard how Madrid were favourites at the beginning of every single season, starting in 2009 when Madrid bought Kaka, Ronaldo, Benzema, Alonso and all those expensive players. Then Mourinho was supposed to end Barca's era. Then BBC was put up there with MSN. Hell, you had a thread titled "This is Madrid's Year" here on GL from someone who is actually a knowledgable football fan because aparently apart from MSN, a midfield of Busquets-Iniesta-Rakitic is totally garbadge. The marketing division of the club also sucks. Keylor Navas played like 10 games in 2015 and made it into the FifPro XI nomination list. Bravo who was excellent the for an entire season and won the Zamora didn't. Bale is in the shortlist. Busquets isn't. Etc. Imagine if Madrid actually had any sort of success. They'd break the 1 billion Euro revenue mark by selling their legendary players' pubic hairs.

Don't think RG is knowledgeable tbh.

Alves: "Can we keep this level until end of season? No. Normally, we have a bad spell in February or January, but we'll see." [cope]

Hlebruary.

This thing is surely psychological now.

Maybe physical also, but you know when the players actually mention it there is something there.

Hopefully we can just pick up wins regardless of if we play well or not.

The schedule is rather easy after the upcoming Valencia game. There shouldn't be too many problems for a while.

Deportivo (h)
Gijon (a)
Betis (h)
Espanyol (a)
Granada (h)
Athletic Bilbao (h)

+ Leverkusen which is a glorified friendly (already qualified as group winners) and some Copa games against scrubs once it gets announced.

End of January there will be Malaga away and Atletico at home which I deem banana peels (yet still doable, won every game against Atletico under Enrique). February isn't that bad either. Levante, Las Palmas. Then Sevilla and Celta both at home. Celta has turned into some sort of boogey team lately but surely at home they'll get wrecked this time. Would be disappointed to drop more than 2 points until March. I expect 1 shock draw, probably against an unexpected opponent like Betis.

The toughest away games are already out of the way which is nice:

Real Madrid
Sevilla
Athletic Bilbao
Celta
Atletico

futbol wrote:Alves: "Can we keep this level until end of season? No. Normally, we have a bad spell in February or January, but we'll see." [cope]

Hlebruary.

We need another drama like Messibenchedgate imo to keep us motivated in crucial stage of season.

Nobody has beaten Boooodrid at El Boooonabeau more that Alves (9 times). Previous best Xavi (8 times)

Back in DA house! pic.twitter.com/qicb8RRc1h

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 12, 2021

Couldn't be happier man. What a personality, what a legend, he will help no end. Not as a player, but as a personality around the place. Great move.

Welcome back legend. I think he will surely help out in the dressing room. Maybe even on the pitch.

I still remember the articles back in '09. They were asking Xavi or Messi? to describe other people in the dressing room.

Alves was described as "The only person who looks forward to extra time"

I hope he brings in some grit & winners mentality.