Is Piqué overrated?

So let's see:

• Gets owned by average forwards...tick
  
• Can't direct a header to save his life...tick
  
• Too slow...tick
  
• Too complacent...
  
• His weak foot is amateurish
  

The guy made a name of himself on his first season with Barcelona when they were on top and since then he's been downhill both for club and country.

Good at bringing the ball from the back but I never rated him as an outstanding defender. I agree with all of the above but last season, he was exposed by Barcelona's defensive phase, or lack off. He is no Puyol and can't lead the defensive line but is good in a very organised defence. Not as bad as people make out but not the next Kaiser either.

He looks weak when not alongside someone with experience and leadership qualities.

Hardly anyone says anything good about him...so no.

A lot of his struggles are due to since Pep leaving Barca have had a total disregard for defensive organisation.

Any defender would struggle with non existent pressing and organisation.

If they bring that back this season and he's still struggling then fair play.

Also a lot of Barca's defensive individual issues have not been down to Pique in fact he's prevented it from being worse on many occasions.

The Franchise wrote:Hardly anyone says anything good about him...so no.

Used to be called Piquenbauer

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:A lot of his struggles are due to since Pep leaving Barca have had a total disregard for defensive organisation.

I want to agree with this but when Guardiola was coaching, Piqué's weaknesses were barely exposed.

He is a player you don't want to have at the heart of defence when another team is playing on the break. He is just too slow, not just pace but also his reactions. Every time he has to cover a man wide, especially vs. quicker forwards, he gets rounded easily as he has the turning speed of a steam boat. Nowadays he lunges for tackles, often too late and has paid the price.

I remember the first couple of seasons he even had Cristiano in his pocket every clásico. Nowadays he gets owned by Piti and Rubén Castro.

By who? Couple people like 4 years ago? And it was obviously mostly in fun, not a single person thought he was on that level.

As I said, noone says anything positive TODAY about him, so no.

He was overrated a few years ago, but lately he seems to be well rated . Football fans realised that he isn't that good.

I also dont think what happened to Pique is a big mystery either. I mean everyone knows his personality by now.

When he begged Barca to take him back, he was super motivated to prove himself as a player. He had to do and give everything, and displace a very good Marquez.

Now, he doesnt have to prove anything to anyone and he has noone to fight for his place with.

Of course he wont play at that previous level, he isnt that kind of player regardless of what talent he has.

At his current level, he is still much better than people give him credit for.

he's this good




joking aside, he's poor mans Luiz IMO. Good ball-playing abilities but average defensive skills

Right now he is not overrated. He can be a very good defender for a team that plays Barca's game, if you partner him with a fast experienced leader.

Ti those talking about speed

Its nothing,, mertesacket is slow and still a beast. Its all intelligence dat matters

aleumdance wrote:Ti those talking about speed

Its nothing,,  mertesacket  is slow and still a beast. Its all intelligence dat matters

total disagree......
when you play very high line, your mid does not press well and opponent has fast forwards, your slowness exposed and intelligence has nothing to do. Thats what happening with current barca as some mentioned his weakness did not expose in Pep's barca.

danyjr wrote:
He is a player you don't want to have at the heart of defence when another team is playing on the break. He is just too slow, not just pace but also his reactions. Every time he has to cover a man wide, especially vs. quicker forwards, he gets rounded easily as he has the turning speed of a steam boat. Nowadays he lunges for tackles, often too late and has paid the price.

I remember the first couple of seasons he even had Cristiano in his pocket every clásico. Nowadays he gets owned by Piti and Rubén Castro.

this

Why are people calling him slow? He out runs Ronaldo on a regular. His problem isnt his speed but his lack of tactical sense. He gets careless. Puyol would cover his ass when he made a mistake or was caught on a break and he was too far up trying to join in on the attack. Also the whole team pressed so the entire team was defending. Now no one presses and he is the only real experienced CB on the entire team. Now him being partnered with Masch/Song/Bartca/Adriano who are arent on the same level he is exposed this. But come on most defenders would look allot lesser than they are next to some of the guys he is paired up with. And about directing headers comment; he has the responsibility of directing EVERY single header since the rest of the team is short. How can you but blame on him there when the opposing teams know to double up on him on corners to make it difficult for him and nothing will come of it.

That said, I think people over glorified him but is still pretty solid. He was never a GOAT, but I don't think anybody puts him on that level anymore so I don't think people over rate him anymore.

He did this a few times last season, even when we were getting torn up by R. Madrid. He is practically our only defender with Alba/Alves always up attacking and Masch just hacking people (Adriano was also his partner in some big games which was horrible)

Thiago Silva would also suck if he had Jodi alba on his left and Mascherano/Adriano/Bartra on his right.

But Pique's one on one level has gone to dogs in recent years, and high number of lapse of concentration too..something which has nothing to do with the players around.

His partners are not excuses. Pique is simply not that good. Chiellini had Legrottaglie/a late 30's Cannavaro, Grygera/Zebina, and Molinaro next to him for 2 seasons and was still the best defender in Serie A or at least Top 3.

Pique is a poor man's Bonucci. Bonucci has lapses of concentration, Pique has more. Pique is good at bringing the ball out of the back, Bonucci is better. Both are big defenders that don't use their size and strength enough, but at least Bonucci can direct a header correctly.

What's Bonucci got to do with this? The thread is about Pique.

I was just comparing him to another player to give a different perspective.

I think people are asking the wrong question. Sure Pique is not at the level he once was but he is in no way overrated as people don't rate him.

The correct question is, Is Carles Puyol one of the most underrated players of his generation?

I don't think it's much of a coincidence when Puyol has been injured the last couple of years Spain and Barca have suffered there worst defeats in there history and there defense has been ripped to shreds.

IMO, Puyol is massively underrated as he is one of the best defenders/leaders/captains in the history of the game and for what ever reason he is never put in the same category as the great defenders of all time.

His teams defensive records are amazing, he's helped to make Pique and Valdes way better players then they actually are and he is one of the best leaders in the history of the game.

Him and Casillas were able to bring all the ego's and all the historical cat fighting between the Spanish players to a rest so they could go on historical winning streaks and massive trophy hauls which again had never been done before.

I mean 6 La Liga titles, 3 Champions League titles, 2 European Championships and a World Cup. The last 3 trophies being the first in Spain's history.

When people talk about the best players/defenders in the game he is never brought up. I don't know what more the guy has to accomplish. I have watched him save Barca and Spain's ass so many times I lost count and always the credit is shifted to Spain's possession system or how good there midfield is etc.

Now that Puyol's career is coming to an end maybe people will see how great of a player he really has been and how insanely consistent he was for over a 10 year span for club and country.

If you look at it in the scope of how great Puyol is then Pique's drop off when he's not there shouldn't be that surprising.

I mean Puyol has kept back lines in order on the biggest of stages (CL Finals) with midfielders replacing defenders (Toure, Masch, Busquets).

Dnmac4 wrote:The correct question is, Is Carles Puyol one of the most underrated players of his generation?

Yes, without question.

Which i agree with, the so called Serie A goat defenders played in defensively oriented teams and had midfielders covering for them While the likes of Puyol played a highline through out his career and had little to no help defensively from the midfields because of the attacking oriented football in La liga.

I think his form slump is more to do with Barcelona's defence generally.

On topic:

The Franchise wrote:Hardly anyone says anything good about him...so no.

Exactly.

He has enough haters already, so he can't really be classified as overrated, can he?

Adit wrote:Which i agree with, the so called Serie A goat defenders played in defensively oriented teams and had midfielders covering for them While the likes of Puyol played a highline through out his career and had little to no help defensively from the midfields because of the attacking oriented football in La liga.

^ This.

I mean we all saw what happened when Chelsea tried to incorporate a high line and John Terry was skinned alive and exposed to a point they could barely keep him on the field.

I'm a John Terry fan and think he is a great player but it just goes to show how difficult of a task the high line can be. Not everyone can be successful in playing a high line.

I bet if you took a poll on whose a better defender John Terry would win going away against Carles Puyol. I don't know why though, there both great players but IMO Puyol is just way more accomplished and better IMO.

And this is with the system Puyol is playing in basically giving him no cover and exposes him to tons of one on ones like this poster just said.