Iniesta replacement.

After we foolishly passed on Paul Pogba, and we paid a shitload for a footballer with not enough quality such as Andre gomes, we need to consider who will replace Iniesta in the next couple of years.

We have some options:

From our ranks:

- Rafinha: Has matured a lot this season and looks like another player. Though his injury pronness and his passing ability , as well as his slowness, are always a question mark on him becoming an elite midfielder.

- Denis Suarez: He looks a very good footballer but it is hard to believe he'll ever be a world class midfielder. Being Rafinha's same age bracket, it would be surprising if he ever surpasses the brazilian.

- Carles Aleñá: Looks like a top prospect but one can't say he'll become a good enough footballer, especially with La Masia-hating Luis Enrique at the Club.

Ostracized players who might be "easy" to get:

- Mkhitaryan: Ostracized at ManU, he would be easy to get. He's a complete midfielder though he looks a bit more like a forward than a natural CM. He's very good, but is he really elite as we need?

- James Rodriguez: He's surely an elite footballer but as Mkitharyan, he is maybe more of a forward. However, he has all the tools to play as CM, except he lacks some dribbling and driving the ball forward skills that Iniesta is so great.

Star signings:

- Philippe Coutinho: He is having a great season, though he isn't playing as a CM at all, but as Left forward. He is a very good dribler, shooter, passer and good enough defensively. However, I'm unsure about him and he would cost a shitload, if he is even possible to sign.

- Thiago Alcantara: He's dominating the Bundesliga and his injuries haven't affected him one bit. Time to bring back the prodigal son?

Whoscored also tells me these are good CM I've never watched except on youtube where all of them look extra good (especially Ziyech) maybe you have: Emil Forsberg, Kerem Demirbay, Hakim Ziyech.

So, who would you go with?

Coutinho for sure.

Coutinho is good but he is more of scorer than creator imo. Would love to have Ozil but don't know how much possible it is otherwise would go with same guy I have been bandawagoning for while now i.e Erekson.

Lucifer wrote:Coutinho is good but he is more of scorer than creator imo. Would love to have Ozil but don't know how much possible it is otherwise would go with same guy I have been bandawagoning for while now i.e Erekson.

Ozil is not complete enough to play CM for us. We would have a defensive hole on the left the size of Germany.

Erikson is not good enough for us. Take away his set pieces (which he wouldn't take any with us), and he is not elite at anything.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:Coutinho for sure.

Are we sure that he is good enough for us at CM? He is playing as left winger.

Iniesta is once in a lifetime player. these scrubs cant replace him

free_cat wrote:

BarrileteCosmico wrote:Coutinho for sure.

Are we sure that he is good enough for us at CM? He is playing as left winger.

I'm not going to pretend I watch him regularly but he has played deeper in the past right? And it's not like Iniesta plays super deep either, often our heat maps have him at the same depth as Messi. He seems to be the best option: sure chemistry with Neymar, stylistic suit, creative, if he plays for a Klopp team he must be able to press as well. No candidate is perfect, but he seems the safest (and most expensive).

He also shoots like 10 times per game, something that if he does for us will ruin too many attacks. Things to have in mind.

Instead of Coutinho, why not Adam Lallana?

There, I said it.

Coutinho seems like too much of a forward for a team that has already some of the 3 best in the world. Plus Arda Turan (something a poor man's Coutinho). With how much he'd cost I imagine someone that does more 'midfielding' might be better to look into. He wouldn't get so many shots and set pieces in Barcelona.

Thiago and Verratti?

Verratti seems a bit unsettled at PSG. Probably possible with a bunch of money and he is only 24.

That would be Angel Gomes I reckon.

Glory wrote:That would be Angel Gomes I reckon.

I guess you mean Andre Gomes, but he is not even better than Rafinha, maybe even than Arda or Denis Suarez, hence he is not in that list.

Nope, I indeed meant Angel Gomes. (BTW didnt you notice the blue color on the text? ) Anyway heres the link http://www.espn.in/football/story/2987079/manchester-uniteds-angel-gomes-tracked-by-barcelona-sources once again.
There were increasing reports of the kid being monitored by Barca of late (also confirmed by his dad btw) He is only 16 lol But the way he is playing lately for the youth team dont be surprised if he breaks through to our senior team as soon as next year. But yea Mourinho is a damper in the whole situation I know.

Fun fact: his playing style is mostly compared to Iniesta's. A dictacting CM with unreal skills. So that might be the reason why you guys are after the lad. Probably Not a short term option, but more like thinking for the future.

Coutinho doesn't play the left forward role the same way Neymar does for you or other LW's do. For defensive shape he takes up that space because he's good defensively and tracks back but when attacking he plays exactly where Iniesta does for you guys.

Hell more accurately, he's playing more of a Messi role where he has free reign over the attacking third except from the left instead of the right.

Lucifer wrote:Coutinho is good but he is more of scorer than creator imo.

And no this is not true. Coutinho is first and foremost a creator, he then chips in with more goals than for example Iniesta or Ozil because frankly he's got a much better shot on him than those two.

If you really delve into our current tactics both Coutinho and Lallana play a similar free role on offense. Similar to what Iniesta and Messi play for you. It's just their starting point and defensive positions that differ.

Imo both would be good as Iniesta replacements, but obviously I hope it doesn't ever happen.

If Verratti is available then I'd say him, but in that instance Verratti would be the Xavi replacement and Rakitic the Iniesta one.

That being said I thought we were afraid to upset our Qatari overlords? Or does this change with the new shirt deal?

Just checked it out, Coutinho takes more shots than Neymar or Suarez and more than everyone in Liverpool. Only behind Aguero and Ibra in the PL.

Verratti is definitely the closest thing to Xavi there is in terms of playing style.

Verratti is good, but truely he is closer to Xavi and I dislike him for some reason. I think it's his rash tackling and some lack of end product.

rincon wrote:Just checked it out, Coutinho takes more shots than Neymar or Suarez and more than everyone in Liverpool. Only behind Aguero and Ibra in the PL.

One reason is that we create more chances than anyone in PL by a shit ton. And also more than anyone bar Madrid and Roma in all of Europe.

Most chances created in Europe's top 5 leagues this season:

Roma (184)
Real Madrid (174)
Liverpool (170)
Inter Milan (159)
Napoli (157) pic.twitter.com/eK0ojXjrm7

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) November 16, 2016

Another reason is that Coutinho takes about 2 pops from outside the box every game just because

Actually that's because of the system, Klopp said so himself lol that you don't need a 10 because gegenpressing is the 10.

You weren't close to creating the same amount of chances at any other year so don't try that.

He's very good at creating for himself but not for others, we have proven this many times don't do it again lol.

He's not a creative playmaker like Barca would need who is going to create for everyone around him, never has been and never will be.

Not to say he wouldn't be very helpful to a team like that, but you need to understand what you are buying and forcing him to be something he isn't.

The only comparison he has to Iniesta is his dribbling ability, the rest don't compare in the slightest.

Read my post you pleb.

I didn't say we create the chances because of Coutinho.

I said he shoots so much because we create a shit tons of chances. It's only natural our players will be on average shooting more than the rest of the players in the league because we have more shot opportunities.

Klopp is obviously the reason for offensive success. I don't think anyone has qualms about that.

PS. Coutinho can and does create for those around him. Stop being a dumbass. He has the most assists for our team. The most chances created. The most key passes. The most hockey assists.

+1 for GLS. How about Mata though?

Anybody who doesn't think Coutinho is a creative playmaker is an idiot. So I don't why you are upvoting him.

The first part of his post was him misreading my post. The second part of his post is just wrong because Coutinho is a creative playmaker.

He is creative but I don't think he is what Barca needs, Iniesta's main role in our team is to link up our midfield with attack, more like what lallana does.