My proposal for next season's team

Winter is Coming wrote:Might lose Neymar or Messi this summer too.

Wtf. U serious?

Obviously that's not happening. I don't understand where that opinion came from.

Yeah that would be diabolical lol. Yes our board is incompetent af but even for them it is too much.

Before thinking of getting new midfielders, we need to have a vision for our midfield.
Are we going to continue to play the way we have played under Enrique for the past 3 years?
Is the midfield going to be sacrificed and be reduced to being Messi's water carrier?
Are the 2 CM's going to be playing 50 yards from each other and will the positional play necessitate long balls be played for the 3 midfielders to find each other?
If the answer to all of the above is yes, then we dont need a Verratti or a Thiago because they will be useless in such a system. We need strong, athletic box to box midfielders like Rakitic who can also score and create.

if the new coach wants to emphasize midfield play again, then I would start by playing players from within. We have a perfectly capable Denis Suarez who has been shunned all season long in favor of scrubs like Roberto and Rafinha.
We might need another midfielder though. So throw out the likes of Roberto, Rafinha and Gomes. And try for a midfielder in the Barca mold.

Would any of you be ok with Neymar being sold? It could generate the necesarry funds to build a functional team since Messi this season has played a more central role.

Ter Stegen
RB Pique Umtiti LB
CM Busquets
RW Messi LW
Suarez

This might be the most suitable realistic way of getting the best out of Messi...

If someone is willing to pay Neymar's buyout clause then of course. His is a man child and doesn't possess the mentality to achieve greatness. The moment he reaches a high point he gets carried away and can't keep it up. In 4 years at Barca he only played to his potential for about 1 1/2 seasons (I'm generous). The rest of the time he is still a very good played, no doubt, but not "€ 150M possible transfer fee + Messi level wages" good. You can get 10 goals and 10 assists a season plus fancy dribbles on the sidelines for a lot less than what Neymar costs.

As for the formation: Busquets can't play in a 2 man midfield like that. Imagine someone as slow and weak as Busquets behind Zero-workrate-Messi and only 1 central midfielder alongside him. That formation only ever works on the big stage if your wingers and #10 are really hard-working. You should know. You had Özil. And Messi is 10 times worse defensively than Özil.

I'm already shopping for a Nike headband btw

Valkyrja wrote:Would any of you be ok with Neymar being sold? It could generate the necesarry funds to build a functional team since Messi this season has played a more central role.

Ter Stegen
RB Pique Umtiti LB
CM Busquets
RW Messi LW
Suarez

This might be the most suitable realistic way of getting the best out of Messi...

What futbol said & also IMO it would be better for us to play with 3 at the back since the fullbacks we have are woeful. It would also be easier to land one top class CB than to replace both fullbacks properly.

I would hope for sth like this:

ter Stegen
??? Pique Umtiti
Rakitić ??? Busquets Iniesta
Messi Suarez Neymar

Not sure who could fill the gaps in... but they would need to be from the top shelf