David Villa: Compatible with Ibra?
Note to all readers: This article is taken from an article originally written in Spanish football magazine DónBalon by Roger Xuriach. It is a translation of the article with my own personal point of view added in additional comments. Enjoy It…
On Monday, David Villa held his first press conference as an FC Barcelona player. Every word, every look, coming from the Asturian makes you feel that he is certainly eager to debut with the Barcelona shirt, a fate that might happen this Saturday in the second leg of the Supercopa de España against advantage holding Sevilla.
The phrase that you could read the most the next day in the press in this country: “I’m Ibrahimovic-compatible, there are no incompatibilities with large players.” I recognize that, for a minute, I imagined the Swedish striker, Messi and El ‘Guaje’ in a magical Trident booting with supersonic combinations and other technical luxuries to applause and chants.
But when I came back to reality and revised the Spanish international’s words I did not believe them. No, not him partnering Ibra up front. I thought of all strike partners he has had in his career, and I had the same question: Were he and Torres compatible? No, except when Villa played behind Torres, which won’t happen at Barca. Were Villa and Zigic compatible? No, they weren’t and they wouldn’t have been in a million years. Were Villa and Fernando Morientes compatible? Well, almost. The only exception, which was short-lived, was when the former madridista played behind the ‘Guaje’, something that does not suit Ibrahimovic’s game. But I certainly rate Morientes–at his prime–as a better strike partner than Ibra currently is–and that is why Villa and El Moro [Morientes] did work superbly together…
Briefly reviewing the Asturian crack ’s goal scoring statistics, two facts quickly jump into view. One: Villa has always been amongst the top scorers in Spain, but too far ahead of his team’s second top scorer after him. Two: with the exception of the season in which Morientes accompanied him on the tip of Valencia’s attack, which coincided with his lowest scoring season, all the coaches have opted for him as a unique reference. Savio, Dani, Aimar, Silva, Mata–at his clubs– and Iniesta and Xavi in the Spanish NT and now Barca–were his best allies and the fact is that none of these were a direct strike partner; they were all either attacking midfielders or wingers who supported him, but never shared their goals equally with him.
So I wonder how will Villa be compatible with someone like Ibra, who is a player that is accustomed to an anarchic game which is the opposite of the combinations that Barça’s game features–which is the main reason why he didn’t succeed with Barca as with Juve, Inter or Ajax. I fear that to put up Ibrahimovic in the centre and ‘Guaje’ on the left can end up being like playing with one player less. As in the national team, as much as Villa continued scoring goals from the side, I understand that an exercise in compatibility should be based on chemistry, understanding and mutual generosity in combination. And with so many elements necessary, it seem likely the various required compatabilities will not occur. In addition, if Pep started betting on a supposed ‘Ibra-Villa’ combination, that would leave Pedro on the bench. And that is something which Guardiola is not willing to undertake. The best version of Villa is subject to colleagues with a very specific profile–colleagues the likes of Pedro, Messi and Iniesta—wingers and attacking midfielders. Ibra is not among these very–and I stress ‘very’–fortunate players. It was great disciplined behaviour from Villa to say these words, but I am sure he knows that statistics do not support them.
Please do not think I am an Ibra hater, but I am trying to analyze the accuracy of Villa’s words, which is important since they speak about the crucial issue of Barca’s starting lineup this season. And my prediction is that the real slamming duo this season would be the Villa-Iniesta duo–again Villa and an attacking midfielder–which has already proven its worth for the Spanish national team in Euro 2008 and the World Cup–and if Iniesta does not stay fit, a Villa-Messi or a Villa-Pedro combination would also be great. But who knows what is running in Pep’s mind…
I hope you have enjoyed this article, and please share your opinions by commenting. Bear in mind not to curse and to respect everyone in your comments… 
hi
LOL
what is wrong with you? wishing death on someone???
i agree with most of what you wrote. without having seen them play together, i tend to think a threesome of pedro, messi, and villa up front would be the most cohesive unit. the option of bringing ibra off the bench is a pretty good one, or for some games a swap with villa.
Good article, I certainly want it to work for Ibra as he is a pretty special talent (and we are contractually wedded to him for 4 more years), but in terms of compatibility Pedro and Messi flanking Villa seems a bit better.
But I would be curious about your Torres and Villa analysis, even with Torres off form he attracted much attention and created space for Villa from the wing and that was when Villa scored most of his goals. And maybe it is worth looking back further than just the last world cup, to a time when a healthy Torres and Villa partnered.
I mean there is always rotation and substitutes. Its a looooong looong season and we always going to need akl of our strikers. specially when injuries or dip in form
All*
Well written article, but there's alot of assumptions based on statistics in this article which isn't always helpful. I think you might be spot on, but lets not assume that yet and maybe give things a chance to be tried on the field. I'm full of excitement over the next season, can't wait for it to start and see what happens in regards to this issue, because in the end it's up to Pep and the players peformances to decide who will play.
And as the author said, please bear in mind that this is an opinion which should be respected and debated, not cursed and yelled at.
Cheers
i just hope you are wrong and villa and ibra form a blistering partnership with iniesta behind and messi on right….
but really can't deny that u speak logically…
lets see what pep has got for us
Last season I always thought, Ibra was even making Messi slower or less dangerous upfront. I am not Ibra hater. I like him. But, thats what I felt last season.
I am afraid this season, he might make both Messi and Villa less dangerous inside the box. I sincerely hope I eat this words. But..
yes Pedro, Villa Messi looks more killing combination
why not Ibra and Villa upfront and Messi as a AMC as he play for Argentina, Pep should try that, Messi i very dangerous as a AMC cuz he proved last year, and with Ibra-Vila combo upfront im starting to shivering. Also Bojan and Pedro will have plenty minutes, the season is too long..
barca para sempre
You'll notice that Messi doesn't play as well for Argentina as he does for Barca. He is best on the right wing.
I agree. I really don't think Ibra and Villa are compatible. Were it up to me, I would be playing Pedro on the left and Villa in the middle. Ibra might be benched, but I'm sorry, great as he is, unless he learns to actually move once-in-a-while, he's not going to fit in and will consistantly slow the whole team down.
I agree Ezzeddine, but I really hope that Ibra will create the space for Villa! And when the opposites defenders will be taking care of Villa AND Ibra, the space will be created for Messi!
Anyway, Barça will be tha bomb this year!
I am just taking a wait-and-see attitude. Villa is a very adaptable player, Ibra has been working very hard in the preseason to show that he can work with the Barca system (and largely succeeding), and there is always the Messi factor. Let's just see what they can do.
(Also, I love the picture you chose for this article–very panto! "Look behind youuuuuuuuu!)
And who saw Spain – Portugal match and the effect Lorente had on the match. After he was introduced Villa got the so much needed space and immiediately after that the goal came. Im not sure if it will work out with Ibra but let's hope that it works since we paid so much money for him
I think you do have a good point.
All of Ibra's highlights show that he has an arrogance on pitch that can't fit naturally into the Barca system. He shoots from 20m-30m out, takes on loads of defenders and tries to use his "magic" and power to get the ball into the net. Even his goal celebrations are all about him, even though most of his goals are the results of brilliant assists.
Villa can be the same way. He's a born striker; once he receives the ball his objective is to get into a shooting position and fire away. Like Ibra, when he scores no one has any questions about his quality.
But can't we say the same thing about Leo Messi? He'll possess the ball for 40 yards and shoot through 5 defenders. He is the best player in the world, so I'll never tell him to stop.
But what is the glue that gets all of these players to play as a team? Pep Guardiola. Two years ago, he transformed one of the best solo strikers in the world into a Barca anchor. Henry was known for his abilities to take on 4 defenders and 50 yards all by himself. Pep had the courage and wisdom to sell Eto'o, despite criticism from all the critics. And with his huge salary on the books, Pep would have sold Ibra to Manchester or Milan if there was any doubt about the player's value to the Blaugrana.
Pep is our coach, guru, sensei, leader. He knows the Barca players, but more importantly he knows the Barca philosophy. He's had a full year to teach the Barca way to Ibrahimovic, and if Pep says Ibra's staying it's because he will be an integral part of this team. I'm excited to see what our coach has in store for the upcoming season because I know he'll find the best answer.
Would I like to see Villa-Ibra-Messi? Hell yes. But If we don't, have faith in the club and more importantly have faith in Pep.
Ibra showed his very best in the first half of the last season when he had Keita taking runs into the box all the time, dragging attention away from Ibra himself. What I expect to see is Villa taking these runs but scoring in the process (not forgetting Keita's hat-trick) aswell as opening up for Ibra. You don't take this aspect into account at all in the article, according to it it's all about supporting Villa rather than supporting Ibra.
Past statistics aren't necessarily relevant in the present or future. Spain had never won the World Cup before, does that mean they couldn't have won it now?
The strikers that you mention are, with all due respect, nowhere near the calibre of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He has good movement off the ball and I can see him opening a lot of space for Villa to dive into from the left flank. On top of that, he has great technique and creativity, so he will be assisting as well! You also mention Messi as an assisting winger. How so? Messi is even more selfish (with great productivity) than Zlatan. Nor is he a true winger, just like Villa isn't one…
Of course Pep will also rotate a lot, so any combination of Villa, Ibra, Messi, Pedro, Bojan, Iniesta is possible and will often be used.
Nice article nonetheless!
villa-messi-pedro
iniesta-busquets-xavi
OT: Someone said that the next signing could be Schweinsteiger. That would make sense – DM + AM covered…?
That would be vitually impossible. We all know how Muenchen's usually price their star player. But nice idea if he would come though..
I am 100% sure that Schweini is not for sale. Although I would LOVE to have him!
I'm all for the Messi-Ibra-Villa combination. why?…… well last season what we really missed was width and skill on the wings like we did in 08-09 season. now with this combination we have that. Messi is very dangerous in the middle but more useful on the right with Alves…… if they isolate him thats when they put him in the middle or change some stuff around
OFFTOPIC: Guardiola has requested for a specific player, and he might or might not come…if he does ntoe come thats it for this summer. No more players. This was reported by Barcelona's official website.
Mata.
His dad just said that the tim for a new contract "was up." Pep was always infatuated with him.
I have to say i do agree in certain things and i don't in other things.
I am not a guy of "statistics", i don't believe in numbers. But i do believe in chemistry between two players.
That's why there is not a chance i will judge something like Villa – Ibra – Messi until have seen them play for at least 2-3 games.
Messi and Ibra did not seem to find each other in the beginning of the past season, but after each game they started to understand each other more and more and suddenly their is a back-pass from Ibra to Messi who instinctively shot on volley.
Thats when i started to understand, these things take time.
Linking up geniuses with each other is an art. And it takes a lot of patience to reach perfection. But when it's there, we won't see a single soul complain, cause they are to busy to watch the perfection being played out on the field.
I haven't seen Villa play enough to know how well he assists his forward teammates, but I'm quite sure Villa can expect a whole bunch of nice assists coming from Ibra this year.
Some people have the impression that Villa can be selfish as a forward, but that is only because he has been the biggest talent in the smaller pond of Valencia for so long that he hasn't had much competition. On the NT he has shown himself to be a real team player who is just as willing to pass to a teammate with a better chance of scoring as he is to take a shot himself.
very well said.
guys i think he missed a big point there…Henry was also a striker like villa who hadnt played on left all his life.. ya he did cut in from the left in his arsenal days but he was still the lone striker playing up front..and look wht havoc he caused in the 6tuple season…
so to assume villa imcompatible with ibra is wrong i feel..
it might as well be a season like the one with 6 trophies…villa scoring a lot of goals…with messi n ibra n pedro scoring a lot as well.. and we might break that 106 goals record as well…
My tips for the last desired player: J. Martinez, Schweinsteiger….or some good spanish midfielder…??
I'd prefer Senna. Cheap, experienced, and not young anymore so he won't halt Romeu's progress. Maybe in some cases, he may even teach Romeu too. Just like Henry did to Bojan and Pedro.
I rather tipped who is in Pep's mind. Now, some media claim it's Mascherano.
I am not much of a believer in statistics and results. What matters to me is the performance. Judging by Villa's games it was evident that once he is inside the box his conversion is excellent the problem is how to get in.
SCENARIO 1: Villa-Messi-Pedro combination, the game of Barca becomes faster and Villa has lesser time to adjust and attempt his trademark dribbling and cutting in skills. He is more likely to lag behind these two in terms of pace and restrict himself to a more passive role.
SCENARIO 2: Villa-Bojan-Messi combination. With Bojan being a little more patient and skilled forward Barca looks to create spaces for Messi to move in with Bojan left with the role mostly to provide the final touch which will aid Villa as he too is an expert at being in the right place at the right time (off the movement), In a way he will be able to do what he does best go for goals. But the problem here is this lineup will not work continuously none of them are ball holders which is essential as Barca is not a counter attacking team so they will always have defenders breathing on their necks as such the ability to wait for the right moment to pass is essential which Bojan has yet to master with experience.
SCENARIO 3: Villa-Ibra-Messi..best combo IMO. All the above deficiencies are overcome with Ibra on the pitch which form apart is the line up Pep is most likely to persist with. Ibra holds the ball well, is calm enough to slow the tempo to Barca's (Villa's) comfort level and is not shy of passing and moving in addition to his obvious in the air advantage. Yes, he was more anarchic earlier, was more individualistic, and was used to the power game of football during his time at Juve, Inter, Ajax thats exactly why he took time to adjust but in the last few good games I saw a different Ibra, an Ibra who was willing to DEFEND!! As the season wears on the only way he is going with Barca is up. Believe me the stupidest thing to do now is to sell him cause he is the one who prevents Barca from becoming one-dimensional. Mourinho must be praying his ass off cause come this season Villa & Ibra are going to make it sweat…;)
great article with clean comments! wow… good to see..
after last year explosion and heroics of Pedro, i don't think pep wants to replace him, also messi is the best player in the world, so i guess its clear why villa was brought in…….. simply to replace ibra. i have no doubts about that, even if pep denies it and never says it in public, but he wants ibra out badly.
ibra was one of the three main reasons we lost to inter last year (the other 2 are the volcano and bosquetes, but that is a whole different story).
yes I'm an ibra hater, he will never fit into Barcelona system he is 2 slow and 2 arrogant to play for others.
Please answer why Pedro and Messi did not score vs Inter? Or any one else for that mater?
Ibra was so big they had no chance run beside him cause he blocked the goal while having the CF position?
Cause one thing is for sure, it was not cause Inter had the possession… So you cant say Ibra slowed the game down. Inter did that by them self.
Waiting for an mature and serious reply, thank you!
a mature reply u mean like your's?
like i said, the VOLCANO was one of the main reasons, messi had a bad game against inter
but after it was 3-1 we only looked dangerous and threatened the inter goal when ibra was substituted in the 62nd minute. strange but with ibra playing we didnt threaten when he was out we became dangerous, think about that please.
same thing happened in the return leg (ibra was substituted in 63rd minute) and we scored through pique (our CB)in 84th minute. (by the way i think ibra could never score such a goal in the future, and i don't care if he scored better goals before)
one more thing why was ibra benched in the last 3 or 4 matches last season (please don't say he was injured or not fit), it was because pep found it was better to play without him.
i say again Pedro was great last year (hence Henry was no longer needed)and messi was spectacular. so i guess villa will play alongside both these guys, while ibra will warm the bench or hopefully will be sold
p.s i don't expect a mature reply from you
And you've conveniently forgotten Ibra's first goal, in the very first official match for our team this season. Y'know what is the immature quote in your post is? This one:
"one more thing why was ibra benched in the last 3 or 4 matches last season it was because pep found it was better to play without him."
You speak like you know everything in Pep's mind. Its common practice for coaches to rest misfiring strikers, but that doesn't mean the coach have lost his confidence in the striker. Taking out a circumstance as an example, and making out assumption out of it, and try to establish it as fact, I really want this sucha thing is reduced in the comment walls of this lovely website. I'm OK if you say "Villa is not compatible with Ibra", because that's opinion, but the quoted part is not an opinion, it is your assumption, coming from the realm of your fantasy world.
so by saying i was immature is that an assumption or an opinion, very mature of you. honestly.
what i really want is that for people to be polite and not accuse me of having a (fantasy world, again is that an assumption or opinion), further more i couldn't care less with whats OK with you or not, and that's a fact.
and please explain to your self why any player is benched when he is fit, costs 45mil+eto'o and is the 2nd highest earner in the team?
again i hope ibra will be sold very very soooooooooon
are you forgetting how ibra saved (dare i say) THE SEASON by scoring the goal in the first classico??? youre speaking of one game where a player didnt score a goal which is ridiculous….chances were hard to come by in those inter CL matches. do u think that messi and xavi and pedro et al. should be sold b/c they didnt score either?
a player that comes into probably the most complicated system and score 20+ goals and 10+ assists is not a flop.
im all for ppl having thier opinions but when they are wrong you should have the guts to change it
the only ridiculous thing is to compare ibra to players like xavi and messi, if u don't know why its crazy to sell or even consider selling these players then try and have a brain surgery, save no costs and I'm serious.
xavi and messi always give their best they might have a game off but at least they try. ibra on the other hand tries less than any one else, and always seem to be careless towards everything except maybe for his hair.
look at it this way, maybe you are wrong, so i hope u and all the other ibra fans have the guts to admit that he is a flop.
i think has a bad effect on the team and should be sold ASAP. i stand by what i think, hopefully when he is sold you will have the guts to admit i was right.
You said Ibra playing behind Villa won't suit Ibra. But it was my understanding that Ibra doesn't like playing as the most advanced player on the pitch. He plays at his best when he has someone in front of him. Ibra playing behind Messi and Villa would be great. One of the main criticisms of Pep last season is that he never allowed Ibra to drop deep, even though it was clear he played better that way. Ibra playing deep can provide the bus breaking thing we've been looking for. He can use his shooting ability, and he can run into the box and wreak havoc during crosses. He works best when he has clinical players (which players are more clinical than Messi and Villa?) in front of him. I'm optimistic that the Villa-Ibra-Messi trident will work wonders, and I think Villa and Ibra complement each other well. http://www.footballmood.com/2010/08/barcelonas-vi…
This article talks about this.
Agreed. I think Ibra would do a Lot better not staying glued to the defenders but some meters below in a less static role. That's when he's been the best before he joined Barca imo and when he also get use of his awesome assisting skills and other creative stuff =). It's up to Pep to make the pieces work together and I only wish he saw it as an option more regularly. Tomorrow (well today) will be an interesting game!
One of our failure last season was we failed to use Ibra's creativity/skills to great effect.
personally, i agree with every word of it and i want to see pedro on the field more often…..but if we accept this statistically proven article, it doesn't make any sense to keep 46 million plus eto player on the bench. i think if guardiola doesn't sells ibra…it only naturally means he has got plans to accommodate him somewhere in the team….
we mind have two different systems one with ibra on, and second without ibra….so at the end of the day it will be match tactics which will decides if he starts or not….
guardiola is a smart man and i trust him anyway…
messi does not lead the line well he plays better when he is hugging the touchline and cuts in if it aint broken do not fix it. messi is alway anonymous in the center forward position and rarely as a good game their and he might play well sometimes as an atackin mid but he does not score when he plays as one thats if he as a good match and if he does score he is anonymous for the whole game. if it aint broken do not fix it messi is a right forward
Gee, lots of great points' already been made or added by just about everyone here
I'm afraid the answer's "no" for how this will likely turn out… but a "yes" for what I'd like to see possibly working! It largely depends on how hard Ibra works to keep adapting to our way of playing (and Villa too, to a lesser extent, perhaps because he's had longer experience with both this league, and his Barça teammates in Spain?)… as well as that elusive "chemistry" thing somebody mentioned above. Can't underestimate it!
Whoever comes into this club must, more than most other places, adapt to the way we play – that was true for Ibra, and the same now goes for Villa. We may be able to take advantage of – and benefit from – the individual skills of each new arrivals that we didn't previously have, but the '9's have to fit into our bigger picture – the 4-3-3 or even at-times a 4-2-4 that has HUGE emphasis on mobility & movement. This looks to favour Villa – who likes to make intelligent, tricky-angled runs to get on the end of through-balls or lops from great passers, rather than Ibra.. who is also an intelligent footballer, blessed with outrageous talent.. but perhaps not an absolute glove-like fit for this club's way of playing (he may yet adapt even more, and has shown progress… we'll just have to wait and see like we did with Thierry btwn 07-08 and 08-09).
What Barcelona-diehards see as "believing in our system no matter who we're up against", others might see as "tactical stubbornness or no plan B" ; what others see as "tactical variations & flexibility" (especially with decisions of playing 2 real FWs … instead of 1 FW with 2 wide MFs, or wingers), we might see as "not staying true to the way we've always played when we often did find success". In my opinion, Pep has a big leaning (but not absolute 100% commitment) to the former, so getting Ibra & Villa to play together would require him to give more considerations to the latter – therefore sacrificing a mobile player like Pedro, Bojan, Jeffren, etc. assuming Messi & Iniesta's not injured. Possible, but unlikely.
So with Villa & Ibra playing together, It just doesn't look like it's going to work. Anyway, I may not have provided much of an answer for "why", but let's at least be clear that, whoever does as this whole comment-column expands… we're not talking "fantasy football" formations, or video-game lineups here, but at least try to be serious and answer a 'yes' or a 'no' based on the reality of what our club's been like over the last 2-3 years, if not longer; what type of players surround Ibra or Villa; and what Pep tents to (or doesn't tent to) do.
First of all, I'm sick of these Ibra comments ! He scored 20 goals in his first season which is good for a newcomer.
Second of all you can put all those statistics in your trash can and burn them. The guys mentioned previously were not at the level of ibra, didnt have pep guardiola to coach them, and didnt have the xavi's iniesta's and busquet's to provide them those killer balls.
Pep will make this player's constantly rotate to unsettle defences. People critisised Pep when he put messi up top and what did it give … goals, goals and more goals. Stop doubting and please believe that Barsa will kill this year. And in case one of the 3 has a bad day, we have Bojan and Pedro ready to step in and believe me that they will have better years than their previous one's.
Who would have thought that Henry would score 20+ goals from the left flank that first year when Pep came … no one ! and what happened ? Pep knew wat he was doing and Henry delievered now watch Ibra deliver
I think villa-ibra-messi will be a good combo as we have man beating ability in all & a bit more pace out wide with messi & villa & then the strength & pace of ibra will compliment them perfectly only time will tell & we will know be middle of season…… if it worked or not & just remember villa is not young so is ibra so I think they here 2 help development of Bojan game more as a number 9 that is ibra & villa job….
pedro is well we all know how good he is….
cannot wait tomorrow we will see & yes ibra does seem like a better player this season last week he was on fire great vsion movement on/offf the ball…..
off topic:sorry bout this but what time does the game start in Texas,US central time i think its at 1:30 buti wanna make sure cuz thats a match that nobody could miss Villa debut lol
???
Your analysis is great. But your analysis is a prediction.
First thing, I think in La Liga at VIlla's time, Barca is the only team
which plays the attacking 4-3-3. In Italy there is no formation like this at
Ibra's time, even if there was it would not have been an attacking one.
Secondly we cant actually compare the performance of Spain and Barca
as Spain used 2 DMs, we only use 1 DM. Apart from the passing, I think
the styles are much different.
So my point is you have used the above two points in your analysis, which
I would say is not correct to compare. Ibra played really well in the first half
until the injury. He also played a vital role in the rise of Pedro. This is just an
argument like Rooney-Tevez are not compatible, as both are support
strikers, but all the pundits were wrong as they gelled well together on the pitch.
What I want to say is unless we see how they perform on the pitch, we shouldnt
jump to hasty conclusions. Ibra is the most orthodox number 9 around, and I think
VIlla – Ibra – Messi would be terrific, but lets see that on the pitch .. Pep will do
the analysis, with what he sees on the pitch and training. We only have to sit back
and enjoy before jumping to conclusions.
Lets hope this will be the most lethal attack we ever had
Being compatible is all about the mental thing. Chemistry, understanding (like you already mentioned), commitment, self-sacrifice etc. There isn't anything of a 'football law' that says which type of players are and which aren't compatible.
Xavi and Iniesta have a magical connection because they're so intelligent. They understand and approach the game on the same manner. So does Messi. That's the key.
About Villa-Ibra. You can't really say beforehand whether they'll be compatible or not, until they play together. Probably, only Villa and Ibra themselves already know if they'll connect on the field.
But, if I should take a guess, I doubt about it. I doubt Ibra has got the mental ability to be an ultimate teamplayer.
I do agree about the chemistry thing. I wrote the same thing further up. Well explained.
Anyway, i don't understand where your doubt's come from about Ibra not being able to be an ultimate team player? I think he proved the total opposite last season? Why do you doubt it?
I didn't mean he isn't an ultimate teamplayer in the sense he's egocentric or something, because he isn't. The thing is, I believe he lacks mental ability to get the maximum out of his potential and to function completely IN function of a team, as Villa, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta etc. can do.
I see your point. I guess it will be harder for Ibra, since the players you mentioned has gotten that team work spirit since many years back in the national team.
I do believe he can though, but not this season. He needs to work really hard to be as functional as a team as the rest of the team. I am talking about that natural flow as a team. Does not mean he wont be excellent this year but that little extra will take time.
Yes, Ibra can and still needs to grow in our collective. And I believe he will become an important player, but it's just about that extra more Messi, Xavi, Iniesta,… give us, I can't see Ibra giving that to the team. Because his head isn't as good as his feet, to put it that way…
As a first choice team that pep will put out : villa will occupy the left forward…IBRA WILL BE IN THE MIDDLE…messi owns the right. if a rotation is necessary due to injury or suspension or just rest ibra will be out of the squad then bojan is next up…pedro will be a sub for villa. I beleive we wont see villa very much at all playing through the middle for barcelona. he scories most of his goals for the spanish NT attacking from the left. ibra is a magnificent player of enormous talent (hes our second most talented player behind messi) that would be wasted on the bench. he wouldnt be so adamant about staying at barca if he were to be anyones backup…with that said he must perform well to keep his place in the XI because we have 3 players that can play in his position (villa bojan and messi)
this artile sound to me like a passive aggressive attack on ibra…i respect your opinion but i think its wrong…fernando morientes no nikola zigic have the same skill set or ibrahimovic so comparions to how they played together have no bearing here. also the system valencia played never approached the total football scheme of barcelona…
in super anxious for this season to start….i wanna see my boys lift some trophies this season (whoever our trio of forwards will be)
totally agree with what you said about the article.. It DOES look like an attack on Ibrahimovic.
I agree with you, the article is written bay Ibra – hater surely, although he doesnt wanna admit it in the article…….
I' don't want to admit it because of my respect to Ibra who is a great player but who also from my point of view won't succed in Spain
…
then my question is: what do you consider success? is success scoring 5 hat tricks a season like messi? then no one is successful…
i dont think anyone has any reason to believe that ibra will be worse than he was last year. if he exceeds his goal total from last year then i will be happy. i dont expect him to score 50 goals a season at all…his highest ever goal total in the league was never more than 25
I agree with you. Ibra has characteristic similar to Torres. Pure striker. Never compatible with Barca system I suppose. Villa has characteristic similar to Eto'o. More aggresive player. Pedro is the effective player, fast, aggresive, and has instinct to score. So, I believe the best formation would be: Pedro-Villa-Messi.
thank you very much
LOL…NOT!
I think he was joking.
Very nice article. I am very glad that we have not sold Ibra or Bojan. I think this will be a great year for both.
I like {Pedro – Villa – Messi} with Ibra and Bojan breathing down their necks.
Barça is the world's best team for a reason and to be in the starting XI is not a joke. You need to earn it, you got to be competitive and try to outclass the other players. That is how we all become better. Outclassing someone else doesn't mean doing something bad or hoping they do badly, it means doing something better than the other person. This way, the team has the best talent playing. This positive competition will help our team and the players.
OFF TOPIC http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/noticies/f…
“I won’t be keeping any of them in the squad as such, though maybe we’ll bring them in during the winter transfer window, because if we start to rest players then I may not have enough players to compete on all fronts”. – Pep
Worst article on this site.
i think that messi should play nehind villa & ibrah because messi is too good to just be limited on one little area!!
Well, the problem is that what separates Ibra from most other strikers in the world is his passing skills, and his ability to read the game. He also has one of the best shots in the world. Not one of these attributes could be used to their full potential last season due to him being the loner in the penalty box. It really is a shame. I hope he can make his style fit to hos position this year, or that he is allowed to go deeper down the field.
We have all seen his magic, but its pretty obvious that he isnt best suited to be standin there waiting for balls. A guy his size cant accelerate as fast as Messi or Pedro. He is best when he can move towards the net with speed and having other players running for him to feed. If he cant fint anything useful to do, he always has the right foot to try and bomb the goalie.
And seriously, do people seriously still think Pep had told Ibra to run like crazy and he just didnt care to do it? Im pretty certain that he followed the drawings that were made to him, and he did it very well for the most part of the season. Too bad injuries made him dip in form twice but lets hope it doesnt happen this year (if he stays…!)!
The dynamics.
neither of Barca's wide men plays as a true winger wherein they tread the touchline and lob a cross to the target-man. Instead, they cut in and take shots on goal from 10 yards out.
Thereby, our front trio essentially operate in and around the penalty box.
Case (i)
Messi drifts to a right central position behind the strikers while Iniesta presses ahead to his left. Between them, up ahead would be Villa. If you assess this triangle on the field, you would notice that it is very much in tandem with Villa's preference where he is being fed by a support striker (in this case, Messi) or a attacking midfielder (Iniesta). Ibrahimovic's contribution to this attack polygon is his ability to drag defenders away from Villa's territory and also, be available for that assist from Villa or Messi. Ibrahimovic would make the ideal defender-magnet/distraction, offering more space for Villa and Messi than Pedro or Bojan can.
———————— Ibra ————————–
———- Villa —————————————-
——————————–Messi—————–
———————————————————
– Iniesta ——————————————–
Case (ii)
Ibrahimovic drops back to pick the ball from the attacking midfield – something very similar to his role in Inter and Juventus … only tactical difference: herein, he would have the luxury of a lethal Villa upfront to his left lurking around the penalty box for that final pass. And yes, Ibra does drop deep at times … more prominently, in this year's preseason. This would be ideal for Villa as was his time with Morientes. With Messi offering dribbling options on the other flank, this spells disaster for most backlines.
———– Villa ——————————
——————- Ibra ———————–
——————————— Messi ——
Be it (i) or (ii),
man-marking would be chaotic because of the fluid structure of this frontline. centre-halves and holding midfielders of the opposition would have their hands full with the individual class on offer. Pedro is good but he is yet to develop into that lethal forward whose runs disorient the defensive formation, allowing more space for his strike-partners.
Villa was not purchased on a whim but for these tactical reasons.
Villa-Ibra-Messi was always the plan on mind back then and more so, now.
Ibra will have a good season…!
Why do I feel Iniesta & Villa have something in common ? always look after each other , they are simply bromance XD
offtopic: My local news just had a few seconds of chat with Thierry Henry–he is here with Red Bulls to play Toronto FC tomorrow. So sad I couldn't get tickets to see him in person (although I would have had to cheer for TFC in any case), but at least if I'm at home I can watch that game on TV and the Barcelona game on my computer, because they will overlap. I can multitask!
thats 44-2, how will Villa and Torres compatible if they play in 4-4-3????
in WC, Villa played as left wing scored a lot of goals, many syas because the defender was give much attention to Torres………so, how Villa and Ibra compatible if they played in 4-4-3, in Barca system????????????? I THINK THEY WILL BE COMPATIBLE………….
Thanks for the article . Great stuff!
However, I belieeve we will be a bit more wise in about 1 or 2 weeks. By then, we will see which combination will work the best.
in my opinion:
Puyol—–Valdes—–Pique
upfront!!! defences will have a headache who will gonna score for us!!!
Best Combination! LOL!!! BARCA!!!