It's true tho 😭 Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe don't press and don't transition to defence. Mbappe not defending is the reason France were horrible in the WC final until Thuram/ Kolo Muani came on.
I don't think Xavi would risk his position as barca coach for a year or two with Messi in the team without thinking through the situation. And Xavi certainly has an idea of how to use the best footballer in the world in his team. if Barca has the right teamspirit (like Argentina) they will be able to win everything.
Anyone willing to play like Argentina for Messi who is older now doesn't have the future in mind As much as Messi is Barca need to develop a lot more than Messi offers And tbh he isn't the best in the world anymore
Spot on analysis. The defensive concerns are the real issues, but Messi somehow counterbalances that with the creative boost, and extra firepower. I'm one of those who want him back for who he is, and the sort of farewell he deserves, but also doesn't want him back for fear of how damaging his return could be to Xavi's sporting project in the long run.
He definitely counters that, we saw it against Bayern, where he lost the ball a lot and had the luck that PSG is a bus in the park Footballistically speaking. If we try to press high with this type of players we would be eating 4 goals in all our important games while having no improvements in general
@@ChristianDoretti with psg against bayern, messi and mabppe were the only forwards with messi dropping back even with 4 midfielders, its more of a psg problem if you actually watched the match, even when mbappe or nuno played balls in there was no one to receive.
@@ChristianDorettihow he cannot lose the ball when 3 or 4 surrounding him without any psg player around that he can give the ball back? Psg midfielders was dead against bayern.
@@oyesinterlude Lets be realistic though - Messi (same goes to, for instance, Neymar) are not good defensively (to not use more harsh word; especially Neymar is REALLY bad in that aspect [even Suarez pointed that out; note that Suarez thought Neymar could become the best player in the world if he got better in defence]). This is why forwards such as Suarez, Lewandowski or Kane were/are really useful for the teams they played for in general. They go deep into defence when then need /needed to. That being said, ofc Messi is probably the greatest player of all time. He cant pass 6 or 7 players to score a goal anymore though. Messi between like 18-30 was absolute one-man army.
@@Eric-hu2dw Barcelona is showing solidness in their defense while being poor in possession so maybe its worth it to shift the balance towards offense by some margin.
In my not so professional opinion, Messi likes to operate in the half spaces, and him playing behind lewa will give him some defensive responsibilities
I largely agree with all the points you made about the sporting repercussions of Messi returning. However, I think I should add that Gavi is only 18 and Messi returning for 1-2 seasons could be good for Pedri and Gavi who could face an early career end because of constant burnouts (we already see that with Pedri). I also feel that Messi coming back will essentially be incredible for their development because, in my opinion, both of them could add more end product to their game and working with Messi in training and in UCL and league matches would be an experience that cannot be matched. It is also important to note that in Messi's last season with Barca, he combined REALLY well with Frankie when he played on the right (had an iconic Copa del Rey final with that incredible 1-2 combination with messi for a goal). While your concerns about the defensive structure are largely correct, I do think I should add that Xavi's extreme approach to pressing (man oriented) does not sit right with me when playing against top sides like City, Arsenal, Bayern who can play through any press in the world. So, even without messi I would've liked Xavi to be a little less extreme in those big UCL games (more zonal). This brings me to my next point: I do not think Messi will start every game, neither do I think he is interested in it. If he comes back, his sporting ambitions will be UCL where he could be the difference maker Barca have lacked (for e.g Bayern this season). Xavi will need to manage him in a similar way to which Luis Enrique managed Xavi himself in 2014-15 (a bigger role, of course). So it is possible that he only starts 20-25 league games but plays all UCL fixtures (something that aligns with the aforementioned point). Lastly, last few seasons for Barca have been more about what has happened off the field that on it. So, it only makes sense that Messi goes back. Barca fans have had to go through hell and Messi coming back is what the Camp Nou and every culé deserves. Further, the positivity he will bring to the club cannot be overstated. For me, Messi makes Barca UCL favourites but Xavi must recognize that Messi is Barca's vibranium; he should be used, not abused.
Im not sure why messi wouldn't start every game though, if he's there the team will be pretty different and it would be a sudden change if he's suddenly taken off
@@deeznuter4828 Well if Messi does compromise and starts to press a bit more then fatigue will start to kick in especially late during the season. So to keep him fresh he would need to rotate at least somewhat
With Xavi as our coach, I don't see any issues with playing Leo in our system. He definitely can be himself with the likes of Pedri, Gavi, De Jong and Balde covering more grounds and helping in defense. Keep Leo in the danger zone (middle of attack) and he will create so much chances. Lewa will be very grateful. Raphina/Dembele can do more in the flanks and not worry much about cutting in if it's too congested. And set pieces. We haven't had a free kick goal since Leo was pushed out. But the important thing is we must never go back to Messi-Dependent. Play with him instead of just relying on him and again, I think we can do that especially with our best 11. And imagine all the knowledge Leo can share with our youngsters. I hope he comes back. Even just for 1 season. He belongs here. He deserved 90,000 fans hailing his name when he decides to retire. A grand party to send off a Legend. Come back Leo. We fkin miss you.
U fool or what that's what the video talks abt when his is middle the problems, u failed to address single problem or solution for it and just saying hey I don't find any problem Messi comes here lol. Just say u don't have any football knowledge. U r basically a Messi fan who care only abt Messi not the club barca and it's future.
@@aseemvatsaraj3990 that's why you'll always be in the 12th century. Bathing with cow manure and swimming in the most polluted river in the entire cosmos. Don't read. Stay exactly where you are.
I actually think dropping bousquets makes the most sense here. Bousquets is not that active in the press and If you put de jong as a left pivot and pedri as a right pivot i think it all falls into place. Messi would be in his favoured position on the right and gavi can keep his pressing position on the left. Messis ability to control much like pedri will make both the build up, ball retention and creative attacking options more viable for the whole team. I also think messi would give so much to this developing barca team as experience and the barca identity goes. And paired with xavis system i really dont see many downsides to this move.
Honestly, if Messi returns I think someone like Amrabat who’s a workhorse next do FDJ could make a lot of sense. Busquets and Messi together on the pitch, just sounds like too much of a compromise in dynamism.
@@shodaime93 Thats the thing I wanna talking about. Dm like Amrabat can fill up the gap. Armabat working ability can protect counter attack. And most importantly Messi comes means more goals we get. So why do we fear about
Busquets is untouchable, nobody can replace him, NObody at all, we tried de jong multiple times but he couldn’t, it’s not that de jong is bad, it’s just that they play differently
Dont underestimate busquets contributions. He is the stable figure in the middle. No one can do what he does in barca as good as he does. Thats y xavi desparately doesnt wants him to retire . Even xavi doesnt wants to drop him so he come up with that double pivot to fit in both him and frankie
That's absolute BS. Busquets now does join the press. He has Barca's 4th highest PP90(pressure per 90). Not to mention some of the important interception, through balls and tackles he puts that can change the match. Watch his assist to Raphinha in last two successive games b4 Clasico which were both match winning assists.
Messi playing for Barcelona again would make him play with the same amount of passion as he did for the 2022 World Cup, and I'm sure everyone can agree Messi at the World Cup was almost unstoppable
You couldn’t have made this video any better. I was really hoping you would make this and it just confirmed my fears sporting wise but you make a good point at the end for me to ponder. Great content!
I think the role of Messi depends of the team Barca is facing, the players that could be affected by this transfer are: -Pedri -Gavi -Busquets(in case Pedri drop back for the build-up) in my opinion, the 4 players should make some sacrifices and also rotating them could be beneficial for them and the team especially Barca next year gonna compete in all competitions, also avoiding injuries (Pedri).
@@nobodiniotv4883 Messi can't play the role of RW anymore The best solution is a rotation of the 4 players (Messi, Pedri, Gavi, and Busqui) To them always fresh. Just keep in mind that Barca plays more than 50 games a year and how we suffer from injuries this year
Raphina and Dembele also affected, both are our creators and none are defensively perfect to be working off the ball, that’s pretty much why Rapinha is suspended for our game against Elche on Saturday.
No one has dominated football game than Messi ever even in league 1 of PSG his current team... So if Messi comes 'll be marvelous indeed at home Camp Nou his beloved club!!!!!
12:42 is the best part of this video 🤣🤣💀💀 Honestly, I wouldn't mind if Messi doesn't start every game 🤷♂️🤷♂️ If we play with our original starting 11 (4-4-2), and bring Messi as a substitute might be the best solution 🙃🙃 This method would allow him to push and defend along with the team without hurting the formation overall, it's a win-win situation
Great video as always. I'm not sure if i want Messi back taking the tactical growth Barcelona has developed this last year under Xavi. I wanted to ask you something, where do you find the statistics you use for your videos? Thanks beforehand and keep the videos coming please, it's hard to find content like this
Before any of the recent news, I always imagined he would be a super sub. Obviously that requires some serious buy-in on his part, but I feel like limiting his minutes is the best way of minimizing his defensive weaknesses. Yeah, it would be nice to have his creativity and skill on the field for 90 minutes, but 20 or 30 minutes against tired legs is a significant boost in firepower for Barca.
Yeah that’s what i thought. Messi to Barcelona just wouldn’t work on a sporting level. The Messi era is already over. However, what I will say is that this analysis is based on historical evidence, and the point of coaching and tactical tweaking is to implement theories onto the field. So on paper, this doesn’t seem likely to work, but we never know what might transpire once Messi does start playing for Barcelona.
having messi return will obv be great for us fans and financially our revenue will reach unheard of levels but from watching this almost everything you said had a negative implication for his return and i think its best for the development of our young players that he doesnt. Having messi will sacrfice our wingers and midfielders, we wont be able to press as a team and we will be a man down defensively because messi doesnt defend or track back, that jus leads to even more failure in europe where teams only go far as a consistent unit and not have players like on psg who dont track back or press. Messi is our greatest ever player and best player ever but this move would stunt the growth of what xavi is trying to accomplish.
Your wingers can't make a correct pass out of 2. You are talking like Barcelona won UCL. You might be a young fan for believing your delusional analysis. Football needs great players. Systems can work up to a point if you don't have the quality. Pep without Messi will be nothing. Wow as time proved
@@VasileIuga you are also absolutely right, but great players don't win tropheys as football is a team game and system is mandatory. PSG has 3 of them and what did they achieve? You can keep your answer
@Volodymyr Solonka Neymar was not in the same class, a winger with a bad temper, having no physical strength to fight for trophies. It was very good as a complement to Suarez and Messi for two years. Mbappe is another inside forward less talented than Messi but has the ego of CR7. So Neymar is not needed having Mbappe, while Mbappe wants not the 3rd role but the 1st one despite not having the quality, so 2 out of 3 are useless. Messi is old and has no striker in front, and they rarely give him the ball. PSG can at best trow balls on Mbappe in this condition, Mbappe being an average player as a striker.
@Volodymyr Solonka If Barcelona wanted to win, they would have sold Pique, Busquets, Roberto, Suarez, Neymar, Alba back in 2017. There were lots of young talents on the market. So we talking about systems is funny while the club pays pensions to Catalan oldboys. At least Messi is not totally useless and brings money. He is 60% of their history
I agree with all your points. You also have to consider the reality also, that Pedri & Dembele seems to be injury prone and when they are injured they always struggle to recover. Messi is still fit to play majority of the games.
Congrats bro, you are one of the few that has done an objective analysis mentioning all the good and not so good things that the return of Messi would bring to the team, contrary to all the dangerous hype that people are having.
@@BeakaD Obvious to who? LOL. We haven't even seen confirmation of Messi returning, let alone any concrete plans from Xavi or the coaching staff on how Barca will play with Messi, and how that will affect their performance in all competitions. There's nothing obvious here, other than Messi deserves a proper send-off from Barca.
Maybe we should sign De Paul from Atlético to play alongside FDJ, hahaha. Jokes aside we probably need a destroyer CDM (not De Paul by the way) because we will be facing a lot more transitions with Messi in the team.
Maybe we should not sign Messi then, if in order to accommodate him we need extra players. What the purpose then. As a Barca fan, I started really despising these Messi fan boys who only care about Messi and not the club.
I want him back...lovely video...World Class really. I like the way u ended it...for all that it means...seeing Messi back in our Jersey..the joy it will bring.The commercial boost..Being able to laugh at PSG...The King Must Come Back...For One Last Dance 💃
I am eternally grateful to Messi for all the years of joy but we have to move on from him and prioritize signing players that would fit perfectly into Xavi's system. We are 5 signings away from genuinely competing in Europe. Anyway thanks for the analysis.
i see the double pivot like @The Purist Football has stated, Messi is that type of player that is the center piece of every team if the team is to be successful with him in it. i think xavi does have a plan or a sight on how Messi fits into the team (given he is also pushing for the move to happen)with also trying to balance the defensive which is really what might win us the league this season and the attack.do i think messi will start every game?not at all but he will play an important part .i believe we will even prolly see Messi will also doing some selfless work
In possession stonks! Out of possession stonks down😔.... The analysis was quite on point. And the end was also pretty much appropriate. I think so if his game time is limited and say he's ready for that. Ready to be more of a brand and emotion than a player😔 it might work then.
Managing minutes is a problem. I have thought that Messi could routinely come on at halftime. He could continue to be a very impactful player for the next several seasons playing in this way.
I really appreciate this analysis. You put voice and video to a lot of what I think about a potential Messi return. The last bit, the human side the cultural impact and sentimental elements where Messi could get the farewell from Barca and Cules that he does truly deserve for who he is and what he has given is the biggest and most convincing part of any pro Messi return argument. From the financial side I could see some kind of boost especially in his jersey sales numbers. However Barca has already been shown capable of basically filling the Camp Nou once again, we secured multiple partners and sponsorship deals post Messi. On the sporting side just like you it is easy to look at the pros of his return; we gain an elite creator and goal scorer. However fitting him in would force us to compromise both on/off the ball. We're just getting out of the Messi dependencia era and have already seen how losing Dembele then Pedri has rendered our attack as almost toothless.... Messi returning will definitely see him become the focal point of everything we do. And calls our intensity off the ball into question. In one of your slides I saw Busquets as part of the starting XI in a double pivot.... that's a big problem which add to the other problem of Lewandowski ahead of Messi. Asking FdJ to be our De Paul would take from his game as he does his best work starting from deep then breaking likes as he drives forward with the ball before passing... that also leaves Busi as the sole DMF predominantly on the left, the same side with the attack minded Balde.... what happens when the play breaks down and we're caught in transition? I think we're two key profiles away from seriously entertaining a Messi return, a stay at home DMF who is athletic, fast, a ball winner and has loads of stamina as well as an attacking RB. IF Messi does return and we can't add the two profiles I think we need, I'd opt for a 4-2-3-1: BACK, double pivot of FdJ and Pedri (Pedri assumes the De Paul role), Messi as the 10, Dembele RW and hopefully a recovered Ansu as the LWF. I'd prefer if we didn't attempt the Messi last dance thing. We're making incremental progress with our next key challenge being to add some depth to allow us to show we could be competitive in Europe. Thanks for a great video. What's your take on the Ansu situation? Is he gone or could that be resolved and do you think he recovers his best form or close to it?
I LOVED seeing Messi win the World Cup, and he had some real moments of magic, but it was really clear that he was a shadow of his former self. Maybe he could play in midfield as a kind of 'controller' like Pirlo - he has the skills for that, for sure, but other than that, he is too off the pace to compete at the highest level, unless - like Argentina - the whole team carries him just to take advantage of the one or two moments of magic you'll get in a game. Not sure that is a winning strategy these days though.
idk about you guys but i wish we bought sb else instead of lewi... i know he is still a great scorer but he is too iconic and also not young enough realize that we had alvarez instead younger faster selfless and really not a bad scorer... he was a great fit for messi return
The one thing that would prompt me to want Messi is the injuries currently in the squad. There's less problems fitting Messi in the team if one of Dembele, Pedri, Busquets or FDJ are always injured, then taking into consideration Gavi's playstyle and Barças mismanagement at times, i could see him becoming either an injury or suspension risk that you could add to that list. There's hurdles to overcome but if you can get Messi, you figure it out.
This doesn't mitigate any defensive concerns, hell, it probably piles them on but I'd be dropping Busquets to fit Messi in. Have Pedri/Gavi alternate the right sided pivot/CM role while Messi plays ahead in the RHS and the other or Gavi/Pedri plays in the LHS with FDJ as the left sided pivot/CM.
I think the best (and for me only) way would be taking busquets out and putting a lot more pressure on the young core we have at Barca. You mention de jong as a good comparison to the role of de Paul but for me I think it is much more reliant on Pedri and Gavi. Both (especially gavi) have a huge work rate and could both take on the challenge of occupying the space that Messi would leave behind when he wanders around the field. Then I think de jong should be the constant man in the two defensive midfielders.
With 4-2-3-1 Xavi will have to drop one of Gavi or Pedri but those both are important, but he can think bit out the box maybe bit more risky but can be greatly result oriented too, Pep nowadays is using 3-2-4-1 at Man City Xavi can use that too with Messi being AM or kinda SS behind Lewa the role which KDB plays behind Haaland not much similar to that of course Messi will play it in his own way, or another option could be 3-4-3 Diomond with Messi as AM which is more risky, i think 3-2-4-1 can be great so that Messi, Lewa, Pedri, De Jong, Gavi, Dembele, Raphinha can play at same time.. And in modern Football we know at the end its all about how you execute your tactics on field not just about formation so💙❤
One thing you seem to have missed - with Messi, every opponent feels more threatened and cannot come out and play fully without leaving one or two players behind to mark him. That gives us extra muscle with players like Dembele, lewa and Raphina who can be game changers. Happened when we heals MSN 😅
Messi tactically fits much more in a team like Napoli, far on the right, where could drift centrally like often does Kvara on the other side of the pitch. Kvara can push more in the penalty box, all because Lobotka and Anguissa are amazing in the defensive fase and transitions. Then Di Lorenzo is great in both fase on the flank, and can easily overlap. Btw it's impossible to see Messi wearing the untouchable number 10 shirt in Napoli because of the philosophy of the president, but it would be great to see him, Kvara and Osimhen(or his substitute David/Okafor) in the same team.
Messi is not a kid anymore, he understands that the team comes first. As mentioned in the video, Barcelona lost 9 goals this season in La Liga, and if they lost 5-10 more but had Messi in double digits for goals and assists, we would all be happy. Would be a huge commercial boost to the club, and we cannot doubt that adding Messi s a net positive from a footballing point of view, let Xavi cook. At the very least, it would surely make for a deeper squad, need that to compete for everything next year.
great Analysis... I think you may drop Bosquits from the formation with De Jong getting to be the Pivot, so either Gavi/Pedri/Ferran will react to Messi's movement on the field... Raphinia and Dembele will bench each other, Kiss is will replace De Jong if injuired
My thought process was somewhat similar to yours. I however, was thinking a 3-4-3 with a diamond midfield. Lewy Dembele Raphinha Messi Pedri Frenkie Busquets Christensen Araujo Kounde Ter I would start the wingers slightly deeper than they do now but not as deep as a wingback. Think its viability would depend on the team we play though. Thoughts are welcomed.
@Thepuristfootball please do a follow up to this now that Busi has confirmed he is leaving and there is some interesting noise about Kimmich and Amrabat
I'd love to see Messi return it would be amazing, I'd probably shed a tear at the sight. Then the season would begin and I would start to shed tears at all the gaping holes in our team whenever the ball is taken off Messi, or Dembele or Lewandowski and we have to watch Busquets suffer routine undressings because he no longer has both Gavi and Pedri to do the hard running for him. Manchester United tried it with Ronaldo we should probably learn from their mistake. This team and us fans are finally moving on, playing well, winning things and finding joy in life without Messi. I think bringing him back would regress all the progress the likes of Dembele have made and it will also destabilize the dressing room because having Messi around could result in the the old guard of Alba and Roberto rising up in the dressing room hierchy and new leaders like Ter Stegen and Lewandowski being ostracized. What this project needs is a good attacking RB and a solid LW, bringing Messi back would be purely an indulgence in vanity and I can't think of one time when indulgence in vanity worked out well for Barca (coughs in Coutinho and Griezmann). But yeah, I'd love to see Messi return to Barca 😂😂
I actually think the line up would be: Dembele. Lewa. Messi Gavi. Pedri De Jong Balde. Kounde. Aruajo. ? Ter stegan Messi would occupy that 4th mid role gavi does on the left. The only question would be who would barca get as the attacking RB to widen the play on the right when Messi comes inside.
I agree with most of your analysis but the tweak I will make is that I will Play Messi as a flase nine where he drops deep into midfield and then play Lewandoski in the left half space and the Gavi /Pedri on the right half space to help in defending and then dembele on the right then a double pivot of de jong and Pedri/Busi........messi brings what the whole barcelona does not have, a person who can do through passes and I think thats where we struggle a lot, our attack system is poor hence Messi's addition is worth it even if he wont be pressing that much.
Honestly it's a tough call, balancing this out is hella hard. Having 4 midfield system would work best, but IMO if you want Messi, you NEED to start Gavi cuz he is the only one in current squad that can press for Messi. OR have a very strong physical and ballplaing CDM that would seal defense and keep up with high intenisty matches (Busi sadly fails to do that). Amrabat could be someone like this. Rest would be the same with De Jong as a controller (and he has been AMAZING last games) and Pedri with Messi as creative duo (Pedri being able to play pretty much every role in that system). BUT Xavi won't drop Busi, so you would either have to drop Frenkie, Pedri or Gavi, with the last one being least important to possesion, but CRITICAL for maintaing defensive balanse. Also if Busquets were to drop, Frenkie and Pedri would be best at pivots, but that would hugely limit Pedri's offensive ability.
3-4-3 like Cruyff used to play could also work, with balde on the left and kounde on the right, De Jong Pedri Gavi behind Messi, Dembele/Raphina on the right, Lewandowski up front
If you put Messi into any of his usually positions you will no matter what need one preferably two heavy pressers with stamina to play 130 minutes without losing speed and being able to stay composed and play like the game has just started. Either two pressers isn’t he positions next to messi or one subs in 60-70minutes into the game. I think if you had a prime Kante and park Ji sing as your pivots or central midfielders you could probably just pass the Bally o Messi and he would make plays. Obviously those players are hard to come by. But now with the 5 sub rule you could legitimately have a gavi like player run for 60 minutes straight and then have another player come on and press for Messi. Honestly tho, you will need a very rigorous player that can run the whole game and not be tired even after 90 minutes. And still have the abilities Barcelona need.
About defense.. That's why you need to be better at attacking.. You just need to buy mbappe or Alvarez to play instead of Lewandowski in order to make messi passes more significant Tbf i don't think la liga would be a problem if messi and lewan are not high pressing but probably for important matches with other eu teams it would be a problem.
These are the times i wish we had 2 Frenkies😔...4231 If we don't find a Busquet replacement....Xavi might be tempted to drop Pedri into the double pivot with Frenkie....i believe he did that already at some point this season. It would only mean that we underutilized Pedri.
As a Liverpool fan I don’t think Messi should go back to Barca, this is Xavi’s project, the Messi era is over at Barca, as you have said he doesn’t fit at all with what Xavi is doing. The only reason I would want to see him go, is to see him play with Lewa
If i'm thinking of last dance messi. I'm thinking of squad in 442 formation with Frankie and Gavi as pivots. Pedri in front of Gavi to support him and sometimes changing possition with him (same as Gave - FDJ right now) Right wing Dembele / Rapha. ST Lewa, and Messi between them (acctual Pedri possition). Imo that might work well. Sometimes you can move messi to RW and drop Busq in. Or move Balde out and let one of out terrible LW came in :D
With Busquets out…they can probably roll with a Murderball 4-2-1-3…Pedri and De Jong occupying the 2 midfield slots, Messi as a 10, and the dangerous Raphinha-Lewandowski-Dembele front three
I would love to see Messi playing behind Lewi in a 3-4-3 diamond formation, with Messi roaming around and players dynamically switching positions. It would be extremely risky, but I’m sure it would be beautiful.
I think the cost of playing Messi in your team is that there should be someone who wants to work harder and is skillful enough to cover his absence in defense and when he's out his position. In Argentina, he has de Paul and Enzo to do the job, and Emi Martinez as the last man in defense to give sense of security While in PSG every one thinks he's the star so they don't want to do that
If it was up to me I would like to get Messi on the Team. He is the kind of guy that can change a game in an instant. The thing is that he had to accept almost a secondary role. Like an Overpowered sub in most of the games. And the most likely scenario would be to splay him mostly in CL games and rest him in most of La Liga games. If he can accept such a role I can see Messi playing for Barca for at least 2 seasons.
Messi would work versus some more defensive teams or not playing full matches, hopefully he can understand this, he offensively is still one of the best players and I would like to have one last season with Messi but it depends on him
Messi would fit in that right attacking midfield. I don't think de Jong should play behind him. In fact kounde or Roberto should should be sweeping up for Messi as a false full back. de Jong or Busquets should play the pivot (or Eric Garcia if the rumours are true) and join the back 3 when the ball is in the final 3rd, with Araujo shifting slightly right to cover kounde. But in this system you'd need a right winger who would stay wide and track back, which Raphina is good at but Dembele isn't.
I think Raphinha will actually benefit with Messi returning because Raphinha would have more value in this squad with Messi in it because of his high work rate, giving Xavi a reason to pick him over Dembele. Not to mention Raphinha has been awful on taking on multiple players with Messi on the team he would attract so much attention that Raphinha would get more freedom & space to work with. That being said there is no guarantee Messi is returning, but I’d love to see him back.
If Messi doesn't fit with Lewa isn't it worth it to replace Lewa? I mean it sounds harsh but I can see Messi working as a false 9 in this Barça. He can press still. He is a smart player and even if he doesn't do it with insane intensity he is a decent presser when paired with someone with insane workrate like De Paul and Alvarez. Barça has those players.
With now Busquets surely retiring, I'd love to see Frenkie in a double pivot position with a more physical partner, so he can concentrate more on creativity and using the space (in moving forward,carrying the ball between the lines and then/or playing passes/through balls). And then Messi in front of them as an attacking midfielder, but as much as I love it, I think it wouldn't work out because of Messis defensive workrate (with Lewi in front of him) and his age. This transfer wouldn't really make sense, despite Messi still being one of the best players.
Crazy experiment would be making Messi a super sub. A fresh Messi as false 9 vs tired defenders could be a deadly weapon. And he could also be someone who changed the way Barca plays as sub. Without him barca play rigid positional right? Now if that not working well, Xavi could sub in Messi and make barca plays more fluid. A totally different pace.
now that the season is winding down, are you going to make a vid of your fav possible additions to the squad and how they would theoretically be integrated?
I think there is a solution, and it is, you can rotate 1 attack player every match to include Messi. If he comes, also I think we would need to sell Raphinha, Ferran and even Ansu Fati.
I am not a DT, but I have common sense. Next season the Ideal 11 that Barça should have in my opinion is: Ter Stegen❤️. Balde, Cheistensen, Araujo, and Kounde. Frankie, Pedri and Gavi. Lewa, Raphinha and Dembele. I love Messi, he is the goat and he deserves to have a last dance. The problem is that I don’t think he fits in the first 11. If he comes back he is going to have to be a sub. I don’t think it’s good too send any of the young players to be the sub of Messi because we gotta trust in our future. Messi maybe can last 2 more seasons but then we are going to be back to when he left. We will be a mess again and we can’t afford that to happen again.
