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Alright, a short break to use to ramble in all directions.
Warning: This may end up being too random as I have no plan where to take this thread. And I may stop rambling at a strange point as I am expecting a phone call.
Now with that out of the way, we start. 1/n
Warning: This may end up being too random as I have no plan where to take this thread. And I may stop rambling at a strange point as I am expecting a phone call.
Now with that out of the way, we start. 1/n
* Everything mentioned in this thread is the Boards' fault before anyone.
The place we are in now is an outcome of three main factors: Squad decay, Identity crisis, and management appointments.
We can't look at what is going to happen next without really talking about that.
2/n
The place we are in now is an outcome of three main factors: Squad decay, Identity crisis, and management appointments.
We can't look at what is going to happen next without really talking about that.
2/n
With the 3 elements being interrelated (possibly none will be a popular take), let's just start with the squad decay.
Here is a flowchart:
The last 3 managers, Lucho, Valverde, and Setien reached the same conclusions when they tried to maximize squad performance. Coincidence?
3/n
Here is a flowchart:
The last 3 managers, Lucho, Valverde, and Setien reached the same conclusions when they tried to maximize squad performance. Coincidence?
3/n
Starting with Lucho, who had the best squad out of the three. He tried many things, then he ended up building the team around his MSN. Everyone else's job was to not concede and send the ball to MSN. Remember the midfielders' misery? Why did he do so? Oh, We'll get to that.
4/n
4/n
Throughout Lucho's years, we had the transfer ban at some point, we did a couple of good transfers & then some. But it was still all about the same defense and midfield behind MSN. It worked till it didn't work anymore, like everything. Squad got worse and older, Neymar gone. 5/n
And there comes Valverde, someone who played the way everyone thought Setien plays before joining us - only smarter. A match against RM in the supercup and he just got it. Back to the drawing board where Lucho left his notes. Build the team to serve MS...Alright, no N. 6/n
Caught the trend already? A block to defend, and individuals to score goals. Heck, Valverde even utilized Paulinho for the goal-scoring part (with Messi and Suarez).
the whole squad kept aging. The MSN, became MS, became M.
And here comes Setien, with all his romantic ideas.
7/n
the whole squad kept aging. The MSN, became MS, became M.
And here comes Setien, with all his romantic ideas.
7/n
Setien came to bring back peak Pep's Barca. And I believe he believed so (which is telling, but I will get to managers later). Few matches on, and here you go. Watch the match against Bayern again if you want.
He had the worst squad out of the three, and he isnt even as good. 8/n
He had the worst squad out of the three, and he isnt even as good. 8/n
Now, of course, the main reason for all that was the bad transfer decisions, esp after Neymar's departure which triggered the domino collapse or at least accelerated it. But it also comes down to the managerial choices and decisions regarding them. Taking us to point 2.
9/n
9/n
And here where it starts getting ugly for twitter. The choices made while hiring managers did not work out, and it is important to stress that for coming decisions, as I will conclude later.
Lucho won a lottery ticket with MSN and actually had a lot of great cards there. 10/n
Lucho won a lottery ticket with MSN and actually had a lot of great cards there. 10/n
During Lucho's time, we had our last chance to be proactive. A very good squad, capable of competing on all levels. Exactly at that point the intensive transition should've started. But he was not the manager for that. He just used what was available to the last drop.
11/n
11/n
Then Valverde arrives into a shattered squad. I won't comment on his first season as I think he did fine. But what had he done after that? Same as first season, and Lucho seasons before that. Settled to whatever he was offered and tried to bake a chocolate cake from a steak.
12/n
12/n
Setien, the guy barely memorized the stadium address, but basically the same.
The moral of the story is: when we pick a new manager, he better be a manager. Not a technical administrator. A PROPER manager. Especially that now we have no access of quality anywhere anymore. 13/n
The moral of the story is: when we pick a new manager, he better be a manager. Not a technical administrator. A PROPER manager. Especially that now we have no access of quality anywhere anymore. 13/n
Do you want to know how a proper manager work? Remember that fullback who ended Semedo's career? Yea, that one. He was not even a fullback. A manager made him so. Check Liverpool players where Klopp developed each and every one of them. Bayern as a TEAM? That's a manager.
14/n
14/n
Fans always talk about the lack of introducing La Masia players to the first team. Fine. But when was it the last time our first team players developed to another level individually or collectively? When was the last time they looked inspired to play? Like, 15 years ago?
15/n
15/n
When had we had a manager who tells the board the players he wants and rejects to work with any player they plan to buy him? I don't know. But looking at it from far...
The squad needs leaders, I won't repeat that old long thread. But so as the one leading from the bench.
16/n
The squad needs leaders, I won't repeat that old long thread. But so as the one leading from the bench.
16/n
But we will not be able to select a proper manager nor building a proper squad as long as we have that nostalgic identity crisis that puts pressure on any manager to do things a certain way that doesn't work anymore. But I will leave that part for later. Need to go. 17/n
