๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ง: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ต
The Spaniard has lost just ๐๐๐ฉ๐ of his last 88 games across Europeโs top five leagues ๐คฏ
How far can Xabi and Chelsea go this season? ๐๐
๐จ๐ฃ๏ธ Xabi Alonso on which league is easier to win: Premier League or LaLiga:
Reporter: โXabi, after your first win in the Premier League, would you say itโs easier to win here compared to LaLiga?โ
Xabi Alonso: โIn LaLiga, smaller teams leave control of the game to the bigger teams. They basically sit back and defend. The Premier League is more unpredictable.
โHere, you can be in control for five minutes and the next thing you know, youโre defending for your lives. Fulham showed that they arenโt afraid to attack with the ball, and it paid off for them.
โEvery team in the Premier League is a title contender. They are ready to go head-to-head with the bigger clubs for the three points instead of sitting back, playing low blocks and defending their goal.
โI enjoyed the game and, so far, if this is what the football is like every week, then I prefer it here.โ
I second this but selling Kounde just because we are selling Balde to maintain the whole โweโre a serious club nowโ gimmick wouldnโt make sense.
Technically Kounde isnโt even a natural full back, we mustnโt forget that he has been playing out of position for almost 3 seasons now
We are most likely to move him back to CB with the space Araujo left, keep Eric at full back with Xavi as his rotation.
We are very ballsy for letting go of Balde but selling Kounde really wouldnโt make sense.
The problem with some Barcelona fans is that youโd think they support Dortmund rather than Barรงa. Four years as a starter at Barcelona is more than enough time. If you havenโt developed as a player even 1% during that period, then you simply donโt deserve the opportunities youโve been given.
There are plenty of young players who never got even a quarter of the chances this limited player received. So if he leaves, he wonโt be missed.
The Barcelona board has learned its lesson from the mistakes of the past. We kept players like Gerard Piquรฉ, Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba for too long. I know they had history with the club and won everything, and nobody can take that away from them. But we kept hoping they would somehow return to the level they had shown in previous seasons, and that cost us nearly three or four seasons that we are still paying for today.
This time, the board doesnโt want to repeat the same mistakes. They loaned Araรบjo to Liverpool, sold Fati to Monaco, loaned Ter Stegen to Ajax, and now itโs Baldeโs turn.
Balde simply hasnโt lived up to the expectations of the board or Flick. He has been at Barรงa for around four years, yet he looks almost exactly like the same player he was when he first broke into the team. At a club like Barcelona, you cannot keep waiting forever for a player to finally develop.
And honestly, I wouldnโt be surprised if Koundรฉ is also sold this transfer window. In my opinion, Koundรฉ is actually the one who deserves to be sold more than Balde. The board has already shown that they are willing to make difficult decisions rather than repeat the mistakes of the past, and if they believe a player is no longer at the level required for Barcelona, they shouldnโt hesitate to move on.
Cubarsรญ and Dani Olmo could be two of the biggest winners from Rodri joining Barcelona.
For Cubarsรญ, having an elite defensive midfielder protecting the space ahead of him changes the entire dynamic. Rodri can absorb pressure, regain possession, close spaces and provide immediate defensive cover, allowing Pau to defend with greater freedom and confidence.
Olmo benefits in a different way. Rodriโs ability to dictate play and pick out progressive passes can consistently find Dani in the pockets between midfield and defence, putting him in positions where he can turn, combine and create.
If both stay healthy, we could be getting the best versions of Cubarsรญ and Olmo at Barรงa this season. The versions we see with Spain at their very best.