Bergkamp-Genius wrote:
''Barca plan to play'' come off it you have no idea what Barca ''plan'' to do we are both just guessing, the only person who knows for sure their plans is Guardiola and he certainly hasn't said anything about what he intends to do with a player he doesn't even own yet.
So we can only base our judgement on what we know and what we know is up until now he is a squad player for Spain they fit him in where and when they can, but the regulars of that midfield when everyone is fit are Silva,Iniesta, Xavi and a holding player.
So Iniesta plays left, Silva right, and Xavi plays central with Alonso
As for how he fits into the barca side imo it will be the same and for the same reasons they will fit him in where and when they can as they do with the impressive Busquets and Keita.
Cesc plays almost an identical game to Xavi, although i'm sure they would look very good together it doesn't give them a good balance, 2 ball players playing next to each other both of them lacking pace and neither of them really run at players and take them on. They would get far better balance with a player that offers something different, someone who can run with the ball or a more powerful pacy player with a ball player, rather than two out and out ball players..
Added to that i don't believe for one minute Guardiola is planning on leaving Ibra on the bench for most of the season so that would mean Villa would be playing from the left.
This is no insult to Cesc saying he won't be the first man on the team sheet, his time will come but as long as Xavi is still fit and on his game i don't see Cesc getting anything other than what he gets for Spain and thats fitted in where and when possible that doesn't mean he is not an excellent player it just means he is competing with the very best there is not Diaby, Nasri and Denilson..
Well although I obviously haven't spoken one to one with Guardiola, I did hear an interview a few months back - when the Fabregas to Barca transfer rumours first resurfaced - with a Spanish journalist who claimed to have asked the Barcelona manager where Cesc would fit in if he was actually bought. This journalist claimed that Guardiola told him the plan as outlined by me in my previous post.
Although not guaranteed to be the case, you can certainly see how the system could work with, as I said earlier, Iniesta left, Cesc and Xavi either side of a DM, with Messi on the right and Villa as the forward.
I also wouldn't be so sure about Ibrahimovich's future as a stone-wall starter either as Guardiola barely picked him in the final few games of the Spanish season. There have been strong rumours that Barcelona are looking to off-load him so maybe that's why the plan could be to have Villa as the sole front man ahead of the 5 man midfield I mentioned above.
Anyway, lets hope that it all turns out to be irrelevant and that Cesc ends up staying with us. That would certainly put paid to any futher debate as to whether he'd fit straight into the Barca team or not - for 12 months at least!!