Xavi on the “Roque case”

12 comments

1. Gilette. The best a man can get.

2. Ok him not playing in these last months is one thing.
   Another is not counting on him going forward, when he hasn’t even played enough.

   You don’t count on him for the future because:
   – Lack of quality – difficult to say this if he hasn’t quite had the chance to prove himself (also keep in mind how young he is).

   – He has an attitude problem – then sure.

   – Stubbornness and internal power play – then not ok.

3. Loan him to Arsenal, they’re looking for strikers. Arteta has propensity for developing and rehabilitating players (Saka, Martinelli, Odegaard, Havertz, etc). Plus Edu has the Brazilian angle. Could be win-win-win situation.

4. RM fan coming in peace. I’ve read almost every post about Roque’s situation because there’s one every day, and I also read comparisons with Arda’s situation, so please allow me to offer my opinion.

   I think the main difference is that Ancelotti somehow was able to keep Arda happy despite the fact that he didn’t get many minutes. He is obviously in constant communication with him and gave him guarantees that he’s in his plans. Even though RM midfield has many talents in the pecking order, Arda never once complained about his situation. There’s a human element that’s missing from Roque’s situation.

   On the other hand, based on reports and announcements, Xavi doesn’t seem to rate Roque at all. If the reports were true, Xavi hasn’t even been talking to the kid and called him unreliable and not in his plans. No disrespect, but it’s perplexing to me why Xavi insists on alienating the player and not try to absorb him within his plans, especially that you guys just spent so much on him just recently. Xavi can come out and say “Roque is one of the most promising players in the world, and he will be ready in time. He’s in our future plans but we will decide when it’s the right time” or something along those lines to shut any speculation down.

   Imho There’s a certain power dynamic going on in the background that we don’t know about. Otherwise, Roque seems like a great option in attack as a back up and as a future talent. Imagine an 18 year who was deemed as the next big thing after joining one of the biggest clubs in the world, and just like that, he is being pushed away as an outcast… it’s just really heartbreaking.

5. It hasn’t been blown out of proportion. He still hasn’t addressed the main issue which is why he doesn’t talk to the Roque and Xavi could’ve handle the situation significantly better.

6. I think this situation is out of control. I have no data to confirm my suspicion that Roque might have not displayed the best attitude when being coached (which is usual for kids his age).

   Xavi maybe doesnt have the touch or patience to coach a young star who sometimes may or may not voice his displeasure. Also, he hasn’t been played in his natural position. Roque is clearly an old school powerful goalscorer. He was very productive in Brazil, of course he has the tools to thrive in Barcelona’s system in a few seasons (Vinicius was given the time to adapt).

   These are all assumptions on the case.

   That being said, having a young player loaned is a standard procedure for most elite teams. I think the agent is making a fuss over nothing. Clearly he does not represent Roque’s best interest. He’s making Roque look like a problematic kid. He’s turning Barcelona fans and the team management against Roque.

   My take: The agent is just worried about getting a commission out of the transaction.

7. I’ve been reading opinions here and on twitter and this situation is so ridiculous it’s basically become a sitcom. Imagine being 19, coming in the middle of the year (no pre-season, can’t speak the language), from a league that’s a significant standard below European levels, recently recovered from an injury and joining Barcelona – a top 3 club IN THE WORLD and expecting game time immediately. It’s ridiculous. Furthermore, the player that is expected to sit on the bench… is god damn Robert Lewandowski who has been in great form at a critical point of the season. How entitled can one be?

   He should be grateful and appreciative that he has a contract with a club like Barcelona, because it is a blessing and only 0.0001% of the best players in EUROPE even get that chance. He has to work extremely hard on improving, and prove himself in training. The minutes will come but it’s clear he has the wrong attitude already or at least his agent.

   When Ferran was out of form earlier this season he was in the same boat and how did he approach it? He focused on his mental health (“shark mentality”) and was working hard in training and doing extra sessions outside of training too. Then his form picked up and he was banging in goals frequently (and still wasnt a guaranteed starter!) but then injury again.

   It’s like how can I come from my 3rd world country, join Goldman Sachs or another Bulge bracket bank and expect to be treated like I’ve proven myself already – no matter how talented. It doesn’t work like that. Keep your head down, be humble, work hard and let the results do the talking. You will get your chance if you work hard under Xavi. He has proven this with many youngsters. With the minutes he has been given, he simply hasn’t shown enough, that doesn’t say he isnt talented, it just says he needs more time to adjust. Adding more pressure for him to play when the coaching staff clearly says he isn’t ready is only going to break him further.

   What I can assure you though, is this same entitlement is what landed Ansu Fati outside of club. Fati’s father in the press adding pressure… and now Roques agent. This doesnt bode well for his case at all and Im afraid he has already dug himself a hole, he will have to work even harder.

8. Barca is still making these stupid transfers, this boy has potential, yes, but he isn’t no where at a level helping the team, even as a sub! There are plenty of other bench players higher valued (right now), it would’nt be right to start an complete raw player over them. So its not Xavi‘s fault, he is doing the best for the team, if he sees another talent better than him, then they will start. Roque needs really good 4-5 years to improve his play, he has a lot of weaknesses (he could be a very good box striker in the future). And no, he will never be at a great level, lol, he is not the new R9 people are saying. In brazil there are a lot of great talents this generation, but none of them has the potential to be Dinho& Rivaldo. These guys were out of the scale already in their youth, and even them needed a year to adopt to european football.

9. Nobody in this sub cared about Roque getting minutes before the agent came out with his statements

10. Why are people giving any credence to what a player agent is saying?

    This is all pretty clearly about money!

11. Xavi knows shit about developing players. What has he done? Make Yamal play 90 min Évry game ? Never subbing lewa.

12. It doesn’t help that nobody at the club is speaking out and nipping this in the bud