(02-28-2018 12:40 PM)GrayBeard Wrote:  

(02-28-2018 12:32 PM)VA49er Wrote:  

(02-28-2018 12:16 PM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(02-28-2018 11:04 AM)VA49er Wrote:  

(02-28-2018 10:50 AM)aTxTIGER Wrote:  Suarez is the odd man out.

As much as I hate to say it, but I imagine Iniesta is on his way out. I think he's 34 now and considering a huge China deal. I don't think Suarez will be sold immediately, but Greizmann does look like his eventual replacement with Coutinho replacing Iniesta. Barca also has several other players that it needs to sell to balance the books and it appears Valverde prefers a small squad to manage. Barca is also selling the naming rights to the Camp Nou.

I'm thinking the lineup will look something like this:

Ter Stegen

Sergi Pique Umtiti Alba

Rakatic Busquests Iniesta/Coutinho

Messi Suarez Griezmann/Dembel

Of course all of this may be moot if Griezmann doesn't move; however, from what I've read the source detailing his move is supposed to be pretty reliable. We'll see. BTW, his release clause decreased from 200 million to 100 million.

If you do that, you run the risk of pissing off Dembele, who has shown the ability to be a royal pain in the ass to management already in his short professional career. I don't think Barca will want to drop $150M one year and have that same player sitting on the bench the next. Do they dare go to the fabled 4-2-4?

Valverde seems to like the 4-4-3.

IMO, Dembele is an important piece but he's not a finished product ready to be the focal point of the club or a commercial cornerstone in the way Griezmann is right away. Plus Griezmann has been in Spain for a while and speaks Spanish. Also, he's French and so is Dembele along with Umtiti and Digne so there will be this French contingent to help Dembele adjust.

So, in the 4-4-3, is he planning to go keeperless?