Ivan Rakitić - Midfielder - Schalke 04 (6 Viewers)

[Alen]

Oh I agree, he would be an ideal player. It also depends what other clubs are offering a deal, free agents can demand more than usual in wages and signing on fees, agents fees, because there is no transfer fee.

I'm aware of that. I can't blame anyone in Juve without knowing any details at all.
My post was just my idea of how we should operate now and in the future. Smaller squad with more quality in it is a risk because 2-3 injuries can be fatal, but risking is what's left for us to do because we obviously can't play safe with mediocrity anymore. It doesn't work.

As an example (the names below are used just for the sake of the argument):
- We have Pepe as our starting LW, Martinez as his sub and Sissoko as 4th choice CM. Assuming we own Pepe and we sell all of them for 25m eur (and we get rid of their ~6m eur wages) we could buy Rakitic to take both Martinez's and Sissoko's place (we pay 5m eur for him and 2m eur for his wages) and we have 20m eur+4m eur wages for a first choice LW.
You get the idea.

It's much much easier to say than to do, but I think we should work on this kind of deals and operations.

 

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[V]

So really we have only actually signed one guy who in theory fits that category, under Marotta, and he is a short term stop gap.

As for Grosso, hindsight is beautiful but I remember a lot of people were happy with his signing, especially for the price.

It's pretty obvious that our long term objective has been and is to have a younger squad. Whether you think those players (the ones we have actually signed) are useless is a matter of opinion, just like calling Marotta incompetent for not signing a guy you like. You speak as if we were even negotiating for him. Were we?

It's not that I like him, it's that this deal makes sense, especially for us. Aside the reasons already mentioned; young, cheap, talented, versatile he also has other qualities we desperately lack; passing ability, creativity and a fucking strong shot. We need to stock up on such players, not the likes of Tiago and Sissoko. When you look at all of our central midfielders, only Aquilani knows how to play football. Yet we pass up on a guy like Rakitic for free. He's no world beater but would walk into this Juventus team without any troubles and would add a lot to squad depth afterwards.

Incompetence and nothing else. We should have worked this deal.

 

[JuveJay]

He's no world beater but would walk into this Juventus team without any troubles and would add a lot to squad depth afterwards.

Why and where?

 

[V]

Why and where?

Marchisio has been tried out on LW a number of times and offers nothing. He doesn't make many mistakes but does not offer the things you expect from a winger. Pepe is a proper winger, faster than both Rakitic and Marchisio but lacks end product, however makes up with a lot of workrate. Rakitic would offer everything I already posted above and you cut out. Depending on the situation he can be a starter at LW and a direct sub for Aquilani.

 

[JuveJay]

Well I don't agree that 'only Aquilani knows how to play football' - Melo? I've not seen Rakitic as much as you I'm certain, but as you say he is versatile and seems a more in-between player, like Marchisio in positions but not style.

Marchisio offers noting from the LW offensively, or little at least, there are two disciplines in football and his role at the moment is to balance the side by protecting our hideous left backs. I think this is pretty obvious. Yes we want more attacking options but we'd be caned with our existing fullbacks and two attacking wide men.

I already said I agree that Rakitic would make sense as a signing but I also don't see him as a starter more a rotational player, so I can't say he would walk into our side. For the attributes you mentioned he would make sense, yet I still don't see how this becomes incompetence if Marotta/Delneri have other ideas. What do we know, do we know more?

 

[V]

Well I don't agree that 'only Aquilani knows how to play football' - Melo? I've not seen Rakitic as much as you I'm certain, but as you say he is versatile and seems a more in-between player, like Marchisio in positions but not style.

Marchisio offers noting from the LW offensively, or little at least, there are two disciplines in football and his role at the moment is to balance the side by protecting our hideous left backs. I think this is pretty obvious. Yes we want more attacking options but we'd be caned with our existing fullbacks and two attacking wide men.

I already said I agree that Rakitic would make sense as a signing but I also don't see him as a starter more a rotational player, so I can't say he would walk into our side. For the attributes you mentioned he would make sense, yet I still don't see how this becomes incompetence if Marotta/Delneri have other ideas. What do we know, do we know more?

Rakitic is a player much similar to Aquilani, even more offensive, he's nothing like Melo or Marchisio. His natural position is an attacking midfielder, just behind the strikers, but for the NT he has played on the left wing and the whole past year as a deep lying playmaker for Schalke. He likes to open up space and look for pass through the defense. Like I said he also has a very strong shot, he scored 7 goals(some of them were proper screamers, check them out ) in 28 games last season, which is more than all our central midfielders combined.

I understand Marchisio is there for balance but when a team struggles to create chances against the likes of Bari and Cesena, that balance needs to be sacrificed and some risks taken to have more fluid football. I don't get this logic that's been implanted in our heads ever since Capello, that two holding mdifielders must play at all time. When you have a guy like Melo or Sissoko, that's enough, not like the other three midfielders will sit and watch when the opposition has the ball. Sure when you play Inter away you can go for that balance but in most cases that balance cripples us because we can't connect the simplest of passes.

He would make a shit-load of sense that's why this pisses me of so much. The guy has a lot of things we seriously lack and he's free, yet we're not fighting tooth and nail to get him and I know he would love to come here.

 

[Nicholas]

Poli is coming in the Summer why do we need Rakitic?

 

[V]

Poli is coming in the Summer why do we need Rakitic?

Depth, ability to cover more than one position?

And Poli is not official.

 

[Alen]

Depth, ability to cover more than one position?

And Poli is not official.

And Poli can't smell the 1st team in Sampdoria.

 

[V]

And Poli can't smell the 1st team in Sampdoria.

But he's young, talented and Italian. That's always a plus.

 

[Mark]

Poli is coming in the Summer why do we need Rakitic?

Hold your horses Nico.

 

[JuveJay]

Rakitic is a player much similar to Aquilani, even more offensive, he's nothing like Melo or Marchisio. His natural position is an attacking midfielder, just behind the strikers, but for the NT he has played on the left wing and the whole past year as a deep lying playmaker for Schalke. He likes to open up space and look for pass through the defense. Like I said he also has a very strong shot, he scored 7 goals(some of them were proper screamers, check them out here) in 28 games last season, which is more than all our central midfielders combined.

I understand Marchisio is there for balance but when a team struggles to create chances against the likes of Bari and Cesena, that balance needs to be sacrificed and some risks taken to have more fluid football. I don't get this logic that's been implanted in our heads ever since Capello, that two holding mdifielders must play at all time. When you have a guy like Melo or Sissoko, that's enough, not like the other three midfielders will sit and watch when the opposition has the ball. Sure when you play Inter away you can go for that balance but in most cases that balance cripples us because we can't connect the simplest of passes.

He would make a shit-load of sense that's why this pisses me of so much. The guy has a lot of things we seriously lack and he's free, yet we're not fighting tooth and nail to get him and I know he would love to come here.

I don't class Marchisio as a holding midfielder when he plays for us, more like a two-way player who struggles to get involved in general play because of his position, but we need to find a good balance because that's what makes teams. Right now we are probably not quite balanced enough to have enough attacking options, we'll notice it more without Quagliarella too.

 

[JuveJay]

But he's young, talented and Italian. That's always a plus.

Better than an old and mediocre one though, right?

 

[Alen]

But he's young, talented and Italian.

Can't argue the bold part. As for the rest, I'm not too sure.

 

[cimenk]

Juve, bye bye Rakitic: va in Premier League

Which team in Premier League? Is it official? Damn, we miss this guy

 

[Alen]

Which team in Premier League? Is it official?

No, apparently Manchester United, Tottenham, Everton and Bolton want him. ManUtd's name might be included there only by Rakitic's agent, to make his negotiating position better. Tottenham with the Croat base might be mentioned without actually showing real interest. We'll see in the next days what's true and what's not.

 

[JuveJay]

Yeah Spurs need an attacking midfielder.

 

[j0ker]

Didn't they get Pienaar?

 

[JuveJay]

Yeah.

 

[Zacheryah]

epl teams disgust me, they just buy a ludicrous ammount of players for each position and then see what happens.

and players accept this, blinded by all the dollars.

financiel fairplay is gonna be a blast