a écrit le 19 mai 2013 à 14h07 (Continued)
situations that he fails to foresee.
There are too many games to recount where Arsenal have been fatally exploited due to gaping holes in Song's territory. The most high-profile recent example is February's 4-0 Champions League pummeling in Italy at the hands of AC Milan.
Supporters cite Song's 14 assists last season as evidence of his quality, but the midfielder's job at Arsenal was to prevent goals, not create them. Rogerio Ceni has scored more than 100 times for Sao Paulo, but that doesn't make him a great goalkeeper.
Barcelona's signing of Song is certainly a peculiar one. A much over-looked aspect of the Blaugrana philosophy is their ferocious pressing tactics. Not only is Song slow and cumbersome in closing down opponents, he is often accused of being lazy too. This will not be tolerated in Catalunya if he is to be a success.
The 24-year-old does not move the ball on quickly and seems ill-suited to the Blaugrana's fast one-touch, tiki-taka, pass-and-move game. While Song is certainly a better passer than Javier Mascherano, there are concerns that just like the Argentine he may struggle executing the short and sharp triangles with Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Messi and Co.
Song seems ill-suited to the Blaugrana's fast one-touch, tiki-taka, pass-and-move game. He may struggle executing short and sharp triangles
Mascherano was subsequently shifted into defence in an attempt to cover for the persistent injuries to captain Carles Puyol – and he has not looked back since. There is every possibility Song could also be used at the back, but this would be far from advisable in a big game against a Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Manchester City. In his past outings in defence, Song has looked awkward and insecure.
Song will start his Barcelona career as a squad player, and will certainly deepen a rather thin senior roster. But €19 million is a lot of money to spend on a benchwarmer, and Tito Vilanova – who personally requested the midfielder – is leaving himself open to criticism.
While Vilanova's predecessor Pep Guardiola made a few bad signings himself – Dmytro Chygrynskiy at €25m the most infamous - it is hard to imagine Guardiola ever sanctioning a move for such an overrated and ill-suited player as Song. Not for the first time in a transfer dealing between Arsenal and Barcelona, it is the English side who will get the better side of the bargain.
situations that he fails to foresee.
There are too many games to recount where Arsenal have been fatally exploited due to gaping holes in Song's territory. The most high-profile recent example is February's 4-0 Champions League pummeling in Italy at the hands of AC Milan.
Supporters cite Song's 14 assists last season as evidence of his quality, but the midfielder's job at Arsenal was to prevent goals, not create them. Rogerio Ceni has scored more than 100 times for Sao Paulo, but that doesn't make him a great goalkeeper.
Barcelona's signing of Song is certainly a peculiar one. A much over-looked aspect of the Blaugrana philosophy is their ferocious pressing tactics. Not only is Song slow and cumbersome in closing down opponents, he is often accused of being lazy too. This will not be tolerated in Catalunya if he is to be a success.
The 24-year-old does not move the ball on quickly and seems ill-suited to the Blaugrana's fast one-touch, tiki-taka, pass-and-move game. While Song is certainly a better passer than Javier Mascherano, there are concerns that just like the Argentine he may struggle executing the short and sharp triangles with Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Messi and Co.
Song seems ill-suited to the Blaugrana's fast one-touch, tiki-taka, pass-and-move game. He may struggle executing short and sharp triangles
Mascherano was subsequently shifted into defence in an attempt to cover for the persistent injuries to captain Carles Puyol – and he has not looked back since. There is every possibility Song could also be used at the back, but this would be far from advisable in a big game against a Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Manchester City. In his past outings in defence, Song has looked awkward and insecure.
Song will start his Barcelona career as a squad player, and will certainly deepen a rather thin senior roster. But €19 million is a lot of money to spend on a benchwarmer, and Tito Vilanova – who personally requested the midfielder – is leaving himself open to criticism.
While Vilanova's predecessor Pep Guardiola made a few bad signings himself – Dmytro Chygrynskiy at €25m the most infamous - it is hard to imagine Guardiola ever sanctioning a move for such an overrated and ill-suited player as Song. Not for the first time in a transfer dealing between Arsenal and Barcelona, it is the English side who will get the better side of the bargain.
