FCBarça

Wow. Truly out of nothing. Thought the keeper should've run that ball down, tbh. Far too much space to work in

Deulofeu has the beating of their rleft back 1 vs 1 every time. We need to keep playing on the left and switching play to Deulofeu on the right quickly.

And keep an eye on Gerard because typically he flips to the other side of the pitch as well

Deulofeu...Danger, danger, danger...Good stuff

Barkley is just indifferent class.

Gerrard looking like he has a point to prove.

Barkley is a sharp looking player

I think I'm still in shock that Fila still exists let alone is a kit supplier

Really good stuff early from Deulo, beating his man pretty much everytime

Surely will get a run out tonight, fortunately the match is on just ahead of the Super Copa

Ffs, 2 games into the season.

 

He will feature but people are acting like the PL is a doddle and that a spanish super talent from Barcas B team will walk on to the team and cause major havoc to the opposition.

 

The PL is the best league in the world. Deulofeu will get a chance soon. I hope he lives up to 50% of the expectations. If he does, he will be an excellent addition to Everton.

 

FCBarca - Deulofeu will be a better player in a years time, because he opted for a new league, style etc. Its only been 2 games.

I would've merely expected him to get some minutes and seeing that the loan is simply a season long one, not sure what benefit there is to Everton to view it as a longterm project. Seems odd to give the #10 shirt to a player that is firmly planted on the bench. Might be a case of Martinez hoping he can secure Deulo's services for longer but I doubt very much that the club will look favorable on the loan if he rarely plays - the goal was for the player to get seasoned since they do count on him in their plans. Apparently, the player preferred a move to the Premiership over staying in Spain for the loan but that too may change. It's early of course but I expected at least a quarter hour or something, perhaps the League Cup.

It's still quite early but it's already looking a mistake to have opted for a new league, style etc. rather than going to another Primera club like Racing, Sociedad, Betis, Los Che etc

Shocked Howard Webb of all referees is being so generous. Not had players expressing themselves like that under Moyes, has RM loosened the leash?

Remarkable how poor Howard Webb is, honestly. Hard to comprehend how he continues to referee in Intl tournaments

Surprising to see Molina fail to convert in succession like that

@hafnia, Which is definitely something Deulofeu has been in short supply of - although Eusebio did call him out in the media. It's tough with young talents who are already making money at an early age through boot endorsements etc. (He's a Nike player). If he had a motor/head like Pedro, the kid would be a sensation.

Club officials on twitter said it was more Gerard didn't understand what was being asked of him and Martinez was trying to explain it to him which I can't imagine being easy during a match!

Local papers in Barcelona seem to think it was over Deulo not tracking back & pressing enough - which, as I have mentioned before, has been an issue in his development. Good for Martinez to stay on him, either way.

Was there an explanation as to why Deulo didn't play?

Is it true that the kid has a huge ego/attitude problem and that some of this might be to knock him down a bit in a tougher league? whats he like off-field?

I think that's probably not far from the truth...He's atypical for a cantera player in that he has an ego for everyone to see - often the object of opposing fans ire, home & away, in the Segunda division...When I say he toys with defenders, I mean to say he relishes clowning them...I've read/heard the comparisons to an early CR and he's gotten those comparisons since he was 14/15 years of age...He works better and more for the team in the past year or so, I'd say...I'm a strong critic of him among Barcelona fans and mainly down to some selfishness and refusal to work as hard on the defensive end as he does taking on opponents...I can recall one particular occasion with the U17 Spanish NT whereby he was dispossessed and rather than track the defender back, the opposition when onto score a goal - all the while he stood still with his hands on his hips, complaining to the ref (Reminscient of CR)...In his defense, that has improved remarkably in the last year so you could say the 19 year old is maturing

He's been called out by Eusebio, Pep & Tito in the press over the last few seasons for needing to work on his complete game and I imagine that is hitting home...Looking forward to seeing him outside the Barcelona/Spain bubble and in a more physical league

Update: And #10 it'll be...strange

#10? ...I like Graham and he used to have privileged access to the club but he's a writer, not a footy expert...Prone to some questionable hyperbole...Deulofeu is a forward who excels anywhere in the attacking third but he's not a #10

 

You never know if they keep buying Neymars.

Nah, no chance. He's rebuffed advances from the Premiership since he was 14 years old. Catalan, through & through, he'll be playing for the 1st team soon enough. Enjoy him while he's there, I'm sure he'll become a fan favorite.

He's right foot dominant but is pretty close to being two footed really. Used to be that his preferred & better wing was the left but has done very well on either side - throughout most matches, he will flip flop back & forth depending on the defense.

Gerard is a goalscorer who can dribble, has pace and nose for goal. He's gotten a little bigger in this past year but probably is right at about 5'10". Has had issues with selfishness and failing to track back but that has improved. I'm sure the thinking is under Tino that he will have to learn to improve his overall game. Loves to toy with defenders ala CR so I imagine him getting kicked to bits a bit in the Premiership should toughen him up. I'll be watching a lot of Everton in the coming season to keep an eye on his progress