La Liga (Spanish League) Prediction Thread 2023/24

[coupable]

If Messi wear something like 45 or 63 that could be possible but let's be honest, no matter how good a player is, even if the greatest of all time, you can't retire number 10. I don't think that's even an internal discussion. You can honor Messi in different ways other than retiring no.10 jersey.
Messi is gone, but life goes on. I'm glad they give No.10 to another La Masia player Fati. He can be very successful and be the new star of this club. Just give him some time. If they give away no.10 to a newcomer I would be against it but I don't think nobody have right to say something to La Masia players.

Ansu Fati may not be a great player like Messi. But he is a talented player. He is a player of La Masia. Barcelona has built him. Maybe Barca management is hoping that he will serve Barcelona for a long time. But Fati will never be able to fill Messi's void. I don't think he's as talented as Messi.

Two years ago, Ansu Fati was admired by Messi himself and even reserved exceptional praise for him (he has 16 at that time) and once said that Ansu Fati has the quality to become one of the best.
Today, after two years, Ansu Fati has already started to fulfil his potential; he might not be at the same level of performance like Messi but statistics reveals how much this guy is talented and may fill the vacant place of Messi in Barcelone.
This is an extract from Messi speech about Ansu Fati:

I’d like them to bring him on gradually, like they did with me when I started, taking things nice and easy and without putting pressure on him.

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[poldanmig]

It is still early to talk about a player whose age is only 18 now. But one thing is certain that we may not see a player like Messi at Barcelona or another club for a very long time. Messi is really something different. He is not from our world.    He is a legend already. Maybe in 20 years or so, we can have another player like him I think.

I agree with you, because indeed Ansu Fati must really be able to show the quality of his game to be worthy to replace Messi position in Barcelona, ​​and now this will certainly be a burden for Ansu Fati if Barcelona fans expect more from him, because now he ​is claimed to be Messi successor.
I think the management and Barcelona fans should not expect that Ansu Fati will be like Messi, because of course it will make Ansu Fati very difficult to develop because he is burdened by the big name Messi

[AndySt]

You are right about Messi leaving the team, most people would not want such a transfer but I think the number 10 jersey is also important. Not every player can wear this jersey, I think it's too early to give the number 10 jersey to this player.
Ansu Fati is very talented, but he is still at the beginning of the road compared to the players who wore the number 10 jersey before. I hope he doesn't lose his talent and can be among the legends

Why did Barcelona let Messi go too easily?
The transfer of Griezman can be done earlier to cut their salary budget and it would be enough to sign a new contract with Messi. After Messi left, they had reasons to get sympathy from Pique to cut his salary.
All things are in a plan, perhaps? They did have plan to force Messi and Griezman out of the club. And I feel that they did not want to keep Messi while they can solve this situation better.

Yes, that could be true. But still, Barcelona is very late with its actions to reduce the budget. Also, Barcelona clearly wanted to get as much money as possible for the sale of Griezmann, but it was too late and it was impossible to fulfill the wishes about the price in such a short time. I don't think that Griezmann's transfer alone, even if it had taken place on Barcelona's terms, could have solved the problems with signing a new contract for Messi, because as far as I remember, Messi himself had to agree to a salary reduction several times due to non-fulfillment of the financial fairplay conditions. It all had to be done in a complex, with the sale of several players and not so hastily.

[kawetsriyanto]

I think the management and Barcelona fans should not expect that Ansu Fati will be like Messi, because of course it will make Ansu Fati very difficult to develop because he is burdened by the big name Messi

Yep. Don't give too big pressure on him, just let him does his best for the club. We still cannot compare Fati and Messi, there is still too much gap between them. Fati is a young player, while Messi is a legend, it is not the right time to compare them. In my opinion, it is too early to give the number 10 to Ansu Fati because it possibly makes him burdened. I don't understand why Barcelona management does it in hurry!

[BitcoinHunt3r]

I think the management and Barcelona fans should not expect that Ansu Fati will be like Messi, because of course it will make Ansu Fati very difficult to develop because he is burdened by the big name Messi

Yep. Don't give too big pressure on him, just let him does his best for the club. We still cannot compare Fati and Messi, there is still too much gap between them. Fati is a young player, while Messi is a legend, it is not the right time to compare them. In my opinion, it is too early to give the number 10 to Ansu Fati because it possibly makes him burdened. I don't understand why Barcelona management does it in hurry!

I'm sure there's a certain meaning behind it all they understand better what to do even though there is a risk of being burdened there
At least giving time to try is better than nothing just like what messi did when he first entered the Barcelona senior team. Anyway I still hope there will be a replacement for Messi there in the near future.

[Wawa2013]

I think the management and Barcelona fans should not expect that Ansu Fati will be like Messi, because of course it will make Ansu Fati very difficult to develop because he is burdened by the big name Messi

Yep. Don't give too big pressure on him, just let him does his best for the club. We still cannot compare Fati and Messi, there is still too much gap between them. Fati is a young player, while Messi is a legend, it is not the right time to compare them. In my opinion, it is too early to give the number 10 to Ansu Fati because it possibly makes him burdened. I don't understand why Barcelona management does it in hurry!

I'm sure there's a certain meaning behind it all they understand better what to do even though there is a risk of being burdened there
At least giving time to try is better than nothing just like what messi did when he first entered the Barcelona senior team. Anyway I still hope there will be a replacement for Messi there in the near future.

Maybe losing Messi did have a big enough effect on Barcelona, therefore Barcelona management wants to do something by creating a replacement
and hope everyone can move on soon. But this will indeed make Ansu Fati a heavy burden, It's not easy to be a replacement for Messi who has given
a lot for Barcelona. But I can understand what the Barcelona management did, they just want to prove that Barcelona can still be a great team
even without the presence of Messi. But if we look at Ansu Fati's game, Fati is indeed a potential player who can become a great player in the future,
the most important thing is to be given a lot of playing opportunities. I believe Ansu Fati can replace Messi in the future, we just need to give Ansu Fati
a chance to prove himself.

[blackened515]

It is still early to talk about a player whose age is only 18 now. But one thing is certain that we may not see a player like Messi at Barcelona or another club for a very long time. Messi is really something different. He is not from our world.    He is a legend already. Maybe in 20 years or so, we can have another player like him I think.

I agree with you, because indeed Ansu Fati must really be able to show the quality of his game to be worthy to replace Messi position in Barcelona, ​​and now this will certainly be a burden for Ansu Fati if Barcelona fans expect more from him, because now he ​is claimed to be Messi successor.
I think the management and Barcelona fans should not expect that Ansu Fati will be like Messi, because of course it will make Ansu Fati very difficult to develop because he is burdened by the big name Messi

Messi was a great player Barcelona had, and I don't think Barcelona will easily get someone like him again. Ansu Fati will definitely try his best for the club, and they don't have to put pressure on him, because he took Messi's previous position. He is still very young and haven't gotten enough experience. Although, he scored 4 goals in last season  in the La Liga league. However, Let's see what the got for the team.

[SquirrelJulietGarden]

The weird part is the benching him part. I mean sure he could sign a pre-contract deal with Real Madrid when he is still with PSG but why bench him?

Mbappe is only allowed to discuss with other clubs after the January 2022. In the summer 2021, he still has one year contract and was not allowed to do so.

If you are PSG and you are on route to winning UCL and if mbappe is still trying his best to win that UCL before he leaves and gives great performance, then why would you bench him? He could be the best player on that team, could be Neymar or whatever but he is up there for sure and you are telling me that just because he will leave, you will bench him?

I am not PSG president so I can not say about that. I only guess that they know the risk of losing Mbappe in free transfer but they accept it. They take the risk, sacrifice the cost of about $200M to increase their chance to win Champions League.

They can sell him and spend $200M to buy another player but the new one might not help them to win Champions League asap or within 2 seasons. They know the time of Messi is limited and they can not wait for a new player to adapt to the team. It is more risky for them than sacrifice $200M and keep Mbappe one season.

I think PSG will not bench him and they are fine with losing Mbappe as a whole next season just to win that UCL, because mbappe for one more season nearly guarantees them the cup whereas without him it guarantees they will not be able to win. I have seen teams who are much worse to win UCL, hell even Chelsea last year was a lot worse than PSG this year, so it is quite possible for them to get it if they play team ball.

It is a sport for team working and I understood but it is better, not worse when you have a player who can decide a match like Mbappe.

[hahay]

I think the management and Barcelona fans should not expect that Ansu Fati will be like Messi, because of course it will make Ansu Fati very difficult to develop because he is burdened by the big name Messi

Yep. Don't give too big pressure on him, just let him does his best for the club. We still cannot compare Fati and Messi, there is still too much gap between them. Fati is a young player, while Messi is a legend, it is not the right time to compare them. In my opinion, it is too early to give the number 10 to Ansu Fati because it possibly makes him burdened. I don't understand why Barcelona management does it in hurry!

I'm sure there's a certain meaning behind it all they understand better what to do even though there is a risk of being burdened there
At least giving time to try is better than nothing just like what messi did when he first entered the Barcelona senior team. Anyway I still hope there will be a replacement for Messi there in the near future.

Maybe losing Messi did have a big enough effect on Barcelona, therefore Barcelona management wants to do something by creating a replacement
and hope everyone can move on soon. But this will indeed make Ansu Fati a heavy burden, It's not easy to be a replacement for Messi who has given
a lot for Barcelona. But I can understand what the Barcelona management did, they just want to prove that Barcelona can still be a great team
even without the presence of Messi. But if we look at Ansu Fati's game, Fati is indeed a potential player who can become a great player in the future,
the most important thing is to be given a lot of playing opportunities. I believe Ansu Fati can replace Messi in the future, we just need to give Ansu Fati
a chance to prove himself.

I personally don't really believe with Ansu Fati, even though Fati is a dropout from La Masia, like Messi but they shouldn't have high hopes for him either. I agree with the words "burdened", because currently Fati is still suffering from injuries and at his young age I personally would not have too much hope for him. Because Messi himself initially took time and went through many seasons to finally be trusted to wear the number 10, if Fati who is basically young and still needs more playing hours then saying he is a substitute for Messi is not something that is right and I'm afraid it will only make a blunder.

[kassex]

Messi played alongside players like Ronaldinho for several years, and after Xavi and Iniesta. Playing with such masters helped him to become a perfect player. Unfortunately, Fati does not have that opportunity. He may not be like Messi, but he can become the leader of the team. Barcelona needs such players at the moment, I hope he won't have more injuries and grows into a big player.

[LittleBitFunny]

I personally don't really believe with Ansu Fati, even though Fati is a dropout from La Masia, like Messi but they shouldn't have high hopes for him either. I agree with the words "burdened", because currently Fati is still suffering from injuries and at his young age I personally would not have too much hope for him. Because Messi himself initially took time and went through many seasons to finally be trusted to wear the number 10, if Fati who is basically young and still needs more playing hours then saying he is a substitute for Messi is not something that is right and I'm afraid it will only make a blunder.

I don't believe in Ansu Fati too. He has played 31 matches for Barcelona in La Liga. And he has scored 11 goals in 31 matches. I don't think he should have been given the number 10 jersey right now. This jersey should have been given to him after making him more experienced. In at least one season, Barcelona could have kept the number 10 jersey off someone in honor of Messi.

[baeva]

I'm sorry, what other strange things do they do? Messi's departure from Barcelona was not because of management, but because of league rules. Fati is quite a talented player, he would have opened up even better if he hadn't been injured in '20. That's why I think he can play well and rightfully got number 10

You are right about Messi leaving the team, most people would not want such a transfer but I think the number 10 jersey is also important. Not every player can wear this jersey, I think it's too early to give the number 10 jersey to this player.
Ansu Fati is very talented, but he is still at the beginning of the road compared to the players who wore the number 10 jersey before. I hope he doesn't lose his talent and can be among the legends

I don't know about others, but I don't think that a player's number plays a fantastic role. It's not a mascot and there's no need to give it some kind of cult, it just complicates things. If Barcelona approved the choice, it's up to them, but I think that Fati can still play and perhaps justify his ten

[Kusman]

I'm sorry, what other strange things do they do? Messi's departure from Barcelona was not because of management, but because of league rules. Fati is quite a talented player, he would have opened up even better if he hadn't been injured in '20. That's why I think he can play well and rightfully got number 10

You are right about Messi leaving the team, most people would not want such a transfer but I think the number 10 jersey is also important. Not every player can wear this jersey, I think it's too early to give the number 10 jersey to this player.
Ansu Fati is very talented, but he is still at the beginning of the road compared to the players who wore the number 10 jersey before. I hope he doesn't lose his talent and can be among the legends

I don't know about others, but I don't think that a player's number plays a fantastic role. It's not a mascot and there's no need to give it some kind of cult, it just complicates things. If Barcelona approved the choice, it's up to them, but I think that Fati can still play and perhaps justify his ten

I think that a jersey number like 10 carries big importance for the player who wears it. It lays a burden on the player that he needs to be a really good playmaker. That player should be at the centre of the focus of the team. Most of the attacks should go over him. So, number 10 is really critical for a team. And I'm not sure if it is the right thing to give it to Fati already. He is only 18 and he needs to be more experienced to deserve this jersey.

[slaman29]

All things are in a plan, perhaps? They did have plan to force Messi and Griezman out of the club. And I feel that they did not want to keep Messi while they can solve this situation better.

I wish I could believe this, that my club is so smart and so cunning that they planned it this way all along, that they knew exactly the reasons they didn't want Messi anymore but they didn't want to admit it so they devised something like this.

But I know my club better than that. They just have really big idiots at the board and in management, and accountants that didn't do their job well.

[Minor Miner]

I'm sorry, what other strange things do they do? Messi's departure from Barcelona was not because of management, but because of league rules. Fati is quite a talented player, he would have opened up even better if he hadn't been injured in '20. That's why I think he can play well and rightfully got number 10

You are right about Messi leaving the team, most people would not want such a transfer but I think the number 10 jersey is also important. Not every player can wear this jersey, I think it's too early to give the number 10 jersey to this player.
Ansu Fati is very talented, but he is still at the beginning of the road compared to the players who wore the number 10 jersey before. I hope he doesn't lose his talent and can be among the legends

I don't know about others, but I don't think that a player's number plays a fantastic role. It's not a mascot and there's no need to give it some kind of cult, it just complicates things. If Barcelona approved the choice, it's up to them, but I think that Fati can still play and perhaps justify his ten

I think that a jersey number like 10 carries big importance for the player who wears it. It lays a burden on the player that he needs to be a really good playmaker. That player should be at the centre of the focus of the team. Most of the attacks should go over him. So, number 10 is really critical for a team. And I'm not sure if it is the right thing to give it to Fati already. He is only 18 and he needs to be more experienced to deserve this jersey.

Yeah, I think so too. The most important player of each team is given the number 10 jersey. At least we ordinary viewers think so. Is Fati the most important player in Barcelona? Is he the key player of Barcelona? I don't think so. However, I hope he will not underestimate the number 10 jersey, he will make himself worthy of the number 10 jersey.

[TheGreatPython]

I personally don't really believe with Ansu Fati, even though Fati is a dropout from La Masia, like Messi but they shouldn't have high hopes for him either. I agree with the words "burdened", because currently Fati is still suffering from injuries and at his young age I personally would not have too much hope for him. Because Messi himself initially took time and went through many seasons to finally be trusted to wear the number 10, if Fati who is basically young and still needs more playing hours then saying he is a substitute for Messi is not something that is right and I'm afraid it will only make a blunder.

I don't believe in Ansu Fati too. He has played 31 matches for Barcelona in La Liga. And he has scored 11 goals in 31 matches. I don't think he should have been given the number 10 jersey right now. This jersey should have been given to him after making him more experienced. In at least one season, Barcelona could have kept the number 10 jersey off someone in honor of Messi.

It is 100% guaranteed that they did it to show Messi how they do not care that he left. This is typical move of someone who just got out of relationship, like sharing pictures outside having fun and so forth so that your ex could see you having fun. They gave Ansu Fati number 10 not because they believe in him neither, you are acting as if they believe Ansu will be amazing, they do not believe that at all, they would give the number 10 to me if they could just because they want to tell Messi that number 10 is not special and already distributed to someone else, they want to make sure Messi sees it and feels bad about it.

But, I also do not pity Messi neither, look at Barcelona they got rid of so much money, if Messi took €1 salary or even 10 million, then they would have kept him, but Messi wanted more and more which is why it is obvious that he deserves his number 10 to be given to anyone.

[baeva]

Legends like Messi and Ronaldinho have played in the number 10 jersey of Barcelona. I don’t think Ansu Fati is as talented as them. If he can take himself to their level then that is definitely good. But so far I don't think Fati is as talented as Messi or Ronaldinho. Barcelona should have given the number 10 jersey to someone who deserves it. The Barcelona management is doing all sorts of weird weird things this season.

I'm sorry, what other strange things do they do? Messi's departure from Barcelona was not because of management, but because of league rules. Fati is quite a talented player, he would have opened up even better if he hadn't been injured in '20. That's why I think he can play well and rightfully got number 10

Messi's departure from Barcelona is indirectly due to management. At least I believe so. Didn't the Management of Barcelona know about such rules of the league? If they wanted to, they could find a way to keep Messi in the team. But they did not want to keep Messi in the team. However, it would be great for Barcelona if Ansu Fati could take Messi's place.

Hmmm, read the league rules and get into this issue with Messi leaving. How can they resolve this issue if they have huge debts? Do you know why they have huge debts? Because La Liga didn't help the clubs in any way during the pandemic and now everyone is in debt. Or are you suggesting to sell half of the squad to have enough for Messi? No, better to sacrifice one player than an entire club. A player cannot stay at Barcelona, even if he agrees to play for free, and these are not the rules of the club, but of the league itself, they cannot be broken at all, the club has nothing to do with it. You blame the management now, but Leo wanted to leave Barcelona last year, but he was persuaded to stay... Is Leo an idol for you? He's not soft and fluffy, he also has many flaws.

[kawetsriyanto]

At least giving time to try is better than nothing just like what messi did when he first entered the Barcelona senior team.

Giving time to be Messi's successor doesn't mean to hurry giving number 10 to Fati. I think it will be wise to keep number 10 this season, and just consider giving number 10 to Fati in the next season if he is really successful to replace Messi's role on the team this season. Barcelona can evaluate it after this season ends, not hurry to give it before he can show us that he deserves it. Previously, Messi didn't suddenly get number 10 when he entered the senior team. He got the number 10 after several seasons he played on the senior team. He showed that he deserved it first before he got it.

[BITCOIN4X]

Giving time to be Messi's successor doesn't mean to hurry giving number 10 to Fati. I think it will be wise to keep number 10 this season, and just consider giving number 10 to Fati in the next season if he is really successful to replace Messi's role on the team this season. Barcelona can evaluate it after this season ends, not hurry to give it before he can show us that he deserves it. Previously, Messi didn't suddenly get number 10 when he entered the senior team. He got the number 10 after several seasons he played on the senior team. He showed that he deserved it first before he got it.

As a Barcelona fan, I agree with your opinion. Fati doesn't deserve the legacy of the current number 10 because he hasn't fully proved to us that he can play a central role in the team as a goalscorer. He is still very young and will still improve a lot, maybe he will get that number but not this season. Messi got that number after Ronaldinho left Barcelona if I'm not mistaken.

[Roidz]

I think that a jersey number like 10 carries big importance for the player who wears it. It lays a burden on the player that he needs to be a really good playmaker. That player should be at the centre of the focus of the team. Most of the attacks should go over him. So, number 10 is really critical for a team. And I'm not sure if it is the right thing to give it to Fati already. He is only 18 and he needs to be more experienced to deserve this jersey.

In football usually, the number 10 is given to the star player of a team, who acts as the team's playmaker or attacking midfielder and of course one of the players who can wear the number 10 is a player who is very influential in the team, I think Barcelona should prefer senior players to wear the number 10 instead of having to give it to fati who is still young and has not proven his quality so far.