If Barca want him to be one of their best players, they should act now.
PROs
Puig fits both 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3
People say Ronald Koeman should switch to the 4-3-3 formation to make the best out of Riqui Puig but that seems like a myth now. Here are a few facts to bust it.
- Puig was active at winning duels vs Juventus and even tackled his opponents a few times; he may lack physicality but do we really need to play with 2 holding midfielders all the time?
- One of Riqui’s greatest skills is his ability to provide line-breaking passes – this was emphasised by La Masia’s ex-director; in the 4-2-3-1 formation, he could also play as a central attacking midfielder given his ability to pass into the final third.
He’s a difference-maker
When Riqui’s on the pitch, it seems like his every touch makes some real sense. Puig is 100% focused no matter what the score is. Against Granada in January, he effectively contributed to Barca’s only goal of the game; against Juventus, when Barca were losing 3-0, he was always trying to sharpen the play.
Take a look at this incredible stat.
https://twitter.com/SofaScoreINT/status/1336610643336720385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1336610643336720385%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftribuna.com%2Fen%2Ffcbarcelona%2F
His mentality is something else
The way he celebrates goals is awesome.
Why do you think it’s Barca’s happiest goal celebration this year? Simply because Riqui is there
He celebrates goals as if his side have just won the Champions League.
CONs
He has turned into fringe player
In the 2020/21 season, Riqui Puig spends most of the time on the sidelines – the 21-year-old gained an official promotion at the beginning of the season but gets little game time on the pitch.
It’s quite different from what we saw last term. Officially, Puig was still a Barca B player and sometimes featured for the second team to gain match fitness.
He needs to touch the ball but he mostly does it in training – this may have impacted his skills a bit.
Puig’s nature is complex
Despite only being a newly-minted La Masia graduate, Riqui knows his own worth. That’s great for him as a player but that could also be harmful to the team.
Here are just a few things highlighting it.
- “If I don’t have any minutes with the first team, I will have to make a decision [on whether to stay at Barca],” he said in January 2020.
- At the beginning of the season, he reportedly leaked his talk with Ronald Koeman after the Dutchman told him to look for a new team.
- Earlier, Riqui liked a tweet bashing ‘so-called club legend’ Koeman for saying that Riqui lacks physicality.
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