Barca dismiss Pere over Messi
IN A season when the top sides have already hit some audaciously entertaining heights - especially in some sensational games against each other - there is also an entertaining debate. Who has been the most spectacular player in the Premier League? Who has consistently done the most spectacular things?
There are a number of candidates, a number of exquisite examples.
At Chelsea, there have been the runs and innovation of Eden Hazard, often followed by some supreme strikes by Diego Costa.
At Arsenal, there has been the rampaging running of Alexis Sanchez, with the ingenuity he displayed against West Ham United even matched by the improvisation of Olivier Giroud in his goal against Crystal Palace.
At Manchester City, there’s been the sheer penetration of Kevin De Bruyne amid some gloriously choreographed passages of play when they are on form, with Liverpool offering an exhilarating contrast through their thrilling relentlessness and the way someone like Sadio Mane suddenly surges through to provide it with a swishing scything edge.
Then there is the danger Liverpool will face today at Old Trafford. It really is difficult to think of anything in the Premier League as consistently divine right now as Paul Pogba’s deliveries.
There was another masterclass in the 2-0 EFL Cup win over Hull City on Tuesday, where he earned the WhoScored man of the match award with a rating of 9.06, but that merely re-emphasised how this is a player fully coming to form; fully coming into his own and expressing himself.
It feels like there have been several displays of this kind of audacious accuracy in every recent game, with every one of them further banishing the doubts about an otherwise talented player who supposedly didn’t have a position.
It’s not just that Pogba’s found a position. He’s started to command an entire area of the pitch, while dictating what happens elsewhere. The 23-year-old set Wayne Rooney up for what should have been a fitting move to break Bobby Charlton’s United goal record BARCELONA have dismissed Pere Gratacos from one of his roles with the club after comments he made about Lionel Messi following Friday’s Copa del Rey draw in Madrid.
Gratacos, until now Barca’s director of institutional relations with the Spanish Federation (RFEF), was attending the draw as the club’s representative when he was asked about Messi’s importance to the side and the state of play regarding his contract renewal.
He responded by saying he couldn’t comment on the contract situation, but added: “Leo is one of the most important people in the team, but it’s not just about him. He would not on Tuesday, only for the English forward to shoot narrowly wide. What has really helped further elevate Pogba’s game - and United’s general play - has been that he has usually been passing to someone much more prolific; much more deadly.
He is usually playing those passes to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and the Swede has started to sweep them home with impressive regularity, rousing the entire new Mourinho era again. The goal against Crystal Palace, where Pogba slipped the ball through for Ibrahimovic to slide it home, was the perfect example.
They’ve become the perfect partnership, after a relatively slow start. The stats illustrate they have more than picked up speed, be as good without [Andres] Iniesta, Neymar and company, but Messi is the best.”
Barca say the reason for firing Gratacos -- which was taken by director of professional sports Albert Soler was because he expressed an opinion which was not in line with the club’s.
He will, however, continue to work on the La Masia 360 project.
A statement read: “Pere Gratacos has been dismissed from his role as director of institutional relations for having publicly expressed a personal opinion that does not coincide with that of the club after the draw for the quarterfinal of the Copa del Rey.
“The decision was made by Albert though.
Pogba has directly created 14 chances for Ibrahimovic, with Ibrahimovic returning the favour with 11 for the midfielder. That makes them the most productive duo, in terms of opportunities set up for each other, in the Premier League.
Pogba creating for Ibrahimovic is also the second most consistent two-player attacking approach in the league, with only Jason Puncheon’s 16 chances for Christian Benteke at Crystal Palace ahead of them.
The big difference, of course, is that the United players are obviously so much more imaginative and innovative. So, even if you expect it to come, there’s often little you can do about it. — Whoscored.com Soler, who will take on these responsibilities directly from now on. Pere Gratacos will continue to be linked to Barcelona by working on the La Masia 360 project which is already underway.”
Gratacos came through Barcelona’s youth system and made over 100 appearances for the B team before spending the majority of his playing career at Catalan side Figueres.
The 58-year- old returned to the club as coach of the B team in 2003 and spent two years working with Messi, who he recommended to then first-team manager Frank Rijkaard.
The Dutch coach responded by calling up a teenage Messi for a Tottenham 4- 4-00 West Brom Burnley 1-01- 0 Southampton Hull City 3- 3-11 Bournemouth Sunderland 1-3 Stoke City Swansea City 0- 0-44 Arsenal Watford 0-0 Middlesbrough West Ham 3-0 Crystal Palace Lecester City v Chelsea (Played late) Everton v Manchester City 330pm Manchester United UnitedV V Liverpool 6pm friendly against Porto, when he made his first appearance for the club.
Gratacos’ remark on Friday came after CEO Oscar Grau said “common sense” must be applied when negotiating Messi’s new deal earlier this week.
Those comments were viewed by some as an attempt to force the Argentine to reduce his wage demands.
Despite everything, Barca remain confident that they will tie Messi down to a new deal in the coming months, with president Josep Maria Bartomeu saying before Christmas they’re prepared to make him the world’s best-paid player. — ESPN