Brahim Diaz

[Scaring Europe to Death]

I've always considered Barker to be a bit Wladimir Weiss in the way he looked a world beater until he reached a certain level.
If anything Weiss was a world beater at U18 (arguably better than Barker), whereas Barker seemed to freeze, almost from the moment we played Schalke and Chelsea in the final stages.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Never a fan of Barker, might see it differently were the age gap between he and I a bit bigger but his moody, pouting style off the pitch always pissed me off. Ended up unfollowing him just so I didn't have to look at his angry photos all the time. Never figured out what he was so annoyed about. Excellent player though.

But from what I've seen I think Brahim is better in the way he controls a ball, and his pressing, tracking back, tackling are better too.

do you know him personally ? how can apparent moody photos piss you off. I've actually met barker on a night out in manchester and he came across as a nice guy, bit quiet, but that doesnt make someone moody.

 

[MarsLlama]

do you know him personally ? how can apparent moody photos piss you off. I've actually met barker on a night out in manchester and he came across as a nice guy, bit quiet, but that doesnt make someone moody.

For all I know he's lovely. All I have to go off of is the hardman persona he tries to keep up (which to be fair to him a lot of teenagers have about them) and a mate of mine who's met him and says he was a dick. It's not a completely rational feeling but I do feel he does himself no favours.

 

[Neville Kneville]

But that's the problem with higlight reels, yes going forward he was marvelous and made the opposition look clueless at times and was totally unplayable. However what they wont show is when he wasn't up for it and the times lost the ball his head would drop, no tracking back whatsoever. Have you ever seen Diaz lose the ball and not go hairing off to get it back? It's possible yet (he's still young) that it may click with Barker but imo it's a mental block with him that he has to get through.

I agree about his head going down & also his body language etc but imo when a player has his talent, it should be a priority to work on that & try to fix anything that gets in the way of wasting it. If he's miserable, why is he miserable & how do we fix it ? Pellegrini at long last putting him on the bench then having him warming up for weeks on end, so close, whilst promoting people like Pozo & Manu Garcia instead of him, would have 100% the opposite effect imo.

I don't agree with people saying he didn't track back. He did. Not as good as Diaz but no different to Sané's early games in the first team for example & certainly no less than Ronaldo etc at the same age. Sané farted & strolled around at the swamp but look at him now, after Pep has got into him.

We are talking of Sancho, Diaz etc as pretty much nailed on for the first team, but all that depends on what we do with them, next.

They 'should' make it with flying colours but we will have to change the way we have been operating, if they are to do so.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

For all I know he's lovely. All I have to go off of is the hardman persona he tries to keep up (which to be fair to him a lot of teenagers have about them) and a mate of mine who's met him and says he was a dick. It's not a completely rational feeling but I do feel he does himself no favours.

mate, i wouldn't judge a young person based on imstagram or twitter. I'm of that generation and its all a load of bullshit if you ask me :) saying that even if he is a dick, i dont think it would matter, as long as he played well.

 

[MarsLlama]

mate, i wouldn't judge a young person based on imstagram or twitter. I'm of that generation and its all a load of bullshit if you ask me :) saying that even if he is a dick, i dont think it would matter, as long as he played well.

As I said it's probably because I'm really not far off of his age myself, and I know a great deal of people of that age. You're probably right, it's irrational.

 

[Neville Kneville]

I've always considered Barker to be a bit Wladimir Weiss in the way he looked a world beater until he reached a certain level.
If anything Weiss was a world beater at U18 (arguably better than Barker), whereas Barker seemed to freeze, almost from the moment we played Schalke and Chelsea in the final stages.

It was Barker who opened up Chelsea for City's goal in the final. And he gave Aspiwhateverthefuck loads of problems in the first team game at Chelsea, when he came on until Kolarov put a stop to it by standing in front of him & ruining his game. He also tracked back 80 yards to try & stop their goal.

If I'm not mistaken, that was pretty much the end of Barker's first team career.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

I agree about his head going down & also his body language etc but imo when a player has his talent, it should be a priority to work on that & try to fix anything that gets in the way of wasting it. If he's miserable, why is he miserable & how do we fix it ? Pellegrini at long last putting him on the bench then having him warming up for weeks on end, so close, whilst promoting people like Pozo & Manu Garcia instead of him, would have 100% the opposite effect imo.

I don't agree with people saying he didn't track back. He did. Not as good as Diaz but no different to Sané's early games in the first team for example & certainly no less than Ronaldo etc at the same age. Sané farted & strolled around at the swamp but look at him now, after Pep has got into him.

We are talking of Sancho, Diaz etc as pretty much nailed on for the first team, but all that depends on what we do with them, next.

They 'should' make it with flying colours but we will have to change the way we have been operating, if they are to do so.

i think thats a really good point. tbh i think its very difficult right now to predict who will make it into our first team. we will probably have one maybe two players that make it from the players we have now. we need to start playing them more in cup games and having a bit more faith in them. some players when you see them play you just know they are gonna make it to a good level, i had that when i saw micheal johnson play, he had everything. from the players we have now id say foden is that one.

it may end up being none of sancho, diaz or foden make it with us and a less high profile player could come into the team.

 

[Neville Kneville]

i think thats a really good point. tbh i think its very difficult right now to predict who will make it into our first team. we will probably have one maybe two players that make it from the players we have now. we need to start playing them more in cup games and having a bit more faith in them. some players when you see them play you just know they are gonna make it to a good level, i had that when i saw micheal johnson play, he had everything. from the players we have now id say foden is that one.

it may end up being none of sancho, diaz or foden make it with us and a less high profile player could come into the team.

The last point absolutely spot on in theory but, at City, very unlikely in practice because those lesser players will probably never see the first team & therefore never find out that they can step up.
I hate to say this (again) but I firmly believe some of our recent generations would have had a much better chance of becoming top players if they had come through at the swamp. I recon a whole bunch of them would have played first team football & one or two might actually have thrived. As you say, it might have been the 4th or 5th best kid who did it, not the best. It happens like that a fair bit.

Imo players like Barker should have been straight into the first team squad when on top form, sit on the bench & if we're hammering someone or alternatively, lacking in ideas & going nowhere, throw the kid on for ten mins & tell him to run at the fullback. If he does it right, once, it could change his life. Pep has effectively done that with Sterling & repaired the damage the Zombie did to him.

I hope he does similar with Diaz, Sancho etc next season. He should have tried Jack Byrne this season.

 

[Manchester_lalala]

The last point absolutely spot on in theory but, at City, very unlikely in practice because those lesser players will probably never see the first team & therefore never find out that they can step up.
I hate to say this (again) but I firmly believe some of our recent generations would have had a much better chance of becoming top players if they had come through at the swamp. I recon a whole bunch of them would have played first team football & one or two might actually have thrived. As you say, it might have been the 4th or 5th best kid who did it, not the best. It happens like that a fair bit.

Imo players like Barker should have been straight into the first team squad when on top form, sit on the bench & if we're hammering someone or alternatively, lacking in ideas & going nowhere, throw the kid on for ten mins & tell him to run at the fullback. If he does it right, once, it could change his life. Pep has effectively done that with Sterling & repaired the damage the Zombie did to him.

I hope he does similar with Diaz, Sancho etc next season. He should have tried Jack Byrne this season.

It's the best way. Put them in the first team squad while they're in good form. The odd few minutes here and there, if they impress than that's an academy graduate we've all been craving for.