paul.manc said:
I've thought for the last two years that Barry isn't good enough to be in our starting 11. He is a fairly average player and I don't feel that he brings anything in particular to our side. Hopefully we can sign another attacking midfielder, i.e. Nasri or Aguero, who can replace him in the team. Besides, we have the amazing De Jong, so we don't need a second defensive midfielder.
I'm sick of people calling Barry a purely defensive mid, as if they're repeating what all the newspapers say every single day. He's more of a deep-lying playmaker like Cambiasso. He's not the quickest guy on the pitch, but he gets plays started once De Jong and the back four get the ball back.
Until De Jong can spray the ball around the pitch (and I'm not saying he won't; he's just not as good at that as Barry at the moment, but he is improving), having someone like Barry in the starting 11 is crucial for our success.