The eternally underrated Sergi Roberto. Why does he still have a place in the Barcelona team?

He has earned the trust of renowned coaches. Sergi Roberto made his debut for Barcelona in La Liga during the 2010-11 season at the age of 18. Since the 2013/14 season, he has been starting regularly, when Luis Enrique or Tito Villanova gradually started to give him a chance. He has always been positively rated by the management team, but why is he still in the disfavour of the fans?

Sergi Roberto is originally a midfielder. It was only in the glorious Luis Enrique era that he turned into a right-back. The 30-year-old is extremely intelligent, which is the main reason for his versatility. It is this versatility that is valuable in modern football.

Most teams have a philosophy, but they use different systems to implement it. On paper, you see Barcelona’s lineup in a 4-3-3 formation, but they switch between different lineups/formations in their attacking efforts. We simply call it tactical flexibility.

The Reus native is a player who can easily handle different roles in different systems. It’s often said that Roberto is in the team because he can play as a midfielder or an extreme defender, but that’s not the point. He can easily rotate both positions in one game.

The role of the edge defenders is more important than ever. Look at Manchester City or Arsenal. Oleksandr Zinchenko often plays as an extra midfielder to help Arsenal control the game. Rico Lewis did the same for the Citizens against Leeds, when he came on as a right-back but slotted into midfield when needed.

Zinchenko and Rico Lewis can also play as traditional fringe defenders, but it’s their flexibility that makes them so unique. Their ability to adapt to different roles in different environments. They provide options for the coach. The same goes for Roberto. Going from a traditional 4-3-3 to a 3-2-2-3 seamlessly.

Sergi is excellent on the ball and with a 91% success rate with the passes he attempts. He can bring out the ball with quality and can pick his spots when playing without the ball. He also has a decent final pass. We can speak of Roberto as an experienced player who knows the Barcelona environment perfectly.

Now Roberto has some weaknesses. He has never been quick. Age and injuries have slowed him down even more. In one-on-one battles against a good dribbler, he almost always loses. Opponents can exploit the space behind him. That’s why he shouldn’t be a starting lineup player in every game.

Let’s face it, deploy him against an aggressive Bayern attack that wants to play on the edges of the pitch? No. Put him in a game against an opponent that defends in a low block and is fighting to save La Liga? Yes. Roberto is on minimum wage. It pays to have him on the team.

Source:: FCBarca