Why Barcelona shouldn’t sign Lautaro Martinez?

Lautaro Martinez is currently one of the hottest prospects in Europe. There are only a few better hitmen in Europe than him. Getting his signature is the desire of every other club and FC Barcelona is one of them.

The fans and the club itself are behind Lautaro for quite a time. They see him as the successor of the club’s current #9 Luis Suarez. But like a few other analysts, we don’t see him as the perfect fit for Blaugranas.

Player Overview:

Inspired from Radamel Falcao:

Like his idol, Radamel Falcao, Lautaro Martinez also has the potential to become one of the best among the modern strikers on the planet. The 22-year-old centre-forward sees himself as similar to Falcao in many aspects of the game. In an interview with Clarin, he was asked about his idol and he immediately replied:

“I’ve always said that I admire Falcao since I was a kid, I identify with him the way he plays and his characteristics.”

Like a typical South American forward, he’s charismatic. His relentless pressing looms trouble for the opposition defenders. He manages nearly 5 pressure regains per 90 (times a player’s team won the ball back within 5 seconds of the player pressuring an opponent) which in contrast is more than Sergio Busquets.

At Inter Milan:

Lautaro Martinez is an explosive player and a natural-born dribbler. In Antonio Conte’s 3-5-2 formation, Lautaro starts beside Romelu Lukaku in the front 2. He usually acts as the connector between the midfield and his striking partner Lukaku. He has developed a fine understanding with Belgian, and they already formed one of the best forward partnerships in Europe.

The Argentinian knows how to play with his back towards the goal. He regularly drops deep to collect the ball, always looks to link-up with his teammates and tries to progress the play. His intelligent movement and positional awareness on the field is what sets him apart from other forwards. He is deadly in the opposition box with sharp feet and aerial ability.

Lautaro is a constant threat because of his keen eye for goals and he’s always willing to test the opposition goalkeeper. In the Champions League this season, he has averaged 4.31 shots per game with 2.07 shots on target. Furthermore, he’s only 2nd to Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to taking shots per game in Serie A.

Source: whoscored.com

Barcelona’s style of play and Lautaro Martinez:

Before a club decides to sign any player, there are certain things a club should look for; the team’s requirement, whether the player is tactically sound or not, and does he fit it in the team’s system or not. When we look at Lautaro Martinez, we see a False 9 or second striker. We don’t see a leading frontman in him like in the past we have seen many great strikers leading the front line for Barcelona such as Henry, Eto’o, and Suarez as of now.

(Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Barcelona signed Antoine Griezmann in the last summer, buying a player of almost similar characteristics just a year later is absurd. Griezmann himself has been the victim of Barca’s system since his move. Despite his good performances considering the circumstances still, he has been underwhelming. And the fans and media observe that and no wonder he has been in the criticism lately.

When Lautaro Martinez used to play for Racing Club in the top division of Argentine football, he used to play as a lone striker in a 4-3-3 system. But still, there was a reservation. Some midfielders used to make runs in the opposition box beyond Lautaro to create space for him. But sadly that’s not the case in Barcelona. Lautaro does not work as a “runner” at Inter and unfortunately, Barca also do not have runners in their midfield to complement his playing style. Arturo Vidal is an exception lowkey.

Dropping deep and dragging the defender along with him has always been the part of Lautaro’s gameplay since his Racing days. And all this indicates towards one thing, that Lautaro is not an out-and-out striker who can lead the front line, but he functions as a secondary striker.

Conclusion:

However, Lautaro is only 22 and can surely improvise his game in the upcoming years. But Barcelona has to deal with their current issues and spending €100+ million on a player like him who wouldn’t even fit in the system is nothing more than making a mockery of themselves. If the club president Josep Batromeu urges to do so then it would be one of his moves to save his seat for next year’s presidential election.

As Ruud Gullit once said: