The Riqui Puig from 2024 is nearly unrecognizable from 2021. For starters, the La Masia graduate has traded his brown, flowing hair for a bleached blond, shorter hairstyle. Puig now dons the lightning-white jerseys of LA Galaxy rather than the blue and garnet of Barcelona. Rather than a star-struck youngster noted for his creativity, raw talent and impatience, Puig has matured into one of the best players MLS has to offer. Puig is a new man, one who could arguably start on a Champions League roster this season.
Puig faced difficulties at Barcelona
It’s shown. Puig broke through Barcelona’s first team during the catastrophic Koeman era with comparisons to Andres Iniesta before he played a LaLiga match. Puig was heralded as the most creative midfielder on the team, past young phenoms Pedri and Gavi.
He burst onto the scene as a precocious teenager who stunned everyone with his skill. Puig stepped into a midfield of Sergio Busquets, Arturo Vidal and Arthur Melo, all known as three of the world’s best midfielders and completely controlled the tempo. Although his best attribute was his creativity: linking play up with the midfield and carving up low blocks; he could drop deep and help beat the press. Standing at 5’7, Puig was the archetype of La Masia midfielders: diminutive, crafty midfielders who could carry the ball well.
But his flair reportedly came with a lack of maturity on the field. Puig, seeming fit as a creative No. 10, often wandered away from his assigned spaces, causing defensive breakdowns. Puig looked lazy on defense at times, and when compared with brighter talents like Pedri, Ilaix Moriba and Frenkie de Jong, Puig didn’t neatly slot into Koeman’s starting eleven.
With Barcelona billions of euros in debt and facing an apocalyptic future without Lionel Messi, Koeman was fired, and Xavi came in. Under Xavi, Puig saw fewer minutes behind Busquets, de Jong and Gavi. Later, Puig would be forced out.
“I believe I was not…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/riqui-puig-is-the-mls-best-kept-secret/
Author : Deolu Akingbade
Publish date : 2024-07-16 21:52:56
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