Pablo Mari: 2019/2020 performances

[Mitch]

 

[A_G]

 

[Rex Stone]

So 4M loan fee and 4M to make it permanent is pretty good business.

Extra 8M based in bonuses is obviously a good thing if it comes off.

 

[OnlyOne]

So 4M loan fee and 4M to make it permanent is pretty good business.

Extra 8M based in bonuses is obviously a good thing if it comes off.

You'd imagine there would be a CL clause in there.

 

[KrissKringle]

A midtable CB at best, I won't be suprised if Arsenal doesn't take the option to buy at the end of the season.

In case you haven't noticed, we're a midtable club, so he should be a star from that pov.

 

[Mo Britain]

Mmm… let's see. Not much to lose but not exactly excited over this signing. We'll judge him by what he does on the pitch.

 

[Balboa]

Saw this saying six month loan with forced option to buy
https://app.football-espana.net/?referrer=https://www.football-espana.net/82892/arsenal-loan-flamengo-defender-pablo-mari#article/footballespana-82892

"forced option to buy"

Doesn't sound like much of an "option" when it's "forced".

 

[Balboa]

I’m excited to see how he does, CB as a position is so overpriced in the market right now.

Paying 60M+ for the likes of Upamecano is really dreadful value for money.

I'm hearing Maguire might not be doing too well at Man Utd for such a big fee apparently...

 

[YeahBee]

Left footed tall me likey

But can we just one time buy a cb whos main strength is speed?

 

[OnlyOne]

Left footed tall me likey

But can we just one time buy a cb whos main strength is speed?

Why would you want you CB's main strength speed? He's not running the 100m.

 

[YeahBee]

Why would you want you CB's main strength speed? He's not running the 100m.

Speed is great for recovery and we are still prone to lapses from midfield/defense

A burst of speed might save us.

Arteta wants to play a highline, that is alotta room for counters

 

[OnlyOne]

Speed is great for recovery and we are still prone to lapses from midfield/defense

A burst of speed might save us.

Arteta wants to play a highline, that is alotta room for counters

I'd rather a defender who can actually defend and is good on the ball than be quick.

 

[James Bond]

strange signing. hopefully weve seen something others have completely overlooked.

Via BBC’s Tim Vickery

Can Pablo Mari fix Arsenal's defence after fixing Flamengo?

Considering their centre-back problems this season, maybe Manchester City missed a trick when they let Pablo Mari go to Brazil last summer. Mikel Arteta, City's former assistant boss, certainly seems to think so. Now in charge at Arsenal, Arteta was in a hurry to bring in the 26-year-old Spanish defender, making him his first signing since taking charge at the Emirates.

After coming through the ranks at Valencia, Mari played for Mallorca and Gimnastic before being picked up by City in 2016. He spent one season on loan at Girona, another with NAC Breda in the Netherlands and a third with Deportivo La Coruna in the Spanish second division. Then, last July, came the call to cross the Atlantic and join Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo. They had a new coach, the veteran Jorge Jesus, who used his European contacts to help build one of the best club sides South American football has seen in years.

Flamengo cruised to their first Brazilian league title in a decade, racking up the goals along the way and turning their matches into a joyful celebration. They won the club's first Copa Libertadores, South America's Champions League, since 1981 -- and they gave Liverpool a game before going down 1-0 in the Club World Cup final last month. The front four gained most of the plaudits, especially the goal-grabbing feats of strike duo Gabriel Barbosaand Bruno Henrique. But there was reason to believe that the most important member of the side all along was Mari.

Underpinning Flamengo's style of play was Jorge Jesus' insistence in playing a high defensive line. This is common in Europe but proved revolutionary in Brazil, where defences tend to sit very deep. Pushing up enabled Flamengo to stay on the front foot, strangle opponents in their half of the field and keep the sectors of the team close enough for the ball to flow. Without that high defensive line, Flamengo would not have enjoyed the same attacking prowess.

Yet it's a method of play that entails considerable risks. For a start, it leaves a lot of room in behind the centre-backs, which makes domestic Brazilian defenders very nervous. They do not want to be caught in open space. They would rather retreat to their own penalty area and look to head or kick the ball away from danger, thus leaving the team stretched out and obliging the midfielders to run back almost the full length of the pitch. In Mari, Jorge Jesus found someone who was used to playing in a high line. While he's not blessed with outstanding pace, he's quick enough and has the positional sense to operate in the way that his coach needed.

Mari was thrown right into the deep end straight away after signing for Flamengo in July. Without a proper preseason he was expected to immediately slot into a new team in an unfamiliar league and carry out a high risk role. It could have gone wrong, and an early blunder or two might have turned the fans against him and undermined his confidence. Instead he looked instantly at home. He organised the high line, made possible its effective implementation, defended soundly and passed the ball crisply out from the back with his dependable left foot.

From being a virtual unknown in European football, he quickly became a Flamengo idol despite only playing 30 games for the club. But it was a glorious time to pull on the red and black shirt and he will certainly be sorely missed.

There was some haggling over the price, but after picking the player up for a reported €1.7 million, Flamengo will be making a healthy profit. And Mari can hardly turn the chance down, either. He will not stand out in the Premier League as much as he has done in Brazil. But, 3 1/2 years after being signed by Manchester City, Arsenal are poised to give him the chance to show that he belongs in world class company.

https://global.espn.com/football/ar...amengo?platform=amp&__twitter_impression=true

 

[nicky47]

Glad we got a CB in, although I don't expect much from this chap. Hoping to be surprised... Quickly realised we weren't spending big, or anything this window, so this seems like a smart move.

MA's first signing, fingers crossed it pays off... Welcome!

 

[bojed]

Brilliant performance.

 

[irishgunnerz]

Via BBC’s Tim Vickery


https://global.espn.com/football/ar...amengo?platform=amp&__twitter_impression=true

Ah but Tim, 26, life long Arsenal fan (and virgin) from Camden hasn't seen him play and his Wiki page doesn't impress

But seriously, nothing against this one. He's relatively cheap and by all accounts from those who watched him in Brazil he's solid rather than spectacular. Arteta would also have heard quite alot about him while at City.

It's not as if we are overflowing with quality young CBs whose path is suddenly blocked or as if we were going to find and sign a top class CB when it's highly unlikely we'll be featuring in Europe at all next season.

 

[YeahBee]

I'd rather a defender who can actually defend and is good on the ball than be quick.

We've suffered from a severe lack of athleticism since the end of the invincibles ffs

Time and time again we have bought players based on technical ability and overlooked athleticism

Teams runs circles around us god dammit.

Our great English hopes in Holding/Chambers albeit Good defenders are not athletic enough athletes for top football

 

[Balboa]

We've suffered from a severe lack of athleticism since the end of the invincibles ffs

Time and time again we have bought players based on technical ability and overlooked athleticism

Teams runs circles around us god dammit.

Our great English hopes in Holding/Chambers albeit Good defenders are not athletic enough athletes for top football

Arsenal considered buying athletic players. Then in 2016 Gazidis came onto this forum and saw that all of the supporters were criticising Sadio Mane for being a pub team footballer with a gym membership and they decided not to go in for him....

 

[Mitch]

We've suffered from a severe lack of athleticism since the end of the invincibles ffs

Time and time again we have bought players based on technical ability and overlooked athleticism

Teams runs circles around us god dammit.

Our great English hopes in Holding/Chambers albeit Good defenders are not athletic enough athletes for top football

How many athletic CBs are there? I couldnt name one in league, I actually think lsat one was Kos. When was the last CB before him in the league that was quality and had pace? Might have to go back as far as Campbell.

Literally 95% of elite CBs in history werent athletic or have pace. What they had in ambudance is footballing IQ, positional awareness and discipline. This is what we have lacked.

 

[RandomHero84]

Can't say I know much about him, but from what I've read it seems very much a purchase for the system, and I trust Arteta. If he signed off on this, then I'm hopeful.