Arthur Melo - Why the 21-year-old midfield artist is a perfect fit for FC Barcelona
With Xavi and Iniesta both gone, Busquets and Rakitic aging, Barcelona has to solve that midfield puzzle sooner rather than later. Barcelona have announced the arrival of Arthur Melo from Gremio and, it looks to be the first step towards addressing the problem. He can play alongside Busquets, deployed on a "Xavi-esque" role. He is not a flashy guy but a more discrete and efficient one, the one Barca is missing since Xavi left.
I have not seen him in a complete game, I have seen images, he is a talent and he can fit very well at Barça. Another thing will be the theme of his mentality, the ability to adapt in the country, in the league and a club as big as Barça. -- Xavi on Arthur Melo
His body positioning while receiving a ball makes it really challenging for the opposition to win the ball from him. He's a diminutive guy with the excellent passing technique that usually helps the team to defend. When the opposing team applies the high press, he can move the ball sideways and spread the game. He can control the tempo as it is clear from his last two season at Gremio. He has been immense for Gremio and helped the team to win the Copa Libertadores, an equivalent of Champions league.
Arthur has a better pass success rate than any other player in the Brasileirao this season. To put this stat into context, he makes a lot of forwarding and key passes, which is why it's impressive. A big reason for his high pass success rate is that he's incredibly pressure resistant. He hardly ever gets pressured into making a bad pass. This is actually insane considering how he always tries to make risky passes and create something rather than opting for safe choices. In this sense, he is very similar to Xavi. In future, He can eventually take over Rakitic and perform the Xavi role in the 4-3-3 with Coutinho to the left of a midfield three, and Busquets at the base.
At the age of just 21, he is a superb addition to Barcelona, a type of player Barca was missing since Xavi left. Only 21 years old yet one of the best players in the Libertadores this year. He has all the skills and abilities that a Barca player need. He has awareness and vision, and most importantly, he is quick. With Iniesta gone, Barcelona is in urgent need of a player who can pass the ball around. Rakitic is excellent, but he is no Xavi/Iniesta.
His heat map and style, suggest a box to box role, he drifts up but also tracks back. He'll carry more defensive duties and let Coutinho go forward which is what he's best at. It's crazy that he seems to be everywhere on the pitch.
Arthur looks to be very dependable on the pitch. He seldom commits any mistakes. He contributes flexibility to the midfield as he is good at creating spaces and finding the best pass or dribble out of pressure.
Arthur looks promising, and hopefully, we will him see him play in club's pre-season tour of the United States.