Unless LVG has identified another top midfielder out there who he'd prefer to sign instead and he feels would fit in better. I agree it makes sense for us to be in for him and I hope we are, but it's not a guarantee either.
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Unless LVG has identified another top midfielder out there who he'd prefer to sign instead and he feels would fit in better. I agree it makes sense for us to be in for him and I hope we are, but it's not a guarantee either.
regardless of how good we may think he is, if LVG doesnt think he will fit in, then some are going to be mighty disappointed..
Despite all the media talk - and yes with this I also mean some reliable Catalan media - and despite Fabregas being not so happy at Barca, I am probably the only one who thinks he isn't going anywhere.
It's also a bit deluded imo to want to get rid off him because they don't see him as a Xavi replacement. For God sake, so what? Who is a Xavi replacement? Many Spanish ppl agree that Xavi is the Best Spanish player of the last 20 - 30 years, some even claim he is the best Spanish player ever.
Imo they can buy whoever they want and still noone will be able to even come close to Xavi. It's a bit like us wanting a 2nd SAF and then accepting that this isn't possible so we have to change our approach a bit.
I know we have some Barca fans on these sites as well who probably can't wait to speak against Fabregas whenever possible, and yes, he hasn't been great for them, but maybe it's Barca who need to adapt rather than Fabregas/any other midfielder.
Once Xavi is gone and Iniesta gets older they (and Spain) will realise that they just won't get similar replacements so they actually need to change their system a bit rather than trying to make players change the way they play. Very rarely will a player acchieve this, and as far as I am aware Barca's younger players just aren't as good as Xavi/Iniesta/Busquets. It's all well and good to have talent/potential, but Xavi/Iniesta have managed to actually apply it time and time again at the highest level. Talent alone won't bring you anywhere, there are a lot of talented youngsters who fail to transform their talent to its full effect.
All in all, I am not saying Fabregas isn't leaving at all, but if he doesn't leave this summer (again) can we then accept that he is just not leaving? Or will all start again next summer?
It's also a bit deluded imo to want to get rid off him because they don't see him as a Xavi replacement. For God sake, so what? Who is a Xavi replacement? Many Spanish ppl agree that Xavi is the Best Spanish player of the last 20 - 30 years, some even claim he is the best Spanish player ever.
Imo they can buy whoever they want and still noone will be able to even come close to Xavi. It's a bit like us wanting a 2nd SAF and then accepting that this isn't possible so we have to change our approach a bit.
I know we have some Barca fans on these sites as well who probably can't wait to speak against Fabregas whenever possible, and yes, he hasn't been great for them, but maybe it's Barca who need to adapt rather than Fabregas/any other midfielder.
Once Xavi is gone and Iniesta gets older they (and Spain) will realise that they just won't get similar replacements so they actually need to change their system a bit rather than trying to make players change the way they play. Very rarely will a player acchieve this, and as far as I am aware Barca's younger players just aren't as good as Xavi/Iniesta/Busquets. It's all well and good to have talent/potential, but Xavi/Iniesta have managed to actually apply it time and time again at the highest level. Talent alone won't bring you anywhere, there are a lot of talented youngsters who fail to transform their talent to its full effect.
All in all, I am not saying Fabregas isn't leaving at all, but if he doesn't leave this summer (again) can we then accept that he is just not leaving? Or will all start again next summer?
Liverpool are coming off one good season where they benefitted from having no European games and little to no injuries to their star players. Next season will be tougher and they need to prove it wasn't a flash in the pan.
Arsenal seem to make the same mistakes each year but have more financial muscle and as you point out - they make the CL every year.
Arsenal, as it stands could have better long term prospects than Liverpool. They have more money to spend and are established as a CL side - that's attractive to players. They don't just look at last years league table.
What Wenger needs to do is what's he been threatening for ages and go and get real quality players.
Liverpool meanwhile probably won't be able to buy the same standard of player that Arsenal might. The Lambert deal shows it all - shrewd, bargain signing, probably because they need a few players and have limited funds.
We played them 3 times and beat them twice.
this liverpool team is far better than the benithez team.
No it isn't, not by a long chalk.
The Benitez team with a peak Gerrard, Torres, Alonso and Mascherano?
How on earth so?
Disagree with that. Torres, Gerrard and Alonso at the peak of their powers, they were a very good team.
Edit: @Sandikan
Hold on. Arsenal have very good skilled players. Ozil, wilshere, ramsey, rosicky, cazorla. What is wrong with them is their mentality. They are weak mentally and not equipped for a tough battle. The reason wenger beat ferguson back years ago, was because he matched our intensity. Having skilled players isnt enough, you have to be strong and tough.
Wenger is too soft. I cant see arsenal changing. Arsenal had better players in the center than us, but we were better coached under ferguson. If diego simeone managed that arsenal team, theyd toughen up.
If arsenal go 2-0 down against a big team, its game over. They will not fight. Its not about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. for a decade now, i have been looking at arsenal, do all these fancy passing moves against smaller teams, but when it comes to getting stuck in, they fail to deliver.
Liverpool have a far superior team who fight. Arsenal have a bunch of ladyboys.
that liverpool team were counter attacking, hence why torres did so well and failed at chelsea. That liverpool team had good individuals, but rodgers team is a better team. This liverpool team pass, play the ball, fight, get stuck in. Say what you like and i know they are the enemy but Rodgers has them trained well. They are missing one or two players. A schemer in the center and a good RB.
Of all the teams this season, liverpool impressed me the most.
well said.
Got to sort that shit defence first.
The Benitez team had better players
The Rodgers team play more as a unit.
However, Benitez played cowardly football. Rodgers doesnt. The fact that his team had such a brilliant season offensively has glossed over defensive deficiencies. Had someone of Rodgers attacking tendancies been charge of the Benitez team, they may have actually won the league.
The Rodgers team play more as a unit.
However, Benitez played cowardly football. Rodgers doesnt. The fact that his team had such a brilliant season offensively has glossed over defensive deficiencies. Had someone of Rodgers attacking tendancies been charge of the Benitez team, they may have actually won the league.
and when they do they will be a force.
Say what you like, rodgers has them trained very well. He has to have a bigger squad though. Like simeones madrid, i doubt they can keep up that intensity for 2/3 years in a row, without buying more players.
Doubt we'll get Fabregas though. He's 27, United is in transition after a dismal season and we don't have Champions League football next year. Well, unless we decide to pay exorbitant wages and offer Barcelona an offer they cannot refuse
exactly. Real madrid have better individuals, but athletico madrid are by far the better team.
This liverpool team are 2/3 players away from being serious. but he needs a bigger squad as well.
A bit like Ozil, Arsenal don't really need him. It wouldn't shock me if Wenger has rule it out because he has Ramsey, Wilshere, Ox, Ozil, Cazorla, even Rosisky that can play centrally. He's a world class player but Arsenal would be better off going for other types of players anyway.
I think this is the big reason we didn't perform this season.
Our tactics were very negative, and because of it, we suffered.
I don't buy into Pete and Alastairs mauling of our team, simply because of that reason.
Don't get me wrong, I still think City and Chelsea have the best squads, but Liverpool, Arsenal and United are of similar quality. We definitely regressed last season, so it brings us into that bracket
Our tactics were very negative, and because of it, we suffered.
I don't buy into Pete and Alastairs mauling of our team, simply because of that reason.
Don't get me wrong, I still think City and Chelsea have the best squads, but Liverpool, Arsenal and United are of similar quality. We definitely regressed last season, so it brings us into that bracket
I don't even think Chelsea's is that far above the three you have mentioned, to be honest. Their three strikers (now two) wouldn't make it into the lineups of any of these other four teams; they sold their POTY twice to us and replaced him with an inferior Willian; their midfield behind the 3 AMs were mainly Ramires, Luiz and Lampard (before the arrival of Matic who I rate), two of whom are pretty much set to leave this year; defense and Goalie are good enough. I know that is only looking at their first team, and they have a ridiculous amount of players on loan, but their bench never really worried me. This summer will really be as big for them as it is for us, as they will be looking for an LB, DM and striker as well as the usual players for backup.
The only difference between Utd and Chelsea was the manager. Swap them and the league positions would have been much different. Chelsea's squad isn't that good and far from the standard it was in Mourinho's first spell.
Exactly. Just goes to show how pivotal a manager's experience and talent is in the sport. It would be hard to argue against the notion that Chelsea would have probably wont the Premier league had they bought a top striker last summer.
History being re-written in this thread. Liverpool were looking irresistible in '09, they absolutely blew teams away. Nothing cowardly about that Benitez side.
Think it's time to get back to Fabregas now and not Liverpool under Benitez and rent a quote Rodgers.
It's not being rewritten at all. It's well documented that that 2008/09 Liverpool side 'threw off the shackles', as it were, in the latter half of the campaign. They played football they'd never played under Benitez before, nor did they repeat it in 2009/10.
That "irresistible" football you speak of was more the exception than the norm.
You've listed 4 attacking midfielders and one centre midfielder and ignored the fact that they don't have a single top class striker and they've crowbarred Arteta, a player probably not of the level Arsenal would expect, into an unnatural position. It was the same in 2010/11, they had some brilliant players a la Fabregas, Van Persie and Nasri who all funnily enough had the bottle to be part of title winning teams elsewhere at clubs where they didn't have Almunia in goal and one of Djourou or Squillaci at certain half.
If they replace Arteta and Giroud with Martinez/Bender etc and a Benzema and they'll be really close. Incredible that Liverpool have such fight and yet ended up with feck all while Arsenal won the cup and that Arsene Wenger has won 3 English titles and 5 FA Cups as well as being successful in France and Japan while Brendon with his fight has managed 1 play off win.
I think the Liverpool team next season will slighty struggle, unless they buy well.
By struggle, I mean, a lot will be expected of them next season, and I think they won't live up to it.
The extra games and travelling time will mean that the squad will need to grow for next season. They have people on loan, so they could call them back I suppose, but you could make an argument that in theory every one of their back 4 could be looked at as a position that needs replacing.
I actually like their CBs though. I think they are solid enough, but the style of play may go against them, but I have heard a lot of bad rep about them this season, so I will go off that.
Gerrard surely won't be expected to play as many games either..
****Sorry, I forgot this was the Cesc thread
***
So yeah, Fab will be ours
By struggle, I mean, a lot will be expected of them next season, and I think they won't live up to it.
The extra games and travelling time will mean that the squad will need to grow for next season. They have people on loan, so they could call them back I suppose, but you could make an argument that in theory every one of their back 4 could be looked at as a position that needs replacing.
I actually like their CBs though. I think they are solid enough, but the style of play may go against them, but I have heard a lot of bad rep about them this season, so I will go off that.
Gerrard surely won't be expected to play as many games either..
****Sorry, I forgot this was the Cesc thread
***So yeah, Fab will be ours
I'll point out yet again that Sport are the catalan Daily Star, and even in their own story they say they are just repeating UK gossip.:
This always happens. Some Spanish media parrot bullshit from UK papers, but because they are Spanish they are seen as more trustworthy! The Spanish sports papers have loads of pages to fill about the big Spanish clubs day after day. They print so much crap...
The Telegraph reporting that Arsenal as of now, are not interested is a bit surprising as it's clear they would've been favorites to land him if Barcelona are indeed willing to sell. But then again if Arsene does have only 100 million pounds this summer to strengthen in areas of greater need of striker, defense and a defensive oriented MF like Bender rather than a playmaker like Cesc, it may be a case of money prioritization. The question is would he consider Chelsea who could use him now with the departure of Lampard? There's bad blood between Chelsea and his former club Arsenal but he's no longer an Arsenal player. If he would consider going to us then he would consider going to Chelsea because during his time in London, we were just as big of rivals to Arsenal as were Chelsea. With that being said, I think he's City bound as long as Arsenal don't get involved.
Probably because returning home to Barcelona trumps even London.
Yeah a few years back it was worth reading them for a different slant, now half the stuff is recycled from the Britpack then honked up again by the Brits the next day.
Arsenal could bring in messi and they still wouldnt be close. You are right about their bad striker, but even if they had a good one, they will still struggle against the bad teams. Its more to do with their playing style rather than the players.
Real madrid with great individual players are a poor team. Barca with the greatest collection of attacking players in recent history are struggling. Arsenal are an average enough team.
You don't half come up with some old crap - we mostly caned the 'bad' teams - it was our results against the top 7 (except Spurs) that cost us dear).
Isn't this another "Legacy target" from the pre-Oranje era? Along with Kroos, Herrera, Garay, etc?
People overestimate the pull of CL football massively. Yeah, obviously it's a factor, but the moolah speaks louder than any competition. You think Fabregas would turn down 7m+ a year because he'd be missing out on CL football? Doubt it.
Think he would prefer £6m+ and CL over just £7m+ in all honesty.
It's 1 year of champions league. There's no guarantee that if you choose liverpool or arsenal over united that you will continue to get champions league in the following seasons.
Obviously there's no guarantee but if you're 27 it's definitely a factor. Also arguably as things stand Liverpool and Arsenal are probably likely to to finish ahead of us with the current squads available.
We're going to add to our squad, last season was a blip, we'll be back. With FFP, we have the money to compete with the best of them, if city and Chelsea can just throw money around and switch managers around consistently then I see no reason why we can't as well. We can easily out muscle Liverpool and Arsenal financially for fun.
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