I'd agree with this in general.
La Liga 2016/17
- Thread starter roonster09
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Iniesta is the closest thing to Zidane. It is like watching a noble price winner in football
Both Zizou and Iniesta are the kind of players that makes it evident of being 3-4 steps ahead of their opponent. Their style in football is like mixing Stephen Hawkins and Picasso.
Yeah, the timing of injuries on Kroos, Bale and Morata couldn't have been worse. And with casemiro not fit makes zizou's results more impressive. Sure, they got best depth in Europe, and haven't been playing well lately, despite good results, but I doubt that any other manager would manage to get the right results when 3-4 starters are gone.
Benzema has not fully grown in to the role he was ought to fulfill, and it has been 8 years soon. He has been close to slowly reach his potential in couple of periods in certain season campaigns, but in last few seasons he has regressed and right now he is more of a handicap for real.
Both Zizou and Iniesta are the kind of players that makes it evident of being 3-4 steps ahead of their opponent. Their style in football is like mixing Stephen Hawkins and Picasso. Yeah, the timing of injuries on Kroos, Bale and Morata couldn't have been worse. And with casemiro not fit makes zizou's results more impressive. Sure, they got best depth in Europe, and haven't been playing well lately, despite good results, but I doubt that any other manager would manage to get the right results when 3-4 starters are gone.
Benzema has not fully grown in to the role he was ought to fulfill, and it has been 8 years soon. He has been close to slowly reach his potential in couple of periods in certain season campaigns, but in last few seasons he has regressed and right now he is more of a handicap for real.
Zidane is very underrated on here. Genius.
Always Ramos, guy's so dangerous at set plays and always seems to deliver big goals.
Ronaldo xD ahahaha
I definitely agree with this. The Benzema of Lyon, was destined to become the main player of a big european team. I think his love for Madrid made him stay there too long and seek to fulfill his true potential elsewhere as it would have been impossible with Ronaldo there.Iniesta is the closest thing to Zidane. It is like watching a noble price winner in football
Yeah, the timing of injuries on Kroos, Bale and Morata couldn't have been worse. And with casemiro not fit makes zizou's results more impressive. Sure, they got best depth in Europe, and haven't been playing well lately, despite good results, but I doubt that any other manager would manage to get the right results when 3-4 starters are gone.
Benzema has not fully grown in to the role he was ought to fulfill, and it has been 8 years soon. He has been close to slowly reach his potential in couple of periods in certain season campaigns, but in last few seasons he has regressed and right now he is more of a handicap for real.
Many are now. His big game pedigree is actually more impressive than Zidane's
This post only makes sense if you're trying to give us an example of such forgetful man in the second sentence.
Everyone always says this, but the fact of the matter is he has the exact same problems with France (no Ronaldo to blame there). How long did he go scoreless for France? Benzema's problem has always been lack of motivation, if he had half the strive that Ronaldo (or even Lucas for that matter) did no one would question him, but he has always been content to just float around. He has serious talent which creeps in now and then but he has no fire under him. Never has. Fortunately his talent has got him this far but without the serious effort it is starting to show that he no longer really belongs here.
France never had a great team and his teammates where absolutely shit or in terrible form during that ridiculous scoreless run. I'm not saying he was without blame of course but between the team he used to play in and the current one for instance, there is a massive gulf.
I still think his most impressive football was in the CL for Lyon as a youngster.
How so? Seriously, i don't understand how anyone can possibly believe this. This isn't an opinion, you just need to look at their resume to see that it's wrong. At best you can say their on the same level, and even that's a bit of a stretch
Messi hasn’t apparently scored in the last 6 El Clasicos.
Luka Modric game by numbers: 100% take-ons, 95% pass acc, 3 chances created, 3 interceptions, 2 tackles won, 1 assist
Luka Modric game by numbers: 100% take-ons, 95% pass acc, 3 chances created, 3 interceptions, 2 tackles won, 1 assist
They already double mark Ronaldo and if they double mark Ramos as well then some players would be unmarked at all
Presumably because he's performed in more big games than Zidane. Aside from the winning goal in the World Cup final you have the motm awards in a world cup final, European championship final and CL final. Literally the only player to do that. That's without counting all the other big games he stepped up in along the way.
MotM at the CL, Euro, WC finals? Plus amazing at all other CL finals he ever played?
WC Golden goal
He is a record-holder of the number of MotM awards in history of European Championships (6), and the best player of 2012 Euro
It was his equalizer that put Barca through in the game against Chelsea, after which he provided yet another genius performance in the final and the era of Barca's dominance began
He was great at most of the El Classico's he took part in
Zidane had a couple high-profile wins but he also bottled in quite a few with Juve in the 90's, for example. There isn't much between them and you can definitely argue for one or another but you can't say that there is a gap between them - and in terms of the actual big game performances Iniesta simply has more
Pretty sure I remember Zidane getting sent off in a rather big game too.
Iniesta also got the MotM in this years Copa del Rey Final too
Is an absolute freak of nature.
Doesn't feel like the last goals against Real were the 3-4 game where he scored a hat trick in 2014, March IIRC.
Am I the only won who doesn't get the hyping over 'MOTM' awards? Iniesta was MOTM at the World cup final, but Busquets was far better that game. Iniesta scored which handed him the award.
Also Casillas with his two stops on Robben, I feel was just as worthy.
It's easier to argue using those kinds of awards as they generally mean that the player had a really great performance than to say - rewatch all those finals again and you'll see how amazing he is.
Agreed.
It reminds me of Gerrard in the UCL final in 05, this myth surrounds his performance like he carried Liverpool that night, due to his goal mainly. Hamann, Dudek and Alonso were all better. Yet Gerrard got man of the match.
There have been plenty of games where Iniesta was the best player on the pitch but didn't get the MOTM too. Especially given that (as you've pointed out) those awards often go to goalscorers rather than players like Iniesta who aren't super productive.
Thought he was the best Barca player in one of the CL finals we faced them in, for example.
It's about time Neymar got his season going
At this stage it could be argued that Sergio Ramos big game pedigree is starting to rival those two.
Yeah, actually
I thought to myself that in a decade or two he would be talked about like Baresi's equal because of those goals (which would be a shame tbh). But the amount of those late decisive goals is too damn high
Agreed, Iniesta is brilliant in the big games and has deserved MOTM awards. One of my fave players and as you correctly say he doesn't need to be majorally productive in terms of goals and assists to be world class.
Just don't agree with comparing both in regards to MOTM awards etc. Both are big game footballers and it's a personal preference who you think was better in that regards. Trophies or individual awards shouldn't be a big factor when making that judgement IMO.
Uhm, what? 1998 WC final, best player of Euro 2000, WC 2006, CL final in 2002. Seriously, what are you talking about?
Sergio Ramos has scored more goals than Iniesta in their careers. I've always thought that was a cool stat, a CB outscoring an attack-minded midfielder.
I think that was the first time I have ever been cheering so hard for a Ramos goal !
Plus he lost Bordeaux's UEFA Cup Final, then consecutive CL finals with Juve, was sent off in the 2006 final, which they lost, and was bailed by the team after the stupid red card in 1998
Your bias is making me downplaying Zidane's greatness, which feels wrong, he was amazing. But the facts are the facts.
He actually started his youth football career as striker
Yeah, actually
I thought to myself that in a decade or two he would be talked about like Baresi's equal because of those goals (which would be a shame tbh). But the amount of those late decisive goals is too damn high
Naw, because his 'disciplinary record'
I'm pretty sure that Passarella/Koeman/Hierro outscored quite a few historically great strikers
Shows with some of his defending
Yeah, so? He was a difference maker in more big games than iniesta. He also had more bad performances in big games. Guess it's up to wether you prefer consistency over peak performance. But in either case, no way is iniesta the better big game player. At best, they're on the same level
In a 10 year span, Barcelona and Iniesta have won 4 UCL
2006: Iniesta set the pass that enabled Eto'o (with some help from Larsson) to score the equaliser
2009: Iniesta blasts past Utd's midfield to assist Eto'o in the opener
2011: "Assists" Messi in the 2-1
2015: Assists Rakitic in the 1-0
Now tell me, beyond Bernabeu's Madrid, do you know any other player that was a key part for his team in 4 UCL finals and always assisted a goal in all of them? Because I remember seeing the 98' UCL final and Zidane certainly didn't blow me away that day. Every final Iniesta has played he delivered at his best and that's something not even Ronaldo or Messi can say
Ramos!!!!
Guess i'll quote myself
Now tell me, did Iniesta ever play at the level Zidane played against Brazil, or Leverkusen?
Big game and all but I think thia game immediately following the Chelsea v City circus hurt it's viewing appeal. It was a very scrappy game
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