La Liga 2016/17

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giorno said:
Renato Sanches, Guerreiro, Moutinho, Andre Silva, Rafa Silva, Bernardo Silva, My Aunt Silva...
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For what it's worth I think the weakest link in Barcelona has to be Luis Enrique as a lot of players are looking bad, not nearly as bad as Paco Alcacer or Andre Gomes but Busquets and Mascherano are having bad seasons. So Andre Gomes might still come good (for another team probably), under other circumstances and with another manager.

I remember not everyone wanted Coentrao back then during his first time on the team but I thought he was good enough to play a part in here, although I can agree with you with plenty of Portugal players being overpriced.
 
giorno said:
Renato Sanches, Guerreiro, Moutinho, Andre Silva, Rafa Silva, Bernardo Silva, My Aunt Silva...
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Could even add João Pinto, Sergio Conceicão, Simao, Miguel, even Quaresma (even though he lacks lot of stuff as overall player, but he certainly got the individual technique)...List is incredibly long. It is a shame that the golden generation that won the youth cup with Queiroz did not win anything at senior level, but was really happy for Portugal last summer. After x amount of semifinals and hurtful losses at extra time, they truly deserved it. :)

@Acheron Lets be fair now. Lot of players are overpriced nowdays. Or lets say the bar of amount of spending money has increased, since Higuain went for 80 something million, Stones for something ridiculous - not wonder Valencia needed to cash in for Andre Gomes when the market looks like that.
 
You completely misunderstood. Those are good or potentially portuguese players i mentioned
 
SfcNervion said:
Think both Lenglet and Jovetic are signed to bring competition to the respective positions. Still believe we will see Pareja,Rami and Mercado more often as the three centre backs, and Ben Yedder will probably be the first choice up front, most of the time.
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Whats up with Vietto?
 
Acheron said:
For what it's worth I think the weakest link in Barcelona has to be Luis Enrique as a lot of players are looking bad, not nearly as bad as Paco Alcacer or Andre Gomes but Busquets and Mascherano are having bad seasons. So Andre Gomes might still come good (for another team probably), under other circumstances and with another manager.

I remember not everyone wanted Coentrao back then during his first time on the team but I thought he was good enough to play a part in here, although I can agree with you with plenty of Portugal players being overpriced.
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I would just correct you to say that yes I may agree that portuguese players are overpriced, but you need to put on that equation the Jorge Mendes factor for the overpricing of players, and it is not portuguese players, is Mendes players.

Just compare the price Bayern paid for Sanches and BVB paid for Guerreiro, if you want my opinion, stay Guerreiro fit he will be very useful at a fair price to BVB, Sanches is not the type of player I like, only strenght and no brain, runs like an headless chicken after the ball, if he does not improve the level of decision making, well maybe Bayern will ask Mendes where is my money. I know what I am saying, I am from Portugal.
 
SCP said:
I would just correct you to say that yes I may agree that portuguese players are overpriced, but you need to put on that equation the Jorge Mendes factor for the overpricing of players, and it is not portuguese players, is Mendes players.
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Oh yeah that's a factor, and then you add Real Madrid and Barcelona fighting over a player and then you have Andre Gomes price tag. Unfortunately to him that price along with playing for Barcelona, in this specific season, has become a big burden for him.
 
Talking about portuguese players I read some days ago that Madrid had reached a deal for an striker from Porto called André Silva.
I guess that he's been offered to the club but nothing has been agreed.
The thing is that they wrote that the transfer would be in 58m€ :eek:
 
carvajal said:
Talking about portuguese players I read some days ago that Madrid had reached a deal for an striker from Porto called André Silva.
I guess that he's been offered to the club but nothing has been agreed.
The thing is that they wrote that the transfer would be in 58m€ :eek:
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Yes with Ronaldo moving to more of a striker role and having Mariano, Benzema and Morata, one thing we are really after is a striker lol
 
barros said:
Ronaldo
Figo
Rui Costa
Pepe
Nani (2 seasons maybe)
Deco
....
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Didn't see many of them in the last Euro. :rolleyes:

giorno said:
Renato Sanches, Guerreiro, Moutinho, Andre Silva, Rafa Silva, Bernardo Silva, My Aunt Silva...
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Sanches not a starter. Guerreiro - after a very good start to the season - not a real starter. Moutinho at the almighty AS Monaco. Silva boys? I'd wait for them to settle at a big club. Bernardo Silva is great, i like him very much, but he also has to proove he is got enough for a big club. Andre Gomez and Joao Mario just showed it's far from a given that those good players can hold their level when playing at a bigger club. What i mean - just because Portugal has won the Euro's doesn't mean that their players are better then French, Belgian or German. People tend to overrate players from in-form teams. (huh, i said that already)
 
@Lay He is not the first choice anymore. Didn't take his chances, but he will still get lot more opportunities, it is just that Ben Yedder seem to be the first choice from now on.
 
Celestiale said:
Sanches not a starter.
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Duh. He's what, 19?
Guerreiro - after a very good start to the season - not a real starter.
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He's a starter for them, he's injured

Moutinho at the almighty AS Monaco. Silva boys? I'd wait for them to settle at a big club. Bernardo Silva is great, i like him very much, but he also has to proove he is got enough for a big club. Andre Gomez and Joao Mario just showed it's far from a given that those good players can hold their level when playing at a bigger club. What i mean - just because Portugal has won the Euro's doesn't mean that their players are better then French, Belgian or German. People tend to overrate players from in-form teams. (huh, i said that already)
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I agree with you. My point was, portugal is still producing good talents/players
 
giorno said:
Duh. He's what, 19?
I agree with you. My point was, portugal is still producing good talents/players
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Which i never doubted only a second. I have original Portuguese National kit, Portugal was/is always amongst my favourite 3 national teams, last year i celebrated it almost as much as Germans win. Ronaldo was my favourite player for a long time, before that it was Manuel Rui Costa. I admire players like Bernardo Silva. Comparing to their total population relatively, Portugals team - alongside Icelands- is magic, so many good players out of such a rather small pool.
Doesn't change the fact, that Portuguese players got overrated by the market, and by top clubs quite often
 
SfcNervion said:
Think both Lenglet and Jovetic are signed to bring competition to the respective positions. Still believe we will see Pareja,Rami and Mercado more often as the three centre backs, and Ben Yedder will probably be the first choice up front, most of the time.
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Vitolo Jovetic Nasri

Ben Yedder


Could it be something like this?
 
Aboutreika18 said:
Nasri's been used alongside N'Zonzi in central midfield from what I've seen this season.
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@Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87 @Aboutreika18 that is true, he has most of the time. Sometimes it depends whether 'el Mudo' Vazquez is starting or Iborra (or both of them), but Nasri is always starting at central midfield, either next to N'Zonzi or higher up.

Plenty of time during this season the formation have been 3-6-1 or 3-5-2 (5-3-2 when defending), with 3 centre backs and Mariano & Escudero as attacking wingers. Sometimes Vitolo is replacing Escudero's place as a complete winger, when Escudero is not playing (which is odd, but it has worked).

I think it would be very reasonable if we would see Jovetic play behind the striker, as a somewhat attacking midfielder. But I got the impression that Jovetic is brought in to compete with Ben Yedder and Vietto most of the time, and sometimes start alongside one of them.
 
SfcNervion said:
@Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87 @Aboutreika18 that is true, he has most of the time. Sometimes it depends whether 'el Mudo' Vazquez is starting or Iborra (or both of them), but Nasri is always starting at central midfield, either next to N'Zonzi or higher up.

Plenty of time during this season the formation have been 3-6-1 or 3-5-2 (5-3-2 when defending), with 3 centre backs and Mariano & Escudero as attacking wingers. Sometimes Vitolo is replacing Escudero's place as a complete winger, when Escudero is not playing (which is odd, but it has worked).

I think it would be very reasonable if we would see Jovetic play behind the striker, as a somewhat attacking midfielder. But I got the impression that Jovetic is brought in to compete with Ben Yedder and Vietto most of the time, and sometimes start alongside one of them.
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I have seen him used as SS plenty of times, tbf. I think he was played there for Fiorentina.
 
Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87 said:
I have seen him used as SS plenty of times, tbf. I think he was played there for Fiorentina.
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Yeah. I think I have never seen him ever play as a pure striker. The few times I seen him play (at City), I don't think he ever was a striker, think he played right behind the striker. I could be mistaking though.
 
He's played plenty as a false 9 at fiorentina, and then again at inter, when icardi was injured. Think that's his best position atm
 
giorno said:
He's played plenty as a false 9 at fiorentina, and then again at inter, when icardi was injured. Think that's his best position atm
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Interesting. I just hope he doesn't get injured right away. :angel:
 

"Valencia will soon ratify Voro as coach until the end of the season"
 
carvajal said:
Talking about portuguese players I read some days ago that Madrid had reached a deal for an striker from Porto called André Silva.
I guess that he's been offered to the club but nothing has been agreed.
The thing is that they wrote that the transfer would be in 58m€ :eek:
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Hmm, I don't believe it, if it was news based on the Portuguese Press forget it, probably Mendes and Porto want to sell him, but for that money and for Madrid?

I like him, but he is not at this moment an Real Madrid type of player, good, promising, will help the National Team, but for me Morata is better than him, 58 million?

It smells Euro Mendes is alive!
 
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SCP said:
Hmm, I don't believe it, if it was news based on the Portuguese Press forget it, probably Mendes and Porto want to sell him, but for that money and for Madrid?

I like him, but he is not at this moment an Real Madrid type of player, good, promising, will help the National Team, but for me Morata is better than him, 58 million?

It smells Euro Mendes is alive!
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Yes, it's hard to believe, especially starting with those prices. Madrid has got rid of the transfer ban and seeing the age of the squad it´s the moment to offer players.
In any case, Porto is a good place to buy players, look at Falcao or even Madrid with Pepe, 35 million for a cb that has been so many years at a very high level.
 
carvajal said:
Yes, it's hard to believe, especially starting with those prices. Madrid has got rid of the transfer ban and seeing the age of the squad it´s the moment to offer players.
In any case, Porto is a good place to buy players, look at Falcao or even Madrid with Pepe, 35 million for a cb that has been so many years at a very high level.
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Yes, but André is not Falcão, he is promissing, it would be better for his carrer to play more years at Porto to fulfill his potential, but Porto and Mendes are desperate to sell him, maybe he will end on Atleti, Valencia or Monaco, with Mendes you never know.
 
Stocar said:
Really? After the game where Barca didn't get 2 clear pens, and also those Copa games? God forbid something like that went in Barca's favor, internet would collapse. Amount of vitriol that some people spew towards that club (and anything connected) has no rational explanation, really a peculiar phenomenon.
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It's true, but it has a rational explanation.

People are superficial and form a lot of opinions about everything without actually making an effort to check if those things are true. They base their ideas on what some media outlets choose to insist on, because that's what they want to think anyway. If they insist on the idea that Chelsea were robbed in that CL tie, then people start to believe that without even checking the video source to form an opinion of their own. They just diseminate whatever info the media feeds them. If they did look at the 190 mins. that were played in the tie they would see some really bad calls hurting Barcelona as well.

Somebody even posted the Valencia - Barcelona game as an example of how Barca gets helped all the time. Probably they tuned in after the 15th minute when Mario Suarez almost broke Andre Gomes' leg and didn't even get a yellow. That's exactly the problem. They remember with great precision the moments when Barcelona get helped, but conveniently forget or don't even notice the numerous times Barcelona is disadvantaged because that doesn't match with their agenda. If people really watched La Liga, or weren't so biased against Barcelona, they would see that. It's like me saying Barca were robbed in the clasico because we didn't get a pen. for a clear hand ball by Carvajal, without taking into consideration that Madrid had a solid pen. for a Mascherano foul on Vasquez and another possible one for a pull by Mascherano.

That Barcelona has several players that dive, and exaggerate contact, and put pressure on the refs is true. Many fans are right not to like the club for that if they show that exigence with their own club and their own players. Problem is most are not that bothered when their own players do those stuff. It's incredible hilarious to see Madrid fans blaming Barcelona for diving when they have some world class divers in their team. Players like Ronaldo, Marcelo, Ramos, Pepe, aren't any different than Neymar, Busquets, Alba or Mascherano.
 
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It does tell how, but not why, and specifically why with such irrational fervor. I think at the root of it all is contempt for sophistication and artistry in the game, which Barcelona epitomizes in many ways. It is not a new phenomenon, but never was amplified to such an extent, due to level of attention generated by media. Football is working class entertainment after all, and intrinsically linked to tribal and populist instincts. 'They think they are something special, this lot.' But beneath all the hate and ridicule, there is an unsettling feeling that maybe they really are. And that is not allowed, so 'they' become personifications of various forms of evil: pretentiousness, duplicity, lack of fair play, etc. - all exaggerated at every possible opportunity. By contrast, other footballing entities who present themselves as working class heroes or at least antagonists to perceived enemies of 'true fans', get free pass, sometimes for comparatively more dubious actions. That kind of sentiment is always fuelled by deep feelings of one's own inferiority. Irrational mass behavior lies at the core of all tribalism, and is present in every form of fan rivalry. But this particular form of 'hate' I find really interesting, as there is something more primordial and essential to it, compared to traditional club rivalries or usual contempt for success.
 
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Stocar said:
It does tell how, but not why, and specifically why with such irrational fervor. I think at the root of it all is contempt for sophistication and artistry in the game, which Barcelona epitomizes in many ways.
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No, it is contempt for arrogance and hypocrisy, which barcelona epitomizes in every way
 
Match 18 | 14/16 Jan
La Liga this weekend

Saturday
Leganés V Athletic Sat-13:00 (all times Spain, so that's 12:00 UK)
Barcelona V Las Palmas Sat-16:15
Atlético V Betis Sat-18:30
Deportivo V Villarreal Sat-20:45

Sunday
Valencia V Espanyol Sun-12:00
Celta V Alavés Sun-16:15
Sporting V Eibar Sun-18:30
Granada V Osasuna Sun-18:30
Sevilla V R. Madrid Sun-20:45

Monday
Málaga V R. Sociedad Mon-20:45
 
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Really like Sampaoli as a manager, very passionate but tactically pretty astute too.
 
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