Which part of Ruud Van Nistelrooy played a starring role in United winning the Premiership in 2002-03 do you fail to understand?
Did O'Shea play as big a part last season?
Lionel Messi
- Thread starter cesc's_mullet
- Start date
- Status
Which part of Ruud Van Nistelrooy played a starring role in United winning the Premiership in 2002-03 do you fail to understand?
Did O'Shea play as big a part last season?
Was on the bench for Barca.. came on when they were losing 1-0 and scored twice.
Good for you wasn't it!
I turned for a second on to this game, Messi with a peach of a goal to make it 2-1
That second goal was something, a classic centre forward effort.
Good for football you tit. Especially during these times.
Huh? He had a bet on Barca, Chelsea fecked it up anyway.
Yeah was happy for a few mins and then Torres scores and now I feel sick. I lost 40 quid but feels like I've lost 500.
2 great goals today... if he keeps it up, maybe he deserves comparison with Ronaldo.
You do realise this is as sillly as RvN v Henry?
1-man team?
Heard a rumour we're signing him tomorrow at 11:59pm
Yea maybe.
It is bad enough if it was just Messi in the form of his life but that whole team is on fire. +49 goal difference after 20 games is silly, they are well on course of scoring over 100 league goals and I'd like to see the last time that happened in one of the major European leagues. 17 wins in their last 18 league games, you could argue the title is already wrapped up...
Well this is my last response because apart from your google search argument you have come up with nothing to prove any of what I've said wrong. You are like a broken record, just go on and on with your shit.
Well this is my last response because apart from your google search argument you have come up with nothing to prove any of what I've said wrong. You are like a broken record, just go on and on with your shit.
Messi is gay.
wake up from your dream then.
Xavi's better than him.
Thought this thread needed to go in a new direction. And Xavi's a top player, who should be talked about more.
Thought this thread needed to go in a new direction. And Xavi's a top player, who should be talked about more.
He's not though.
Xavi's a great player, but Messi is clearly on a different level.
I'd pick him in a 2 in midfield, but there are other good options who arent much worse. Messi and Ronaldo on the other hand are a significant amount better than the next best wingers. So I'd rather have Messi and 'make do' with one of the other top class central midfielders out there.
Xavi is a fantastic player and generally he is probably underrated. I agree with PSmith though, Messi is on another level.
Such as?
Xavi's on another level to every other midfielder around, and has been for the past year.
Fabregas, Iniesta and Anderson might reach that level some day so on potential I think they're comparable, but in terms of right now who would you say is close?
I believe Fabregas would thrive in Barcelona's system and I dont believe Xavi is as good removed from the 3 man central midfield.
For Spain as an example, Senna was outstanding at the euros - Xavi was rather dissappointing. Several times he was taken off after an hour when Spain still needed a goal. We've agreed before that International football is a bad place to draw conclusions from, but sadly Xavi never plays in a 2 man midfield for anyone else so we dont see how he does in a 2 man midfield anywhere else.
WTF? Xavi won the player of the tournament (rightly so IMO) and was outstanding with Senna. You must be the only one who had found him to be disappointing.
6 hours 59 minutes AFTER the window closes?
This isn't as outrageous as it sounds. Xavi has been far and away the best centre midfielder on the planet this year, and I can't even imagine the partnership he'd strike up with someone like Essien.
Aragones clearly wasnt that impressed if he kept taking him off after than hour with the teams level. Xavi was severely over rated at the euros, Spain had at least 2 better performers.
Against Sweden and Italy, Spain were going nowhere, especially with Italy who were incredibly solid at the back and bringing on Fabregas was logical since he would offer fresh legs and maybe a more incisive approach. He scored against Russia, and Spain were in control of the game when he came off (again, for Fabregas) and he was definitely MOTM for the final I thought. I personally thought he was very good but I don't watch La Liga a lot and maybe he has performed a whole lot better this Season than he did in the Euros.
How many times have you seen the likes of Zidane, Veron, Valeron or anyone else delivering in a two man midfield. Aimar for a short period and Scholes delivered for the reason they had two great midfielders to partner in the middle Baraja and Keane.
Google search! Are your insulting your own intelligence here or replying for the sake of writing something. Any one with a bit of common sense trawling through the two previous pages can figure out your muppetry and cluenesses along with the cut and paste that was drivel leashed out...Moron
Xavi is a great player and probably the best midfielder in the world right now but he isn't the one coming off the bench and imediately impacting and winning games for his side. Only one player in world football is currently doing that so consistently and brilliantly and at this moment no-one is getting close to even matching let alone bettering his level.
So twice out of five important matches, Xavi was taken off after an hour even though Spain werent in front. Ridiculous that he was picked over Senna as best player. Senna played every minute of all the important matches and was brilliant from the first whistle till the final whistle.
Actually I see that you're just arguing about my use of the word dissappointing. In hindsight that was more than a little harsh. He was good, just not the best player in his team. Thats only dissappointing when you compare it to his form in the middle of the park for Barcelona this season.
How many times have you seen the likes of Zidane, Veron, Valeron or anyone else delivering in a two man midfield. Aimar for a short period and Scholes delivered for the reason they had two great midfielders to partner in the middle Baraja and Keane.
Baraja was never brilliant defensively though. He's always been a lot better coming forwards than defending, hence he was partnered with Albelda for a long period of time a player who covered his runs. Valeron did play in a 2 man midfield, Zidane played in a 2 man midfield at Juventus from what I remember and then as a wide left attacking midfielder for Real if my memory doesnt fail me. I'm not really sure why Veron is on there
I dont see Senna being any where near brilliant for 90 minutes or so. ..him being played over the 90 minutes was more due to the defensive edge he added to the team than any of their other midfielders. All that saying Xavi was brilliant through out the tournament, he was subbed not because he was struggling or Fabregas being better or anything like that, they had fresher and stronger legs of Fabregas to carry on aggressviely through out 90 minutes.
I just explained in my post why he was taken off. Hardly ridiculous that he was given best player of the tournament when he was great in the first match, scored against Russia in the semis (and played well) and ran the show in the final. It was probably difficult enough for Aragones to pick a first choice central midfield pairing considering the players he had but he rightly chose Xavi and Senna. I don't disagree with you for suggesting Senna should have got player of the tournament, he could easily have but to say Xavi was disappointing was odd IMO. He played very well. When Fabregas came on for him a couple of times he freshened things up, as you'd expect from a player of his ability playing in a major international tournament, maybe wanting to prove the manager wrong.EDIT - Basically what Vij said
Xavi is not better than Messi, though he probably has a good claim of being the second BPITW at the moment.
Baraja was never brilliant defensively though. He's always been a lot better coming forwards than defending, hence he was partnered with Albelda for a long period of time a player who covered his runs. Valeron did play in a 2 man midfield, Zidane played in a 2 man midfield at Juventus from what I remember and then as a wide left attacking midfielder for Real if my memory doesnt fail me. I'm not really sure why Veron is on there
Wrong..
Dunno how you can categorize the term brilliant defensively, Albeda was purely a defensive midfielder whilst Baraja a box to box player( I am sinned here?) good at defending but more renowned for his late runs in to the box. Benetiz at times stuck to a two man midfield with Aimar operating on either inside right or inside left with Baraja or Albeda in the middle and Vincente on the left. He was always switching between systems and many a time Aimar played in a two man midfield connecting attack between Baraja and Carew.
Valeron played in a three man midfield. At Juventus Lippi stuck to 4-3-1-2 with Zidane playing in the hole behind two strikers, with Davids on the side left and Tacchinardi in the middle if my memory serves right. At Real Madrid, Zidane was starting on the left when they had Cambiasso and Makelele in the middle and then he played in a free role behind the striker after they switched on to 4-2-3-1...I am bored here, read my posts in the previous page.
Veron was sucessful whenever he was played infront of two defensive midfielders 4-2-3-1 by Svens Lazio and 3-3-1-3...by Beilsa's Argentina. For a brief period at United, he had his fair run of success partnering Phil Neville from a deepish central midfield but not for long.
Getting back to this argument, Xavi like all other enganches, needs couple of ball winners to protect his backside whenever he attacks upfront, but all these footballers are worth to have the attack played around them.
Xavi played too far from goal in almost all involvements. Fabregas came on and played further up the pitch, providing more threat instead of just expansive passing.
Xavi was pulling the strings from the middle. You call that as expansive passing?
- Status