Michael Laudrup

#07 said:
I think its unfair to characterise Laudrup as lacking drive and I feel, personally, that Cruyff's words about Laudrup were more of an attempt to justify his decision to sell Laudrup.

Laudrup plays it cool but if he didn't have a bit of a chip on his shoulder he wouldn't have rocked up at Real Madrid after playing for Barca (and he would've gone to Euro 92). He went to Madrid to stick it to Cruyff and prove that he had the goods and he was right. Laudrup himself denies it but having played for Barcelona he knew exactly what it meant to go to Madrid.

I think its wrong to insinuate that Laudrup failed to give 100 per cent and that had he applied himself more he would have been better. I think that understates his achievements.
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Totally fair. I didn't mean to state for certainty that Laudrup was lacking in drive, I was just speculating based on Cryuff and a few other observations.

I'm a big fan of Laudrup and I have total respect for him and I don't think he underachieved, but still it's frightening to consider the aspect of what Laudrup did at not going full throttle.
 
One of my favourite players
In terms of pure ability, few could touch him
 
antohan said:
Indeed. The tricks at the beginning are all identical, makes it look so simple, yet you see the defenders time and again ending on their arses :lol: His through balls were unbelievable though.

One of my favourite players ever. "You played with Pep", what was he thinking? :lol:
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Those tricks are the start remind me of Iniesta, he does that drag from one foot to the other better than anyone. Was Laudrup a hero of his I wonder?
 
Sixpence said:
Those tricks are the start remind me of Iniesta, he does that drag from one foot to the other better than anyone. Was Laudrup a hero of his I wonder?
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The Independent said:
Before the newspaper cuttings about his own career he hoarded articles and posters of his two footballing heroes, Michael Laudrup and Guardiola.
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Apparently he was.

Source
 
Sixpence said:
Those tricks are the start remind me of Iniesta, he does that drag from one foot to the other better than anyone. Was Laudrup a hero of his I wonder?
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Actually been doing some research on him (picked him for the Fantasy Draft) and came across two gems:

Iniesta said:
Who is the best player in history? Laudrup.
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Guardiola said:
From him I learned everything I know about football
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"You played with Pep Guardiola"... What a tool.
 
MichaelS said:
Cryuff elaborates a bit here

(Cruyff on Laudrup's lack of killer instinct during matches): "Had Michael been born in a poor ghetto in Brazil or Argentina with the ball being his only way out of poverty he would today be recognised as the biggest genius of the game ever. He had all the abilities to reach it but lacked this ghetto-instinct, which could have driven him there."[30]
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Cruyff was a good player but he didn't half talk some shit.
 
peterstorey said:
Cruyff was a good player but he didn't half talk some shit.
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In fact, it is stuff like that and the backhanded compliment on how he was the best at 90% but rarely gave 100%, which drove Laudrup away and over to Real.

Sounds to me like very poor man management from Cruyff. I've never had Stoichkov as the brightest cookie from an emotional intelligence perspective, but even he got it.

Stoichkov said:
From more than hundred goals that I scored I'm sure that over 50 were assisted by Michael. To play with him was extremely easy. We found each other by intuition on the field and found common football language. Look at Ivan Zamorano. Laudrup went there (Real) and Zamorano is a goalscorer. Sometimes I envy Ivan for the passes he receives. Passes on foot after you accelerated. Few people understand football like the Danish player. He can only be comprised with Maradona, Schuster or Roberto Baggio. They make things easy and find the right solutions. For them is simple, for the opponent - unthinkable. Phenomenal! His only problem is his character. He is emotional and terribly reserved. This affects him a lot, because he takes everything personally - no matter if someone tells him something or decision that he does not agree. His relations with Cruyff were delicate because he couldn't take the critics. I listen to him but I don't care that much. For Michael this was fatal. He couldn't take it anymore so he left without a word.
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And once he left and chucked 5-eggs over Cruyff, he was still at it with the backhanded praise:

Cruyff said:
When Michael plays like a dream, a magic illusion, determined to show his new team his extreme abilities, no one in the world comes anywhere near his level
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MichaelS said:
Cryuff elaborates a bit here

(Cruyff on Laudrup's lack of killer instinct during matches): "Had Michael been born in a poor ghetto in Brazil or Argentina with the ball being his only way out of poverty he would today be recognised as the biggest genius of the game ever. He had all the abilities to reach it but lacked this ghetto-instinct, which could have driven him there."[30]
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That's the sort of thing Boss would have come out with.

peterstorey said:
Cruyff was a good player but he didn't half talk some shit.
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He was a sage judge when he didn't have a vested interest tainting his spiel.
 
I'm in my mid-20's and whilst I knew that he was a great player, watching that video has absolutely blown me away. I don't think I've ever seen such graceful artistry from a footballer.

Fantastic stuff.
 
TheRisingSun said:
I'm in my mid-20's and whilst I knew that he was a great player, watching that video has absolutely blown me away. I don't think I've ever seen such graceful artistry from a footballer.

Fantastic stuff.
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Me too

I'm a dane, so of course I grew with Michael Laudrup as a football hero, but I was too young to see him in his prime and playing for Barca and Madrid. I only saw him play live, when he played for the danish national and when he was past his prime. For most denmark fans my age, Brian was more popular.

I always figured M. Laudrup was probably a very good player, but overrated by the danish people. Now that I can see footage from his prime years in la liga and Seria A, I'd say that he is underrated by danes.

Absolutely elegant. Can easily be compared to Cruyff, who looked a similar player.
 
Given how Rodgers is doing at Liverpool and how Swansea have simply carried on it's hard to judge what influence the manager actually has at that club.
 
They are being linked with everybody from Moyes, to Mourinho to Laudrup right now.

Sheik's are more patient then Abramovich though. Not that sure they'll sack Mancini tbh.
 
#Carl said:
Given how Rodgers is doing at Liverpool and how Swansea have simply carried on it's hard to judge what influence the manager actually has at that club.
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Rodgers real test at Liverpool will come next year, tbf if he is given time which he probably won't. Dalglish left them in a right mess while spending the initial investment their new owners had planned.

But yeah, Swansea have a very good overall setup there. New manager finds it is easier to fit in.
 
I don't believe that Laudrup would go there. He's a very classy fellow and I don't think he'd want to be part of that circus.
 
#Carl said:
Given how Rodgers is doing at Liverpool and how Swansea have simply carried on it's hard to judge what influence the manager actually has at that club.
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You're right in the sense that he's had a solid base from which to work, but he was responsible with their great signings this summer who have moved them from a side happy to stay in the division to a side looking for upper mid-table and a tilt at a cup competition. He's had a bigger impact than merely 'carrying on the good work' in my view, although his predecessors can't be ignored.
 
Yeh Michu and Chico jump out as 2 players that he obviously had is eye on from his history in Spain. It's undoubted that he's doing a good job there. I just find it difficult to judge how good a job.
 
Yeh that's fair enough. The Swansea fan I know fears he won't stick around either, given that apparently he hasn't at any previous job for too long.
 
kouroux said:
Technically I think Laudrup was easily better than Iniesta
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Indeed.

In fairness to Iniesta, he is more consistent/has a higher bottom, one of the main reasons Laudrup's standing in the game is not as widely held in the high regard his immense talent deserved.
 
Widely being the operative word there. If you look at the previous page I say he was better than Zidane, let alone Iniesta. I certainly have him in my Top 10 and Top 5 as a #10, so not surprised he got his Greatest video at all.
 
Laudrup and Iniesta? Fairly similar, reckon Laudrup had a bit more vision and a more multi-faceted right foot. Iniesta probably a bit more consistent / higher bottom level as Anto said.
 
Aye, I'd say he had all the best creative/passing/attacking attributes of both Xavi and Iniesta minus the defensive shift.

That's where the bottom level thing kicks in, those two will always be involved and instrumental however a game shapes up, while Laudrup could on occasion see a game pass him by feeding on scraps.

Not a luxury player though, to me those are ones who show up for 15-20 minutes of a game and have what it takes to settle it (e.g. Recoba, Le Tissier). Laudrup could completely dominate a game for the entire 90 minutes and tear a defence apart like few others could. I would give my left bollock to see him playing for us now.
 
Immense player. He is what I believe Dragan Stojkovic could have been if it wasn't for his injuries. Both players who would dominate games on their own, both players with exceptional passing, both players who could dribble around anybody.

But anyway it's about Laudrup, and that video was great to watch. I love watching an old master in action, and still having that skill that's still superior to the players a lot younger. Legend.
 
Brian wasn't even close IMO..and was a completely different player than his brother.

In all my years going to the bernabeu, laudrup and redondo had the most class....and Zion of course
 
I thought they were both great, under-rated players, but Michael, largely thanks to what he did in Spain, was a level above. Brian had the stronger international career and was fantastic for Rangers, but jizzing over Scottish defences isn't the same as regularly eviscerating the best Spain had to offer. At their peaks Brian was amongst the top 2-3 players in Britain, whereas Michael was at the same level in the entirety of Europe. As SuecoGitano says, they were different players: Michael a playmaking no10, Brian a roaming winger-cum-attacker.
 
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