Football Season 2014/2015

[Deleted]

Dooz, Messi was awful in the worldcup. He got given the Messi trophy for being Messi but he in noway inspired the fans watching or played out of this world. He was gash.

I'm not sure awful is the right term here , i'll admit that he was nothing special after the group stages , and it's expected of him to be the best on the pitch day in , day out .

I think part of the problem with Messi is that part of the crowd thinks he's the absolute best , so they hail him and say he can't play each game 100% , which is fine.

Then there's part of the crowd that says "oh he's not playing 100%, he was awful today!" as soon as he doesn't break a game apart on his own.

[Valeron]

I guess there is no middle ground here, either he was gash or he was great. I'd say that he was good, not great, in the world cup.

[Deleted]

I guess there is no middle ground here, either he was gash or he was great. I'd say that he was good, not great, in the world cup.

Yeah , that's what i'm saying pretty much , people can't seem to have an objective view on him or CR7.

[Sharci]

City 1-0 up, goal from Jovetic.

[Northern Goblin]

The thing is with Messi, if he's not being "the Amazing Messi" what does he bring to the team, when he's having quiet games he looks out of sorts on the pitch, it gets to a point where he can look really awkward and disjointed from the team, and drops back to help with a few side on passes. All the while he simply can't get into the box, can't make runs and can't find team mates with those clinical assist passes. Once Argentina hit the group stages he had 4 "off games" in a row.

If you want to make a claim for being the greatest of all time, sure you can have odd days where you're awful, but you need to be consistently brilliant.

By awful, I'm talking games where he's closer to Tom Cleverley than his talent level, and Tom Cleverley is awful.

[Norganon]

What a goal from Ronaldo.

[Deleted]

The thing is with Messi, if he's not being "the Amazing Messi" what does he bring to the team, when he's having quiet games he looks out of sorts on the pitch, it gets to a point where he can look really awkward and disjointed from the team, and drops back to help with a few side on passes. All the while he simply can't get into the box, can't make runs and can't find team mates with those clinical assist passes. Once Argentina hit the group stages he had 4 "off games" in a row.

If you want to make a claim for being the greatest of all time, sure you can have odd days where you're awful, but you need to be consistently brilliant.

By awful, I'm talking games where he's closer to Tom Cleverley than his talent level, and Tom Cleverley is awful.

I don't consider him the greatest of all time , as a matter of fact i like Ronaldo a lot more , but i think people are way too harsh on both of them sometimes.

[Valeron]

The thing is with Messi, if he's not being "the Amazing Messi" what does he bring to the team, when he's having quiet games he looks out of sorts on the pitch, it gets to a point where he can look really awkward and disjointed from the team, and drops back to help with a few side on passes. All the while he simply can't get into the box, can't make runs and can't find team mates with those clinical assist passes. Once Argentina hit the group stages he had 4 "off games" in a row.

If you want to make a claim for being the greatest of all time, sure you can have odd days where you're awful, but you need to be consistently brilliant.

By awful, I'm talking games where he's closer to Tom Cleverley than his talent level, and Tom Cleverley is awful.

you should read the quote from Van Gaal about Messi sometime. Basically he said Messi is the only player that he has really game planned having two players mark him. Even if he isn't doing much, he is always taking the other team out of comfort zone that way.

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I don't consider him the greatest of all time , as a matter of fact i like Ronaldo a lot more , but i think people are way too harsh on both of them sometimes.

which Ronaldo?

[Deleted]

which Ronaldo?

O Fenomeno.
But i also like the current Ronaldo more than i like Messi , that is purely because of a playstyle i like more.

[Valeron]

O Fenomeno.

I have to say, I also prefer him

CRonaldo I find too robotic for my tastes

[Deleted]

I have to say, I also prefer him

CRonaldo I find too robotic for my tastes

One thing that puts me off about today's player is that none of them has the guts that the old world class players had , i mean , Zidane used to carry his team , like Ronaldo and Maradona or even Platini.

CR7 and Messi... i feel like both of them are the shiniest cogs in the engine , but they're not the main force.

[Northern Goblin]

There's a lot of strikers who end up with 2 man marking, yet Messi can be double marked, and it's irrelevant when he's in form, because he'll get past both of them. It happens with a lot of the top tier strikers around the world, and when they're on form, double marking is as much use as a chocolate radiator.

But the thing about him being the greatest ever is so muddled in bias. You ask Barca fans, they'll say Messi, ask Madrid fans they might say Ronaldo, might say Zidane. Some French people may say Zidane but most will say Platini. The Italians will probably say Maldini, who if not the greatest player, is certainly the greatest defender, though some Brazilians will say Roberto Carlos was better, that said the Brazilians will be arguing between Pele and R9. Meanwhile in Argentina they'll say Maradona over Messi, and then you've United fans, and Irish, or people who pretend to be Irish, will say Best.


Thing is you can say "Greatest player ever" but I bet Messi or Pele would make a mediocre goalkeeper (Maradona might do well, he's shown capability for punching the ball) probably not a great centre back either. You wouldn't have Maldini as a striker or Zidane as a left back. So to claim any one person is the greatest player ever is loaded.

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Also Messi isn't even Argetina's second greatest striker, Batistuta was better.

[Valeron]

I agree 100% with you about the greatest player debate, NG

[Deleted]

But the thing about him being the greatest ever is so muddled in bias. You ask Barca fans, they'll say Messi, ask Madrid fans they might say Ronaldo, might say Zidane. Some French people may say Zidane but most will say Platini. The Italians will probably say Maldini, who if not the greatest player, is certainly the greatest defender, though some Brazilians will say Roberto Carlos was better, that said the Brazilians will be arguing between Pele and R9. Meanwhile in Argentina they'll say Maradona over Messi, and then you've United fans, and Irish, or people who pretend to be Irish, will say Best.


Thing is you can say "Greatest player ever" but I bet Messi or Pele would make a mediocre goalkeeper (Maradona might do well, he's shown capability for punching the ball) probably not a great centre back either. You wouldn't have Maldini as a striker or Zidane as a left back. So to claim any one person is the greatest player ever is loaded.

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Also Messi isn't even Argetina's second greatest striker, Batistuta was better.

Batistuta is one of the greatest pure #9 in football history , such a beast.

Italians would probably say Baggio , not Maldini, the fact is that they have not yet given up on the fact that Totti rules them all.

[Northern Goblin]

Really? I thought Maldini was one of the most naturally gifted players ever. Don't get me wrong Baggio was amazing, but I always thought Maldini had the edge on him.

Maldini for me was the first left back who'd play as a wingback naturally, he could easily have been a winger, such was his ability to read the game. He could hit a ball like Paul Scholes, but actually tackle someone as well and his pace was deceptively quick. He knew where the opposition were going to move and could intercept faster than a striker could react.


Oh hey, 2-0.

But quite frankly, whether it's Maldini or Baggio, Italy have great shouts for any "greatest of all time" argument.

[Valeron]

was a really nice team goal by Man City there

[Northern Goblin]

Liverpool really haven't tightened up that back four in off season, this could get really ugly if City keep up the pressure.

[Deleted]

Really? I thought Maldini was one of the most naturally gifted players ever. Don't get me wrong Baggio was amazing, but I always thought Maldini had the edge on him.

Maldini for me was the first left back who'd play as a wingback naturally, he could easily have been a winger, such was his ability to read the game. He could hit a ball like Paul Scholes, but actually tackle someone as well and his pace was deceptively quick. He knew where the opposition were going to move and could intercept faster than a striker could react.


Oh hey, 2-0.

But quite frankly, whether it's Maldini or Baggio, Italy have great shouts for any "greatest of all time" argument.

It's completely different roles anyway , making a comparison between the two is ridicoulus, even when people compare Totti / Del Piero / Baggio , all 3 of them are completely different players , each one of them had / has completely different characteristics.

[Deleted]

Batistuta is one of the greatest pure #9 in football history , such a beast.

Italians would probably say Baggio , not Maldini, the fact is that they have not yet given up on the fact that Totti rules them all.

lineker was a better number 9 than batistuta

[Norganon]

lineker was a better number 9 than batistuta

Van Basten was better than either of them.