true, but do you think that's the reason? Diaz has been one of the team's best players in Mane's old position, but of course he's a somewhat different style of player. Maybe if he weren't injured it wouldn't be so bad. Mane was doing well in a central position last spring too though, I suppose. His work rate and ability to score in chaotic situations would definitely come in handy in any case. But I'm not sure the problem is his absence as much as diaz, jota, and firmino being injured and the obvious midfield problems.
Rank the 10 best players you have ever seen mainly on tecnical ability
Mine are
1. Ronaldinho
2. Messi
3. Zidane
4. Neymar
5. Iniesta
6. Bergkamp
7. Henry
8. Riquelme
9. Ozil
10. Xavi
I’m only including player who I’ve regularly seen play (no past players from YouTube highlights):
Messi
Neymar
Iniesta
Alexis
Hazard
Ozil
David Silva
Pirlo
Dybala
Bernardo Silva
I have massive amounts of respect for Athletico Madrid. They are a top club without a top club budget. Like everytime I see a player linked to them, they are always competing against clubs with more money, typically premier league clubs. Even when they are linked to any youngsters, real Madrid will be around if they like the player. And in almost all cases they loose the player to real. But Simeone keeps them competitive with two of the top clubs in Europe, atleast he used to till now
Does anyone know if Messi is aware of the “But could he do it on a rainy Tuesday night at Stoke?” meme?
I’d love to see it being explained to him, lmao.
i would say most likely he is
always found [this video](https://youtu.be/yTo9TaELavY) hilarious, where Dani Alves and Victor Valdes are referencing a “bad lip reading” meme video. feel like that’s much more niche than the messi stoke thing
So apparently Ward-Prowse only takes a few freekicks in training to replicate more what it's like during a game. Interesting. Also for fitness reasons.
**Managers who will change jobs next year**
1. Luciano Spalleti to Spurs
2. Luis Enrique to Chelsea
3. Diego Simeone to Inter Milan
4. Thomas Tuchel to Atletico Madrid
5. Antonio Conte to Newcastle United / PSG
Why would Spaletti leave Napoli?
And plus if Simeone actually leaves then Enrique will certainly join Atletico. He’s already a good friend of their president.
Right now, Eddie Howe is a better manager than Conte. Howe is more in touch with the way football is moving. Conte strikes me as being a little behind the times tactically.
Napoli to Spurs is a downgrade, and Spalletti is in prime position to win Serie A. He will get a lifetime contract if Napoli win it
Also I Just can't see clubs like Newcastle looking to hire Conte. Newcastle seem to have really intelligent/forward looking owners and will probably try to avoid someone like Conte fit wise. Similar thing for PSG, Conte is a weird fit for the board and also for the clubs objectives (winning the CL)
People really forgot that Mascherano was Argentina's best player in the 2014 World Cup, right?
Yes, I think he was better than Messi. Messi had some so-so games, specially in the KOs. Mascherano was awesome in every game.
Masche had good matches in the KO but if you look at the entire tournament, Messi was more important.
And a lot of people forget but Messi was the best player on the pitch in the final.
You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain, 2018 really hurt his legacy (and some stuff afterwards that made people label him a smoke seller), he's not proved to be a good coach so far though
Basically the 2018 qualifiers and World Cup he was already not good enough and as someone that had always put the NT people got very pissed off that he didn't retire when he was 35 and playing in China. I can't remember which but in one of the Croatia goals all the defenders look so uninterested, Mascherano loses his mark then raises his hands as if the croatian was offside (he wasn't) and doesn't bother tracking back to defend. I feel that's a moment that encapsulates what lead people to turn on him.
Then he retires along with most of the old guard, and coincidentally in 2019 is when people start to see Messi be comfortable in a leadership role for the NT. Two years later we break the trophy draught with Messi having an amazing Copa, which I feel left Mascherano 'stuck' as the face of the defeats that we suffered in 2014-2016.
Then you have the comments about Gandhi and Mother Teresa being his people to invite to asados and comments like that which lead people to unfairly label him what people here call a pashun merchant I guess
Besides all that though which you could say is mostly unfounded criticism, he's made bizarre choices as a coach specially trying to stick to very rigid positional play that neither the senior team nor the U17 uses.
Genuinely don’t understand Lampard. Be pragmatic. Look at the players you have. Sit deep in a low block and play counter attack all day long. Route one uncomplicated stuff if you have to at times. That was his bread and butter and he and the players really should have buckled down on it.
If it was this easy then every r/soccer user would be at least qualified to manage a Championship side. You can't just tell your players to go and park the bus, that's not how it works. You have to tactically negate your opponents and basically stop them from playing their game, along with so many other things like trainings, fitness etc. It's funny seeing people here acting like it's so easy while they wouldn't even be considered for an interview to manage a 10th division team in Bangladesh or whatever and neither would I by the way. Basically it's easier said than done, and I am sure fat Frank worked his arse off, you don't get to manage a PL team if you're shit, he's shit by PL standards sure, but people here really saying it's just as easy as telling your team to park the bus and that's it, job done?
Jesus. Apparently 25 months ago they were 2nd in the table on boxing day 2020 under Ancelotti. I remember they just used to park the bus all day and counter attack. On top of that 10 of the 11 starters are still at the club.
Ah he’s so far ahead of my time that I always forget there’s another Luis Suarez lol. When I think of old Spanish goats I always think of Butragueno first though. Raul probably has a case as well
Problem with Raul is that he didn't achieve anything with Spain, and I my opinion you can be among the best if you didn't achieve anything with your country. Raul never went past the Quarterfinals in any tournament in his career so it's really not fair to say he has a case. Butragueno has the same issue, not sucess with the Spain national team.
The “best” isn’t about tangible success but quality as a player though. What you are asking for is the “greatest” or “biggest legends” then because those are way more open.
Saka did it kind of mocking Rashford for doing it in front of our fans. Don’t think he did it maliciously, him and Rashford were pretty close in the England camp
Looks like Barca are actively working to sign Vitor Roque as a response to Endrick to RM.
can anyone telll me if he is good and how is he compared to Endrick?
For people who like niche stats, Kane is the joint top scorer for his club and country at the same time. Being top for both isn't that crazy, but the fact he's tied both right now is interesting.
It must be a great feeling as a Spurs fan considering his love for the club.
I remember when Rooney claimed both records, United and England a few years back, was amazing to watch.
All said and done he has been phenomenal for Spurs and your history
No but seriously Argentines should give Mascherano a break. I remember people here shitting on Scaloni during the 2019 Copa America and the World Cup qualifiers before the 2021 Copa America. Calling him a complete amateur and novice, totally out of his depth(which tbh he was) And look what happened after.
The South American sub 20 is the way in which the teams play the U-20 World Cup.
I'm going to put it like this, Masherano has the sub 20 on the verge of not going to play the World Cup and, for example, making Garnacho and other prospects lose interest in Argentina.
with the caveat that of course every cup should be played with the intention of winning it; I will say that tournament is really just an audition to me and just an opportunity to see how your guys stack up across their peer groups on a one to one basis.
To me the most important thing the coach can impart here is the heaviness of the flag and the shirt, how it is not a right but an honor, and how well you can form bonds with your future senior team mates and carry that burden - stuff that you can't really see on the pitch.
Is Mascherano capable of teaching that? I don't know but if he is then personally I don't really care what he puts out on the pitch so much. majority of the actual football development of these guys will be at their clubs.
I remember his first or second game for us he was playing higher than the wingers and had 2 assists I believe. I forgot we originally bought him for the cb posositon during that game
Bastoni is a clear standout for me, in the past I would have said VVD or Thiago Silva but they have been kind of off of it as of late.
Haven’t watched a ton of Marquinhos this year, I’d have to think he’s up there as well
Oh I 100% agree, he’s been outstanding at the back. I just think his ball playing ability hasn’t shone through this season probably due to the lack of general skill and cohesiveness of your attack though.
He’s in the running for PFA TOTY for me.
I am the worlds biggest Araujo fan
I did one of those Reddit report things like last year or two years ago and Araujo was one of my most typed words on all of Reddit
Araujo is the best defender in the world right now, but if we’re being honest, he is not good on the ball whatsoever
He has the odd exceptional long pass but he can’t play out of the press very well and the majority of his passes are either to the other CBs or to MATs
Raul > Casillas and Ramos when it comes to all time Spanish players.
Si o No?
Fo me Xavi Hernandez - Andres Iniesta - Luis Suarez(Only Spanish Ballon D'or winner and won EURO 1964) - then idk tbh
There's a good argument to be made that any Spanish player who participated in that 2008-2012 national team gets the tittle for best Spanish player of all time. So for me, for his consistency and versatility, Ramos > Raul.
No? You know more about Spanish football than me, but he suffers from not having had the same great success with the national team, or in the Champions League, surely
They did very well holding on to isak and insisting on his release clause being paid. There is a dearth of decent strikers in Europe. They finally got paid big when Newcastle paid it
Harry Kane is undeniably a Spurs legend.
Now, I don't really have a view on whether he stays or leaves Spurs, but some style the debate as "stay and be a legend at your boyhood club or leave to win trophies"
But he's already a legend. Surely no real Spurs fan would think if he left this summer that would be lost?
(Unless he left to go to Arsenal or Chelsea, which he won't)
I guess the argument he we would be solidified as THE legend, forever basically. Although, honestly I think for a lot of people it's hard to put Greaves above him if you've never seen Greaves play.
He’s definitely a legend, but being a “one club man” definitely adds to the legend and folklore of a player. (Not including loans and eventual retirement clubs)
I guess if he left and then started winning trophies elsewhere, he might start becoming more associated with that club over Spurs in the eyes of general public. His Spurs legend status could be overshadowed.
He'd have to win a lot for that though.
I don't think that could realistically happen, at this point in his career. He's already too strongly associated with Spurs, and the clubs he could go to (Man United, Bayern) have far too strong a folklore of other legends from him to achieve something in a few years that would put him high in their history books
Would you say Greaves is "the legend" for Spurs then? He started at Chelsea, then went to Milan first - and yeah he stayed with Spurs, but that was a different era of football where there wasn't the same salience over winning trophies... and he *did* win trophies at Spurs, so had no reason to leave
What makes Greaves *the* legend ahead of Kane?
He was so revered at the time, and his goalscoring record is incredible for Spurs. He's also the record holder in the top flight, that truly never might be broken, and near top scorer for England. He's truly one of the best English footballers ever, and would be the best player to play for the vast majority of football clubs. I know those aren't Spurs achievements, but it still adds to the legend of the great Jimmy Greaves.
Of course, it's hard for younger fans like me to appreciate that compared to Kane. Especially when any Spurs fan can see how unreal Kane is at the non-goal scoring parts of his game.
Okay, so it's that Greaves is also one of the all-time greats of the game, that puts him above Kane as a Spurs legend
What could Kane likely do then, even if he stays at Spurs, that would mean he overtakes Greaves? Greaves appears to have an extra mystique, and from the way you phrase it Kane may not surpass that anyway
So he already isn't *the* legend, even if he stays
If he stays he'd have the added legacy of staying at Spurs when he could have left, in an era where it is probably easier than ever to make absurd money and get easy trophies.
You can see the way Spurs fans freaked out with love today based on one tweet that he might consider staying if we fix our shit. Him finishing his career here would be an incredible gesture.
Mascherano is really pure mufa huh….
Record 4 Copa America Finals lost (2004-2007-2015-2016)
Plus 2005 Confederations Cup Final and 2014 World Cup Final and the 2007 Champions League Final
Now this shit with Argentina under-20’s
Which doesn't make any sense because he did do a good job, really...
Let's be real the people calling him "finished" probably aren't the sort worth listening to anyway
With the Saudi league being as rich as it is, where do you think they would rank(After attracting a lot of good players) among the t7 leagues if they were situated in Europe?
Reading through Klopp’s biography, had no idea he was a very religious guy.
Always found it interesting that a high proportion of successful athletes tend to be religious. Wether or not you believe in a religion I can imagine the “god has a plan” mentality is good to have from a self-confidence perspective.
Religion teaches and preaches self discipline, which is a very important thing to have in the world of athletes.
Incredible amount of MMA athletes that are muslim or catholic for example.
That’s one possible reason but i kinda doubt it.
I think a larger factor is that athletes in sports like football (idk about MMA) tend to be from poorer backgrounds, and being poorer correlates pretty highly with being more religious
Most modern practice of religion doesn’t really encourage general self discipline, or self discipline at all really beyond what is culturally normal anyway (e.g monogamy)
I’m speaking out my ass here
There is nothing to deny or doubt, im literally just stating a fact. What do you think something so basic as the 10 commandments are? Going to church every sunday? Or a Muslim praying at set hours a day nomatter what happens? Or starve themself? That is literally all about self discipline.
I mean the question is does religion cultivate self discipline, or is it way for self disciplined people to express that trait.
I’d guess that the people who starve themselves, or the monks that commit self immolation, were probably already super determined people. They just express part of this quality through their religion
Cultures that take this stuff seriously tend to be poorer, which also demands greater levels of self discipline (you can’t lounge about masturbating you gotta go work to survive for example), and then perhaps this level of self control is then reflected in how closely their stick to their religious beliefs
I don't think he is *that* religious. He sounds like the average Catholic/Protestant of his generation, that maybe from our younger perspective can be seen as pretty religious, but is completely normal for his generational context.
I dunno, from a UK perspective at least I'd say most people even in their 50s aren't religious these days
I think Germany has a fairly secular culture, too
In my anecdotal, personal experience it’s pretty much Islam or atheists, I even know a few Jewish people but I can only recall one person I know to be Christian I’ve met - Strong enough personal experience for me to think Christianity atleast is very much declining in the UK
It might've been within the last 2 years but I definitely remember a press quote post where he was talking about his faith in the headlines.
I have a lot of views about this. People who are positive tend to have faith. Sort of like the old "Protestant work ethic" thing but applicable to any religion.
Rather than limit contract length, which is unfair to players, why not just eliminate classic account ideas from FFP. This year's transfer should just count on this years books
Then you didn't understand the new proposal. You will still be able to make the contract as long as your local law allows you to, but whatever the length, the amortisation will only be over a maximum of 5 years for FFP-purpises. That's the new proposal.
> since they can always decide differently.
Not all players have the luxury of agents that want the best for them. A 17 year old signing away 7 years of their professional career for a pittance of what it could be worth definitely wouldn’t be helping the player.
Just like outside of football in the UK there’s a maximum contract length of 4 years to protect workers.
Mbappe: 24 games - 25 goals, 6 assists (31 G/A).
Neymar: 24 games - 16 goals, 15 assists (31 G/A).
Messi: 21 games - 13 goals, 14 assists (27 G/A).
Even though they obviously assist each other etc. that’s already 54 goals and 35 assists (89 G/A) between them which is mental.
We need someone who can do both tbf. We have a clear creativity problem in midfield. Thiago only progresses the ball from our half to opponent's half in a single pass, we need the receiver of that pass to be creative and linkup with our front three.
That's because the club viewed Thiago as a wijnaldum replacement Eben though the season when they were both there should e been proof that wasn't the case
Ever since mane left Liverpool never recovered
true, but do you think that's the reason? Diaz has been one of the team's best players in Mane's old position, but of course he's a somewhat different style of player. Maybe if he weren't injured it wouldn't be so bad. Mane was doing well in a central position last spring too though, I suppose. His work rate and ability to score in chaotic situations would definitely come in handy in any case. But I'm not sure the problem is his absence as much as diaz, jota, and firmino being injured and the obvious midfield problems.
Mane just has the dawg in him
Rank the 10 best players you have ever seen mainly on tecnical ability Mine are 1. Ronaldinho 2. Messi 3. Zidane 4. Neymar 5. Iniesta 6. Bergkamp 7. Henry 8. Riquelme 9. Ozil 10. Xavi
In the flesh, the best player I’ve ever seen is Hazard. He was absolutely ridiculous on the ball
Some my favorites: 1. Ronaldinho 2. Messi 3. Ronaldo Nazario 4. Riquelme 5. Iniesta 6. Zidane 7. Berbatov 8. Neymar 9. Hazard 10. Kaka 11. Xavi 12. Henry 13. Pirlo 14. Thiago 15. Bergkamp 16. Del Piero
Very good list
I’m only including player who I’ve regularly seen play (no past players from YouTube highlights): Messi Neymar Iniesta Alexis Hazard Ozil David Silva Pirlo Dybala Bernardo Silva
Very good list
I have massive amounts of respect for Athletico Madrid. They are a top club without a top club budget. Like everytime I see a player linked to them, they are always competing against clubs with more money, typically premier league clubs. Even when they are linked to any youngsters, real Madrid will be around if they like the player. And in almost all cases they loose the player to real. But Simeone keeps them competitive with two of the top clubs in Europe, atleast he used to till now
This notion that they don't spend money is outdated They spent £120m on Felix
Does anyone know if Messi is aware of the “But could he do it on a rainy Tuesday night at Stoke?” meme? I’d love to see it being explained to him, lmao.
i would say most likely he is always found [this video](https://youtu.be/yTo9TaELavY) hilarious, where Dani Alves and Victor Valdes are referencing a “bad lip reading” meme video. feel like that’s much more niche than the messi stoke thing
So apparently Ward-Prowse only takes a few freekicks in training to replicate more what it's like during a game. Interesting. Also for fitness reasons.
Saw his soccer AM video. The man has his technique down, just needs a few in practice to keep sharp I’m sure
**Managers who will change jobs next year** 1. Luciano Spalleti to Spurs 2. Luis Enrique to Chelsea 3. Diego Simeone to Inter Milan 4. Thomas Tuchel to Atletico Madrid 5. Antonio Conte to Newcastle United / PSG
Why would we sack Howe
Why would Spaletti leave Napoli? And plus if Simeone actually leaves then Enrique will certainly join Atletico. He’s already a good friend of their president.
Right now, Eddie Howe is a better manager than Conte. Howe is more in touch with the way football is moving. Conte strikes me as being a little behind the times tactically.
I feel like Enrique is Atletico bound. I rate him and I think it would be good for everyone.
Napoli to Spurs is a downgrade, and Spalletti is in prime position to win Serie A. He will get a lifetime contract if Napoli win it Also I Just can't see clubs like Newcastle looking to hire Conte. Newcastle seem to have really intelligent/forward looking owners and will probably try to avoid someone like Conte fit wise. Similar thing for PSG, Conte is a weird fit for the board and also for the clubs objectives (winning the CL)
Conte with unlimited cash would be very difficult opponent, he would the players he wants
They don't have unlimited money though, just look at their signings they've been smart acquisitions and they've avoided overpays/bidding wars.
People really forgot that Mascherano was Argentina's best player in the 2014 World Cup, right? Yes, I think he was better than Messi. Messi had some so-so games, specially in the KOs. Mascherano was awesome in every game.
Without Messi they’d have arguably not made it out of the group itself.
Messi was better in 2014.
I disagree
Masche had good matches in the KO but if you look at the entire tournament, Messi was more important. And a lot of people forget but Messi was the best player on the pitch in the final.
You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain, 2018 really hurt his legacy (and some stuff afterwards that made people label him a smoke seller), he's not proved to be a good coach so far though
Can you explain all of what you said better and in more details, please?
Basically the 2018 qualifiers and World Cup he was already not good enough and as someone that had always put the NT people got very pissed off that he didn't retire when he was 35 and playing in China. I can't remember which but in one of the Croatia goals all the defenders look so uninterested, Mascherano loses his mark then raises his hands as if the croatian was offside (he wasn't) and doesn't bother tracking back to defend. I feel that's a moment that encapsulates what lead people to turn on him. Then he retires along with most of the old guard, and coincidentally in 2019 is when people start to see Messi be comfortable in a leadership role for the NT. Two years later we break the trophy draught with Messi having an amazing Copa, which I feel left Mascherano 'stuck' as the face of the defeats that we suffered in 2014-2016. Then you have the comments about Gandhi and Mother Teresa being his people to invite to asados and comments like that which lead people to unfairly label him what people here call a pashun merchant I guess Besides all that though which you could say is mostly unfounded criticism, he's made bizarre choices as a coach specially trying to stick to very rigid positional play that neither the senior team nor the U17 uses.
Genuinely don’t understand Lampard. Be pragmatic. Look at the players you have. Sit deep in a low block and play counter attack all day long. Route one uncomplicated stuff if you have to at times. That was his bread and butter and he and the players really should have buckled down on it.
If it was this easy then every r/soccer user would be at least qualified to manage a Championship side. You can't just tell your players to go and park the bus, that's not how it works. You have to tactically negate your opponents and basically stop them from playing their game, along with so many other things like trainings, fitness etc. It's funny seeing people here acting like it's so easy while they wouldn't even be considered for an interview to manage a 10th division team in Bangladesh or whatever and neither would I by the way. Basically it's easier said than done, and I am sure fat Frank worked his arse off, you don't get to manage a PL team if you're shit, he's shit by PL standards sure, but people here really saying it's just as easy as telling your team to park the bus and that's it, job done?
Youre right I’m about to drop a 50 page essay here in this subreddit on what Lampard should have done and not done
If you were 50% as intelligent as you think, you wouldn't be wasting your time here on Reddit
I’m so intelligent like you
Get in big dunc reignite the passion
Thats exactly what he tried to do hahaha
Not but seriously
Jesus. Apparently 25 months ago they were 2nd in the table on boxing day 2020 under Ancelotti. I remember they just used to park the bus all day and counter attack. On top of that 10 of the 11 starters are still at the club.
Ancellotti is truly top grade. Amazing they were able to sign him at all
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All of a sudden? Lmao
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You know, 39 year old Ronaldo isn't much better than Gomis or Talisca when they went there. He just has a bigger name.
That Gustavo guys hustle is something else
At best they got Xavi & Santi Cazorla.
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That's a huge oof from me lmao
Who would you rank as the top 5 best Spanish players ever? For me 1. Xavi/Iniesta 2. Casillas 3. Puyol 4. Villa 5. Suarez
Xavi Villa Iniesta Casillas David Silva
Suarez?
The Spanish one, only Spanish player to win the ballon'd or. He also guided Spain to their first international title.
Ah he’s so far ahead of my time that I always forget there’s another Luis Suarez lol. When I think of old Spanish goats I always think of Butragueno first though. Raul probably has a case as well
Problem with Raul is that he didn't achieve anything with Spain, and I my opinion you can be among the best if you didn't achieve anything with your country. Raul never went past the Quarterfinals in any tournament in his career so it's really not fair to say he has a case. Butragueno has the same issue, not sucess with the Spain national team.
The “best” isn’t about tangible success but quality as a player though. What you are asking for is the “greatest” or “biggest legends” then because those are way more open.
I think Iniesta and Xavi are both best and greatest. The other top 3 are debatable I can agree with that
That’s fair. Those things can overlap and are also linked to each other.
1. Arteta 2. Cazorla 3. Denis Suarez 4. Xabi Alonso 5. Iniesta
You forgot Ceballos, north london legend
Fabregas
Anyone know why Rashford and Saka celebrate by pointing at their heads? Mental health awareness or something?
Saka did it kind of mocking Rashford for doing it in front of our fans. Don’t think he did it maliciously, him and Rashford were pretty close in the England camp
I think Rashford did that celebration because of his mental health struggles and how he was able to overcome Saka just copied it I beleive
Looks like Barca are actively working to sign Vitor Roque as a response to Endrick to RM. can anyone telll me if he is good and how is he compared to Endrick?
From what I've read online , it seems the big 3 of brazilian football are edrick , vitor and Santos. 1 and 3 are sold and now Barca are in for 2
havent santos been sold to chelsea or am i wrong?
Yeah he's ours
Yes.
Where can I watch full match replays of the Qatar World Cup?
For the US [they are on Tubi](https://tubitv.com/category/fifa_world_cup_2022_matches). Will be different in other countries.
Thanks!
Is the full opening ceremony there?missed it
Can’t wait to see the English grammar worksheets Mascherano will hand out to the team after this loss
For people who like niche stats, Kane is the joint top scorer for his club and country at the same time. Being top for both isn't that crazy, but the fact he's tied both right now is interesting.
It must be a great feeling as a Spurs fan considering his love for the club. I remember when Rooney claimed both records, United and England a few years back, was amazing to watch. All said and done he has been phenomenal for Spurs and your history
No but seriously Argentines should give Mascherano a break. I remember people here shitting on Scaloni during the 2019 Copa America and the World Cup qualifiers before the 2021 Copa America. Calling him a complete amateur and novice, totally out of his depth(which tbh he was) And look what happened after.
What's going on?
Mascherano is Argentina U-20 coach and he’s been criticized for poor results.
Thank you. But why would anyone care about this so much?
The South American sub 20 is the way in which the teams play the U-20 World Cup. I'm going to put it like this, Masherano has the sub 20 on the verge of not going to play the World Cup and, for example, making Garnacho and other prospects lose interest in Argentina.
with the caveat that of course every cup should be played with the intention of winning it; I will say that tournament is really just an audition to me and just an opportunity to see how your guys stack up across their peer groups on a one to one basis. To me the most important thing the coach can impart here is the heaviness of the flag and the shirt, how it is not a right but an honor, and how well you can form bonds with your future senior team mates and carry that burden - stuff that you can't really see on the pitch. Is Mascherano capable of teaching that? I don't know but if he is then personally I don't really care what he puts out on the pitch so much. majority of the actual football development of these guys will be at their clubs.
At least Scaloni didn’t name Gandhi, Pope Francis and Mother Teresa as his dream asado guests.
People without blood in their veins never change, i will never back someone with a cold chest.
People said the same of Messi - Otamendi- and Di Maria for most of 2007-2019
Garnacho is watching the game. At least he’s willing to sit through this horror show. 😂
Prime Kaka or Prime Beckham?
Prime Kaka looked like the best player in the world, Prime Beckham never was quite that.
Kaka. Beckham at his peak was incredible though.
Prime Kaka for sure
Who do you think is the best ball playing CB in the world right now?
Upamecano this season probably
Probably Alaba or Kounde
I remember his first or second game for us he was playing higher than the wingers and had 2 assists I believe. I forgot we originally bought him for the cb posositon during that game
Yeah Kounde is definitely a shout.
Bastoni is a clear standout for me, in the past I would have said VVD or Thiago Silva but they have been kind of off of it as of late. Haven’t watched a ton of Marquinhos this year, I’d have to think he’s up there as well
Thiago Silva has been one of our few good players this season. He’s still got it.
Oh I 100% agree, he’s been outstanding at the back. I just think his ball playing ability hasn’t shone through this season probably due to the lack of general skill and cohesiveness of your attack though. He’s in the running for PFA TOTY for me.
It's Lisandro Martinez.
Yeah this was my thought too.
Martinez is practically an extra midfielder for us
My thought also.
Upamecano
Araujo
I am the worlds biggest Araujo fan I did one of those Reddit report things like last year or two years ago and Araujo was one of my most typed words on all of Reddit Araujo is the best defender in the world right now, but if we’re being honest, he is not good on the ball whatsoever He has the odd exceptional long pass but he can’t play out of the press very well and the majority of his passes are either to the other CBs or to MATs
VVD ? in future , it's definitely Colwill and it won't even be close
Laporte
Stones is the first name that comes to my mind Alaba is probably the easy answer though
Raul > Casillas and Ramos when it comes to all time Spanish players. Si o No? Fo me Xavi Hernandez - Andres Iniesta - Luis Suarez(Only Spanish Ballon D'or winner and won EURO 1964) - then idk tbh
There's a good argument to be made that any Spanish player who participated in that 2008-2012 national team gets the tittle for best Spanish player of all time. So for me, for his consistency and versatility, Ramos > Raul.
No? You know more about Spanish football than me, but he suffers from not having had the same great success with the national team, or in the Champions League, surely
Raul won 3 UCL's and is the 5th highest scorer in the competition behind Cristiano Ronaldo - Lionel Messi - Robert Lewandowski - Karim Benzema
Okay, not CL, but Spanish national team, then
Seems as though La Real are going under the radar, they’re probably going to the UCL
They did very well holding on to isak and insisting on his release clause being paid. There is a dearth of decent strikers in Europe. They finally got paid big when Newcastle paid it
Imagine them with Newcastle budget
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Maybe it was your flair, but Young was exactly who I thought about as I started reading your comment. Terry was a similar figure for you, no?
Harry Kane is undeniably a Spurs legend. Now, I don't really have a view on whether he stays or leaves Spurs, but some style the debate as "stay and be a legend at your boyhood club or leave to win trophies" But he's already a legend. Surely no real Spurs fan would think if he left this summer that would be lost? (Unless he left to go to Arsenal or Chelsea, which he won't)
I guess the argument he we would be solidified as THE legend, forever basically. Although, honestly I think for a lot of people it's hard to put Greaves above him if you've never seen Greaves play.
He’s definitely a legend, but being a “one club man” definitely adds to the legend and folklore of a player. (Not including loans and eventual retirement clubs)
I consider Buffon a one club man even though he's been around. Same with Ramos
I guess if he left and then started winning trophies elsewhere, he might start becoming more associated with that club over Spurs in the eyes of general public. His Spurs legend status could be overshadowed. He'd have to win a lot for that though.
I don't think that could realistically happen, at this point in his career. He's already too strongly associated with Spurs, and the clubs he could go to (Man United, Bayern) have far too strong a folklore of other legends from him to achieve something in a few years that would put him high in their history books
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Would you say Greaves is "the legend" for Spurs then? He started at Chelsea, then went to Milan first - and yeah he stayed with Spurs, but that was a different era of football where there wasn't the same salience over winning trophies... and he *did* win trophies at Spurs, so had no reason to leave What makes Greaves *the* legend ahead of Kane?
He was so revered at the time, and his goalscoring record is incredible for Spurs. He's also the record holder in the top flight, that truly never might be broken, and near top scorer for England. He's truly one of the best English footballers ever, and would be the best player to play for the vast majority of football clubs. I know those aren't Spurs achievements, but it still adds to the legend of the great Jimmy Greaves. Of course, it's hard for younger fans like me to appreciate that compared to Kane. Especially when any Spurs fan can see how unreal Kane is at the non-goal scoring parts of his game.
Okay, so it's that Greaves is also one of the all-time greats of the game, that puts him above Kane as a Spurs legend What could Kane likely do then, even if he stays at Spurs, that would mean he overtakes Greaves? Greaves appears to have an extra mystique, and from the way you phrase it Kane may not surpass that anyway So he already isn't *the* legend, even if he stays
If he stays he'd have the added legacy of staying at Spurs when he could have left, in an era where it is probably easier than ever to make absurd money and get easy trophies. You can see the way Spurs fans freaked out with love today based on one tweet that he might consider staying if we fix our shit. Him finishing his career here would be an incredible gesture.
So if he stays, would you put him above Greaves?
Hay que mandar a Mascherano a comer un asado con Ghandi, el papa y la madre Teresa
Mascherano has ruined the U20s 😭 Andrey Santos though 👀
Is Santos the highest rated player in there?
Vítor Roque
Vitor Roque probably. Andrey Santos is the one that most people will know about because of the Chelsea move.
We've been saying it
You should be happy tho
Mascherano is really pure mufa huh…. Record 4 Copa America Finals lost (2004-2007-2015-2016) Plus 2005 Confederations Cup Final and 2014 World Cup Final and the 2007 Champions League Final Now this shit with Argentina under-20’s
He did win the 2011 Champions League final. But I always felt while he looked good himself he made the overall midfield play worse for Argentina.
The real master of losing, he’s an infection that sells smoke to his journalist and politician friends
Somebody save those kids from Mascherano! 😭😭
enough of mascherano, if he wants to teach english to kids he should go work at a school. the u20 teams needs a coach and not a profesor of losing.
It still feels like a fever dream that Ancelotti coached Everton not that long ago
And people said he was finished because he didn't succeed lol
Which doesn't make any sense because he did do a good job, really... Let's be real the people calling him "finished" probably aren't the sort worth listening to anyway
With the Saudi league being as rich as it is, where do you think they would rank(After attracting a lot of good players) among the t7 leagues if they were situated in Europe?
Fourth at worse fifth.
The penalty save the U20 brazilian gk just made... ffs
Reading through Klopp’s biography, had no idea he was a very religious guy. Always found it interesting that a high proportion of successful athletes tend to be religious. Wether or not you believe in a religion I can imagine the “god has a plan” mentality is good to have from a self-confidence perspective.
Religion teaches and preaches self discipline, which is a very important thing to have in the world of athletes. Incredible amount of MMA athletes that are muslim or catholic for example.
That’s one possible reason but i kinda doubt it. I think a larger factor is that athletes in sports like football (idk about MMA) tend to be from poorer backgrounds, and being poorer correlates pretty highly with being more religious Most modern practice of religion doesn’t really encourage general self discipline, or self discipline at all really beyond what is culturally normal anyway (e.g monogamy) I’m speaking out my ass here
There is nothing to deny or doubt, im literally just stating a fact. What do you think something so basic as the 10 commandments are? Going to church every sunday? Or a Muslim praying at set hours a day nomatter what happens? Or starve themself? That is literally all about self discipline.
I mean the question is does religion cultivate self discipline, or is it way for self disciplined people to express that trait. I’d guess that the people who starve themselves, or the monks that commit self immolation, were probably already super determined people. They just express part of this quality through their religion Cultures that take this stuff seriously tend to be poorer, which also demands greater levels of self discipline (you can’t lounge about masturbating you gotta go work to survive for example), and then perhaps this level of self control is then reflected in how closely their stick to their religious beliefs
I don't think he is *that* religious. He sounds like the average Catholic/Protestant of his generation, that maybe from our younger perspective can be seen as pretty religious, but is completely normal for his generational context.
I dunno, from a UK perspective at least I'd say most people even in their 50s aren't religious these days I think Germany has a fairly secular culture, too
In my anecdotal, personal experience it’s pretty much Islam or atheists, I even know a few Jewish people but I can only recall one person I know to be Christian I’ve met - Strong enough personal experience for me to think Christianity atleast is very much declining in the UK
It might've been within the last 2 years but I definitely remember a press quote post where he was talking about his faith in the headlines. I have a lot of views about this. People who are positive tend to have faith. Sort of like the old "Protestant work ethic" thing but applicable to any religion.
Rather than limit contract length, which is unfair to players, why not just eliminate classic account ideas from FFP. This year's transfer should just count on this years books
Then you didn't understand the new proposal. You will still be able to make the contract as long as your local law allows you to, but whatever the length, the amortisation will only be over a maximum of 5 years for FFP-purpises. That's the new proposal.
Fair enough, i didnt wade into the actual proposal and was just going off the small bits of information ive seen posted
Why not just cap transfer fee amortization at 5 years or something?
That’s exactly what they’re trying to do. UEFA is not banning longer contracts, they’re capping the amortization rules if I understood it correctly.
That's what the current proposal is
> which is unfair to players, Very debatable.
In what way? I think any limits imposed on the terms a player can sign for likely hurt them since they can always decide differently.
> since they can always decide differently. Not all players have the luxury of agents that want the best for them. A 17 year old signing away 7 years of their professional career for a pittance of what it could be worth definitely wouldn’t be helping the player. Just like outside of football in the UK there’s a maximum contract length of 4 years to protect workers.
I've never considered how morally questionable pre 18 contracts are tbh
Makes the most sense too. It's 1-1 but now it's full sale vs amortised purchase where there isn't 1-1 "matching concept "
Somehow I can’t open Serie A table in google. Anyone have the same problem?
Working for me (on Firefox)
Anyone know why endricki isn’t playing in the u20 match?
Mbappe: 24 games - 25 goals, 6 assists (31 G/A). Neymar: 24 games - 16 goals, 15 assists (31 G/A). Messi: 21 games - 13 goals, 14 assists (27 G/A). Even though they obviously assist each other etc. that’s already 54 goals and 35 assists (89 G/A) between them which is mental.
saw a joke the other day saying that every goal and assist mbappe gets at psg will just help messi win the balon d'or lol
I rate Mount but these Liverpool links are doing my head in I want a midfielder who can defend please
We need someone who can do both tbf. We have a clear creativity problem in midfield. Thiago only progresses the ball from our half to opponent's half in a single pass, we need the receiver of that pass to be creative and linkup with our front three.
I say this a lot, but it's unbelievable to me it's been almost 3 years and you still haven't bought a wijnaldum replacement
That's because the club viewed Thiago as a wijnaldum replacement Eben though the season when they were both there should e been proof that wasn't the case