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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (9 Viewers)

Puyol was the player of the game, imo.He really shut down Ronaldo, it was sweet.The first 10 minutes had me worried, but after thatit was pretty much all FCB.
:scared: I thought Ronaldo played pretty well, actually. It was his help that looked flustered. Rooney was clearly frustrated, Tevez was a non-factor, Berbatov didn't get enough PT to really make a difference, etc.There's no denying Puyol played well though.I thought Xavi was amazing today. Iniesta looked good as always, maybe a little bit of rust after the injury, but IMO he's one of the top XI in the world. He and Xavi working together is the definition of "beautiful game".
 
Messi seals the best player on the world debate.
:scared: Ronaldo was the better player on the day, throughout the competition, and for the past several seasons. Nice header, though.
Big fan of Messi, but I agree with Sebowski about Ronaldo being the better (best) player on the field today. didn't even think Messi was the best player for Barcelona today, let alone better than Ronaldo.
That is not agreeing with me at all, btw.
 
And I stand by my assessment that Messi is the best player in the world. I've taken some heat in here for it in the last ~18 months, but I stick with it.

 
Messi seals the best player on the world debate.
:scared: Ronaldo was the better player on the day, throughout the competition, and for the past several seasons. Nice header, though.
Yup. That's why Messi has more UFEA goals, and more all-competition goals than Ronaldo, and more assists, and just helped his team sweep. Outside of the first 10 minutes Ronaldo didn't do anything. Messi, on the other hand was part of a dominant team performance. He did what he always does, whatever they need him to.
 
Messi is like Randy Moss circa 2000, where you had to key on him so much that the other players (like Robert Smith) could put up good numbers and hurt defenses. It doesn't translate perfectly, but it's close.

Ronaldo is still a better all around player though, and if I'm drafting a team, he's #1 on the list. I guess the only thing he doesn't do is actively make the players around him better.

BTW, I think Puyol would be the man of the match if Xavi didn't put that money cross onto Messi's dome. I can't stress how nice it is to see Piqué come into his own though.

Finally, congrats blaugrana on a fantastic season. Winning 3 titles isn't easy by any stretch, and to do it with the class that they've shown all year is most impressive. Aside from United's treble about 7 years ago, this was the most dominant team in football. Real Madrid circa 2002-2003 comes close, but they never won the triple like Barça just did.
I can not see where you could be coming from on this. The only edge I give Ronaldo is on free kicks, in the air, and from distance. Messi attacks better, takes on defenders better, creates for his team better. Ronanldo needs to be set up or have space. Messi creates his chances much better and more frequently. I honestly don't see how this is even a discussion.
 
ugh, what a disappointment. good game FCB. Holy crap did they control the play in this one.

Did you hear a United midfielders name called all game long? I swear the entire middle of the field was devoid of any white shirts controlling the ball the entire game. Uncharacteristic poor touches by many United players all game long, was dreadful to watch. I really thought United would be able to mount a constant strong attack up the left side with Rooney and Evra and Ronaldo coming over for support. They gave me nothing. Evra made 2-3 runs all game long. Park was doing a lot of running, but hardly ever touched the ball.

Score very well could have/should have been worse than 2-0. Post by Xavi, Henry with a mediocre attempt at point blank.

And Vidic. My word man, you are my second favorite player on this team and you got abused, that was shameful.

FCB was much the better side yesterday. United is great in the front, great in the back and just so-so in the middle and it really showed. Barcelona was so much better in the middle and in attack they overwhelmed.

No way do I feel Messi is better than Ronaldo though.

Oh, and the person that stated Spain is the best national side in the World....yeah, step back a bit. Let's wait for a year before making such a claim. I think a few team, ahem Brazil/Argentina, may have a little something to say about that. Spain can lay claim to the best national side in Europe.

gg Barcelona. Hopefully we'll meet up again next year.

 
Messi seals the best player on the world debate.
:) Ronaldo was the better player on the day, throughout the competition, and for the past several seasons. Nice header, though.
Big fan of Messi, but I agree with Sebowski about Ronaldo being the better (best) player on the field today. didn't even think Messi was the best player for Barcelona today, let alone better than Ronaldo.
That is not agreeing with me at all, btw.
:thumbup:
 
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Messi seals the best player on the world debate.
:rolleyes: Ronaldo was the better player on the day, throughout the competition, and for the past several seasons. Nice header, though.
Big fan of Messi, but I agree with Sebowski about Ronaldo being the better (best) player on the field today. didn't even think Messi was the best player for Barcelona today, let alone better than Ronaldo.
That is not agreeing with me at all, btw.
:confused:
HTH
 
Messi is like Randy Moss circa 2000, where you had to key on him so much that the other players (like Robert Smith) could put up good numbers and hurt defenses. It doesn't translate perfectly, but it's close.

Ronaldo is still a better all around player though, and if I'm drafting a team, he's #1 on the list. I guess the only thing he doesn't do is actively make the players around him better.

BTW, I think Puyol would be the man of the match if Xavi didn't put that money cross onto Messi's dome. I can't stress how nice it is to see Piqué come into his own though.

Finally, congrats blaugrana on a fantastic season. Winning 3 titles isn't easy by any stretch, and to do it with the class that they've shown all year is most impressive. Aside from United's treble about 7 years ago, this was the most dominant team in football. Real Madrid circa 2002-2003 comes close, but they never won the triple like Barça just did.
I can not see where you could be coming from on this. The only edge I give Ronaldo is on free kicks, in the air, and from distance. Messi attacks better, takes on defenders better, creates for his team better. Ronanldo needs to be set up or have space. Messi creates his chances much better and more frequently. I honestly don't see how this is even a discussion.
Ok I see now- you were being facetical.I disagree with the bolded. Messi is definitely the better provider, but they're both IMO equally capable of going at people and creating their own chances. With Ronaldo's better shot, he doesn't have to keep going until he's within the box to make that chance- that ability to beat a guy and then fire in a goal from 35 yards+ gives the edge to Ronaldo.

 
Messi seals the best player on the world debate.
:goodposting: Ronaldo was the better player on the day, throughout the competition, and for the past several seasons. Nice header, though.
Big fan of Messi, but I agree with Sebowski about Ronaldo being the better (best) player on the field today. didn't even think Messi was the best player for Barcelona today, let alone better than Ronaldo.
How could you consider any United player the best player on the day? Ron had the free kick on goal and flubbed an easy goal opportunity. Outside of that he had a couple shots wide and a couple elbows thrown. Not really sure how that counts for more to you than the inspiring play of Iniesta and Xavi.
Every time Ronaldo touched the ball he forced multiple Barca players to deal with him. His touch was on, he was actually trying (and running), and was electric with the ball. Should've finished a couple of goals- but really had nobody else playing around him and still managed to put the fear of god into Barca.Xavi and Iniesta were amazing... I could be talked into giving the MoM to Xavi without too much argument. Messi, not so much.
I am sorry, but if this is your metric for being the best player on the day you would have to give the edge to Messi on Ronaldo. He spent a good portion of the game cutting through the United midfield and defense taking on several players at once. As opposed to Ronaldo who was shut down by Puyol for large stretches of the game. Additionally, the strategic decision of the match for Barca was to drop Messi into an attacking mid position where United could not handle him and it caused problems for them all day. But what matters is that Messi got the results yesterday(goal and win) and Ronaldo didn't. And at the end of the day that is what matters most. Certainly from a man of the match perspective giving it to Ronaldo after the individual efforts that Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, and Puyol had would just be criminal.

 
Just got done watching the replay of the final - thoroughly enjoyed it. Can't say enough about the back 4. Thrown together for the biggest match of the year and they played very well. Toure made some nice plays and didn't worry me as much as I thought he might, Sylvinho was very solid on the left, Pique played excellent and Puyol was just tremendous. His play was absolutely fantastic - certainly man of the match potential. It was great to have Henry and Iniesta fit, though I think the rust showed for Thierry as I was surprised he didn't finish that chance he had in the second half. Iniesta didn't show such rust, though, and Xavi should just be called the Puppet Master or something because that guy just pulls all the strings. What a pleasure it was to watch those two players run things in the midfield. Eto'o showed why he's so dangerous - glad to see him finish his chance as he had been wasting many in recent matches. Messi played well after whiffing on that first shot. The header was excellent and came close to connecting on that cross from Eto'o. Valdes, after having trouble with that first free kick, did a very good job as well. Just a thoroughly dominant performance from an excellent team. I don't know what was going on with Man U, but it was strange to see them become so deflated after that early goal.

It was so cool to see this team win, with Pep at the helm and so many players from La Masia having integral roles in the match. First Spanish team to win the treble and I heard during the match that Barcelona passed Real Madrid with 851 total goals in European competitions. Icing on a very sweet cake.
:shock: Pique was really pivotal in the back yesterday. Several occasions it looked to me like a cross was going to catch Toure in bad position only to see clear. Another player that needs some credit is Sergi Busquets. An impressive performance at holding mid in the champions league final for a player who started the year on the youth club.

Seeing the team win with such a solid core from La Masia and a first year coach who was a Barcelona legend is really a win for the Barcelona way and philosophy of football foremost.

 
I haven't had a chance to watch the game yet, but have to congratulate FCB on the rare accomplishment of winning three trophies this season. Pep and his team deserve a great deal of credit and respect for this accomplishment in today's euro game.

For me and Chelsea there was again massive disappointment despite decent finishes in the EPL and Champions League, and a chance to bring home one piece of silverware with the FA Cup final this weekend. The Scolari experiment was a disaster and injuries doomed the season early, but overall I enjoyed following the Blues again this season. I expect they will be net sellers rather than buyers again this offseason, but hope they can get a good manager and keep the core of the team together.

 
It is interesting contrasting the after game comments. Ronaldo is talking about how Barcelona didn't deserve to be in the title game while Rooney is saying that Iniesta(not Ronaldo or Messi) is the world's best.

 
Puyol was the player of the game, imo.He really shut down Ronaldo, it was sweet.The first 10 minutes had me worried, but after thatit was pretty much all FCB.
:thumbup: I thought Ronaldo played pretty well, actually. It was his help that looked flustered. Rooney was clearly frustrated, Tevez was a non-factor, Berbatov didn't get enough PT to really make a difference, etc.There's no denying Puyol played well though.I thought Xavi was amazing today. Iniesta looked good as always, maybe a little bit of rust after the injury, but IMO he's one of the top XI in the world. He and Xavi working together is the definition of "beautiful game".
I still think Ronaldo strikes fear into opponents more so than Messi.I'll still give top world player to CRonaldo for the moment.He plays in the best league on the planet and faces tougher competition than Messi, imo.Messi is a very close 2nd. I do think that Messi works better in traffic than Ronaldo.Xavi was sick today.Tevez was horrible.
 
Hey KC Comet, do you ever go to the Press Room for the soccer action ?

I was pretty much living there during the last World Cup.

My buddy and I would show up with a dozen donuts at 5:45AM,

and drink Guinness til noon.... then back to work.

Great rabid scene over there.

 
It is interesting contrasting the after game comments. Ronaldo is talking about how Barcelona didn't deserve to be in the title game while Rooney is saying that Iniesta(not Ronaldo or Messi) is the world's best.
I swear man...I knew Iniesta was good, but I was in awe of him in the Barca games I've seen this year. I wouldn't say he's better than Ronaldo/Messi, but I think I'd put him right up there with players like Kaka in the discussion for 3rd.
 
It is interesting contrasting the after game comments. Ronaldo is talking about how Barcelona didn't deserve to be in the title game while Rooney is saying that Iniesta(not Ronaldo or Messi) is the world's best.
I swear man...I knew Iniesta was good, but I was in awe of him in the Barca games I've seen this year. I wouldn't say he's better than Ronaldo/Messi, but I think I'd put him right up there with players like Kaka in the discussion for 3rd.
He really seemed to pick up his game when Xavi picked up a knock in February or March. Xavi was #3 on my personal world player of the year list and I'm inclined to move him above Ronaldo based on club and national team accomplishments (I had said that I thought the winner of the Champions League between Messi and Ronaldo should get the Ballon D'Or). Iniesta is probably the closest to Xavi on the world stage as a midfield playmaker and he's probably more versatile because he's excellent on the flanks too, but Xavi is just so good at what he does.I suppose it's as good a time as any to try a world best eleven for 2009.
Code:
Julio Cesar  	  Maicon	   Pujol		Ferdinand	Evra									  Iniesta			 Xavi						   Gerrard 	  Messi				 Forlan		   Ronaldo
I would have picked Vidic over Ferdinand. He had a better year, but he was terrible in two huge games (the CL final and against Liverpool where Torres ate him alive). Cesar might be a bit of a surprise, but neither Buffon or Cassilas had their best year. Van Der Saar deserved consideration, but I saw some amazing goalkeeping in Serie A this year (Sebastien Frey was also awesome). And yeah, I picked a goofy formation to try to fit my idea of the best players in. If I were running a 4-4-2 I'd replace either Gerrard or Iniesta with Eto'o.
 
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Messi seals the best player on the world debate.
:rolleyes: Ronaldo was the better player on the day, throughout the competition, and for the past several seasons. Nice header, though.
Big fan of Messi, but I agree with Sebowski about Ronaldo being the better (best) player on the field today. didn't even think Messi was the best player for Barcelona today, let alone better than Ronaldo.
That is not agreeing with me at all, btw.
:pokey:
That was onionsack
 
Eto'o wouldn't fit w/ Forlán, Messi, and Ronaldo up top. There's not enough defense there. They may be the best, but I think that the team wouldn't work very well together.

Finally, no matter how much I have a man-crush on Forlán, I think that Eto'o deserves the nod over him due to the play of Barça and his consistency all year long (plus his team winning the triple). Forlán has been integral in Atleti having a shot at CL territory, but he could have done more in their 2008-9 CL run (yes, I know he didn't start for the final decisive game against Porto).

 
Eto'o wouldn't fit w/ Forlán, Messi, and Ronaldo up top. There's not enough defense there. They may be the best, but I think that the team wouldn't work very well together.Finally, no matter how much I have a man-crush on Forlán, I think that Eto'o deserves the nod over him due to the play of Barça and his consistency all year long (plus his team winning the triple). Forlán has been integral in Atleti having a shot at CL territory, but he could have done more in their 2008-9 CL run (yes, I know he didn't start for the final decisive game against Porto).
I've never seen a world best XI team that was actually balanced. Obviously, I have no tacklers in midfield. I'd have loved to have picked a holding mid (I was one of the few to argue for Senna last year), but I wasn't sure I could name a holding mid that really had that type of year. Maybe Cambiasso, but then the team would have had three Inter players, which seemed a little much for them. That was also my tie breaker between Eto'o and Forlan. Barcelona was the best team in the world, but I didn't want half the players to come from it. Eto'o went into a bit of a funk in the second half of La Liga. Forlan single handedly kept Atletico in the CL, which might be the difference in them being able to keep Aguero.
 
Eto'o wouldn't fit w/ Forlán, Messi, and Ronaldo up top. There's not enough defense there. They may be the best, but I think that the team wouldn't work very well together.Finally, no matter how much I have a man-crush on Forlán, I think that Eto'o deserves the nod over him due to the play of Barça and his consistency all year long (plus his team winning the triple). Forlán has been integral in Atleti having a shot at CL territory, but he could have done more in their 2008-9 CL run (yes, I know he didn't start for the final decisive game against Porto).
I've never seen a world best XI team that was actually balanced. Obviously, I have no tacklers in midfield. I'd have loved to have picked a holding mid (I was one of the few to argue for Senna last year), but I wasn't sure I could name a holding mid that really had that type of year. Maybe Cambiasso, but then the team would have had three Inter players, which seemed a little much for them. That was also my tie breaker between Eto'o and Forlan. Barcelona was the best team in the world, but I didn't want half the players to come from it. Eto'o went into a bit of a funk in the second half of La Liga. Forlan single handedly kept Atletico in the CL, which might be the difference in them being able to keep Aguero.
Eto'o was certianly in a funk the last few weeks(even missing a pk) which made his goal yesterday all the more special. Still, I would be good with having Forlan there considering how good he has been down the stretch.I would be fine with Lampard over Gerrard in the middle actually. Don't know if I agree with Evra as he seems out of place in the squad. Though, not sure who would replace him. A weak year for left backs.
 
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Goal.com's player rankings for yesterday. these do a much better job than those suggesting that Ronaldo somehow had the best game on the field yesterday:

BARCELONA

Valdes -7.0: Did not have too much to do during the game, but did produce a fine save from Ronaldo at 2-0.

Puyol -7.5: Switched to right-back in place of the suspended Dani Alves and, despite the odd diagonal ball over his shoulder, was rarely troubled. Almost grabbed a third.

Pique -7.5: A few sloppy moments, but made two vital challenges on Park and Rooney to prevent almost-certain goals. Showed real heart did Pique.

Toure -7.0: What Toure lacked with his positioning, he made up for with strength and pace. After a tricky first 20 minutes against Ronaldo, he grew to have a solid match in his emergency centre-back role.

Sylvinho -7.0: Another second-choice defender who filled in admirably. The 35-year-old only allowed Rooney to get in behind him on one occasion. Also supported well going forward.

Busquets -7.0: Guardiola opted for the youngster ahead of Keita, and he did him proud. Nothing flashy, held his position tactically, and gave the ball to Xavi and Iniesta to do all the damage.

Xavi -9.0: A genius. Xavi is quite simply the best playmaker in world football. Ran the game from the 25th minute onwards, assisted Messi's goal, created Henry and Puyol's one-on-one chances, hit the post with a free kick, and did so much more.

Iniesta -9.0: Started tentatively, but soon dominated the game along with partner in crime Xavi. Provided the pass for Eto'o goal, embarked on numerous dizzy runs, and was unplayable for long stretches.

Messi -7.5: Not at his brilliant best, but had his moments and most importantly scored the killer second - his first against English opposition, and a rare headed goal.

Eto'o -7.5: Gave Vidic and Ferdinand constant headaches with his running. Scored the first goal by outfoxing the Serbian centre-back, and linked up well with Messi, Iniesta and Xavi.

Henry -6.5: Clearly not fully fit, but could have got onto the scoresheet when he tricked Ferdinand on 50 minutes and saw his one-on-one saved by van der Sar. Finally gets his hands on the Champions League trophy.

Subs

Keita 6.5: Tightened up the midfield after coming on for Henry at 2-0.

Pedro - N/V: Came on in injury time.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Van der Sar -8.0: Man Utd could have conceded four or five tonight were it not for van der Sar, who denied both Henry and Puyol from one-on-one situations.

O'Shea -6.0: Left his side open on a few occasions, but, all in all, did not disgrace himself. Henry only penetrated down the left on one occasion just after half time.

Vidic -4.5: Won the Player of the Year award earlier today, but had a very poor game. Schoolboy defending to allow Eto'o to cut inside for the first goal, and was ill at ease for the entire 90 minutes.

Ferdinand -5.0: Was not helped at all by his partner Vidic, and was sound for most of the game. However he was at fault in some big moments, losing Messi for the second goal and also being taken on by Henry for a big chance.

Evra -6.5: One-on-one against Messi, Evra generally limited the Argentine, causing him to move inside. He allowed Puyol to get in behind him late on, even if this was more down to United chasing the game.

Carrick -5.0: Failed in his job of protecting the United defence, but what was to be expected when Sir Alex Ferguson left him all alone against Xavi and Iniesta? Allowed the former to go for the Eto'o goal, and had no answer to the Spanish midfield duo.

Anderson -5.0: Has been criminally under-rated this season, but this time he really does deserve the criticism that comes his way. Was second best for the entire first half. Hooked at the break, even if United were worse after he came off.

Giggs -4.5: Another Player of the Year who was well under-par. Made no impact whatsoever on the game, and did not seem to have a position on the field. Just where was Giggs playing?

Park -5.0: Became the first Asian player in history to play in a Champions League final, but could not celebrate this landmark. Worked hard, but provided very little quality. Could have scored within 60 seconds, but was denied by Pique.

Ronaldo -7.0: Outstanding during the first 20 minutes, unleashing a host of efforts at goal. However, when Xavi and Iniesta took control of the midfield, he disappeared a little. Missed United's best chance just after Messi's second.

Rooney -5.5: Just could not get into the game at all, which is a shame as he deserved to shine after such a brilliant season. Difficult to think of a single moment when Rooney threatened the Barcelona defence.

Subs

Tevez 5.5: Replaced Anderson, but this damaged United's shape. Bad substitution by Ferguson.

Berbatov -5.5: Made no impact at all.

Scholes - 5.5: The game had slipped away when Scholes entered the fray.

 
I think aside from the defenders for United, Rooney and Park had very poor games. Neither did anything with the ball and neither threatened a weak Barça defense. United lacks the presence of a Lampard, Gerrard, or even a Ballack in the midfield. Those field generals are vitally important against Barça whose offense flows from Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi linking up and creating on short passes. Henry is there to cause problems, but doesn't create, and Eto'o doesn't add to the creativity, instead is great at finishing and off the ball positioning, something that I think Messi isn't the best at.

Finally, on the Ronaldo v. Messi thing... Ronaldo is simply more dangerous from more of the pitch. Their ranges are different, and Messi simply can't put the killer 30 yard flight on the ball like Ronaldo. Look at the goal that united scored in Porto for an example. The defense was stunned that Ronaldo even attempted that shot, let alone blasting it into the side netting. Messi is the best on the ball in the world, plus he's not a d-bag like Ronaldo, so that is extra points. They are 1a, and 1b in terms of the 2 best players in the world. I give Ronaldo the nod over Messi though I wouldn't give him player of the year. This year was Messi's.

 
How many weeks until Ronaldo is a merengue?
That talk has virtually disappeared. Ronaldo recommitted to Man U several times in the last two months or so. The last rumor I heard was that Real had already made Milan an offer for Kaka. I also heard they were willing to pay 20 million euros for Glen Johnson, but that Tottenham or Liverpool might get into that race. There's some talk of Chelsea making Bayern a mega offer for Ribery, but BM is claiming he's not for sale as of now.
 
How many weeks until Ronaldo is a merengue?
That talk has virtually disappeared. Ronaldo recommitted to Man U several times in the last two months or so. The last rumor I heard was that Real had already made Milan an offer for Kaka. I also heard they were willing to pay 20 million euros for Glen Johnson, but that Tottenham or Liverpool might get into that race. There's some talk of Chelsea making Bayern a mega offer for Ribery, but BM is claiming he's not for sale as of now.
Since Perez looks set to take the presidency, Real Madrid will be linked with every player in the world. I even read an article linking them with Maicon today.
 
Going back a page or two, am I the only one who doesn't see how Tevez would fit in with Liverpool? I'm not sure he's any better a fit than Robbie Keane. No one has made fun of Kuyt's finishing more than I have, but the guy had a pretty terrific season this year. Tevez' best position is probably in the hole behind a striker and it seems to me that Gerrard has that spot pretty well sewn up. Tevez would be a nice insurance policy against Torres getting injured, but I don't see him as a clear choice on the first team.

 
It is interesting contrasting the after game comments. Ronaldo is talking about how Barcelona didn't deserve to be in the title game while Rooney is saying that Iniesta(not Ronaldo or Messi) is the world's best.
I swear man...I knew Iniesta was good, but I was in awe of him in the Barca games I've seen this year. I wouldn't say he's better than Ronaldo/Messi, but I think I'd put him right up there with players like Kaka in the discussion for 3rd.
Iniesta's level of play has gone up significantly since Euro 2008, in my opinion. He had been very good prior to that, but since, he's been nothing short of fantastic. And Xavi has maintained his high level of play - makes for such an entertaining midfield.
 
How many weeks until Ronaldo is a merengue?
That talk has virtually disappeared. Ronaldo recommitted to Man U several times in the last two months or so. The last rumor I heard was that Real had already made Milan an offer for Kaka. I also heard they were willing to pay 20 million euros for Glen Johnson, but that Tottenham or Liverpool might get into that race. There's some talk of Chelsea making Bayern a mega offer for Ribery, but BM is claiming he's not for sale as of now.
I saw something along the lines of a 40 + million Euro bid coming from Chelsea for him.
 
Going back a page or two, am I the only one who doesn't see how Tevez would fit in with Liverpool? I'm not sure he's any better a fit than Robbie Keane. No one has made fun of Kuyt's finishing more than I have, but the guy had a pretty terrific season this year. Tevez' best position is probably in the hole behind a striker and it seems to me that Gerrard has that spot pretty well sewn up. Tevez would be a nice insurance policy against Torres getting injured, but I don't see him as a clear choice on the first team.
I understand the point you're making, and the way Liverpool played out the year it does seem like there wouldn't be a place for Tevez. I've wondered what changes to their general shape might be expected if there were a comparable second striker option to Torres.
 
It is interesting contrasting the after game comments. Ronaldo is talking about how Barcelona didn't deserve to be in the title game while Rooney is saying that Iniesta(not Ronaldo or Messi) is the world's best.
I swear man...I knew Iniesta was good, but I was in awe of him in the Barca games I've seen this year. I wouldn't say he's better than Ronaldo/Messi, but I think I'd put him right up there with players like Kaka in the discussion for 3rd.
He really seemed to pick up his game when Xavi picked up a knock in February or March. Xavi was #3 on my personal world player of the year list and I'm inclined to move him above Ronaldo based on club and national team accomplishments (I had said that I thought the winner of the Champions League between Messi and Ronaldo should get the Ballon D'Or). Iniesta is probably the closest to Xavi on the world stage as a midfield playmaker and he's probably more versatile because he's excellent on the flanks too, but Xavi is just so good at what he does.I suppose it's as good a time as any to try a world best eleven for 2009.
Code:
Julio Cesar  	  Maicon	   Pujol		Ferdinand	Evra									  Iniesta			 Xavi						   Gerrard 	  Messi				 Forlan		   Ronaldo
I would have picked Vidic over Ferdinand. He had a better year, but he was terrible in two huge games (the CL final and against Liverpool where Torres ate him alive). Cesar might be a bit of a surprise, but neither Buffon or Cassilas had their best year. Van Der Saar deserved consideration, but I saw some amazing goalkeeping in Serie A this year (Sebastien Frey was also awesome). And yeah, I picked a goofy formation to try to fit my idea of the best players in. If I were running a 4-4-2 I'd replace either Gerrard or Iniesta with Eto'o.
Interesting squad. I don't know enough about Julio Cesar to argue on that one, but I think I would prefer Philipp Lahm to Evra at left back. Although, maybe my general hatred of Evra is clouding my thoughts.
 
park never should have been on the field, i think they should have been in more of a 4-4-2 i think that would have helped a weak mid field

 
Not sure what Barca will do in the transfer window. Surely they could buy just about anyone out there, but will they?

Given Abidal's form and the high probablilty of a Sylvinho exit I could see a large buy at left back. They will probably be sellers in the rest of the defense with a return of Milito and Marquez and the youth products of Victor Sanchez and Muniesa. I would expect Marquez to be on the outs there if Milito is fit, huge logjam at CB.

Gudjohnson has stated that he may be leaving to chase playing time elsewehre, which is understandable. Hleb has been a disapointment this year. Xavi Torres and Thiago are possibilities to fill in, but untested on a high stage and would leave Kieta the top backup to Xavi and Iniesta. Which would be dangerous even if Hleb stays around to underwhelm for another year. I could see a buy somewhere in the midfield, but I don't think Pep wants to bring in a backup that isn't from the youth system. The obvious buy would be Cesc, if he wanted to come back. Otherwise I would guess that Pep thinks Xavi Torres is ready for the next level.

Upfront is the home to many rumors right now with our buying power. Virtually any striker has been suggested by supporters. I like our top three and want to keep them in. Bojan should fill in well if any injuries occur. Iniesta has played well on the left but will be limited in his options to go there unless we find another playmaker in the midfield to cover. Again, we see a depth issue up-top and a signing would be possible to fix that, albiet a large signing to replace a starter seems unlike IMO. Part of the Barcelona philosophy is to put the money on the field and not sign players to be reserves. Which is why I think if we get hit by injuries next year up front we will depend on Pedro and Suárez to step in. Pedro shows good potential and should be a more permenant fixture, while Suárez looks to have more of a trajectory as a career backup if he stays with the club.

Given the above, I see the most likely buy being a top flight left back. Beyond that I do not think the club will be very active in buying during the summer. It would be irresponsible and I am sure Pep sees the strength of La Masia and how well untested youth players can do, given the meteoric rise of Busquets from youth team to starting midfielder in the final in one year.

 
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Interesting squad. I don't know enough about Julio Cesar to argue on that one, but I think I would prefer Philipp Lahm to Evra at left back. Although, maybe my general hatred of Evra is clouding my thoughts.
I don't see enough Bundesliga to really evaluate any of players fairly. I can only go by the few times I've seen Lahm in the CL, World Cup, and European Championships. He's a great offensive fullback. And at least when I've seen him, he's been a disaster defensively. In the European Championship Semis against Turkey, his defense was particularly atrocious (he did also score a goal that game).I think Evra is good enough to be the best left back in the Premiere League going forward while still being very good defensively. He's not Maicon or Dani Alves with the ball at his feet, but he overlaps and crosses well.
 
Busquets was only in there because there was no one else to fill the position in the three attacker formation. He played very well in the final, but I haven't seen enough from him to suggest that he's the answer. Furthermore, I'm not sure that Pep will stick with the 3 attackers. Henry is still very good, but he's also susceptible to injury. In that case I think they'll be more standard with a 4-4-2 and Messi on the right wing and Iniesta on the left wing, with Xavi playing in the middle of the field. I don't think Sergio fits in there as the MF as Keita is still better plus there's Hleb too.

You identified LB as the key piece here and I agree, but I think I saw Puyol line up there once... maybe I'm wrong. He would be a good fit if they can't find a world class LB (are there any?). Otherwise I'd think a good all around central MF would be the buy for the blaugrana. Márquez is done IMO. Too old, too hurt, not good enough. I think that Milito and Piqué will the the CB paired with Puyol. I'd take Piqué as he's got more fire and seems to make crucial interceptions at times... Milito is more polished though. Besides, Puyol really only has 2-3 more years left.

What about going after a young GK? Someone like Akinfeev or Diego López from Villarreal (good luck getting him BTW).

Final thought for Barça is that some of the Valencia players will be available since they were hurting for $$ last year and will miss out on CL this year. I think that either Silva or Villa is as good as gone... maybe both.

Here's a great quote from el Kun: "Me going to Real Madrid would be betrayal to the fans, to the club, and to my friends." So suck it Florentino Pérez. Go buy Kaká or Ronaldo.

 
Finally, on the Ronaldo v. Messi thing... Ronaldo is simply more dangerous from more of the pitch. Their ranges are different, and Messi simply can't put the killer 30 yard flight on the ball like Ronaldo. Look at the goal that united scored in Porto for an example. The defense was stunned that Ronaldo even attempted that shot, let alone blasting it into the side netting. Messi is the best on the ball in the world, plus he's not a d-bag like Ronaldo, so that is extra points. They are 1a, and 1b in terms of the 2 best players in the world. I give Ronaldo the nod over Messi though I wouldn't give him player of the year. This year was Messi's.
exactly this. Messi is insane, no doubt- best player on the planet with the ball at his feet. But Desert is really discounting just how good Ronaldo is on the ball as well- maybe a shade lesser than Messi, but Ronaldo also doesn't have to take the ball into the box to score. Add to that incredible shot of his that he's developed into a significant aerial presence and I just have to keep giving the edge to Ronaldo. I also agree that Messi does a better of a job getting his team-mates involved, but Ronaldo is no slouch there either. And again- I LOVE messi as a player and really don't like what I see of Ronaldo as a person... And I still think Ronaldo was worthy of MoM honors for doing more with less- he was let down by his entire United team. But as I said before- Xavi was absolutely amazing and I have no problem saying he's the guy on the day... more I think about it and remember that complete domination in the MF for pretty much 2/3 of the game almost exclusively at Xavi's feet- yeah, he's the guy. But again- Messi was the lesser of the three (four, really- including Iniesta). For that matter, along with Puyol the Barca keeper did a fantastic job as well... not a weak spot on the pitch for Barca yesterday.
 
You identified LB as the key piece here and I agree, but I think I saw Puyol line up there once... maybe I'm wrong. He would be a good fit if they can't find a world class LB (are there any?). Otherwise I'd think a good all around central MF would be the buy for the blaugrana. Márquez is done IMO. Too old, too hurt, not good enough. I think that Milito and Piqué will the the CB paired with Puyol. I'd take Piqué as he's got more fire and seems to make crucial interceptions at times... Milito is more polished though. Besides, Puyol really only has 2-3 more years left.
Goal.com is always saying that LB is Puyol's best position, FWIW. It seems counter intuitive, because he's so big. But he's lined up there a few times this season and always got an 8 or higher in Goal's match ratings. It's kind of rare to see a team send both fullbacks flying down the flank. With such an attacking force on the right in Alves, I I'd just stock up on center backs who can play outside so long as they aren't asked to go forward much. Clearly on a lower level, but Carlos Bocanegra has apparently excelled in that role for Rennes this year.Last year there was some talk about Yaya Toure joining his brother at Arsenal. Busquets and Keita seemed to keep Toure off the field for some long stretches this year, so I wonder whether that type of talk might resume. Arsenal definitely needs some steel in the middle. There's talk of the Gunners getting Lorik Cana from Marseille, who I've only seen on YouTube. Some of his tackles lead me to believe he'd add some psychopathic tendencies in addition to steel. The guy seems to be an absolute maniac.
 
Finally, on the Ronaldo v. Messi thing... Ronaldo is simply more dangerous from more of the pitch. Their ranges are different, and Messi simply can't put the killer 30 yard flight on the ball like Ronaldo. Look at the goal that united scored in Porto for an example. The defense was stunned that Ronaldo even attempted that shot, let alone blasting it into the side netting. Messi is the best on the ball in the world, plus he's not a d-bag like Ronaldo, so that is extra points. They are 1a, and 1b in terms of the 2 best players in the world. I give Ronaldo the nod over Messi though I wouldn't give him player of the year. This year was Messi's.
exactly this. Messi is insane, no doubt- best player on the planet with the ball at his feet. But Desert is really discounting just how good Ronaldo is on the ball as well- maybe a shade lesser than Messi, but Ronaldo also doesn't have to take the ball into the box to score. Add to that incredible shot of his that he's developed into a significant aerial presence and I just have to keep giving the edge to Ronaldo. I also agree that Messi does a better of a job getting his team-mates involved, but Ronaldo is no slouch there either. And again- I LOVE messi as a player and really don't like what I see of Ronaldo as a person... And I still think Ronaldo was worthy of MoM honors for doing more with less- he was let down by his entire United team. But as I said before- Xavi was absolutely amazing and I have no problem saying he's the guy on the day... more I think about it and remember that complete domination in the MF for pretty much 2/3 of the game almost exclusively at Xavi's feet- yeah, he's the guy. But again- Messi was the lesser of the three (four, really- including Iniesta). For that matter, along with Puyol the Barca keeper did a fantastic job as well... not a weak spot on the pitch for Barca yesterday.
Comparing Messi and Ronaldo with the ball at their feet...- with a bit of open space in front of them, I think they're better at different facets. At midfield, with a patch of wide-open field in front of him, I'd rather Messi have the ball. But in a 1v1 situation on the flank, for example, I'd take Ronaldo. With a bit of space anywhere near the 18, Ronaldo is deadly- in traffic, the edge has to go to Messi
 
Busquets was only in there because there was no one else to fill the position in the three attacker formation. He played very well in the final, but I haven't seen enough from him to suggest that he's the answer. Furthermore, I'm not sure that Pep will stick with the 3 attackers. Henry is still very good, but he's also susceptible to injury. In that case I think they'll be more standard with a 4-4-2 and Messi on the right wing and Iniesta on the left wing, with Xavi playing in the middle of the field. I don't think Sergio fits in there as the MF as Keita is still better plus there's Hleb too.

You identified LB as the key piece here and I agree, but I think I saw Puyol line up there once... maybe I'm wrong. He would be a good fit if they can't find a world class LB (are there any?). Otherwise I'd think a good all around central MF would be the buy for the blaugrana. Márquez is done IMO. Too old, too hurt, not good enough. I think that Milito and Piqué will the the CB paired with Puyol. I'd take Piqué as he's got more fire and seems to make crucial interceptions at times... Milito is more polished though. Besides, Puyol really only has 2-3 more years left.

What about going after a young GK? Someone like Akinfeev or Diego López from Villarreal (good luck getting him BTW).

Final thought for Barça is that some of the Valencia players will be available since they were hurting for $$ last year and will miss out on CL this year. I think that either Silva or Villa is as good as gone... maybe both.

Here's a great quote from el Kun: "Me going to Real Madrid would be betrayal to the fans, to the club, and to my friends." So suck it Florentino Pérez. Go buy Kaká or Ronaldo.
Obviously, I wouldn't mind seeing Silva or Villa come to Camp Nou, as they've been thorns in Barca's side, but another Valencia player who interests me is Raul Albiol. I've only seen him two or three times but I've liked what I've seen. I wonder if any of the Liga regulars on the board have an opinion on him. He's pretty young, but I'm wondering if he'd be somewhat affordable given Valencia's money problems.
 
Albiol is a pretty damn good defender. He plays well in the middle of the park. A big presence who can body up players physically like Gooch, but without the card trouble in general. I think he'd be a nice acquisition for Atlético. That said, he was born in Valencia and came up through their youth ranks. It's tough to pry players away like that.

 
Hey KC Comet, do you ever go to the Press Room for the soccer action ?I was pretty much living there during the last World Cup.My buddy and I would show up with a dozen donuts at 5:45AM,and drink Guinness til noon.... then back to work.Great rabid scene over there.
I went there twice in '06 as my schedule permitted. It was a tremendous atmosphere. Don't know how much I'll be able to get there next summer - depends on my children. Always fun to watch an important match there.
 
DFB Pokal final today. Bayer Leverkusen v Werder Bremen.

The Bundesliga re-instituted the relegation/promotion playoff matches this year.

BL2's Nürnberg defeated BL1's Energie Cottbus 3:0 in Cottbus in leg 1. Looks like Cottbus will be going back down.

BL3's Paderborn defeated BL2's Osnabrück 1:0 at home helping their chances of promotion.

 

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