Euro Division Homepage LXXV

I now want a Madrid shirt with James on the back >_>

Did you see that picture of him after he scored vs Brazil with the giant locust thing on his arm?

If he'd have noticed it and freaked out it would have been an iconic football moment.

VivaPaulScholes wrote:

Afro wrote:

VivaPaulScholes wrote:Pirlo > Xavi always has been and always will be. 

Disagreeing with SAF. You'll not be allowed near Old Trafford again

Did he say that? It's probably because Xavi and Co have given us a beating in two CL finals. I've always said Pirlo is the better player many people have disagreed  with me on that statement.

He said the only players who could replace Paul Scholes were Xavi and Iniesta, so that implies Pirlo aint good enough to do it, but Xavi is

Afro wrote:

sodhat wrote:Don't be too downbeat Afro, I'd offer for him if I had the money to.

Unless you want a straight swap for Edgar Barreto...

It's okay, I'm not actually downbeat. My comment was tongue in cheek and I am chuckling to myself. I know full well Viva would take him for £4m if he had the money. He just likes to make these statement on players to be different.

As great a player Pirlo is, anyone who claims that he has always been better than Xavi isn't worth listening to in my opinion.

I am being serious when I say I am open to good offers on Xavi, but if no one is interested, then that's no problem.

Azzy can you quit hacking Afro's account please. 

When I say always I mean overall, yes there was a time where Xavi was the better player but take everything into account Pirlo was the better player. Xavi can only play one way, too one dimensional for me. Pirlo has facial hair and is just extremely cool.

Problem for me is that Xavi only became a great player when Iniesta matured. He was good before then, but when Iniesta came of age, so did Xavi.

Pirlo has been exceptional on his own for years, and the way he sits deeper than Vidal and Marchisio means he's like De Rossi, half CB-half DM. I'm always mesmerized watching Pirlo play, he defies all logic with his movement and age-defying passing. He's a genius. Whereas Xavi for me is just a great footballer who paired up with an even better footballer to create a new style of football.

That was around 2011 when both were Poopie hot and I don't doubt that at the time they were the only ones that could replace Scholes. Ask Fergie that question now and he'd probably say Pirlo. 

It's like that time you said Falcao was a Europa League player, times change players get better or worse you can't laugh at someone's comment from a year ago. 

GSC If you want to buy a Football shirt  get the Roma one it's so good you can wear it as your best to weddings and stuff. The Monaco one isn't too bad. 

I'd have got the Roma top straight away if I was still playing, don't think it's cool for me to wear a football shirt as casual wear unless you're going or playing. I'll get their jacket though that's really nice.

The only reason I want it is because my name is also James.

It's nonsense to say Pirlo was always as good as he is now though.

At Milan he was great, but it was only when he went to Juve and they slowly built a midfield around him where he would get more space that he really flourished.

Evidence of this is on these leagues. No one used to really go mad for Pirlo and then he was great at the Euros and be became the player to have. There was a point where Aquilani and Montolivo were more in demand than Pirlo when I first started playing these games

VivaPaulScholes wrote:That was around 2011 when both were Poopie hot and I don't doubt that at the time they were the only ones that could replace Scholes. Ask Fergie that question now and he'd probably say Pirlo. 

It's like that time you said Falcao was a Europa League player, times change players get better or worse you can't laugh at someone's comment from a year ago. 

.

That's my line.

It was you who said Pirlo has always been better than Xavi not me

Er, are you sure? I don't remember anyone ever signing Aquilani

Pirlo was equivalent to Xavi when he was at Milan, but when he came to Juve, he excelled, with much less of a team. That Pirlo is still top drawer now, while Xavi is on the decline, shows that in two years time, this may be a much simpler conversation.

Not everyone likes to watch Seria a they find it boring, I've always been a huge fan of the league. 

I remember back in 2006 when my teacher said Carrick is better than Pirlo. He never got the recognition he deserved and only did after 2012.

Pirlo for me has been better than Xavi throughout third careers on the whole.

Its all subjective - different equally valid opinions, different times and styles of play.

If you asked me which one of peak Pirlo or peak Xavi I would pick, it would be Xavi.

If you asked me which one would I prefer today, it would be Pirlo

Always nice doing an in league deal, few starting to crop up now.

In regards to the Vidal to Juve rumours, if there's any club in the world that despise Liverpool more than Utd it's Juve, I'd be surprised if they ever sold anyone to Liverpool.

VivaPaulScholes wrote:
I remember back in 2006 when my teacher said Carrick is better than Pirlo. He never got the recognition he deserved and only did after 2012.

.

I don't think he lacked recognition. At Milan, certainly in the earlier days, he played in a 4-4-2 a lot with Ambrosini. He was effective, but didn't have the same impact on games as he had when he moved to Juve. There he plays deeper and has Marchisio and Vidal who will do all the running for him and allow him time to run the game.

As I said, different styles - one that suited him better than the first. He was great at Milan, but could easily have been better had they played the Juve way

To be fair to Xavi, Pirlos role is easier to play as your legs begin to go rather than Barcas high pressing. Do wonder whether Xavi could make a similar transition in Serie A

Bale tells Rodriguez to put down roots in Madrid.

Hero wrote:In regards to the Vidal to Juve rumours, if there's any club in the world that despise Liverpool more than Utd it's Juve, I'd be surprised if they ever sold anyone to Liverpool.

Apart from them openly wanting Borini for some reason.

Clasie to Southampton apparently

Koeman is a maestro. If he gets De Vrij and Clasie, Southampton have just murked Liverpool big time. I'd rather have them than Lovren and Lallana.

Feyenoord connection I guess. He already has signed Pelle, who is better than Lambert

When did Milan play 442? I can't remember that.

Am I the only one disappointed with Liverpools window. Signed a bunch of players that aren't really anything more than squad players at the level they want to be at. Markovic aside.

VivaPaulScholes wrote:When did Milan play 442?  I can't remember that.

It was a Milan tradition until the last 5-10 years. They played nothing else and one manager got sacked for playing something else.

It was only when they started to get left behind they realised they had to change.

It was more 4-1-2-1-2 iirc, lacked width from the midfield.

When I said 442 I meant traditional with 2 cm an 2 wingers is that what you mean? Because I remember them playing 4 cm in midfield with width coming from the fullbacks Serginho

I'm betting Koeman has one good year and then fails at Saints. A'la Laudrup.

GSC wrote:It was more 4-1-2-1-2 iirc, lacked width from the midfield.

Yes.

Yeah Kaka would play at the top of the diamond, Pirlo at the base and Gattuso/Seedorf would run around kicking people.

GSC wrote:Am I the only one disappointed with Liverpools window. Signed a bunch of players that aren't really anything more than squad players at the level they want to be at. Markovic aside.

And Markovic is still a gamble at that price

Yeah.

Obviously you can't replace Suarez easily, but I don't really see how they've gotten better elsewhere yet.

Liverpool need more than one good season to get the players the fans expect.

I'm telling you, they need a damn defender to play with Sakho.

If they got someone like Vidal then it changes the appearance of their summer business considerably though.

GSC wrote:It was more 4-1-2-1-2 iirc, lacked width from the midfield.

4-4-2 diamond in other words.. I didn't say two CM and wingers at any point. I said 4-4-2, but you know what I meant Viva.

THey had the likes of Redondo, Desailly, Ambrosini and Donati before, but generally that was their style. The one season I remember them playing a 3-4- though and I think they won the league. It was when they had Leonardo and Bierhoff

I'm not suggesting they should be in for the worlds elite.

But 25m for Lallana? He isn't better than Coutinho or Sterling, also having to beat out Markovic. Buying Lambert for some reason and sending Origi back on loan. Lovrens a good defender but its hardly going to make the other top PL sides worry.

They might not have been completely reliant, but a world class player elevates others around him. I'm not completely convinced by Sturridge, and not if he has to shoulder the burden of leading the line alone, and less space for the players in behind him/

GSC wrote:I'm not suggesting they should be in for the worlds elite.

But 25m for Lallana? He isn't better than Coutinho or Sterling, also having to beat out Markovic. Buying Lambert for some reason and sending Origi back on loan. Lovrens a good defender but its hardly going to make the other top PL sides worry.

They might not have been completely reliant, but a world class player elevates others around him. I'm not completely convinced by Sturridge, and not if he has to shoulder the burden of leading the line alone, and less space for the players in behind him/

We'll start to see how much Sturridge benefited from teams focusing more on Suarez

Yeah, I struggle to reconcile the guy who looked kinda lightweight at Chelsea to deadly frontman at Liverpool within a year

For all the Saints fans moaning about the sales, consider this:

Koeman = Pellegrini
Clasie + £15m >> Lallana (if he signs)
De Vrij + £12m >> Lovren (if he signs)
Pelle = Lambert + £4m
Fraser Forster >> Artur Boruc + £8m (if he signs)
No distractions + £10m >>>>>>>>> Dani Osvaldo
Dusan Tadic + £20m > Luke Shaw (different positions, I know)

They'll be £49m in profit, will have improved at GK, CB, CM, LW and ST, and could spend £20m on Moreno if they wanted. Or, sign Jetro Willems for £5m.

Great window for them.

How many of Sturridge's goals were assisted by Suarez out of interest?

Its why I think Liverpool will drop out of the top 4.

City haven't really gone anywhere yet but had better performance in the bag.
Chelsea improved at every level.
Arsenal added another star player.
United look to learn the lesson of last year when Woodward had an abysmal window.
Spurs won't make top 4 so who cares

I'll pay 300k for Hilton confirm if you wish

Too late, I've done the business I needed to. Thanks for the offer though

Afro wrote:How many of Sturridge's goals were assisted by Suarez out of interest?

3   

Besic deal to Everton is very close.

That's our chances of qualifying for Europe through the Fair Play League gone then

Why do Juve hate Liverpool?

Think 30 years back and why English clubs were banned from Europe.

Yeah, Juve fans hate Liverpool still

Hero wrote:Think 30 years back and why English clubs were banned from Europe.

Flights were too expensive?
Weak Euro?

So there was uproar last week at the thought of them selling their best player in Vidal to Utd, ramp that up 100x if he went to Liverpool. The board would get lynched.

Oh that explains it. Cheers