It should be re-emphasised that Manuel Pellegrini is a really classy guy.
Shane Long is an infuriatingly dim footballer. Great chance there to square a ball and put Southampton 2 up but he tries to blast it in from a shit angle instead. And I don’t think it occurs to him ever that he needs to think a bit more about his game.
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He hasn’t had a single assist all season according to the fantasy football expert in work.
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He has one, Sergio Aguero has 2
How was that not a peno for Southampton …
Is that why they won three international tournaments in a row?
They were the most boring team to ever win a World Cup. Boring, boring possession football, death by lateral passes, waiting to encourage mistakes rather than play with verve and zest.
I can take a team sitting back and being defensive, I can take a team being negative when they don’t have the ball, that’s fine, it’s to be expected - but the negativity this Spanish era has had with the ball would put you off football. Under Aragones they were actually a decent team to watch, they played with two clinical strikers and went after teams. Under Del Bosque they committed crimes against football.
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I agree to a large extent with that. They always looked better I felt when Navas or Pedro came on, not that I rate either of them because they added a bit of width. Don’t agree with you on Silva though, he was a class player in his prime. One game that sticks out to me regarding Silva is the one near the end of the season against Liverpool the year City ended up winning the league. They lost the game but Silva single handedly grabbed that game by the scruff of the neck and bright them back into when they looked dead and buried and were unlucky to lose in the end
Silva is one of those players who loves getting on the ball but doesn’t have the guts to try anything risky or audacious. He’ll happily run around the pitch all evening playing pointless little one-twos and lateral passes, he plays the percentages when it comes to passes, if it’s too risky he won’t make it, he lacks audacity.
The Premiership is brainless league in any place, full of lads who haven’t a notion about defensive shape, positioning and couldn’t read the alphabet. He has a nice touch, he has vision, if he see a run and the angle gives him a good % shot of making the pass he will make it - but it’s when that space is shut down, he looks lost and toothless - compare him with a real genius like Totti.
You go have a look at Silva’s best passes, it’s the runner who makes the pass for him - compare him to a guy like Totti and you can see the difference - guys like Pirlo, Rui Costa, Cassano and Ronaldinho etc all had that expression and freedom to their game. These Spanish lads are drones who play the percentages and don’t like the element of risk or a sure thing in their game, they’re constantly trying to walk the ball into the net and lack the off the cuff genius the top level players have. As an effective a team unit as you’ll ever see when on their game, with their incessant energy, movement, dedication to their style but as individuals they were lacking.
Show me an example of an outstanding defence splitting pass that didn’t have anything to do with the movement of the receiver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jo6bVk-4Cs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6pzoBAjtbQ
We know what Silva would have been doing there:
- Touch
- Check back
- Play lateral pass
- Run off
- Repeat x5
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Both of those still had a lot to do with the run being made, as basically every pass is. It’s nonsensical to criticise Silva for this when every pass can only happen due to a good run. He isn’t a genius on the ball like those other players you mentioned but in his prime he could dribble past guys to create space for himself and was a great passer, and if you think that isn’t the case I suggest you look up some YouTube videos of him yourself
Silva only takes takes the pass on when the percentages of completing it are high. You look at the range of passing Totti has and it puts him to shame, right foot, left foot, tightly marked, back to goal, awkward bouncing balls - they don’t deter him, if the pass is on, it’s on. He backs himself to make those passes no matter the level of difficulty.
Silva lacks the personality and the character to take on that responsibility, he’s there strolling around the pitch in his space blanked looking for the safe passes.
Silva is no better than Mata, they are the same type of player, Silva just happens to be that wee bit older meaning he had more time with the Spanish in their prime.
He’s an incredibly boring footballer and I utterly loathe the misdirected adulation that goes his way from people who don’t get or understand football - I’d say the same fannies who rate Silva are the ones who think Carrick is a decent footballer.
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You have an incredible understanding of the game
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Tentative enough start from Leicester
The commentator seems really excitable, even more so than normal.
Yea. Maybe thats whats got to me rather then Leicester.
A massive game for both teams though.
Ah lovely, outstanding Okazaki.
Okazaaaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkkkkkkiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!
Ah well