Scholes is a legendd!! praised by a lot of professional footballers like Zidane and Xavi, Xavi Alonso, Iniesta and many other players.. don't forget messi,Xavi and Iniesta was going for Scholes shirt at the end of the champions league final 2011 which Iniesta got the shirt before Messi and Xavi. Do we believe your opinion or theirs? easy answer, theirs..... everyone knows Scholes is a footballing legend and is one of the best midfielder's in the world. Who ever dissagree's with this clearly don't know much about football
Never got to grip with Spanish sides? One great game against Barcelona? You are showing your age lad. You must not have seen the year he scored past Bayern, Barca, Inter and Juventus in the same season. He has scored past Barcelona, Deportivo, Valencia, and Real Madrid. Here's what his European opponents think; "My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder. Scholes is undoubtedly the greatest midfielder of his generation." Zinedine Zidane "Paul Scholes is a role model. For me â and I really mean this â he's the best central midfielder I've seen in the last 15, 20 years. I've spoken to Xabi Alonso about him. He's spectacular, he has it all: the last pass, goals, he's strong, he doesn't lose the ball, vision. If he'd been Spanish he might have been rated more highly. Players love him." Xavi Hernández âIâm star-struck when I see Paul Scholes because you never see him. On the pitch you canât catch him. Off the pitch he disappears.â Luis Figo âAt La Masia (Barcelonaâs Academy) his name was mentioned a lot. Heâs a teacher.â Lionel Messi âOut of everyone at Manchester United, I would pick out Scholes â he is the best midfielder of his generation. I would have loved to have played alongside him.â Pep Guardiola âI want to pass like him. Who taught him how to do that?â Ronaldinho
Thats one more then any Chelsea players. More like the opposite Scholes normaly plays well aginst the Spanish he gets more time on the ball.
Why the obsession with Spanish teams (and it's been pointed out that he did perform against them when he was in his prime)? Did his performances against the Italian and German teams when they were supposedly the best in Europe not count because Chelsea hadn't been established at that time? Even at 37 Scholes is considered good enough to be a certain starter for England by his uncle Harry Redknapp. Sorry, my mistake, Harry is former Chelsea player Frank Lampard's uncle.
No English club has ever really "gotten to grips" with Spanish sides in Europe. Ultimately all the European refs favour the Spanish approach of diving around at the slightest contact. SAF's just the only manager willing to actually try and play football against them, rather than try and match them for diving and chasing the ref round the pitch like Chelsea tried in 2009 and Liverpool in 2005 and 2007. Part of me almost wishes SAF was more of a cynic and willing to tolerate the kind of play acting and cynicism that might have helped us win a couple more European trophies. But then if he'd been as tolerant of Ronaldo's diving as other managers have been of Suarez, Drogba and Gerrard's antics then Ronaldo would probably have never been to WPOTY. Of course if we'd kept Ronaldo as a whiny show pony Real wouldn't have been so willing to tap him up, and he might still be wearing red, but then I guess we'll never know... Gullit was a better all round player than Scholes in his Milan days, but by the time he came to Chelsea he was nowhere near as effective. Tho' he wasn't helped by the fact he was still too visionary for most of his team mates - if he'd had some decent players around him he might've had a bigger impact. Makalele's the only player Chelsea have had who compares to Scholes in terms of his ability to influence the outcome of an entire game during the time he was actually at Chelsea imo.
It's blissful to see Scholes so much at home at this age. But I've been noticing lately that the other veteran, Giggsy, who has extended his contract for another season too, seems to be showing his age. So in my opinion, it should be Scholesy extending his contract and Giggsy hanging his boots, unless I'm proven wrong again, which I hope I will be.
i disagree about Giggs here, Ryan Giggs is still playing fantastic football, he was brilliant against Liverpool, he as big influence when he plays.
Giggs has done that the last few seasons. He'll have a run in form where he'll be referee to as the "ever-green" Ryan Giggs. Then a few games where he looks like his legs are just about done, only to have some inspirational games shortly after.
Spotted you in a vid i posted earlier Mano. [video=youtube;Ej-CZniXdqE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej-CZniXdqE&feature=player_embedded[/video]
I think a lot depends on the pace of the game. When it's a game against a team that play at a slow pace like Chelsea or Liverpool, Giggs looks like he has all the time and space in the world and runs the show. But when it's a team that play a high tempo game like Barca, or even Newcastle back in December, then a lot of the game seems to pass him by. But then again most midfielders would have that problem when playing Barca!
fair post but Chelsea did beat barca in 04/5; 06/7 and get close in 08/9, creating more chances and dominating Barca more than any other English club. Even the most bitter Manc would admit we played very well in that second leg and got unlucky with the ref T
True, but the Barca of 05 hardly compares to the Barca of 09-11. And a group stage victory hardly counts as getting to grips with them, particularly given they knocked you out in 06 and 09. You did well against them in 09, but then the ref was hardly entirely against you - the Alves sending off was one of the softest I've seen, and had he not been sent off you might not have earned the last two appeals. And had your players (mostly Drogba and Ballack) spent more time playing and less time chasing the ref you'd probably have put the game out of sight and not been vulnerable to the last minute sucker punch.
Scholes will go down as one of the best passers in the EPL, along with Gerrard. For me though the best we've seen is Alonso, absolute pin-point with eyes in the back of his head.
Alonso was a very good player. He wasn't in Sholesy's class though. As a passer Gerrard isn't even close to either of them. He's all about the Hollywood ball, most of which end up in the stands. He's better at it than Lampard but then so was Danny Murphy.
