As it's a Sunderland forum, Stéphane Sessègnon, with it's fare share of Mags, Cheick Tioté, Hatem Ben Arfa.
I'm on about that long, frizzy haired ****er that the young Austrian kid Scharner skinned to **** 6 or 7 times in one game.
Scott Parker. I'll probably get shot down for this because it's the middle of an England tournament, but I just can't see how all the massive hype about him is justified. He's certainly a good passer and tackler but offers very little going forward (still yet to score for Spurs, who create plenty of chances) and I just can't understand the way the media make him out as a near-perfect midfielder when he's far from that.
No shooting down here mate, he's ****ing hapless. I could have the best passing stats in the Prem if all I ever did was turn away from danger and roll it 4 yards, he is pish.
Haha very well put mate. Parker basically does the same job as Henderson, yet one gets slated and ridiculed for passing backwards and sideways, while the other is lauded as a national treasure. Beggars belief.
Absolutely true, at least Jordan occasionally attempts to run forward with the ball, i nearly spat my beer out when Parker had a shot (his first for 2 years...)
You honestly think ANDREA PIRLO is over-rated? He's been incredible for club and country his entire career and right now is up there with Xavi as the game's best possession player. Goodness me. Anyway, Gareth Bale is good but horrendously over-rated (no right foot). Unfortunately for the English, the best player ever created Paul Scholes did not invent passing, and has never been the best in the world at it, despite the claims of the English media. Rio Ferdinand, Pepe, Victor Valdes and Puyol also spring to mind.
It's my opinion, I never suggested he was a bad player, I just don't feel he has enough influence on a game to be held in the regard he is. He's a wonderful passer & dead ball taker, but he doesn't tackle (admittedly not his job), is chronically slow, and rarely takes on his man. If that makes him pure world class, then maybe I know less about football than I thought. I should add that I have watched Italian football extensively since before Pirlo even played, so I am basing this on a LOT of viewings of the lad. Again, I never said he was a bad player, indeed I agree he's a very good one, but I do feel there are limitations to his game, and that the regard he is held in i too high. Opinions, 'goodness me' all you like fella, but I'm very much entitled to mine.
... He's 33 and never was incredibly quick. What do you want him to do? In the last two years he's won the Serie A with two different clubs, and was the star man for Juventus this season by a clear mile. He's skilful on the ball and slides past players when he has to (if you watch him he's very composed and graceful on the ball, meaning a trick or piece of dribbling is rarely needed). If you need an example of him beating a man what about against Croatia when he controlled a long ball and flicked it over the Croatia striker's head, ran on to it and was fouled? I don't see how he can be called over-rated, he's deserving of the praise he gets and if he was Spanish we'd all be in love with him right now. He's won pretty much every competition he can and there's a reason for that. He's simply world class, although perhaps off the back of a rough last few seasons at Milan. He's just subtler than an Iniesta or Ozil. Also, Pirlo made his first league appearances in 1995, and that's obviously 17 years ago... So you're saying you've watched Italian football since you were <15? Are you Italian? Curious.
My gran is from Siena, but more than that, they started showing football Italia on channel 4 when I was 12, that's why i've watched it for so long. You don't have to tell me Pirlo is a very good player, i'm not disputing that, but I think he is overrated, purely because he's so highly rated, if that makes sense?? I'd argue that Marchisio was the man for Juve this season, although I do agree that Pirlo had a great season. The question wasn't 'who do you think is not a good player', it was 'who is overrated'. I can't comprehend that you'd say he was on a par with Xavi, who does everything I listed that Pirlo doesn't.
Oh I know what you mean, I just think he's fantastic, love the guy and the way he plays, so I wouldn't say he's over-rated. Initially thought you were someone who only sees him play every 4 years, but that's the problem with assumptions! Glad you're knowledgeable, probably more than I am! Marchisio was good yeh. That midfield three is brilliant, Vidal's not too shabby either. Both of them really do allow Pirlo to play his game. I think Pirlo and Xavi are pretty similar. Xavi is a better dribbler but Pirlo has a much cleaner shot. The only players approaching those two are probably Schweinsteiger and Modric I suppose. And at my age I only had a few years of that Football Italia programme, really liked it when I was younger, especially watching Milan. Followed Italian football for maybe 7 or 8 years now - ever since I picked Roma to play as on an old FIFA game!
I love Vidal as well, there's a seriously UNDERRATED player, as you say, he takes the heat off everything, and his signing had a massive part in Juve getting back to being Champions! Where I think Xavi is ahead of Pirlo is in speed of thought, he shifts balance quickly, and so gives himself 2 or 3 options everytime, he's just an incredible footballer (i'll agree Pirlo is a better shooter, some of his goals for Milan were real wow moments!). I'm a huge fan of Italian football, enjoy it more the last 3 years when teams are more keen to attack, I follow Fiorentina, they were my nan's team, and they are second only to Sunderland in terms of teams I look out for. Big season ahead now Montilivo has gone, but still stacks of quality if they can find a system to suit Ljajic and keep a hold of Jovetic, I honestly think the Fiorentina team under Prandelli is what made Italian sides go a bit more offensive.
Hasn't Montolivo been underwhelming in recent seasons? Might be worth a punt that Aquilani will move to Fiorentina now. I think the influence of Mourinho and Inter's big, foreign players helped - Eto, Cambiasso, Maicon, Lucio, Sneijder and so on. Strange for an Italian team to have a core of foreigners. I wonder what Munich would have been like if Vidal had have honoured his pledge to sign for them.
I think in reality Montilivo wanted to leave for a few years, got convinced to stay, then when Fiorentina stopped qualifying for CL, he was nearing end of contract, but he is a fantastic player, I don't know that he will be a better player than Boateng for Milan though, as Boateng never stops grafting and driving on, whereas Montolivo can drift out of games, and is not nearly as physical. The Mourinho Inter team still wasn't exactly gung-ho attack, whereas Prandellis' Fiorentina would ship goals all over, and win games 2-1 and 3-2. Juve last season were a more complete team than the great Inter side IMO, the players we've mentioned are obvious, but then Chiellini, Buffon, Giaccherini all gave a lot, to go a season unbeaten in that league was unreal.
