Bit harsh to just single out Cahill. This is a regular at international level and a C.L winner (having played 120 minutes of the final). He's not world class but easily P.L class. Our main problem at the moment is on any given week, 3 of our best players are not even in the starting 11 because we have 6 fantastic players battling for 3 positions and other positions where the competition is comparatively weak. If say Mata, Willian and Schurle are on the bench but we don't have someone who can regularly put the ball in the net or dictate play in centre mid, something is wrong with the transfer policy!
You could almost put it down to just the lack of a top class striker since that 2010 season. Drogba was amazing in the 2010 double season but wasn't as consistent (partly due to rotation with Torres and injuries) thereafter in the league. You put a 2010 Drogba at the top of our current side and we'd probably win the league. The 3 strikers we have at the moment just aren't even close to that level week in week out. Maybe Lukaku will be the answer but this has to be the last season we go into a season without a top in form striker - surely.
fair enough. Even with current Drog under Jose, we would walk this league. I thought I would never say this, but no Mikel is not helping Cahill certainly. Why Cahill is singled out? Lesser experience (top club), confidence, flair.
Spot on, we have had a glaring problem with strikers and midfield control since Drogs and Ballack left . We bought dozens (it feels like) of buzzy and very good attacking mids, and ignored the 2 areas we were weak. Now time has caught us out again and we are also weakening in defence. We have a team that is unbalanced, but there are solutions that could be tried. Luiz in def Mid occasionally for starters, one of our young defenders to play occasionally ( where is ABE by the way ). Sticking with the old guard too often won't cut it. Don't want miracles, just signs the problems are being addressed.
He's only singled out as the thread is on Cahill. Regular at International level, yes. Who else do we have? Jagielka, Dawson, Lescott, Jones, Smalling. Lets be honest, being a regular in the national side is nothing to write home about. There is barely any competition. CL winner yes, he was excellent in the final, as was everybody else. That is the one thing i like about him to be honest. Every so often he puts in an outstanding perfomance. Once every 10 games or so and you watch it and think, why can't he do that every week. Personally don't think he'd have played had JT not been suspended but that's not really important anyway. I do however agree 110% that the transfer policy is shocking. I like Willian and he's an outstanding footballer buy why not spend 30m (or even less) on a player in a position we're crying out for? Baffling.
It's simple, we signed all the Iniesta/Messi style players to try and play attacking football like Barca. But without the Xavi part the system is not as effective. If it was me I would go all out for Koke of Atletico, just what we need
Took the words right out of my mouth. Being a regular international for England means absolutely sod all these days. We thought things were rubbish under the so called "Golden Generation" but they are even bloomin' worse now, and the old "Golden Generation" with the likes of Gerrard and Lamps etc look like bloody world beaters in comparison to the rubbish in the squad!
England is in transition from the older to younger players, so it is to be expected that results will be iffy. In Oz we have the same problem only bigger because our talent pool is much smaller. We have lost Viduka, Kewell, Emerton, Timmy Cahill, Lucas Neill all around the same time. Not easy to replace. That said, I think the Manager is the biggest problem for England, not just this one but in the past as well. The FA seem to want someone compliant, and always have. Clough for example was a stand out never chosen. They need someone inspiring with a record of bringing poor teams on, not just some Big team guy. Klopp would be perfect, but there are others closer to home.
Not just Xavi either, it's having a one off mega star like Messi who scores for fun and can create things out of nothing. Take those 2 out and you have a good but not great side. We really need a creative midfielder and someone banging in the goals to be a top side again. Therefore baffles me why we bought say Wiilian when we could have kept Moses as a decent squad player and then used that same money to bring in an Alonso type. Love Lamps to bits and glad he stayed but I wonder whether it has put us back in developing centre mid for at least a year.
I do think Harry would have been a better choice for England. He did very well with Spurs and deserved a chance but we are short of world class talent in a lot of areas, especially creatively.
I think that we are on the way to getting Matic back, which begs the question of why we let him go in the first place, at a probable cost of 20m extra. Missed a trick with Pogba, Varane and Van Persie when all were available in the last 2 and a half years. For me I would be hoping maybe we could do a deal with Atletico that would get us either Koke or Costa in return for De Bruyne, as it looks like his time with us wont last. Or at least use KDB as bait for a player we need instead of just selling him off and not really getting something worthwhile in return.
Offer up Cahill, how much of make weight would he be in a deal? I still maintain to this day, as good as Messi is in Spain, he wouldn't come close to doing it in the EPL. That is why Ronaldo is a much better player, as on his day, he is an astonishing talent I wouldn't have sold for 200 million, let alone 80 million when he was just about to reach his prime years.
you do realize that 80 mil was a phenom sum, back then. of late several players are bought for exponentially high price in an over inflated market thought this thread was dedicated for Cahill, now we are only dissing transfers.
