Seriously? I cant be bothered even going there. Lets agree to disagree and move on. Life is too short.
Erling Haaland
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
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He is the most fashionable toy but also the most promising striker in the world.
Think that Benzema will be 35 years old next season and I don't think Jovic will ever earn a place.
No, we might grab both of them for a combined cost of €110M a year
Signing Haaland is, from a footballing perspective, a no brainer for every top club and certainly for Real Madrid too, and from a non-footballing perspective Real make sense seeing that they're also accustomed to paying megastar wages, a big chunk of whose will have been freed up in summer.
100% agree. I also think many people underestimate his all-round skills and combination play in close situations. Maybe because it looks different because he is a big guy?
I’m afraid City will be a very hard nut to break if Haaland joins them. I think City is Haaland’s first choice of many reasons: trophy guaranteed, Pep, have a relation to the club and area, and PL means something special also to Haaland; he wants to play and be a star in PL.
Hmm a 38 and 35 year old duo up front next season. Fan of both players, but it doesn’t sound right to me.
In transfer yes, with signing bonuses and commissions to agents will be €200+
But that’s for two established world class players who arguably haven’t even hit their prime.
Meanwhile we’re handing out huge contracts to average players who wouldn’t garner a fraction of what we pay them at any other club. We have one of the largest wage bills in football with nothing to show for it.
Kane is a top goalscorer himself and has the seasons to prove it, and then on top of that has world class playmaking skills.
Haaland's ambition, will to score, and finishing are irresistible and indomitable and will very possibly mean he'll indeed end up a "tier above" Kane as a striker and goalscorer, but at this point he's still got most of it to prove, he's starting to be very injury prone, will command crazy wages at a very young age which combined with the person that is his agent will make it hard for most clubs to count on him for a meaningful number of years. Let's just wait and see how it will turn out, shall we?
The age difference of course means Haaland is a more promising investment, but Haaland has a lot to learn and improve (not a good header of the ball, for example), and Kane has been a consistent and well-rounded top performer for a number of years, that's not something to just swipe away. At the moment Haaland is still a much more limited and raw player than Kane.
I totally agree. Simply highlighting that the cost of both players will not be €75M.
If I were a Real Madrid fan I'd want both, balance or not.
EPL only, if he plays in at least 30 PL games I would be looking at 25 goals at the very least, he'll get loads of goal chances at City without a doubt as they normally attack for 90% of the game.
He will be looking to add a release clause similar to the one he has at Dortmund.
That is an incredible way to downplay somebody who is probably second only to KDB in terms of passing ability in the Premiership. His passing is world class as is his finishing. Haaland may become a better player over time but right now he is nowhere near as well rounded a player as Kane. Also Kane is proven in the toughest league in the world to be a striker, Haaland looks great in Germany but there is a world of difference playing up top there and playing in the Premier League as many strikers have shown when they move here.
Not saying he couldn't - he could come over here and absolutely tear up the league but there remains a risk with Haaland that there isn't with Kane. It's the proven vs potential debate at the highest level.
Imaging a 4-2-4 with a front 4 of Mbappe Vinicius Haaland and Benzama.
All you need to do is look at PSG to see how sometimes ridiculously talented teams on paper don't translate to a good team. Would be fun to watch though.
I think, due to age, I'd prefer Haaland over Kane.
Benzema has the work rate to operate as an actual midfield 10.
I want Real to get him and Mbappe and a top midfielder to join Camavinva, casemiro and valverde in working for them and benzema
Its impossible to argue with adding the two best young attacking talents in the world but I do have serious questions about whether Madrid's neo-galactico approach to squad building is going to work over the net couple years when they come up against teams like City or Liverpool that might have a bit less talent "on paper" but are much better drilled in their systems of play.
It's really hard to compete with the likes of City and Liverpool if you have multiple stars who aren't going to defend from the front, if you have guys playing out of position, etc. I think Madrid fans have a sort of unshakable belief that they will be able to win the CL playing a fairly vanilla 4-3-3 if they just put enough talent on the pitch as they'll overwhelm opponents with their quality. Its not an unreasonable belief to have given their history, but I think it will be put to the test in some interesting ways.
It's really hard to compete with the likes of City and Liverpool if you have multiple stars who aren't going to defend from the front, if you have guys playing out of position, etc. I think Madrid fans have a sort of unshakable belief that they will be able to win the CL playing a fairly vanilla 4-3-3 if they just put enough talent on the pitch as they'll overwhelm opponents with their quality. Its not an unreasonable belief to have given their history, but I think it will be put to the test in some interesting ways.
Would expect Vinicius to become available within the next year
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Behave. I know you’re a Spurs fan but really?Kane is an excellent passer for a striker but that’s hyperbolic and then some!
Yeah, I don't see him being nearly as effective on the right and that is where he's going to end up.
Within the next year could be optimistic though. Surely there will be a couple years of him struggling but still wanting to stake his claim then a period of Madrid being resigned to losing him but asking for a ludicrous fee, before he ends up somewhere else in his mid 20s.
We don't play a vanilla 4-3-3 now and certainly won't next season. But your overall point i agree with. It's why I want Ancelotti gone
you’re probably right, I hope he makes it work anyway as he does look a top talent in his own right. More likely they’ll need a Saka type long term
Vinicius will play on the left wing. Last time
My fault if I mischaracterized what you are playing these days.
I guess the question is which more modern manager will be a good fit for Madrid given the players involved and also the reality that spells in the job tend to be much shorter than other clubs.
I think Tuchel might be a good choice if he parted ways with Chelsea. He apparently had a very good relationship with Mbappe and he has shown himself to be both capable of going head-to-head with the likes of Klopp and Guardiola on a tactical level while also being pretty flexible in setting up his teams to accommodate the talent he has on the roster.
Who outside of KDB is a better passer than Kane in the league?
Kane is an excellent passer for a striker but that’s hyperbolic and then some!
Didnt score in his comeback 30 minutes. He is done.
What means vanilla 4-3-3?
Absolutely not.
There's obviously a few fantastic passing midfielders in the league, the best of which is Thiago.
The point is though that equating Kane's enormous passing ability and playmaking contribution to Haaland's is nothing short of laughable.
Well no one should be doing that, Haaland isnt a great passer. He is good at playing through balls, but he is someone who uses his speed and physique to create and score more than technique and passing ability. Haaland is many things, but he is genuinely not a great passer.
Which is how the debate started I think. Someone claiming there's no good reason for Kane over Haaland, say, for City, and more or less equating the quality of their passing game.
Don't get me wrong, I'd have wanted Bayern to sign Haaland, too, but it's not not like Kane doesn't have qualities which Haaland lacks (yet).
From Haaland's point of view, team up with Mbappe may not be the best sporting decision for him if he is after ballon d'or. If i am his agent i will advise him go somewhere else like Man City which he can also challenge for league title and CL every season.
I get the point, but I don't think "sporting decision" would mean for Haaland only a clear path to an individual award. And even then, the sheer fact of playing for Real makes it more likely for him to win the Ballon D'or than if he were at City. Pep won't be there forever, and when he leaves City will lose 80% of the glamour, aura, and attractiveness in the footballing world it may have (Real never lack those). And also much of its quality, results and trophies.
And in terms of glory, Real is the place to be, City doesn't get a foot in there.
The only thing that speaks against Real over City in the long term, really, is the decline of the Spanish league.
To me Haaland and Mbappe in Real Madrid is like MJ team up with Magic Johnson in Laker. That is bad for marketing as well. It is better to create a rivalry like Messi vs CR7.
@Powderfinger @giorno
Just for the sake of discussion, and not because I don't believe you guys raise and share a very interesting point respectively, I will say that Ronaldo, Bale and Marcelo were not guys especially committed in defense and they still won their fair share of international trophies. What do you guys make out of it then?
Just for the sake of discussion, and not because I don't believe you guys raise and share a very interesting point respectively, I will say that Ronaldo, Bale and Marcelo were not guys especially committed in defense and they still won their fair share of international trophies. What do you guys make out of it then?
Absolutely true. Top quality players can get you a long way!
But I do think the game has been changing tactically at the highest level, moving toward much more regimented systems, more pressing and counter-pressing, and more physical exertion required from all players, with the three top English teams all examples in their own ways of this. Can a Real Madrid team assemble enough quality that it can beat those sides even without those kinds of tactics? I'm not saying its not possible (you beat Klopp and Liverpool in the final after all, even if that was prior to their peak as a side) just that its an unresolved open question and it will be interesting to see what happens if a Madrid team loaded with young stars but without that kind of manager (for example, if Madrid keep Ancellotti or go back to Zidane) faces one of these clubs.
What PSG were playing in positional defence at Bernabeu
Top quality players of that caliber can beat anything with a great manager and luck. Zidane was no Guardiola but he consistently had the ability to force opponents to play on our terms. Recall also our best season came with Isco playing instead of Bale, to ensure a much higher control and ball progression. And then we had Bale, Asensio, Morata, Kovacic and Lucas coming off the bench. Asensio or Bale coming on against tired legs was often a killer
Pay the 250m.
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