Yeah I know, I act like a little kid on here sometimes
Only packed in playing footie a couple of years ago after a hernia op. Gave up the idea of a comeback last year when a mate of mine snapped his achilles tendon playing 'walking football' of all things
I know it doesn't even look like he loses his balance, he just suddenly goes stiff and falls over. Messi is a WIZARD in more ways than one!
Ah what would I do to be 32 again. I could still turn a pretty girl's head back then. Now I just manage to turn their stomachThats my point, you seem like a young lad
Re achilles tendon... Im 32 but when we play footie with guys from the office the list of casualities is always long
Take care mate!
People dismiss Terry and Godin to easily. Yes the set up they play suits them well but they still have to execute it with fantastic concentration and superb penalty box defending. They might not be able to play like the some more expansive centre backs around but it works both ways, I couldn't see many others doing what they do anywhere near as well.
Agreed ofc.
still laughing. I was never a fan of Boateng, i know some rate him world class, not for me. He had a great world cup, i give him that.
It's the Smalling conundrum, can't sell what to know one wants. It was no secret that Boateng was available but no one wanted
And yet Smalling was the one CB who anyone else wanted. No one wants Rojo, Jones or Bailly - only Smalling has value, and got MOTM on his debut for Roma...
Isn't that his point? That he's the one who left (as someone had to) because he could actually attract interest and we kept Jones and co because who the hell would want them. Just like Hummels leaving and Boateng staying.
You didn't get my point at all did you? Hummels was sold because he could attract attention just like Smalling attracted Roma.
I can't believe he ever had any stock options. Never rated him but kudos to him for performing well for a couple of seasons. By definition that should make him average, not a Bayern/Germany first team player.
Smalling is a good defender, better than Rojo, Jones and Lindelöf but he's not a good footballer and that's why he doesn't play for United anymore or why Southgate doesn't play him. Being a good footballer in those cases is more important than just being good at defending. Similar can be said of Boateng in a Bayern team that dominated almost every game.
His stock has fallen because of injuries. From 2012-2016 he was one of the best CB's in the world, if not the.
He has at most played 27 games in a season, being fit was never his forte. In those years he played for a dominant Bayern side. Whatever he did in the Bundesliga with the team having 80% of the ball doesn't make him a great defender. In the era you quoted he probably did the least defending statistically out of any defender in Europe.
Don't buy that, he was very important in Germany's WC win, played right back too iir. He had a very high peak but it didn't last long.
I said that he had a couple of good seasons. I don't rate that stuff very highly. Substitute WC for PL/CL and you're talking about Wes Brown.
Yea and lets conveniently forget he won the WC and UCL during that period, and Germany was generally the most consistent national team in winning 1 trophy and reaching two semi-finals as well. Bayern never got knocked out before the semi-final during that period so besides the Spanish teams (though Bayern should have beaten A.Madrid), no other of the top leagues in Europe were able to beat them at that time.
I didn't forget anything. I previously stated that he had a couple of good seasons.
You can really, though. Peak banter United
1) 4-5 seasons is not a couple
He was good for a couple, not world class and he didn't keep up that standard for that long. He played in a comfortable situation where he did little defending. In matter of fact during that 'world class period' he (or the defense) was frequently bailed out by Neuer.
