Lahm v Dani Alves
- Thread starter BigDunc9
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Higher peak I'd say Dani Alves. Lahm is fantastic too but Alves' overall influence going forward is just too much to ignore. At Sevilla he was near enough their playmaker from right back, and at Barcelona he was immense at covering the entire pitch.
Lahm destroys him for longevity though.
Lahm destroys him for longevity though.
Lahm definitely wins if you consider versatility as well.
Hard to compare, Lahm is clearly the better package but prime Alves' attacking contribution was extraordinary.
Not knowing the rest of the team you would pick Lahm.
Knowing the rest of the team you would probably pick Lahm 4/5 times, the other 1/5 being times when you build a team that would massively benefit from Alves (like Barca did back when they were untouchable).
I'm inclined to say prime Alves had more potential for making the difference in a game, but that's largely the usual bias for attacking vs. defensive contribution.
Not knowing the rest of the team you would pick Lahm.
Knowing the rest of the team you would probably pick Lahm 4/5 times, the other 1/5 being times when you build a team that would massively benefit from Alves (like Barca did back when they were untouchable).
I'm inclined to say prime Alves had more potential for making the difference in a game, but that's largely the usual bias for attacking vs. defensive contribution.
On absolute peak Alves for me, he was key to the Barcelona play as he kept the width and could create from there too. His attacking influence was and sometimes still is immense, great player. Lahm overall edges it for me tho. So versatile, consistent and one of the most intelligent players in recent years.
Alves had the higher peak, Lahm is the better player.
Alves at his peak was a better attacking fullback, but overall Lahm.
Lahm in general. Solid in any set up.
If you tailor it to Alves, then him.
If you tailor it to Alves, then him.
Alves or Zambrotta will be a good poll!
Thanks. Very even at the moment. Half surprising I thought with Bayern and Germany dominating recently and Barca dropping off it would off been easy for everyone to pick Lahm.
@antohan pretty much said all you can say.
I honestly cant remember Lahm having a poor game, whenever you watch him he plays almost perfect textbook game, if not perfect.
I honestly cant remember Lahm having a poor game, whenever you watch him he plays almost perfect textbook game, if not perfect.
I couldn't have said it better. At his best, the interplay with him and Messi on that right wing was orgasmic. Lahm has been much more consistent throughout his career.
Lahm is far more complete and versatile, but Alves' attacking influence was outrageous for a rightback. Force of nature at his peak.
Alves.
Alves. He was a level above Lahm at his peak.
Lahm.
Lahm for me. Everyone focuses on what Alves did going forward, but at the end of the day were talking about defenders and in that regard Lahm wipes the floor with Alves.
This.
Disagree, Alves was a level above at his very best. Don't think I've seen a more devastating right back.
We consider them as right backs, right?
The only thing he was superior in was dribbling, pure pace and crossing. Lahm trumps him pretty clearly in all other categories. Alves excelled and added an additional dimension in the Barcelona side, which dominated the pitch and gameflow and protected him from being exposed defensively. His performances for Brazil, which never truly reached the level of the ones at Barca showed a dependence on a certain system.
Lahm on the other hand was Germany´s most consistent performer in the last decade, able to play on both fullback positions and even the central midfield. He stood out in three fairly different tactical set ups of Bayern Munich (Van Gaal, Heynckes and Guardiola) both offensively and defensively.
Alves could be a monster offensively, but in my opinion Lahm´s overall impact on games was in general far greater. Lahm´s peak also last(ed) way longer than Alves´.
Lahm easily.
Well we're talking about full backs, who need to do more than just defend...
What about for Sevilla? Alves was insanely good for them too, so I'm not sure where the Barça dependency comes from. He was as important for them as they were for him.
He's underrated defensively too. He didn't defend much because of a tactical decision by Guardiola but you only have to watch a few clásico games from when Alves was at his peak to see how well he could defend too.
Not sure why people are commenting on longevity or versatility, its specifically the peak point, and Alves was far better
Alves. He was incredible going forward and while I used to criticise his defending, looking back, I thInk he was actually pretty good in that aspect too. Ronaldo used to find him torrid to play against at the time and he used to win that contest regularly if I remember correctly.
I have to say Lahm as all-round outstanding fullback. Alves was better going forward though at his peak.
I remember Robben having to swap wings before against Alves because he could not get the better of him. His defensive ability is ridiculously underrated.
Few fullbacks were better going forward than Alves, but overall it's no contest, especially if you take the performances for their nationalteams into account. Alves at his peak was either on the bench or played out of position in midfield at all international tournaments.
Alves was superb in set ups that suited him but Lahm was definitely the better player. If I had to sign one of them then it would be Lahm every time.
I think people are/were way to critical of Dani Alves defensively. For me, he was pretty solid defensively. Not as good as Lahm but not as great a gap as there was in terms of their attacking play.
Alves for me; his pace and stamina was incredible at his peak, and his link-up play and crossing, as well as his shooting were all world class. To me, the comparison is a little like Irwin vs Evra, where I think Evra's peak was higher, but Irwin was more consistent.
I'm not sure I agree with those saying Lahm never has poor matches as he can struggle with very fast players, as he does lack a little pace. Incredible footballer though. Wasn't it Guardiola who said he was the most intelligent footballer he had worked with?
I'm not sure I agree with those saying Lahm never has poor matches as he can struggle with very fast players, as he does lack a little pace. Incredible footballer though. Wasn't it Guardiola who said he was the most intelligent footballer he had worked with?
It is a contest given lahm was not even comparable in an attacking sense.
I remember Mourinho not even putting Ronaldo on his usual position on the left in Camp Nou in 2010.
It's amusing to see how Lahm has this Maldini reputation as a defender while Alves seems to be a glorified Clichy who needed to be protected by "the system".
Agree. He was very good one on one if I'm not mistaken. The likes of Robbem and Ronaldo found it very hard to beat him. And he constantly bombarded past wingers. For me, at his best he's the best right back I've seen.
Can't compare one of the best Germany teams of all time with Brazil of recent years. Here is what Lahm did before he had a proper support cast.
Lahm's playmaking from deeper was fantastic though. Do you count that as 'in an attacking sense'? He always influenced the play for Bayern and Germany in midfield in a way few fullbacks do, always was one of the players with the most touches and had a significant impact in possession. He didn't turn into a winger going forward of course, so his sheer numbers aren't comparable to Alves.
Boohoo, he made a mistake after playing a fantastic tournament. He scored the game winning goal in extra time in the semifinal with the same support cast and lead an underwhelming Germany side to the Euro final after all. Clearly he sucked in 2008
./edit:
oh and the point was that Alves didn't even play at rightback. Maicon was usually first choice at the international tournaments during Alves' peak. It has nothing to do with the support cast, when he doesn't even start.
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Alves
Alves in 2009 was something else....