peterstorey
Specialist In Failure
Very nice of Barca to give us a 50% discount on Alexis.
Mascherano will probably get minutes in midfield unlike past seasons but Rakitić, Iniesta and Busquets will definitely be their first choice.Barcelona the team with the perfect dream midfield, having mascherano in there as first choice now would be odd.
LvG is inconsolable, mate. My sources say that LvG, Woody, and Anderson spent last night eating ice cream and sobbing whilst watching Vermaelen highlights.I doubt we are fuming, why would we swap a defender for another defender when a defender is what we need, more rubbish form the papers.
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/foot...-Barcelona-bid-for-Arsenal-s-Thomas-Vermaelen
while most on here will be cheering he has gone to BarcaLvG is inconsolable, mate. My sources say that LvG, Woody, and Anderson spent last night eating ice cream and sobbing whilst watching Vermaelen highlights.
And yous helped Barca buy Suarez so happy f*cking days all round!Very nice of Barca to give us a 50% discount on Alexis.
Louis the XXX will be shitting his pants after the first 10 games.After this, I hope van Gaal goes after every young talent Wenger goes for. Just to shit on his face.
Have you seen our start to the league?Louis the XXX will be shitting his pants after the first 10 games.
Wenger taking the piss.I don't understand why on earth Arsenal thought you'd take a swap deal.
First with the Suarez deal now this.Wenger taking the piss.
I don't....smalling actually has a future with us and is way less injured.Vermaelen is much better than Smalling IMO. I think we should have went for the swap.
1) Vermaelen is maybe better than Smalling.....but "much better" sounds like Vermaelen is the best defender in the world and Smalling is Championship levelVermaelen is much better than Smalling IMO. I think we should have went for the swap.
Smalling is younger though, he can surpass Vermaelen in time if he can stay clear of injury.Vermaelen is much better than Smalling IMO. I think we should have went for the swap.
I don't think he has a future with us all. Being young doesn't mean they're worth keeping around. Smalling can be caught ball watching an awful lot of the time and he's prone to conceding headers. I think he's painfully average and not really United quality at all.I don't....smalling actually has a future with us and is way less injured.
Jonny Evans is our best defender. But that's not really saying much. Vermaelen is good enough to play for Barcelona. Would Chris Smalling be?Smalling is by far and away our best defender, and certainly a better defender then Vermaelen. He does, admittedly, have issues with the ball at his feet.
I'm concerned with our defence too, but its Jones I have the major worries about. And either way Vermealen was never going to be the answer.
I've noticed he doesn't want the ball when we're trying to play it out from the back, you need every player on the team looking to create angles to help their teammate in possession, not hiding or blocking off the striker. If he can sort that out then he'll go on to have a good career.Smalling is by far and away our best defender, and certainly a better defender then Vermaelen. He does, admittedly, have issues with the ball at his feet.
I'm concerned with our defence too, but its Jones I have the major worries about. And either way Vermealen was never going to be the answer.
Evans is our best defender on the ball, defensively its Smalling. Quite clearly.Jonny Evans is our best defender. But that's not really saying much. Vermaelen is good enough to play for Barcelona. Would Chris Smalling be?
back up to your usual tricks thenVermaelen is much better than Smalling IMO. I think we should have went for the swap.
RAWK logic!Very nice of Barca to give us a 50% discount on Alexis.
That line of thought is exactly why you are gracing internet fora with your superior knowledge and the likes of Wenger and LvG are making millions managing football !Vermaelen is much better than Smalling IMO. I think we should have went for the swap.
Surely it would have made more sense to use the ~£35m on one top class centre back than Mathieu and Vermaelen? 1 new centre back would have been enough I reckon, with Piqué, Bartra and Mascherano (if that's where Luis Enrique wants to use him) already there.Don't like the move at all, regardless of the fees involved - smacks of desperation
I actually like the Mathieu signing very much, just not by himself - I would've preferred a more elite profile CB (Right footed) who was young as the 2nd one, not Vermaelen. I believe the idea is the shift from 4-3-3 into a 3-2-3-2 or 3-4-3 formation and that's where a left footed CB like Mathieu along with a fleet footed R-CB made sense. Now, however? No idea what they are thinkingSurely it would have made more sense to use the ~£35m on one top class centre back than Mathieu and Vermaelen? 1 new centre back would have been enough I reckon, with Piqué, Bartra and Mascherano (if that's where Luis Enrique wants to use him) already there.
I don't think Mathieu is a bad player, and he's versatile which is good, but at his age the signing doesn't make much sense. Vermaelen on the other hand isn't particularly quick like Mathieu, isn't that good defensively and is injury prone. Good on the ball, but that's not enough to make a good signing.
Time will tell that Vermaelen definitely isn't good enough for Barcelona. In terms of actual defending, you know that thing you want defenders to do, Vermaelen is significantly worse than our 3.Jonny Evans is our best defender. But that's not really saying much. Vermaelen is good enough to play for Barcelona. Would Chris Smalling be?