"Which PL player would you have a poster of on your wall?" "Wilshere" - Xavi

The Franchise wrote:

So, Thiago isnt?

And what will you say when Samper becomes so?

Thiago is, yes. Samper has not done enough to be compared to Wilshere

izzy wrote:I actually agree.

I didn't think he was anything special in that game.

I recently rewatched the game. It's on Dailymotion in Full HD and English commentary. Around the 30 minute mark even the most biased English ITV commentators were saying: "I never knew much about geometry but I know a good triangle when I see one, they are drawing one after another" when Barca was running rings around Arsenal's midfield and no Arsenal player could touch the ball for 3 minutes straight. Messi's wrongly disallowed goal should have made it 2-0 in the first half and sealed the tie already (yes, even if it still becomes 2-2 the tie is sealed with 2 away goals + Camp Nou return leg). Pep then arrogantly took off Villa around the 65 minute mark to give his favourite Keita some fun time, pushing Iniesta to the left wing and at the same time reducing the threat to make runs in behind a game chasing Arsenal defense to only Pedro. Only at that point, the last 20 minutes, Barca lost it. Especially after van Persie's freak goal from that angle Barca inexplicably pushed even more forward to try and win the game when 1-1 would have been completely fine (I suppose because Barca had a bit of a performance drought in La Liga at that time with a draw to Gijon prior to the Arsenal game and they didn't want 2 draws in a row) and conceded that ridiculous 2nd counterattacking goal with the defense pushed 50 yards forward.

Overall Arsenal played a serious game and Wilshere also played a good game but far from any specific player dominating the game let alone Barca's midfield getting dominated that it would warrant being constantly named as Wilshere's career highlight even 4 years later. Koscielny was probably the real man of the match for Arsenal with double digit last ditch tackles, clearances and interceptions. I can certainly see why Pep made that "we have many like Wilshere at Barca B" comment when the English commentator was smugly asking after a game that Pep must have felt Barca should have never lost.

One of the reasons I never bought the Wilshere hype. I just didn't see "it" when people were (and still are) acting as if he was Rijkaard and Laudrup combined in that game and I was 100 % convinced that Thiago was easily a bigger talent when he was still at Barca B so I could see where Pep was coming from with his comment but the hype was also not his fault and even if he wasn't THAT monstrous as the English press believed he still played a good game and still remains a legit talent.

Sergi, Pep Guardiola, Arteta, Motta (he did pass through La Masia as a signing), De La Pena, Albert Ferrer, Guillerme Amor are also La Masia graduates so your list is omitting some names there Valk...

Wait a minute - is this the mythical game we are talking where supposedly Wilshere  'owned' Barcas midfield? The 2:2 first leg at Arsenal?!?!?

edit: no I guess it's the game a year later I really didn't see...

Doc wrote:Sergi, Pep Guardiola, Arteta, Motta (he did pass through La Masia as a signing), De La Pena, Albert Ferrer, Guillerme Amor are also La Masia graduates so your list is omitting some names there Valk...

I was talking about the last 20 years. So I let Guardiola out. The ones you wrote are nothing more than good players. I was talking about world-beaters. It's not like La Masia has always produced great players. They had a golden generation, with players that didn't even come out at the same time(Xavi and Puyol are almost 10yrs older than Messi). So let's not make La Masia a talent factory.

urbaNRoots wrote:

The Franchise wrote:

So, Thiago isnt?

And what will you say when Samper becomes so?

Thiago is, yes. Samper has not done enough to be compared to Wilshere

Noone is trying to compare.

The surely isnt the point of the comment.

so La Masia have to produce the best player in the world, two top 5 centermids in the world, consistently to be a "talent factory"? how dumb is that theory.

McEachran or Samper Dani?

Valkyrja wrote:I was talking about the last 20 years. So I let Guardiola out. The ones you wrote are nothing more than good players. I was talking about world-beaters. It's not like La Masia has always produced great players. They had a golden generation, with players that didn't even come out at the same time(Xavi and Puyol are almost 10yrs older than Messi). So let's not make La Masia a talent factory.

All those players mentioned are great players in their own right. Sure, their careers aren't littered with silverware or world recognition but it doesn't diminish the fact Barcelona produced some excellent footballers over the 20 odd years you chose. So yes, they are a talent factory.

And like La Quinta del Butre, the Ye-Ye generation, Fergie Fledglings, Celtic of the 60s, Torino, Barcelona hit real footballing gold with this bunch.

Valkyrja wrote:

Doc wrote:Sergi, Pep Guardiola, Arteta, Motta (he did pass through La Masia as a signing), De La Pena, Albert Ferrer, Guillerme Amor are also La Masia graduates so your list is omitting some names there Valk...

I was talking about the last 20 years. So I let Guardiola out. The ones you wrote are nothing more than good players. I was talking about world-beaters. It's not like La Masia has always produced great players. They had a golden generation, with players that didn't even come out at the same time(Xavi and Puyol are almost 10yrs older than Messi). So let's not make La Masia a talent factory.

So which clubs did better?

Gil wrote:When the best midfielder ever gives you a cosign then you know you're destined for greatness.

stunt on these h8rz

Gil wrote:McEachran or Samper Dani?

Kakuta IMO



Transfer ban for scrub who plays for Rayo

OK, wow.  So now it's OK to listen to Xavi when there are like 10 different threads calling him a crybaby, out of his mind, making fun of him for living with his parents, his face is used as a sign of complaining being a pussy etc, not being humble or respectful, and generally full of shit.

Which BTW, I tend to agree with a lot of that not all but the guy is a bad loser.

What I don't get is what happens to people on this board when they hear the name Jack Wilshere.  I mean look at some of these insane quotes in this thread alone.

"I've rated Wilshere way before that hack Xavi." -Zealous

At what?  Would you like him to play for your team?

Obviously can't forget the day Wilshere owned his entire midfield. -El Gunner

-This gets thrown out like a fact when the guy had a good game but it's not like he even drove them to win the tie or scored or anything like that.  He held his own against a great midfield in one game, there is a list of probably 20 La Liga players who have done so on more that one occasion.  And yes, even young ones.

"Im serious ffs. Jack was special that season. Outclassed prime Xavi and Iniesta at just 18." -Gil

Again he held his own and played very well.  He didn't outclass Xavi or Iniesta.  Hence form is temporary class is permanent.  Jack's permanent legacy right now is he played well for 90 minutes once.

"His 10/11 form wasn't a fluke run though. His spatial awareness, vision, agility, one touch play and frightening acceleration have nothing to do with luck. Those are god given gifts.

He needs to improve his defensive awareness & positioning, obviously his fitness as well but all the tools are already in place.

On form Jack is superior to every midfielder in his age group. Only Thiago comes close."  -Gil

It's hard to dignify this with an answer because it's so out of bounds.  

His spatial awareness is for lack of a better word bad, hence no one can figure out what position he plays including him and he is always occupying the same space as Arsenals other players making there midfield a log jam when he plays, not to mention he generally runs directly into people when he goes on his "Trademark Runs" (as Arsenal fans like to call them) that don't lead to goals or assists just turnovers and again him and his awful spacial awareness getting the team into trouble.

His vision is sub standard for the praise he get's not to mention the position he plays on a top 4 team in the EPL.  He's not a DM at all and can't play wide so that leaves him being a CM or AM that doesn't assist and can't shoot.  So I don't really know where his great vision comes from.

As for Frightening Acceleration, well he doesn't frighten anyone.  Maybe compared to Arteta or Flamini.  But on his team alone Ox, Walcott, Sanchez, and Welbeck are all comfortably faster and there acceleration actually leads to something.  That's just on his team in the EPL it would be a joke to consider him of of the faster players in the league.

Then the whole "On form Jack is better than anyone else in his age group."  I have no clue what this even means. Is that like saying right now that on form Fernando Torres is one of the best strikers in the world?

Or "on form" Altidore is a top European striker because he played well in Holland for a season and against Spain once?

Not to mention his age group, he is basically over a month away from being 23 years old.  All of these players are younger or around the same age.  BTW I would throw a lot more people in there like Ox and Barkley but I'm just giving the obvious

Draxler, Pogba, Shaqiri, Koke, Isco, Hazard, Oscar, Pjanic, Griezmann, James, Gotze, I could go on and on and on.

"One game?
He was our player of the season back then." -El Gunner

Nasri had a much better season.

"Stop. Has nothing to do with favourtism. Two long-term injuries obviously derailed his career after a scintillating breakthrough season. People wank over Thiago yet hasn't had a full season in his entire career. He's been (slowly) getting back to that level going by his recent England performances (3 MoTM awards in a row) and that dominant performance against Man City a few weeks back." -Gil

He has been shocking this year and the goal differential numbers with him in and out of the team are absolutely insane.  Not to mention most Arsenal fans will agree they have to change there formation to fit him in as he's not tactically flexible and it has ruined there season.

"La Masia is kinda overrated at this point. In the last 20 years I can think of 6 great players, maybe 7 that emerged from that academy. Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Cesc(whom I don't know if can be considered a La Masia product), Thiago and maybe Valdes. That was a golden generation that probably won't ever emerge again. Please, don't put in that category scrubs like Pedro, Pique, Alba or Busquets." -Valkyrja

I don't even know how talk of Wilshere brought on this insanity but like I said when his name comes up people say shocking stuff.

Again, I don't understand why people lose all sense of objectivity when talking about this guy.  It's like they lose there mind.

urbaNRoots wrote:Scenes when dnmac sees this...

epic scenes, too epic to read through..

I think we all were waiting for him to arrive.

FFS GL

JACK FFS WHAT A PLAYEr. OMG WHAT A *bleep* BALL. Another midfield masterclass.

4th MOTM in a row for England

He is definitely coming back to his best.

and it is a good thing not just for the Arsenal, but for the whole football.

Robespierre wrote:and it is a good thing not just for the Arsenal, but for the whole football.

The world rejoices

LOL, the guy saying he's the best player of his age group posts when he puts in an assist against Scotland.

Have some of you ever heard the phrase "Act like you've been there before"?

With the crazy things some of you say about this guy, the way he played today against a bad opponent should be expected not lauded.  

He played well, and I always say when he does.  But the best midfielder in his age group should get on the sheet against Scotland.

If some of you actually put expectations on this guys shoulders with the comments you make you should be able to talk about when he doesn't meet them, not just post the few times he does.

That would be reasonable.

Another performance for Jack the lad

So us your quality Wilshere

https://vine.co/v/OJ7TmAeainW

i'm pretty sure xavi only knows  jack from that one game vs arsenal  in 2011

he probably thinks wilshere performs at that level week in and week out .

Walcott out performed Messi in that game