Off Topic : How Highly Do You Rate Roberto Soldado?

I have to say I was really impressed. The best thing about him is that he does not try to do fancy things that he will likely not succeed at. No excessive dribbling and running with the ball, no trying to drop back too much as a pseudo play maker and no trying audacious shots from the half way line. Instead he does what he should do i.e. be a menace in the penalty box. The fellow has good presence in the penalty box and also a knack for being at the right place at the right time.

Last night's match was a real thriller. In the first half Valencia were predictable and mundane. Chances were few and far-between and there wasn't much that Soldado could do. In the second half the introduction of Canales gave the team better movement and the performance of Banega improved. With that there was more inventiveness and more number of chances were created. Yes Soldado missed a few chances and quite a few times the Racing goalkeeper Tonio made good saves but what was really heartening was to see how Soldado almost always tried to be at the end of everything. At times he even tried making good final passes for his team mates. This kind of player is a real boon for the creators in the team since they now know there is someone who will try to make best use of everything they create. The two goals he got in the end I felt were a just reward for the way he played right through the match.

I think playing alongside Aduriz sometimes as a second striker wasn't really suiting him that well but as the sole target man he really is at his best. An underrated player he is but maybe he is the best or close to being the best of all the underrated strikers in the world today. Valencia's signings turn out to be spot on quite often and this one might be the best in the last couple of summers. The defense needs a lot of improvement but turning around a 3-1 score line and having a squad with very reasonable depth should give them a lot of confidence and they should aim high this season.

I saw Soldado wearing the arm band last night. Yet wiki lists Albelda as the captain. Anyone knows who is the actual captain?

I will end by saying that Roberto Soldado is very much the no nonsense quality penalty box striker the kind of which a lot of teams around the world really lack.

He is a more athletic version of Higuain i would say,Leading the line wonderfully well and very clinical, though he isnt a player who make goal out of nothing nor is a creator.

Far better player than Fernadont Scoress at the moment.I have no idea why del bosque called up Negredo over Soldado,Montoya over tons of other First division RBs and Thiago over an inform Borja valero.

Because only in your mind is Borja that good. Would you please give it a rest with your love for the guy, what has this got to do with him or for that matter Montoya?

Anyway, I like Saldado and I was surprised he wasnt called.

I think Valencia is his level though, anywhere higher he wouldnt play all the time and because service must be created for him, you could see some issues in the biggest of games.

Not to say I dont like him and I think he will have a great season. Him and Falcao will battle it out for 3rd top scorer in my opinion.

Villa would have too, but Pep seems to want to sub him first, which will ruin his chances.

Barca B > Tons of other First division Clubs

Soldado is great, really great. Definitely one of the best strikers in the league right now. Outside Barca and RM, the best strikers are definitely him, Llorente, Negredo and Falcao. He should have got a call up for Spain by now, but I understand why they picked Negredo in the recent squad. That being said, I think he's a better player than Negredo.

On the other issues mentioned. Borja Valero is nowhere near as good as you think... Only you, for whatever reason it is, rate him that highly. He's a good player, but its not a mystery why he isn't picked for Spain. There are plenty of players still ahead of him. Its not like the Enrique case where he should be playing because he's clearly the best there.

Why have they picked Montoya and Thiago? Well it may be a bit surprising, but again... its unlikely these two players will do anything but be on the bench. They saw it as a good opportunity to call up two youngsters with plenty of potential, two players they see as future starters for Spain.

@Cholla: Sorry... Barca B aren't better than any La Liga team. They are amazing for a bunch of kids, but don't be silly. They came 3rd last year and the team this year is completely different. If they finish top half of Segunda it will be a job well done.

They got smacked by Villareal B yesturday did they not?

I saw Tello and Carmona arguing over a penalty....smh

The Franchise wrote:They got smacked by Villareal B yesturday did they not?

I saw Tello and Carmona arguing over a penalty....smh

Yeah, exactly... its going to be a tough season for them. Nolito, Soriano, Thiago and Fontas were quite easily the best performers, very important players.

What is smh Dani?

Shake my head.

Was doing that as I watched them argue over who should take it.

The Franchise wrote:Him and Falcao will battle it out for 3rd top scorer in my opinion.

Know what dani - the exact same thought came to my mind last night.

Totally unrelated but just have to ask you this. Were you wrong that Dzeko would not fit in at ManCity?

BarcaKizz wrote:Soldado is great, really great. Definitely one of the best strikers in the league right now. Outside Barca and RM, the best strikers are definitely him, Llorente, Negredo and Falcao. He should have got a call up for Spain by now, but I understand why they picked Negredo in the recent squad.

Two questions kizz.

1. Did you forget Giuseppe Rossi or intentionally leave him out?

2. Please explain why Del Bosque picked Negredo over Soldado.

messixaviesta wrote:

BarcaKizz wrote:Soldado is great, really great. Definitely one of the best strikers in the league right now. Outside Barca and RM, the best strikers are definitely him, Llorente, Negredo and Falcao. He should have got a call up for Spain by now, but I understand why they picked Negredo in the recent squad.

Two questions kizz.

1. Did you forget Giuseppe Rossi or intentionally leave him out?

2. Please explain why Del Bosque picked Negredo over Soldado.

1. Yes, forgot him JD. haha. Add him to that list for sure, there's potentially other players who could mix it up as well.

2. Well tbf Negredo had a great season as well... he did in fact outscore Soldado last year and ended the season really strong. I'm also thinking it might have something to do with the type of player he is... This was the main reason I came up with, but that was when I thought Torres wasn't in the squad. Now I understand he is, this argument is kind of flawed, but I'll tell you anyway. DB already has a lot of small mobile players like Pedro, Villa, Mata, Silva, maybe he'd like another option like Negredo who's a good targetman etc. less of a poacher. With a few of these players already though I guess Soldado would be just as good a tactical option.

Thanks for the reply kizz.

Since I have been asking unrelated questions here I will continue instead of opening new threads.

My first question is what do you all think is the real reason for Arsenal not spending money. Do you think it's purely Arsene Wenger's choice as it is stated? I am inclined to believe there is more to this than meets the eye. The matter seems hazy to me and I am very keen to know what is actually going on.

My other question is mainly to dani since he follows Porto so closely. How good a player is Alvaro Perreira? Is he worth anywhere close to the E30m that Chelsea are supposedly ready to spend on him?

Lastly one more question to dani. Do you now rate Ashley Young higher than you used to?

messixaviesta wrote:

The Franchise wrote:Him and Falcao will battle it out for 3rd top scorer in my opinion.

Know what dani - the exact same thought came to my mind last night.

Totally unrelated but just have to ask you this. Were you wrong that Dzeko would not fit in at ManCity?

Yes, I certaintly was wrong. He seems to have settled into the PL and is looking very confident.

My first impressions were he was too slow and his lack of fluidity only hinders the rest of the team. However, he is proving to be effective as an alternative, his ability in the air and his ability to poach goals is the kind of thing all that creation needs. On top of that, he is looking much better with the ball at his feet now.

I guess I underestimated how much time he needed to adapt, I thought he was simply too slow both of foot and mind to get it, but he is certaintly getting the hang of things now.

One of those situations where im glad to be wrong because I enjoy watching.

messixaviesta wrote:Thanks for the reply kizz.

Since I have been asking unrelated questions here I will continue instead of opening new threads.

My first question is what do you all think is the real reason for Arsenal not spending money. Do you think it's purely Arsene Wenger's choice as it is stated? I am inclined to believe there is more to this than meets the eye. The matter seems hazy to me and I am very keen to know what is actually going on.

My other question is mainly to dani since he follows Porto so closely. How good a player is Alvaro Perreira? Is he worth anywhere close to the E30m that Chelsea are supposedly ready to spend on him?

Lastly one more question to dani. Do you now rate Ashley Young higher than you used to?

Wenger doesnt spend because he believes too much in his own players and is frankly, cheap.

His view is, why buy player X when I have young player B in the squad already who could become as good as this player in 5 years.

Secondly, his thoughts are, why spend 30m on current super talented player Y when I could sign 17 year old player B and poach 15 year old young player C from mystery club all for half that price and both players one day might become as good as 30m current super talent?

Alvaro Perreira is a very good player, but no, he is not worth 30m. Half that and its about right. However, when you deal with Porto, this is what you get. You meet the buy out clause or you look somewhere else.

How good is he? Going forward he is a force, athletic and pretty gifted. Defensively he is pretty good, but he is a touch error prone because he lacks concentration. He reminds me of Clichy to be honest. Some good tools to work with, but the odd mistake because he isnt switched on is always a threat. I dont see why Chelsea need him with Cole around, they just sold Zhirkov because he was stuck behind Cole doing nothing.

Nope, I dont rate Young higher then I used to. The performances he is giving is about in line with what I expect. I said he would do well for Man Utd, because they will never need him to do more then what he can do. Against Micah Richards, he didnt go past him once, he was totally beaten in 1 v 1 duels and I would of banked on the same vs Sagna if he played today. All Young has to do is cut inside (but not actually beat his mark) and get crosses in. Other then that, he can play off the ball and make runs into the space Rooney leaves once he drops deep. He is capable of all that fine and Utd dont need more then that from him.

Not gonna lie, the more I see Negredo, the more I like him.

I wonder if Del Bosque have the guts not to call Torres. It's Getting ridiculous at his point. The top 3 most in form Spanish CFs are Villa, Soldado, and Negredo.

I'm sorry for Torres but he isnt at level at the moment.

I hate when players are comforted in a privileged position even when they do not perform AT ALL. it's shameful.

To be honest, at this point even Raul is better than Torres. Bosque is biased

The Franchise wrote:
Yes, I certaintly was wrong. He seems to have settled into the PL and is looking very confident.

My first impressions were he was too slow and his lack of fluidity only hinders the rest of the team. However, he is proving to be effective as an alternative, his ability in the air and his ability to poach goals is the kind of thing all that creation needs. On top of that, he is looking much better with the ball at his feet now.

I guess I underestimated how much time he needed to adapt, I thought he was simply too slow both of foot and mind to get it, but he is certaintly getting the hang of things now.

One of those situations where im glad to be wrong because I enjoy watching.

Thanks for an excellent reply dani.

Other than all that you have said I will add one more point. Playing with a more fluid line of three players now is helping him. He can now be the authentic center forward that is needed. Last year when ManCity were more defensive and played Yaya Toure as AM, they needed a very mobile CF like Tevez. Dzeko couldn't serve as a like for like replacement and was thus thought to have failed. Now in the current formation it seems Dzeko and Aguero are even more suited than Tevez. How things change especially when you have money to change them!!!

The Franchise wrote:
Wenger doesnt spend because he believes too much in his own players and is frankly, cheap.

His view is, why buy player X when I have young player B in the squad already who could become as good as this player in 5 years.

Secondly, his thoughts are, why spend 30m on current super talented player Y when I could sign 17 year old player B and poach 15 year old young player C from mystery club all for half that price and both players one day might become as good as 30m current super talent?

Alvaro Perreira is a very good player, but no, he is not worth 30m. Half that and its about right. However, when you deal with Porto, this is what you get. You meet the buy out clause or you look somewhere else.

How good is he? Going forward he is a force, athletic and pretty gifted. Defensively he is pretty good, but he is a touch error prone because he lacks concentration. He reminds me of Clichy to be honest. Some good tools to work with, but the odd mistake because he isnt switched on is always a threat. I dont see why Chelsea need him with Cole around, they just sold Zhirkov because he was stuck behind Cole doing nothing.

Nope, I dont rate Young higher then I used to. The performances he is giving is about in line with what I expect. I said he would do well for Man Utd, because they will never need him to do more then what he can do. Against Micah Richards, he didnt go past him once, he was totally beaten in 1 v 1 duels and I would of banked on the same vs Sagna if he played today. All Young has to do is cut inside (but not actually beat his mark) and get crosses in. Other then that, he can play off the ball and make runs into the space Rooney leaves once he drops deep. He is capable of all that fine and Utd dont need more then that from him.

Once again thanks for a wonderful reply dani.

1. I accept all that you say about Wenger but seeing how the team is going more and more into free fall, I still think there is something more happening behind the scenes that we are not aware of. Consider this. Wenger once said that if you really want to compare managers give them the same budget at the start of the summer. So by that Wenger means that he would spend and make his team top class if he had the money. In other words I wonder how much money does Wenger actually have to spend freely. Also it must be said now that Wenger's youth policy has been a definite failure. Firstly all that glitters is not gold. Yes Wenger did find a few great players and to give the devil his due he does bring out the best in several players. However the other even more important point is that when the few really great players he has found are ready they want to leave the club and build their own career else where. They don't share in his vision. This probably is Wenger's biggest failure in my eyes that he has not been able to convince his own players that his policy and approach is right.

2. Great comments about Alvaro. I guess he is versatile enough to play in midfield as well. Then again Chelsea tried the same with Zhirkov and didn't get anywhere. Hence I too can't understand why they would buy him for such a high amount.

3. I agree completely with what you say about A.Young. Other than all that you say I want to add that he is a good shot taker and goal scorer. This is where I would like to mention a related point. I don't rate ManUtd as high as many other people do. A.Young is now one of their key players and he is quite uni-dimensional as you explained. In contrast ManCity have players like Nasri, D.Silva and Aguero who are more multi-dimensional. Also ManUtd is weak in terms of central midfielders. Who do they have in the center who has the quality to face up to a quality central midfield? ManCity is not too strong here either but at least players like D.Silva and Nasri can be made to adapt to that position if really needed.

El Pipita wrote:Bosque is biased

This is one point I won't agree with. If there is one international manager I have seen who really tries to give everyone a fair chance without bias then it's Vicente Del Bosque.

You all complain that Torres is there. Yes on current form he shouldn't be. However a national team selection is not only about form. The overall class of a player and his past contributions to the national side cannot be totally ignored. Del Bosque didn't start Torres in the WC 2010 semi final and final. If his form doesn't improve then I don't put it past Del Bosque to drop him from the Euro 2012 squad. However not so fast. Mata has just joined Chelsea. Del Bosque like some of us would like to give Torres a few more weeks at least before making a final call.

A few more unrelated questions.

1. About Dimitar Berbatov. What do you all think doesn't work? Is he not suited to the ManUtd style of play? Do you think he could have done the role that Dzeko is playing for ManCity? Or would it best for him to have been in some other league like Serie A? Would he potentially be a big success in Serie A - say something comparable to Ibrahimovic? It's sad to see a player with such technical ability get so badly wasted.

2. About Carlos Tevez. Do you think what has happened serves him right? The club ManCity gave him everything but he did not appreciate it and continued to show his diva attitude. The net result is that other teams barely tried to get him. Whether it was price or age or attitude the deciding factor I can't say for sure but it was likely a combination of these. You may have noted this that with all the money Atletico got from the Aguero sale they could have easily gone for Tevez but they straight away went for Falcao. Have you wondered why? Is it mainly about attitude? So now Tevez most likely will have to stay. Do you think it serves him right to be put on the bench and even lose the arm band to a more deserving Kompany? At the moment does it not seem that Dzeko and Aguero suit the current style of playing even more than Tevez. So is this a case of a man destroying his own livelihood?

3. About Mario Balotelli. Do you think ManCity should give him away for free? I mean the level at which they are fighting now they can't afford even one mistake. With the squad they have not winning EPL should be seen as nothing less than a failure. In such a scenario I would be scared if this were my team and Balotelli was on the pitch. I mean how much time would it take for him to get into a scuffle with someone and get sent off.

4. Sevilla last night played with a real spring in their step that I have not seen for quite some time. Any idea what has improved?

5. What is your preferred formation and lineup for Atletico Madrid? Any idea why Falcao didn't play yesterday?

messixaviesta wrote:A few more unrelated questions.

1. About Dimitar Berbatov. What do you all think doesn't work? Is he not suited to the ManUtd style of play? Do you think he could have done the role that Dzeko is playing for ManCity? Or would it best for him to have been in some other league like Serie A? Would he potentially be a big success in Serie A - say something comparable to Ibrahimovic? It's sad to see a player with such technical ability get so badly wasted.

SAF has stuck with his 442 for a long time, never game up on it. The idea of a two man attack, one with size, yet technique, and the other being Rooney. RVN worked out for a while, then he had to adapt with CR7, tevez etc... and then he bought Berbatov. I think on paper, he does fits the bill, Mobile target man with size, technique, but he was also lacking a bit in terms of work rate and consistency, and that's the one thing that stopped him.

Looking at Welbeck, he might have found the player he was looking for. Utd game is so fluid and fast now, Chicharito will have to fight and improve a lot to make SAF forget about Welbeck, specially if he keeps developing.

As impressive as Berbatov is technically, i dont see in him the same natural talent Dzeko possesses in the box, not as good of a poacher. Even in terms of mobility, i think Dzeko is superior.

Berbatov in serie A, would work wonder i think. Truth is, he would do well anywhere, just a matter of using his skills accordingly. he is technically so above average, it's hard to imagine not doing well wherever he goes. Just dont think he is a "great" scorer

2. About Carlos Tevez. Do you think what has happened serves him right? The club ManCity gave him everything but he did not appreciate it and continued to show his diva attitude. The net result is that other teams barely tried to get him. Whether it was price or age or attitude the deciding factor I can't say for sure but it was likely a combination of these. You may have noted this that with all the money Atletico got from the Aguero sale they could have easily gone for Tevez but they straight away went for Falcao. Have you wondered why? Is it mainly about attitude? So now Tevez most likely will have to stay. Do you think it serves him right to be put on the bench and even lose the arm band to a more deserving Kompany? At the moment does it not seem that Dzeko and Aguero suit the current style of playing even more than Tevez. So is this a case of a man destroying his own livelihood?

Is fate playing a dirty trick on Tevez? maybe. I have never liked to bash him to much for wanting to be with his family, despite all the tantrums he threw.

I read an article on the guardian explaining the ownership rights of tevez, being the object of many disputes over the years, and making an emphasis on how his transfer fees needed to be paid in full for him to leave City. That's why many clubs didnt go after him, 45M is a lot of money. Only corinthians cames close, but back tracked. So in short, Tevez is stuck. maybe they will loan him to get the wage bill of their table but im curious to see how it unfolds.

Why not Atletico? Manzano likes lone forwards i think, poachers. He was interested in bringing Negredo, then Osvaldo, and when they saw the opportunity for Falcao, they took it. Imo that's why they went after him i think, not to mention that Falcao is a serial scorer, something that turns head.

Well, the idea of a big target man + all around forward seems to be what Mancini dreamed of, or at least, he has all the pieces he ever wanted. Aguero is just a direct replacement for Tevez in truth. He is expected to leave. Balo + Aguero + Dzeko would be City's attack this season, but if they cant sell him or loan him, he will be there.

3. About Mario Balotelli. Do you think ManCity should give him away for free? I mean the level at which they are fighting now they can't afford even one mistake. With the squad they have not winning EPL should be seen as nothing less than a failure. In such a scenario I would be scared if this were my team and Balotelli was on the pitch. I mean how much time would it take for him to get into a scuffle with someone and get sent off.

Blaotelli? I think he will be find, the kid is bound to grow up at some point, so for this season, he will be there imo.

4. Sevilla last night played with a real spring in their step that I have not seen for quite some time. Any idea what has improved?

Juice of a new season? rejuvenated Navas? Explosive Negredo? even Perotti looked like the player of old. well, hard to say, they have so many highs and lows, i guess they are just pumped with the new season. Very attacking side, they are dangerous.

5. What is your preferred formation and lineup for Atletico Madrid? Any idea why Falcao didn't play yesterday?

They are about to close Diego so i thing they will go with
Courtois
Silvio-godin-dominguez-filipe
gabi-suarez/tiago
turan-diego-reyes
falcao

but AS keeps mentioning that it will be a 433.... we will see.

Tevez, who apparently hates playing football, gets paid millions to sit on the bench. Poor him.

nick, wonderful reply. Thanks. Here are my further comments.

1. I agree that Berbatov is not quite the goal scorer that Dzeko is. Also the speedy game does not suit Berbatov. I think he should have moved to Serie A long back. Too bad he wasted his prime years.

2. I too read that article but I can't believe or accept everything. Till he was under that bond Tevez could have had extra sympathy. However since ManCity took him he is under 100% club ownership like any other player. His transfer fees are only unilaterally set by ManCity and no one else. Hence I don't see why we should sympathize with him more than anyone else. As for the matter of being close to his family, how true was that? I mean if he had got an offer from a major club in Italy or Spain, would he not have taken it?

3. This is where we disagree. A few kids never grow up and Balotelli could be one of them.

4. Interesting. Worth keeping an eye on.

5. Firstly I wonder why Falcao didn't play yesterday. Then I wonder why Courtois is being preferred to both Robles and Asenjo. Everything else that you say makes good sense. This should be their first choice back four. They will play two DMs although one could be more like a box to box CM. I am not sure if Gabi is the most important. Tiago could be the main one and Gabi and M.Suarez could share time. Yesterday they didn't have Diego. So they played all three. Also they played Salvio instead of Turan which should change soon and Adrian instead of Falcao which just has to change.

The Franchise wrote:

messixaviesta wrote:Thanks for the reply kizz.

Since I have been asking unrelated questions here I will continue instead of opening new threads.

My first question is what do you all think is the real reason for Arsenal not spending money. Do you think it's purely Arsene Wenger's choice as it is stated? I am inclined to believe there is more to this than meets the eye. The matter seems hazy to me and I am very keen to know what is actually going on.

My other question is mainly to dani since he follows Porto so closely. How good a player is Alvaro Perreira? Is he worth anywhere close to the E30m that Chelsea are supposedly ready to spend on him?

Lastly one more question to dani. Do you now rate Ashley Young higher than you used to?

Wenger doesnt spend because he believes too much in his own players and is frankly, cheap.

His view is, why buy player X when I have young player B in the squad already who could become as good as this player in 5 years.

Secondly, his thoughts are, why spend 30m on current super talented player Y when I could sign 17 year old player B and poach 15 year old young player C from mystery club all for half that price and both players one day might become as good as 30m current super talent?

Alvaro Perreira is a very good player, but no, he is not worth 30m. Half that and its about right. However, when you deal with Porto, this is what you get. You meet the buy out clause or you look somewhere else.

How good is he? Going forward he is a force, athletic and pretty gifted. Defensively he is pretty good, but he is a touch error prone because he lacks concentration. He reminds me of Clichy to be honest. Some good tools to work with, but the odd mistake because he isnt switched on is always a threat. I dont see why Chelsea need him with Cole around, they just sold Zhirkov because he was stuck behind Cole doing nothing.

My answers are largely the same.

I think its puzzling that Wenger hasn't had a revelation by now... because clearly the funds are available, they've made that public knowledge. At the end of the day, I guess he's just too proud in his system etc. but its gone beyond ridiculous. Last year was the year he needed to make these signings actually. Now even if he signed Messi and Xavi, Arsenal wouldn't be the end product... and the players on the market aren't anywhere near that level. Wenger won't win anything this year... so what then? 'I'm still building a team'?? Its game up for him in my opinion. He can't save this season and they shouldn't have time for him with another season.

The Alvaro Pereira transfer mystifies me... maybe its all talk and won't go through. I hope so. Firstly, what is he thinking? Go to a club where I'll never get a game behind the best LB in the world. Great idea! Does he think he can displace Ashley? You could maybe say he sees it as a chance to replace him in the future, but why move now then?

Then on Chelsea's side, its just as strange. They don't need to spend that much on a backup. They already have David Luiz, Bosingwa and that other Portuguese guy who can all play at left back. Strange, but then again... it is Chelsea!

kizz, I agree about Arsene Wenger. To put it very bluntly maybe his time at Arsenal is over for the good of all concerned. Consider this. Johann Cruyff is the ultimate icon at Barcelona. However a day came when he left the coaching job. Any person no matter how great he is at doing a certain job a time comes when it's just best for all concerned that this individual be replaced. Yes after how long this time will come varies greatly from person from person. Sir Alex is still going on. Even he will have to stop one day but he is probably the closest anyone has come to defying the odds as far as football coaching is concerned. Coming back to Wenger, it really would be the best for all if he left. Arsenal would then be able to think freely. At the moment no one else has much of a say due to Wenger's totally dominant presence. Wenger too will benefit from coaching at a different club and trying to prove that he is still a great coach. He could even give international football a shot.