₦airaland Forum

Take note of the way the PSG players have spoken about their game against Bayern yesterday. Classy. Not making excuses. Not downplaying the winner. Giving them their dues but being optimistic about the future. That's a winning mentality.

Also, Kane got all the rave reviews yesterday but what a player Joshua Kimmich still is. An absolute baller and leader for Bayern.

I think they've peaked too soon though and their squad is thin. They'll probably get tired around April-May.

raumdeuter:
Haaland dey on top field dey justify his money while Sterling Mudryk and Badiashile dey collect money without work

Rather pay 10M for a functional car than pay 9m for a dead car

Haaland earns £525K per week as his weekly salary and this only rose AFTER his 9 year contract extension that expires in 2034. Prior, Erling earned between £350-400K per week.

andrewbaba44:
Everybody Dey always pretend because writz dey flop ,cherki was never better than writz ,but continue

Its the normal Nairaland and Prisoner-of-the-moment analysis. And this is coming from me, a City fan.

Arne Slot is needing to battle between saving his job or making sure his new signings click. Its not an easy task. New signings need time to build chemistry. You need time to implement long-term tactics. People use 1 data point - 1 match or so and then come to grand conclusions. It happens here alot and it is BORING and Lazy.

The same way many people here rushed to give Liverpool the title after their signings. I warned. I even started taking screenshots because I knew they'd change mouth quickly. They all did.

Y'all should relax.

Trevor012:
You were the one that brought up Raphina and the only attacker he can bench there was Yamal.

Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz, Declan Rice, Scott McTominay etc.

There are many midfielders who deserve to make the team over Jude but these accolades hardly mean anything.

Why are Barca supporters here afraid of Real Madrid?

A40:
I learned a new word this week. Polycule

How are you lobbying to join a menage-au-trois since 2020. I couldn't stop laughing

Supreme Leader of the Feminist Coven of embittered witches, no less, being the "3rd follicle in a polycule even though it ended in ridicule".

She's not looking for marriage as a 2nd wife. She's Ozzy Etomiing her way out of a scandal; announcing She's cheating with married men incase the story leaks. I stan a proactive Queen. Read between the lines.

timbros:
But I, as a CF fan, told you that Caicedo is our DM as long as Lavia is out. Why were you arguing?

Your team plays positional football. Maybe you've forgotten who Maresca's mentor is.

Ibime was telling you people the other day that ideally managers want robost, all-rounders in midfield. Szobo, Maca and Graven are all CMs for example and all 3 have defensive assignments but the manager depending on the game can make 1 of them have the more defensive role. Doesn't mean that player is a DM. Again that's why Moses cannot shy away from other midfield responsibilities like he is now showing (AKA scoring) (he has to add press-resistance, tempo-setting, chance creation etc to the fray to be elite).

Don't forget Neville vs Scholes also discussed Declan Rice as one of the contenders. Is he a DM for Arsenal? No. Another team that plays positional football as well.

airmark:
Mc Allister engaged foolishly that's what gave Caicedo the chance as he breezed past him with his first touch. Gusto would have breezed past Kerkez with his first touch into the box.

One must spoonfeed you.

The pass you're hoping he can make in your 2nd image is part of the danger of looking at still frames.

Can't you see that Kerkez is ahead of Gusto? Rewatch it again using the ref cam (the official EPL highlights have it). Kerkez will close Gusto down EASILY.

airmark:
Mc Allister engaged foolishly that's what gave Caicedo the chance as he breezed past him with his first touch. Gusto would have breezed past Kerkez with his first touch.

One must spoonfeed you.

Presumptive analysis. McAllister didn't even engage foolishly, Gusto put the ball out of touch with the quick pass to Caicedo whose 1st touch gave him separation.

Now Gusto is attempting to overlap to pull Kerkez aside, to open the space for Caicedo. Moses is now vs VVD (since that combo play with Moses has removed McAllister). VVD has to close the shooting lane. VVD instead tried to block the passing lane to Kerkez thinking he'll take his chances with Moses shooting.

Moses scored.

timbros:
So Enzo is our DM?

Brooooooooooo!

Make CFC fans leave me out of una in-house DM debate.

Caicedo is unlocking Enzo as Lavia unlocks Caicedo.

airmark:
Which Kerkez is onto Gusto?

Once VVD engages Caicedo, the passing lane will open and Gusto's first touch will get Kerkez out of the picture just as Caicedo's first touch from Gusto's initial pass did to Mc Allister. Before Cacicedo touched the ball, one would think Mc Alister had a chance, but the first touch knocked him off, as seen below.

Guy, why are you like this? Why are you going to many moments before the goal?

timbros:
Being?

Enzo, Lavia.

timbros:


Who is Chelsea's DM?

The player(s) you bought to replace Jorginho.

timbros:
As long as Lavia is not in the team, Caicedo is the DM.

Ever wondered why the comparison is always Caicedo vs Gravernbach?

I understand positional play. Caicedo is a CM. Because he focuses on breaking plays, intercepting & making tackles doesn't mean he is a DM. Even wingers have defensive assignments doesn't make them WBs.

That's why Scholes isn't quick to crown Caicedo the best this season. We all can see he's brilliant with ball-winning but we want to see him consistently execute the other functions of a MIDFIELDER like Tonali for e.g.

Stop turning amala. The discussion was best midfielder this season not who defends better between Caicedo and Gravenberch. Gravenberch is a CM as well.

timbros:
Come to think of it, is Paul Scholes a defensive midfielder? what right does he have to say who the best defensive midfielder is?

As you wan cap, make all of us cap nah

Caicedo isn't a DM.

No dey turn amala. Stand straight.

Had VVD engaged Caicedo earlier, a pass to Gusto who would have touched the ball diagonally into the box, away from Kerkez who wouldn't touch Gusto as he would breeze in to face the helpless keeper.

This is straight from JK Rowling. Imaginary stuff.

This isn't even analysis.

There's a white line drawn that Kerkez is trying to maintain with VVD. As long as that line is maintained Caicedo cannot attempt a pass because the Liverpool defense will push up to keep him [Gusto] off. Flick uses it alot. It's operation keep him [Gusto] offside or force him [Moses] to shoot from distance.

That's what PSG tried to do for the 3rd CFC goal but Berardo (having not played 1st team football for a while) broke that line and Palmer was clever to slip Joao Pedro through.

airmark:
How is Kerkez with Caicedo here?

Had VVD engaged Caicedo earlier, a pass to Gusto who would have touched the ball diagonally into the box, away from Kerkez who wouldn't touch Gusto as he would breeze in to face the helpless keeper.

Kerkez is onto Gusto, VVD is onto Caicedo. That's your image there.

popizaino:
You are the least person i would expect to say this.

In what world was VVD supposed to leave there and charge Caicedo?

In an ideal football world, where is it expected that a CB charge forward and mark a DM?

If Caicedo had missed no one would be singing the praises of VVD.

If you expect VVD to stop Caicedo from there then you expect VVD to also stop Sanchez kicking the ball forward.

Like Raumdeuter said, at that moment Caicedo was to be seen as CR7 or KdB or any great player with a long range shot. That's the assumption. Even a small stone hurled at the speed of sound will make the impact of a bullet. VVD hedged and in this situation, he chose the wrong approach. The end.

timbros:
Again, rest.

Football is football. A footballer is a footballer.

Very Airmarkian. Comparing a former DEFENDER turned pundit, to one of the GOATs of midfielders when MIDFIELDERS are being discussed.

Imagine pitting a commentator's hot take vs a credentialed assessment of an expert in their specific field. Meanwhile, I'm the one leaning on the expert...

Gary Neville have played, sleep and eat football all his life. No one needs to play a particular position to have an opinion on it.

Again, like your nemesis, you run behind making "passionate" defenses for your arguments but when scrutinized they appear imprecise & gaping in logic.

In one breath, look at Neville and his CV, in another breath, no one needs to have a CV to have an opinion.

This is a laughable use of selective credentialism. Imagine extolling Gary who romanticizes the defensive contributions of players, while dismissing the positional expertise of Paul that actually enriches analysis & insight. You're bold, but I don't envy you.

Mr. Know It All, were you a professional defender to know who is better between Hakimi and James?

The irony and utter hypocrisy. If positions are irrelevant, why specify "professional defender" in the challenge? It contradicts the "universal footballer" ethos. But you wouldn't know because you're looking for gotchas when you should have been looking for logic.

Caicedo the creator?

Opinions over statistics, of course.
Y'all are gassed up over journalistic retorts...
Come at me, all you get is the ballistic report.

Amoto94:
VVD should have stepped out to engage Caicedo while Kerkez will cover Gusto, McCallister was out of the picture with when the pass was played to Caicedo

Had Caicedo missed, it would've been praised as VVDs brilliance. They argued same for the Tottenham chance with Sissoko or so.

VVD can't have it both ways. That's the truth. He hedged on Caicedo shooting wide, high or the GK making a save. This time he miscalculated. Simple.

popizaino:
It is easier to destroy than to build. That's why nobody would rate Dejong over Sergio Busquet.

The best midfielders are builders. They are the fulcrum. Not every game will be chaotic or swashbuckling. What does your CM do then?
He must become the tempo setter.
He must become a playmaker.
He must become a ball-carrier.
He must become a line-breaker.

I speak for the truly enlightened. The Dimly witted should understand why they'll never see the light.

timbros:
Rest.

Gary Nevile

You and Peter Obi have the same advisers.

If you think Gary Neville will have an opinion on midfielders vs Apostle Paul.

To each his own but the elite coaches/players prefer a creator rather than a reactor. An innovator rather than a destroyer. Some midfielders want to break the opposition's attack down but the task of breaking a defense down is the more difficult one.

Easy.

Paul Scholesy.

Bow bow bow to him, drop down to your knees/
City's the real Mafia, that's word to Lil Cease/
A Master like Dominicans, Big Pepi Ortiz/
Other coach's doing target practice: Just aiming to please/

Singapore1:
Why would Pep not prefer Caicedo when he played with Fernandinho? Fernandinho was even more important to Pep than Busquets, who had Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi around him.

Blasphemy.

Rodri is also closer in style to Caicedo than to Gravenberch.

Rodri is who you get if you hybridized Busquets with Fernandinho. Even suggesting that he is closer to Caicedo is an insult. But I'll let it slide.

You listed about five attributes where Caicedo outperforms Gravenberch, yet you’re still reluctant to admit that Caicedo is simply the better player.

I could have added Graven's ball-carrying, manipulation, control in tight spaces, on-ball decision making. They have different attributes. A manager will make his preference based on the style. If you're ghen ghen pressing & playing chaos football ofcourse, Caicedo is your man. Is that what City or Barca play?

Sometimes, we just need to set sentiments aside. Haba look at how you are also making excuse for Graven that he played CB, Caicedo who is traditionally a CM has been playing DM for us since God knows when.

Once one doesn't claim CFC players are the best, they become biased and sentimental. But when we hold you accountable to winning everything, you make the same excuses.

I'm not making excuses for Graven. His own manager moved him to play CB within the game obviously to force you guys to press them higher or deeper so that they could beat that press and have spaces behind you to exploit. He didn't start at CB.

Also, Caicedo is a CM who has been doing the ball-winning duties for you guys. But you've always needed someone creative and press-resistant around him, why? It's because he's deficient in that regard. That's why Lavia had to come on.

Singapore1:
so in short Caicedo is the overall best player , No?

Depends on fit. Gravenberch is closer to Busquets in attributes so Pep will prefer him for example. But Klopp would've preferred Caicedo.

PS: I'm not saying he's Busquets mate in football. This is Nairaland. We have to add the disclaimer.

mine3112:
Is Saka goal an offside goal if you look at it critically well.

He was. At the moment Rice's foot made an impact on the ball, freeze the frame, you'll see Saka was behind the last defender. So it didn't matter that the player touched the ball a little before he [Saka] took possession of it.