₦airaland Forum

Melvyn11:
The Barca midfield was flopping maybe thanks to your lazy weakling called Xavi which was why they wanted to discard him. He was surplus to requirement like he confessed. He should be thanking God for Pep coming to Barcelona and implementing tiki taka to cover him.

Tikitaka has been ongoing since 2003. Barca was underperforming in the two years before Pep only because Ronaldinho and Deco decided to become party animals and were unfit. No team can carry two passengers. No be today Director dey mumu, so a directors opinion doesn't concern me. Director foolishness has nothing to do with reality. Pep came and singled out the two passengers and got rid of them and the rest is history.

Melvyn11:
Story for the gods. Somebody that Barca told during the Euros that they wanted to throw away. They were like afa we get offer for you come and be going, you are surplus to requirement. We need a strong midfield not a weakling like you . It was Pep that made Barca not to throw him away. Xavi would flopped hard at Madrid without tiki taka nonsense to cover him.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/tribuna.com/amp/en/news/fcbarcelona-2020-12-27-why-xavi-almost-left-barca-in-2008-one-club-that-wanted-him-and-what-made-him-stay/

Well Xavi played all club games in 2007/2008 so that's not a case of he was unwanted or flopping as is being painted. Only a mumu director who is not a football man can attempt such

Either way, Euro 2008 opened their eye. Only a mad man will sell Xavi after Euro 2008.

Melvyn11:
The same Xavi Barca wanted to throw away for being surplus to requirement before Pep came and revived his career. God of midfield at 26 wasn't even a regular starter for Barca. He would flopped hard at Madrid without that tika taka nonsense. Kroos would have slotted right in at Peps Barca like he did at Bayern.

Nobody wanted to throw Xavi away. This is becoming an urban myth. Go and check his appearance record. He wanted to leave after not agreeing with Rijkaard in Rijkaard last season.
Xavi was LaLiga Spanish player of the year in 2005 i.e the best Spanish player in Laliga

How can Pep revive the career of the Euro 2008 POTT? Xavi had already provided the keys to an undefeatable midfield before Pep took the reins, Pep just plugged in to what had already been proven at Euro 2008

Gabriel keeps killing me

raumdeuter:
Whiskey? What of of na client office you dey report to directly after landing

That's where coffee comes in

Realmrsean:
Ice prince still got it


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLRdBpS6jFo?si=mS_b5oXMJ30kU5q-

He left out Onuachu

iamoyindamola:
So to forgive us they gave us the co-host with Ghana in 2000
Thunder fire abacha in his grave

Naija players weren't strong enough. Abacha called them to meeting just before 1996 tournament and told them they can go, but he won't be able to provide security during the tournament due to his problem with South Africa (lamba). No one was brave enough to say they should go anyway and provide their own security

Unlimited22:
They didn't invite us in 98 and I think it was directly or indirectly related to his regime.

It was punishment for withdrawing from 1996 on the eve of the tournament. Abacha cost us 2 AFCONs on our record cos no way we wouldn't have won 96 and 98

raumdeuter:
I don take those small planes like 10 seater to Bonny before cos na when militants dey hold people for water

The pressure that day no be here. At a point it felt like my brains will start seeping out through my ears. The other guy in the plane was crying while some people were just chatting like normal. Based on that experience If option dey, I won't want to take those small planes

You done see am. I'm not the best flyer myself. I must take two shots of whisky before entering plane to mellow, any small turbulence my heart dey cut

I done enter small single engine plane and helicopter before, it's not an experience I would willingly repeat.

iamoyindamola:
I am not attaching spiritual here
They were meant to travel together he declined later that the weather is not okay
The pilot is experienced enough to know the risk of travelling on a bad weather
Wigwe is highly educated to know the risk of flying on a bad weather and his family are there
If the weather was bad why did they fly?
The PA excuse was bad weather that's what I am holding on to

Calm down, always take Nigerian newspapers with pinch of salt. There could be several reasons including wanting to travel by road to witness the Nevada desert and Wigwe gave him allowance.

He could have gone ahead by Car to prepare things for Wigwe. Wigwe might also need a car while in Las Vegas and the assistant could have been required to drive it down from California to await Wigwe there. Or straight up, Wigwe has been in helicopters with the PA before and knows the assistant does not have stomach for helicopters like Mr T and gave him allowance to proceed by road. Helicopter rides are actually pretty scary and are not for everyone

iamoyindamola:
Were you not the one praising the UK that they opened up the king have cancer
Why do we like dribbling ourselves in this country, it happened people know why did access release a bulletin not accepting or denying the situation
It's even better they didn't release anything till they get the full information this
IMO this release did more harm than good

Access bank is a listed company. Communication is expected whether full details are known or not.

Melvyn11:
Somebody already explained that Madrid don't care about possession football yet you are still bringing possession stats to prove a non existent point. Go and check how many possession battle Xabi Alonso lost himself while at Madrid. Bring your Xavi to Madrid and the same thing would have happened.

Madrid cares about possession football until they meet other big teams whose midfielders are better at it.

liveLongNprospa:
Again Kroos doesn't play in a possession based team oooooo.
And please give me details or links to this state you got so I can read it too.

Whoscored

Incognito9:
So kepa no dey start for Madrid

Just look at how that arrogant niggar killed his career, nah fourth choice he go be for us be that.

Fourth choice or Saudi league

He lost his place to the Ukrainian kid 5 or 6 games ago. Our wahala now na who go buy am when he return. Thank God he will only have 1 year left on contract. Another 7 year contract that was a millstone on our necks like Boehlys 8 year contracts have become

liveLongNprospa:
Who has a higher pass completion rate between both especially attacking wise?

For posterity

In Xavis most dominant passing season in laliga, he averaged 124 passes per game at 95% success rate

In Kroos most dominant passing season in laliga, he averaged 83 passes per game at 93% success rate

Don't talk this thing outside again.

Xavi is the nigga that sucks the oxygen out of any midfield battle. He never allowed dem breeeeeeeeevve

liveLongNprospa:
Lmao.. Not one start to show xavi is better

You just dey shout the same regurgitated point.
You call am trailer, I've shown you videos with his first touches taking out players.
There's evidence showing him being more creative than xavi at a more efficient rate too😂.

Make Kroos retire first, we will then know who is who in the midfield hierarchy.
Nobody is touching Zidane.
We will argue from 2nd position 😁

Real Madrid talks

If Xavi and Zidane play midfield in their prime, Zidane won't even see ball

liveLongNprospa:
Is Kroos an advanced midfielder?
Why are you asking a deep lying midfielder how many assists he has?
How many chances has xavi created compared to Kroos?
Who has a higher pass completion rate between both especially attacking wise?
Xavi has more assist than iniesta and yet iniesta shits on him when it comes to influencing the game especially in Barcelona 😎

Which pass completion?

I guess Casemiro does not exist

It is not our fault that Kroos is too heavy to leave the semi circle outside his box despite having Casemiro to protect him and Modric doing all his running. Trailer

liveLongNprospa:
Oga.. Kroos has more successful passes into the final 3rd than xavi in the ucl.
Feel free to confirm.

Also with better completion percentage too.

How many assist does Kroos have?

Emaprince:
Which kind argument be this? Kroos is a nobody in the world of football.

He is just decent. Nothing else. I have never seen anything special about him. Xavi is a controller. Half turns everywhere, while kroos is still turning like trailer. He cant even wriggle his way out of tight situations.

Leave am. Comparing the architect of this shït to that trailer

liveLongNprospa:
Lmao.
You are sure about that last statement? 😁.

Toni Kroos is a controller in a madrid team.
We are not possession based Bros.
Drop Kroos with Pep then you'll see madness and even at that he still has more passes in the UCL than someone like rodri (anchor) who is in a pep team😁

Xavi could never

liveLongNprospa:
Bros you sef fear God.
Is madrid a possession based team?
Abi you think say I be small pikin? You are using football philosophy of club to judge player😂😂.

Ibime, let's look at chances created, let's look at passes completed especially percentage into the final 3rd.
Lets look at defensive contributions.

You are a numbers guy.

Kroos is a possession based player. Xavi could never lose possession battle once much less umpteen times a season like Kroos

BTW, don't think there's any attacking stats you can bring to put Kroos over Xavi

Can never be Xavi

liveLongNprospa:
Lmaooo this man went to bring fans comment after a game.

The season of Rafael benitez, please tell the house what trophy we won?
Because that was the same season Zidane took over😁.
Common don't be shy.
Tell us

These possession stats can never be Xavi

liveLongNprospa:
Kroos is a lazy player?
Kroos?
The same player who is practically playing as a dm/playmaker this season.
Ibime e clear say you never watch Kroos in a long time.

Na Liverpool fans suppose talk about am😂

You can ask his coaches

raumdeuter:
I wanted to post something similar yesterday. I remember when Ulli Hoeness criticized Ozil as lazy and most concluded that he was racist and islamophobic recently Ulli has been attacking Kroos a white German with similar lines he used for Ozil. And he hasn't been called racist or any phobia because Kroos is white like him

raumdeuter:
I think that German midfield of Gundog and Kroos is too soft and France will punch through that middle with Kante's energy

I would have dropped Kroos or Gundogan to accommodate a more energetic midfield like Neuhaus or even Emre Can since Goretzka is injured

BlaqFaze:
Na because of Kroos Madrid foolishly spent 100m on TooMuchMoney because perez was desperate to replace kroos. Kroos was terribly bad throughout the ucl knockouts last season.

The home game against Man city was his worse...dude dey play like who get belle, very tired, lazy performance before he was replaced by Rodrygo

liveLongNprospa:
Bros where was xavi before 2006?
Did Toni Kroos deliver in 2014 for Germany at the world cup or not?
Mention 3 better players than Kroos in that German team?
As if xavi dominated through out his career.
Barcelona system of tiki taka died when iniesta left and not xavi because we saw what iniesta did in 2015 when xavi was mostly useless.

There's no passing stats you want to bring for xavi that I can't bring something of equivalence for Toni Kroos. Again don't forget Kroos has mostly played as the deepest lying midfielder and also dm.
Xavi has always had busquets to protect his ass.

Remind me when Casemiro left Madrid and what Kroos has been doing for the last 2 years.

If you are talking about dominance, Kroos led midfield has won 5ucl's while delivering it b2b2b.
What is a xavi

Go and rest. Barca stopped dominating in 2013/14 when Xavi started having Achilles problem. 2015 win was built on pragmatism and swift counters rather than tikitaka. Kroos is nowhere near Xavi in this life or next

liveLongNprospa:
This is Kroos just for last season and some parts of this season.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr-PZ1utSBY?si=F65SHVbNL1vEwDs5

Kroos is a lazy player who could have been greater. He carries a bit too much weight and is a bit too heavy to make space for every pass like Xavi. Dominating play also involves stamina to keep moving ten yards left and right to open up for pass. Kroos rests a bit too much

liveLongNprospa:
Lmao so a 5% increase from 2014 till 2023 shows that xavi was not the system but part of the system.
So that kills your original point.

Now let's talk midfielder to midfielder.
Who is better?
I have my stats to back up Kroos.
From chances creation to passing completion to final 3rd passes to defensive contributions. He is a controller who plays in the deepest part of the midfield.

What do you have for me for xavi

Kroos whose German team get flogged every tournament?

Before Xavi, every team has a midfield playmaker, and dominance was determined by how many times your playmaker could dominate the opposition team in midfield

Milan had Zvonimir Boban, Fiorentina had Rui Costa, Lazio had Veron, Juve had Zidane. You had Seedorf, Michael Laudrup, Prosinecki, Riquelme, Redondo, Guardiola, Valderamma, Thomas Hassler, Andreas Moller, Stefan Effenberg, Ronaldo De Boer, Juan Carlos Valderon etc

Every match you watch they were trading blows for midfield dominance. Rui Costa won the midfield against Zidane today, Hassler won the midfield against Redondo yesterday. Last week Valderon murdered Riquelme, today Seedorf edged out Veron, and few months ago Laudrup dominated Guardiola. The fun of football then was in seeing who will carry the day in midfield today

They were all playing musical chairs until Xavi came along and ended all bullshit. Xavi did not play games or compete with any of his peers. He dominated each and every one without exception and without fail, every single time. He made it boring.

That's why he is the greatest CM of all time.

Emaprince:
He said Peter Obi has 1trillion dollas stashed away....that means Obi is the richest man in the world?

Some things should just be ignored. It's for market women

liveLongNprospa:
I see so when xavi was taken out of the system in Barcelona, did they stop winning possession?

Yes the percentage of matches where they no longer have majority possession has increased to maybe 5% or 10% from 0%

liveLongNprospa:
Ibime xavi and Kroos, who is a better passer and better midfielder

Kroos that can't win a possession battle against 20% of the teams he faces

Xavi midfield only went below 50% possession in one match from 2006 to 2014. That's 8 years undefeated in midfield work except for one occasion

BlueMann:
Yup, Thuram has been a fantastic signing for Inter. Slotted nicely in place of Lukaku.

Meanwhile, DDR's Romma looking real good. They now lead 2-1 at halftime.

When I was calling for Thuram, Swiz123 the big spender was calling for his favourite weakling Felix

Jokerman:
🚨🚨| Most money spent over the course of a managerial career:

1. Pep Guardiola: €2.04 Billion
2. Jose Mourinho: €1.86 Billion
3. Carlo Ancelotti: €1.69 Billion
4. Massimiliano Allegri: €1.4 Billion
5. Diego Simeone: €1.21 Billion
6. Manuel Pellegrini: €1.2 Billion
7. Thomas Tuchel: €1.19 Billion
8. Antonio Conte: €1.17 Billion
9. Mauricio Pochettino: €1.15 Billion
10. Jurgen Klopp: €1.13 Billion


Wetin Poch dey find here 😬

Na Boehly and Sheikh spend for Poch