₦airaland Forum

Thanks man! This is an early Christmas present
And to make a good thing even better, Manchester City added a bonus as well.

Bros, that first half miss by C. Ronaldo almost sent me into cloud 9. I posted the clip on twitter
One thing I know for sure, Cristiano Ronaldo will have a cold Christmas.


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TheGoodJoe:
You are blowing the Messi performance out of proportion. He had a good game but certainly was not overwhelming. Messi was still in the team when Real Madrid whipped Barca in the Super Cup. Celebrate the win but do not overblow it like Messi tore Real Madrid down. CR7's early miss was the problem, if not the outcome would have been different.

Congrats.

Mickael2, so I presume that you're a Barca fan who isn't necessarily a Messi fan, eh? Wow, you and I are direct opposites

Without trying to rebut every single point you made, because many of them are valid, but here's the bottom line: Messi makes everyone better. To understand where I am coming from, just select a combined Real Madrid/Barcelona first eleven and tell me how many Barca players you'll have that team.


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Mickael2:
I want to understand something here, how come Messi didn't open the scoring here? Suarez's goal had NOTHING to do with Messi, it was great play from Busquets, Rakitic and Roberto, however here you want us all to believe that every other barca player is a bench-piece at best for other clubs. Messi's goal was a penalty which he didn't even get himself, it was Pique's header that got the spotkick but of course nobody else plays football in Barce except Leo Messi. The third goal would not have been a goal if Navas had better gloves and guess what? It was scored by Vidal but you want us to understand that these guys are useless. If you truly watched this match(and the last match against Derpotivo) you would see that Iniesta's class is still there and guess what? We dominated both games like we have never done all season without prime Iniesta. You said Busquets has slowed down? Maybe that's what you want to believe just so that you put him down and exhault Messi but bottomline is that 19 other teams would kiill their coaches just to get Busquets to play a season for them. I need not mention Ter Stegen who denied Ronaldo and Bale certain goals or maybe Umtiti who has been the best CB in the Spanish league this season or Alba or even to a lesser extent, Roberto. These guys have been doing very well, we can argue that Suarez has been off(he has been picking up lately) and Rakitic isn't the guy he once was, so we can say Messi is carrying our attack but saying that he is the only guy doing it all for the team is false, he is contributing his quota and then some which is a great thing but do you think he can do it alone without these guys I mentioned? Then go and check Tata Martino's season

Bro Cristiano Ronaldo is supposed to be the best player in the world, so we expected him to show class, especially considering his supporting cast. On current form, how many Barca players can start on combined Real Madrid/Barcelona team? Probably only Leo Messi! Tells you how good Messi is to carry this team to victory.

They said he can't do it without Xavi and Iniesta. Today he's doing it.
They said he can't do it without Neymar. Today he's doing it.
In today's football, there's only one player you can't do it without. And his name is Leo Messi. If you doubt me ask the Argentine national team!

#Wow. I love that line ... will go and post it on twitter


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Mickael2:
Ronaldo was lively, not his best match but definetly not his worst.


And this is rather ironic, you were the one defending Iwobi the other day saying Arsenal as a team performed badly, now you are picking out Ronaldo(who had a better first half than Messi, well maybe not but definetly close) to blame him for Madrid's collective shutdown in the second half?

Oh really? I didn't knew .... my bad


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tbaba1234:
I am sure that there is a thread for this discussion.

God bless you, sir!

There isn't really any contest.


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Mujtahida:
this is for you icon79

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyIgPqOpMWY


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GGMaz93kgs

Modric was peerless as always
Kovacic has a tough day in the office. He was assigned to man-mark Messi, along with Casemiro, but Messi is magic
Rakitic had a decent game
Mascherano - did not play


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AIG07:
wow! You've told us how messi has been brilliant today. Good job man. But he isn't our only opponent at the World Cup. You can do better. Tell us about Modric, Kovacic, rakitic, and Masherano.

Messi breaks FIVE records in one El Clasico match

Most assists in El Clasico history ✅
Most goals in El Clasico history ✅
Most goals scored for a single top-flight European team ✅
Most goals scored against Real Madrid in history ✅
Only player to score over 15 goals in 10 consecutive La Liga seasons ✅



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#ElClasico contributions:

Lionel Messi
Completed 50/57 passes, 9 chances created, 1 assist
4 shots, 3 on target, 1 goal

Cristiano Ronaldo
Completed 22/27 passes, 1 chance created
5 shots, 1 on target


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Bruh, you've put it much more eloquently than I ever can. There's no need to add anything else but ...

... KPOM!



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KevinDein:
Boss, I keep saying it and this El clasico reinforces my belief that there should never have been a debate between who is better between Messi and Ronaldo. I mean Messi does everything Ronaldo does (goal scoring), everything Iniesta can do (play making) and everything maradona did (dribbling)

He is basically a hybrid of Ronaldo, Iniesta, Maradona. It takes some human to be all these three rolled into one.

That said, I'd have to say kudos to the media, Madrid and FIFA for somehow convincing us that there should be a debate on who is better.

Comparing Cristiano Ronaldo to Messi is stupid honestly.. forget the Messi goal.. look at how he plays; dribbles, passes, vision, creativity .. mehn!! #ElClasico



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Lionel Messi in #ElClasico:

Goals: 25 - Most In History
Assists: 13 - Most In History
Hattricks: 2 - Most In History

#ElClasico



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A total shallacking for Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu. Final score: Real Madrid 0 FC Barcelona 3.

#ElClasico



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And Barca makes it 3-0. It's now a thumping at Santiago Bernabeu. #ElClasico

Messi 1 goal 1 Assist.


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Let me ask again, where the hell was Cristiano Ronaldo? Did anyone see him today? Anywhere?? If you see him, please bring him down to Santiago Bernabeu ... his team needs him!
#ElClasico



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Lionel Messi has scored more goals against Real Madrid than any other player in La Liga history.

King of the Clasico. � #ElClasico



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25 goals for Leo #Messi in #ElClásico!
Sum him up with one emoji… � � � � �


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And who else but Leo Messi to make it 2-0 for @FCBarcelona.

Barca 2 Real Madrid 0, as the boos rain down on Real Madrid at home! #ElClasico

CC: Safarigirl


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All the Real Madrid players (Casemiro and Kovacic) were so focused on #Messi that they forgot that Luis Suarez has a dagger too! Other ways Messi can win a match for you! #ElClasico


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Santiago Bernabeu has gone eerily quiet. And the Real Madrid players are bringing out the machetes now, LOL. #ElClasico



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And Suarez puts Barca ahead! #Elclassico

Real Madrid 0 Barca 1



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-edited-

Actually the two friendly matches were organized ahead of time. We were to play them in Abuja and then somewhere in India or so. I tell you, the result of that Nigeria vs Argentina game was so bizarre that FIFA even launched an investigation into the Abuja friendly match.

Anyway, I didn't mean to say that the Argies didn't want to win in this last friendly. Of course, they want to win. They are sports men and professionals .... anytime you put a professional out there in the pitch, he wants to win; however, I was just saying that the game wasn't a matter of life or death situation that a match at the world cup, if it comes to that, would be.


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Mujtahida:
the bolded is simply not true. that friedly match reverberated throughout the world of football even Maradonna was angry at the emphatic defeat because we made Argentina look ordinary. In addition, you yourself know thatevery single international TV analysis referenced that match while discussing group D. you say Argentina doesn't care but how come not long after we beat them 4-1 in 2011 they quickly organized another friendly so that the balance of power can be restored. don't forget that this last friendly is so proximate to the world cup. it must definitely weigh on their minds rivalry or not. its pure psychology. Not even Argentina themselves except for purposes of mind games can be so dismissive of us and say they don't care.

Please tell me how many Chelsea players, under Mourinho, that completed a successful loan move. That's not Mourinho's style. Mourinho's style is to send a player on loan, forget him and keep buying the best players on the planet. Mourinho has no idea how to develop a player. Today we're celebrating VicMo, but I can tell you that he would still have been going out on loans if Mourinho is still in charge at Chelsea.

Bottom line, Omeruo was just unlucky to have Mourinho in charge at the time he hit his best form.



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komekn:
What's great about Omeruo

For me I use your club form as a launch pad for any measurement of ability.

You don't have to be great to play ok in your national team particularly when you don't have anyone who is clearly top class.

Consider how loan moves launched the career of Ola Aina, Bertrand Traore, Nathan Ake, Tega, Seyi Ojo, Jordan Ibe, etc.

Ethan Ampadu barely a year ago was playing for lowly Exeter he is now playing first team football for Chelsea he is just 17.

A loan move gives you the opportunity to show your ability. If you perform you get noticed and you move up.

Omeruo was at Middlesbrough and also in the Eredivisie in all these places he did not stand out to be diplomatic. If he has performed he simply would not be in Turkey.

So tell me what's great about him. Please let's not be blindly emotive he us not better than Cahill. And with Emenalo in Chelsea I can assure you he will not face any discrimination he just had to perform better.

Being great implies world class and if not world class top class and if not top class then very good in comparison to other defenders. Would you call him any of those things.

Comparing statistics in different league levels and ratings is an exercise in futility. For instance the Eredivisie has the highest goals to game ratio in the top twenty leagues in Europe. That tells us something abou the league that is ranked below the Turkish league.

But back to question ❓ objectively explain what makes him great Assess him as a player etc

And Messi hits the free-kick against Ronaldo's face to end the half. #Elclassico
He was like 'take that biachi'


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Watching Messi in slow mo is better than an orgasm. #ElClassico


CC: Safarigirl

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Like I said, the entire Arsenal team was poor in the first half. I was only reacting to you picking on Iwobi for criticism. The team improved in the second half and so did Iwobi. And he ended up providing an assist for the second Arsenal goal (scored by Xhaka, by the way). And Iwobi would have gotten another assist if not that Lacazette pulled the ball high.

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goldfish80:
What's my business if Xhaka/ Sanchez aren't playing well? I'm neither Swiss nor Chilean.
The interest here is Nigeria.

Some forumites arent catching this game and they depend on the reports of those of us watching.
Should we now report falsehood because we want to cut the players some slack?

Arsenal fans aren't impressed with Iwobi either... some reactions I just caught.
They are dishing it out to Cech, Sanchez,Ozil but I rather not post them. Not our business

No, I wasn't trying to justify it either. I was just putting things in perspectives. Arsenal was generally poor as a team in the first half ... they barely put any foot right and allowed Liverpool to run rings around them. I don't think that Iwobi was anywhere near the poorest Arsenal player in that first half. Hence, if anyone needs to justify their inclusion(s), I would start with Ozil, Wilshere, and Xhaka all which were non-existent in the first half. And you don't even want me to talk about Arsenal defense.

Like is said, in my opinion, Iwobi has two areas to improve. First he needs to improve the defensive side of his game. He doesn't wanna develop the reputation of someone who only plays on one side of the pitch. Secondly, he needs to add goals to his game. He should demand for the ball in the final 3rd and take shots whenever he gets a chance. And finally, I might add that he needs to improve his energy level. He needs to become a 90 mins player. If not, it would become a luxury to have him start games.


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goldfish80:
I was watching the game purely from the perspective of a Nigerian. Iwobi can't justify giving the ball away as much as how did because Sanchez and Oezil gave the ball away.
If I pull Iwobi's heat maps from the first half, you will see he hardly made one accurate pass .
I dont play to the gallery of emotions when I analyze games.

Are you watching the game? Because sometimes reading some comments on here makes me wonder whether some of y'all actually watch the game you comments about on here.

Arsenal was poor in the first half but that has nothing to do with Iwobi. It was a general poor team performance in the first half ... everyone was giving the ball away including the usually reliable Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. Liverpool players were just beating them to every 50-50 ball. And if you're going to pick on anybody, you'd pick on Jack Wilshere and Xhaka who gave up the midfield to Liverpool.

meanwhile, Wenger must have spoken to them because a different arsenal team come in the 2nd half. If I were to pick on Iwobi for anything, it gotta do with his poor defensive effort.


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whizola:
Iwobi can be good and frustrating in equal measures. A bit like Sterling was before Guardiola did his magic on him.

Iwobi isn't playing poorly, my friend. Arsenal as a whole has been passing poorly in the first half, so don't just pick on Iwobi.

And by the way, did you see the assist he just gave to Xhaka for the equalizer?

Arsenal just took the lead via Ozil. Arsenal 3 Liverpool 2 - coming all the way from 2 goals down.


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goldfish80:
By the way, Iwobi is not justifying his inclusion in the first 11..... so many misplaced passes...The boy is wasted on the wings, I keep saying this

Of course, anything can happen in football and any country can beat any country on any given day. But I was trying to caution against is a situation where we try to take the Argies for granted simply because we've beaten them in a friendly game. That would be a big big mistaken. Argentina is still the top dog in our group and we should treat them as such. Remember the last time we defeated them (was it 4-2 or 5-2) in a friendly game in Abuja and two days later they trashed us in India or where?

Anyway, my point is, our main target would be to get results against the team I would call direct oppositions (Iceland and Croatia). And if we end up getting something out of the Argentine game then that would be a bonus.


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tbaba1234:
Football is not like that, Italy needed to beat Sweden but could not. France (world champions at the time) in 2002 could not beat debutants Senegal when they needed to.. Argentina (world champions too) in 1990 could not beat Cameroon when they needed to..

Granted that some countries (like Poland and Portugal) have manipulated the ranking, but FIFA ranking is still a good measure to evaluate a team. After all, if you can't accept Argentina's raking then you shouldn't accept Brazil or Germany's rakings either.


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MetalJigsaw:
What are you saying? If they had beaten us in that "just friendly" I'm sure you'll bash our dear team so bitter and never give them any credit or chance going to the WC.

* So you're one of those who take that FIFa rankings seriously. Tell me your reason for this I can mention for you a large number of teams that aren't as the current Super Eagles squad being place way ahead of us in the useless and very controversial FIFA ranking .

* You said Argentina are ranked 4th. Why couldn't they beat us without Messi to prove their superiority?