₦airaland Forum

from 4-1 to 4-4 against this Barca team?

Uefa should just even give Sevilla the trophy. Them try no be small.

StarBoard:
organise, sharply!
Call your guy Tval.
A few bottles of stout will do this evening

Nahhh I know just the guy for this.

Krasid, son of Kratos, son of Zeus...Show thyself!


Tonight we revel in your honour!!!

In other words, na you be DJ tonight bro

Yup! We dey hia!

It's like Busquets does not know that he has ben hyped to high heavens today.

Offensively he's been sound, even contributing an assist.

Defensively though? He's been dribbled to the floor by Reyes. He was outpaced by Tremolinas to cross for Reye's goal.

World best? You must be having a laugh

AirborneLacer:
All you need to do to keep MSN at bay is to have a DM whose workrate is as high as that of a bull possessed by legion of demons and a well park-the-bus defence line.

Whilst your deep line placed defence snuffs out the danger in the box, your 'reliable mad' DM would have to do well to break up play and stop the trio from shooting from range.

This is just my common sense and tactical knowledge at work in a dull Tuesday nite though.

I'll send you an email 2moro morning about MB

Suarez assist.

Torros Through Pass for Gods sake.

Who will deliver us from these MSN boys?

raumdeuter:
Whats the Purpose of this?

Is it to prove that Pirlo didnt have DM cover in his Deep lying playmaker position?

If yes what are Gattuso and Ambrosini

And If Busquets is like Pirlo, who are the equivalent of his own Pirlo and Gattuso

Final response.

1.That article firmly places Busquets in the same Spatiality as Pirlo being the closest midfielders to the back four, without necessarily being defensive in nature.

2. The high line/ high press Barca play(ed) heavily compresses the space available to their opponent as evidenced in the fact that bar Messi and Suarez,all other outfield players averaged at least 1 succesful tackle per game last season

3 When coupled with the fact that on average Barca's opponent's only have the ball for 27 minutes out of the 90 available, it becomes apparent that Busquets does not even need a Gattuso or Ambrosini type of player.

Infact, they dont even need dedicated defensive type players at all. I read 'Inverting the Pyramid' by Jon Wilson, and according to him, Cryuff who invented Barca's style, was even experimenting with a system that did not have a specialist goalkeeper!

Dude let's discuss this later. I'm out.

Personally I believe that this has been a more reasonable debate than the usual Hazard vs Neymar etc nonsense, but to avoid further derailment, I will exit now.

chic2pimp, raumdeuter, sinizia, sircumalot, and airmark. I thank you all for your opinions. I'm out.

raumdeuter:
Pirlo played for different teams in his career and even when he was young he was never a DM he always had DM cover him. WHo were the DM covering Busquets if you claim he plays the same as Pirlo

Dayo this is not the kind of question I would expect from you.

Ok who was the DM that covered for Modric last season?

Hear Pirlo:

“Milan offered me a 1-year extension but I wanted 3 years because I was younger than the other players whose contracts were expiring,” Pirlo, 32, told today’s La Gazzetta dello Sport. “But the real reason behind why I left Milan was because Allegri wanted to use Ambrosini and Van Bommel in front of the defence.

So that meant that I had to change position on the pitch. So I said ‘No, thanks’ to Milan, and chose Juve. Milan decided that I was no longer useful to them. I understood that immediately during our meeting.

Allegri wanted to use other players in my position. During a long season injury problems can occur, but I believe that they should change something in the preparations at Milanello.

That annoyed me. I played there for 10 years and they know that I don’t do certain things…"

This tells you a lot.

chic2pimp:
World's best playmaker bawo? When have you ever seen him totally dominate a football game? His job is to protect the back four. He also recycles his team's possesion and gives it to his more talented teammates

What else do you want him to do to show that He is the numero uno as far as the DM position is concerned? Lay a Golden Egg? C'mon brah

I've just shown you that Busquets does less defensively than 3 well known DMs. If you want we can extend it to the DMs of the biggest clubs in europe last season, and I guarantee you that Sergio will be near the bottom of the pile in terms of defensive work put in.

Quite simply, he is a defensive midfielder, that doesn't really defend. He barely even does more defensively than Rakitic.

Now the hype, comes from the passing. The recycling of possession, that 92% pass completion rate that was higher that Both Rakitic's and Iniesta's last season.

That is the source of the hype my brother. 92% pass completion

raumdeuter:
Pirlo was not born as a 36yr old. when at Milan he wasnt 36

Pirlo from his Milan days over a decade ago has been like that never doing any defensive work and getting Gattuso and Ambrosini to cover him while he does the play making job from the back

How does this negate what I said in anyway?

If the link above me is true, and Modric was voted the best Defensive Midfielder in la liga last season, then it makes my point very well for me.

That you can be rated highly as a DM based on your offensive and passing prowess, and not your actual defensive ability.

raumdeuter:
Busquet isnot a Regista he is a pure DM. Pirlo does no Defensive work. He is a deep lying playmaker. Pirlo when exposed to attackers they eat him up because he doesnt defend To get the best out of pirlo you need real defensive midfielders to cover him

Pirlo is what a quarter back is to American football

Pirlo is 36 and obviously cannot be running around as much but his defensive stats last season are not far off Busquets.(Check sqwuaka)

Says a lot really. Like Sergio, Pirlo also played for a possession hogging(though not as much as Barca)side, with Juve averaging 58% possesion last term.

You can play behind the centre circle and not be a Defensive Midfielder, ask Fabregas, Pirlo, and Sergio Busquets.

chic2pimp:
At their prime, no one rated either of them as the best in their respective position. Have you heard anyone call Pique the World's best centre back? Ditto Valdes? Me Neither. Abeg give credit to whom it's due.

I will always give Sergio his due as one of the world's best playmakers, because that's effectively what he is.

A Regista, a DLP, a younger, less-handsome Spanish Pirlo.

But he has not done anything defensively to be considered a world best Defensive Midfielder.

chic2pimp:
Oya name a better Defensive Midfielder in the world atm?

No one is saying(at least I know i'm not) Sergio is the better footballer. But as far as the DM position goes, Sergio is KING.

King ko. Reverend ni.

It's like saying Victor Valdes or Gerrard Pique is king in their respective positions.

Look at the Chart below.

Now I'm not trying to say that Schneirderlin and Matic and Or Vidal are better than Busquets...though they very well might be.

But look below, All 3 midfielders bested Busquets for core defensive statistics last season...WHY?

Because they had to DEFEND more.

Each of those 3 had to make more tackles, more interceptions, and more blocks per 90 minutes than Busquets.

When we look at the totals, the picture becomes clearer.

Morgan Schneiderlin played 300 minutes less than Busquets, but had to make more total tackles, interceptions, and clearances than the spaniard, because well Morgan has to DEFEND

I'm sure I dont need to post any stats to show that Busquets bests those in Pass Completion Stats though.

Put Busquets in a passing team, and he will shine as a passing midfielder. I have not seen anything else to suggest he is the best DEFENSIVE midfielder. emphasis on defensive.

*Drops mike on Dayo's coconut head*

Roland17:
I humbly beg to disagree with the bolded, if you consider Busquests slow what verb would aptly describe Yaya's pace on the field especially when his team is hunting for possession? Between both who is faster?

How do you gauge strength? By apperance I presume based on the bolded, Busquets wins tackles effortlessly, it's about intelligence and timing more than physical strength in today's modern football.

I'm not concerned in a Yaya v Busquets comparison as they perform different duties for their clubs.

raumdeuter:
Do we put an Attacking player in a team that attacks before we can call him king e.g Hazard?

An attacker, attacks simple

Busquet gets the hype because of his distribution, and performance as a deep lying playmaker, and not because he has to defend.

In a 90 minute match, his team holds the ball on average for 63 whole minutes. How can the other team hurt them?

Barcelona don't need a DM because they defend by possession.

raumdeuter:
No one has ever reffered to those as best in their position

yet busquet has been referred to by many coaches and analysts as the best DM by a mile

Google each name there followed by best and see what you find

Negro please.

raumdeuter:
As a DM Busquets in top 2 in the World

As a Box to Box Yaya is not top 3 anywhere

I would never include yaya in my team. he is one of the reason City sucks in Europe he lacks positional intelligence and depends on physical attributes a lot which is why he gets molested by any decent CM in Europe

In the CL for the past 5 seasons we are still waiting for yaya to show up



This is a silly opinion

have you seen messi, Xavi Iniesta do it outside barca/Spain

Have you seen lahm, Muller, Schweini Do it outside Germany/Bayern?

Have you seen Terry, Gerrard, lampard, Rooney do it outside England or their clubs

Have you seen totti do it outside Roma/Italy

Except we can SEE these guys...We can SEE their exploits. We can point to their goals, their assists, their individual awards.

Anybody that says they can see Busquets the same way is a liar. The TV Camera focuses on wherever the action is, and when Barca have 70% possesion, what defensive work is Busquets doing? And what camera is showing it?

Abeg stop romanticizing Busquets. Put the Defensive Midfielder in a team where he actually has to Defend, before you name him king.

Debroslink:
Is Busquets the best DM? Yes, he is.

Is Yaya the best box to box player?

Based on?

You might as well call Puyol/Pique/Macsherano/Abidal/Alba the best defenders in the world.

Valdes was also the world best keeper.

Abi what is this rubbish?

Overhyping the defensive component of a team that averages 70% possession per season.

I will pick Toure over Busquets in my 11 anyday.

This fawning over busquets is something I don't actually get. The guy is good no doubt, but plays for a team containing some of the best players in world football.

He's very slow, not particularly good in the air, and isn't particularly strong either. He is a deep lying playmaker that plays in a possession based team.

Let us see him do it outside Barca/Spain, playing for a team doesn't average 70% ball possession per season, and actually has to defend for once...before we label him the Jesus Christ of DM jare.

Hype Hype Hype on this board.

TheNonce

What a name

The former Bulgaria international striker was scathing about Van Gaal when asked about him by Spanish radio station Onda Cero.

"I would never be under the orders of Van Gaal," Stoichkov is reported as saying. "He's mediocre. He destroyed Barca and is destroying Man Utd.

"With what he has done to goalkeeper [Victor] Valdes he has shown he is a bad person. Hopefully Pedro listens to me and doesn't leave.

"I would never leave if I was Pedro because if he goes there he would no longer be a footballer.

Rooney 2013/2014 19 goals and 22 assists in all comps

Rooney 2014/2015 14 goals and 6 assists in all comps.

*In Keky's voice* Hmmmmnn

Ibime:
At your age I already had First Class honours to my name, whilst you are busy struggling with National Open University Nigeria after failing to meet JAMB cut off.

That I am older than you is only of relevance if you have achieved anything in life in comparison to me.

Wetin concern my age with the fact that you are still writing NOUN degree while hanging out at Warribloods barber shop in Area? I never did that at your age dumbo. Keep it up.

Oh boy, the block is hot

Ibime:
At the end of the season, someone dropped £50m for Sterling whilst Chelsea could not sell Oscar despite putting only £25m on his head. Men lie, women lie, numbers don't. End of story.

[size=18pt]Don't let Jigga fool you: Numbers dey lie well well my nigga.[/size]

Torres also went for 50 million quid. Sheva went for 30 million. Carroll went for 35 million

If Sterling was not English, we wont have even heard of him.

Ibime:
You must be mad or blind. Either you dont know football or you specialise in chatting shyte. Kindly explain what rubbish he played. He played seamlessly, very neat in midfield, linking the triangle with Silva and Toure, made 50 passes in 74 mins with 86% success.

Better people are watching footie, you are busy chatting shyte.

Out of those 50 passes, only 11 were forward passes.

What kind of AM plays 4/5 of his passes backwards?

Now, let us even look at the 11 forward passes sef.

https://s21.postimg.org/6pt2tnnxz/image.png

As you can see, only 8 of those were successful...and they are all away from the box

The ones that he tried towards the box failed. Remember Sterling historically has poor passing, and I've highlighted it to you before.

A 44 million pound winger that is passing to the wing...Olorun oba o

How wont he have 86% pass completion when 4 of every 5 passes were going to the back?

0 chances created. Only 2 shots in 74 minutes. Both in the box, but his lack of clinical finishing was exposed again

Do I need to add that Sterling made the fewest passes in that 5 man midfield?

Or that he played like a grade 1 ode.

Is this the guy you keep comparing to Oscar?

"Everyone thinks they have the most beautiful wife at home(Except for Ibime )" - Arsene Wenger

Sterling is not worth more than 10 million.

Ibime:
lol. And I sold Yaya Toure on Friday night!

So you are back to losing ways...

[quote author=Keky post=36808999][/quote]