₦airaland Forum

Leyqute:
Stop sounding exasperated.

The question you should be answering is this:

Does Salah provide adequate cover for his full back?

LMAO. Since when did covering for a fullback become the job of Salah, a RW in a 433 formation? That's the job of Henderson, who plays on the right side of midfield. You should watch more Liverpool games and stop yarning dust.

Leyqute:
Salah is a liability defensively Chief. Forget matter. He’s a great goal scorer and all but he doesn’t put in solid defensive shifts.

Not saying this to belittle him or take away from his shine. That’s just the fact.

This is one myth that needs to be debunked. Salah is NOT a defensive liability. Just because he doesn't chase players up and down and isn't as combative as Mane, doesn't mean he is trash defensively. He does his fair share of defenaive work. Closing down defenders with his speed, blocking passing lanes etc.

Does it make any sense that Klopp's Gegenpressing system anchored on the attackers pressing and forcing turnovers high up the pitch would harbour a defensive liability? A complex system such as that would fall apart if one, just one player was slacking off defensively.

SALAH IS NOT A DEFENSIVE LIABILITY.

elampiro:
That is what we lack at United. Forwards who with defensive and midfield abilities. This is why our defenders look poor. Those days, Rooney, Tevez, Park will chase a player back, corner him and helped the defenders disposse him

A strong defensive workrate, while a positive trait is not a key attribute for an attacker. They are paid to score and create goals, not win tackles and intercept balls.

Rooney and Tevez were scoring and creating goals aplenty, which was their primary job. Their defensive workrate was just the bonus. You think if they were not contributing enough offensively, Sir Alex would continue to play them? Credit to Mane for working hard for the team but if he's not performing to his standards offensively, he can't be said to be better than Salah.

Jodera:
Is this the job of an attacker or a defender?

Na wa for una oooo

Me just dey shake my head as i read that post. The things you read on here, my brother ehn. .

Lordave:
I just wanted to point it out, not that I was expecting him to feature in yesterday’s match.

I will be looking forward to what Nagglesman does with him in our next 2 matches.

It's going to be a bit difficult for him to get back into the team. Almost everyone, except Goretzka is back. Even if Tolisso gets injured, which seems inevitable, there is still Sabitzer. I even hear Nagelsmann is planning with Musiala in central midfield.

Lordave:
Nagglesman ignores Roca again.

To be fair, Tolisso is in good form at the moment and i have a feeling Roca would have struggled with the pace and intensity of Leipzig yesterday. He is a bit on the slow side.

BlueMann:
Emotional ke

MOTM worthy...meaning the performance in itself was worthy of the award, just that someone else had an even better performance.

Besides six out of the full squad is not half of the team na

James was a key player for us in our UCL triumph...whether hooge role or mighty role.

And as for Havertz...he did score the winning goal, so he did win the CL for us - at least in a certain context.

James na your guy so i can understand why you would go all out in his defense.

I'm referring to the Chelsea average starting 11. James wasn't among the top 6 players for the CL success. His contribution wasn't that different from Chillwell. Mendy, Azpi, Rudiger, Jorginho, Kante and Mount were all better.

hensben:
Messi has won it all, individually and collectively so doing comparison in that manner doesn’t make sense. James can be compared to Hakimi due to their individual and collective achievement so far.

Hakimi has played at 4 top clubs in 4 of the Top 5 leagues and he's only 23. Someone that was playing CL football when James was still slugging it out in the Championship. The most expensive full-back of all-time. Even for individual accolades, dem no be mates.

The only reason i'm tolerating this argument is because of their age bracket and the obvious potential James has. Hakimi is better.

BlueMann:
Not the first time I'm seeing something along this line about a player..."he didn't play a key part in our UCL success, I can name X guys who did more than him..." So if six guys indeed contributed more than James, that means James couldn't have played a huge role in our CL success, or those six guys are the only ones who contributed greatly?

Someone who was a regular fixture in the squad, starting half of the games in the knockout stages then playing full 90mins in the final, delivering a MOTM worthy performance in the process...but somehow he didn't play a huge role in the UCL triumph.

Na wa.

Una suppose dey calm down. No be everything una go dey emotional about.

I'm not saying James didn't try but when more than half the team contributed more then, you can't be said to have played a HUGE role. Simples.

Which MOTM performance did he deliver in the final? Kante was clearly the best player on the pitch that day. Later, una go dey vex when Havertz.10 claims Havertz won the CL for Chelsea

I just even checked the UEFA CL Squad of the season to confirm. There were 7 Chelsea players on that list and James didn't even make it. Na persin wey play HUUUGE role be that oh!

donstan18:
Name the 6 players.

I dare you.

In no particular order; Mendy, Rudiger, Azpi, Kante, Jorginho and Mount.

Ibime:
Not necessarily. He still has primary responsibility for that right back and comes back more than you would expect. A lot of times what we call poor defending from Trent happens after he has run the length of the pitch forward and chased the length of the pitch back again and just run out of steam in the last 5 yards to follow a quick dart from the attacker. When I've seen Trent told to focus on defending mostly like when he faced Leroy Sane, he was solid.

James I would say start gassing on the halfway line on the way back. And James also played with stationary midfield of Jogs, Kante and Kova in Lampard first season when I noticed his recovery stamina is not great. Just looking at his body, you can tell. It's not rocket science. You don't see middle distance runners with such body frame, only sprinters. It's not a problem per se. He would just have to adapt his game slightly to be a bit more conservative as a fullback and choose his runs, he can't do what Trent, Dani Alves, Hakimi, Alphonso do, running up and down non stop.

Baba, you couldn't have put it any better. You just said everything in my mind.

Another thing i've noticed about Trent is how he defends 1v1 well against 'shakushaku' wingers who like to hold on to the ball but struggles against those fast, direct and pacy ones. I've seen him nullify players like Sane and Ribery only to get rinsed by Dwight McNeil, Rashford and even Sterling on occassion.

andrewbaba44:
Fraud in your own village and imagination .

Wingers yes ,strikers ,you got none

So rest .

Android22 was actually being sarcastic. He's Pro-Pep.

donstan18:
James won UCL last season and played a huge role. He had a better season than Hakimi last season.

LOL. You must be joking. Hakimi was only behind Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez in helping Inter win the Serie A last season, their first in the last 10 years. He was unarguably the best RB/RWB in the whole of Europe last season.

E say James played a huge role in.Chelsea winning the CL last season. LOL. I fit mention at least 6 players that contributed more to Chelsea's CL success than James.

The Lampard-Gerrard debate is a very tough one but omo, it's Stevie G for me. That man carried Liverpool on his back during some of the darkest periods in that club's history. He was a more complete midfielder than Lampard. He could run, he could pass, he could tackle, he could shoot. Beast of a player. Gerrard would grab the game by the scruff of the neck and will Liverpool to victory.

While Lampard was playing with Cech, Terry, Makalele, A Cole and other stars, he was toiling with Dudek, Hyppia, Overrated Carra, Djimi Traore, Finnan and others. Still, he competed favourably against him.

Even Mourinho who already had Lampard lusted after him. Only God knows what would have happened if he had joined Chelsea then.

donstan18:
Regardless of any formation, fact remains that James has been better than Hakimi this season.

You are right. James has been the better player this season. In the same light, i can name over 20 players better than Messi this season. Does that mean they are actually BETTER than him? Recency bias is really a thing.

donstan18:
Hakimi: 25 appearances... 6G/A

James: 23 appearances.... 11G/A

One dey play with Neymar, Mbappe and
Messi in a League they are dominating.

One dey play with Fraudvertz, Odoi and Lukaku in a League they aren’t dominating.

But somehow, Hakimi is better.

Clowns!!

I'm not a fan of rating full backs on traditional attacking metrics alone but let me humor you. Hakimi plays in a back 4 at PSG while James plays as a RWB so it's only logical that he would have more goal contributions. Morever, Hakimi is just in his first season at PSG and is yet to fully hit his strides.
Why not bring out Hakimi's numbers as a wingback for Dortmund and Inter Milan and let's compare.

You can also bring the amazing stats Neymar and Messi have been dropping in the Ligue One this season so we can see how they have been helping Hakimi pad stats.

donstan18:
What’s Alaba main position?

Azip and Kimmich are very versatile, but they have main natural position.

So again I ask, what’s Alaba main position?

Alaba is the most versatile player in the world so i can understand your confusion. He started out as a LB but he rarely plays there these days. I think he has even played more as a CM than even LB in recent times.

He has played consistently as a CB for over 2 years, far more than any other position. The last time Alaba played as a LB on a regular basis was in October 2019. Even when Davies got injured for 3 months, he remained at CB. He has moved to Real Madrid now and he is still starting as a CB. What does that tell you?

donstan18:
The same reason I’ll choose Alaba over Marcelo is the same reason I’ll choose James over Trent.

I don’t like defensive liabilities.

Ba a complete package. Be balanced.

James and Alaba are the best in their position right now in the world.

Only Sandro and Robertson comes closer.

Trent is hardly a defensive liability. He's not the strongest defensively but i don't think he's bad either. James is the more balanced full back but what Trent offers on the ball is so much more. TAA is the best RB in the world and James is not even number 2.

BTW, you might need to update your ball knowledge. Alaba plays as a CB these days and Sandro, while still decent isn't a top 3 full back any more. And does the name Alphonso Davies ring a bell?

Ibime:
Lordfalcao

Boss, abeg oh My hand no dey there

donjazet:
You're as idiotic and imbecilic as advertised. You are 2nd to the most foolish poster on this thread. Your posts reduces one's intelligence. Kiddo, please focus on your upcoming waec and jamb. Please do well to pass this time in order not to try a 3rd time.

Errm. . Bros, no vex oh. Who be number one? Asking for a friend

AnfieldFan:
Slow guys can be good midfielders and I don't quite agree with you on him being slow, he's got explosive pace and can get away from his marker before the race really gets going, good ball retention, press resistant, decent/above average passing skills and good upper/lower body strength....
On paper, he's a complete player...He's in that bracket of players that get the highest recommendations from scout reports...It just seemed he didn't have the right attitude...

For all his quality and undeniable technical ability, man's got poor conditioning. You can almost immediately tell with that his chubby physique. Ndombele reminds me of Ronaldinho in his later years. He's always gassing out when the game starts to heat up. He had problems with Mourinho regarding his cardio and working with someone like Conte who pushes his players to their limits physically was never going to work out.

In today's footballing world, you need more than just talent to excel at the highest level. Intensity, stamina, athleticism are all required to make it. The best players are the ones who match their amazing talents with impressive physical conditioning. Even guys like Jorginho who are not the strongest physically possess the cardio to keep going for 90 mins+ Ndombele should work on his fitness.

kendrick93:
I always wondered how Bayern bid 70m for this guy!!!
Crazy

LOL. Brazzo na big phool He was so obsessed with CHO that he offered him Robben's number 10 jersey if he signed. Na like say one fortune teller don tell am say Odoi go win at least 5 Ballon d'ors before he reach age 30

But i doubt that we were really going to buy him for 70m. It was a loan deal with an option to buy and knowing Bayern's history with those kain deals where we take players on loan without signing them permanently, Chelsea refused.

We got the real deal in Musiala though and for far less.

Lordave:
Good morning boss. Wishing you the best this new year and next.

I won’t deny I’m being harsh on him.

I couldn’t fathom the reason he wanted to leave us for fücking Arsenal and Tottenham. Many people have said it was during Kovac time as Coach, but he wasn’t the only one playing for Bayern under Kovac. From the leaked text he exchanged with his then agent, he clearly fancied playing for this little clubs over us. I was just disappointed and I won’t miss him. To him, we are just a stepping stone to his desire of playing in the EPL even if it’s for Fulham.

He isolated himself from the leadership rank of Bayern cos he’s never had the Mia San Mia spirit, hence not many people sing his praises.

Imagine someone who joined us in 2016 and wanted to leave for Tottenham or Arsenal in 2018/19 despite the fact that we gave him a lot of support during his injury periods, now he’s talking about lack of support and appreciation for wanting to leave even when he was offered a €10m contract.

It's crazy that anyone would want to leave Bayern at this point in time. I mean he has a chance to create a dynasty and make history with his friends and he's only just getting into his prime.

Well, he has always wanted to play in the PL and i think he will end up at Chelsea. Funny enough, we might be getting one of Rudiger and Christensen as his replacement. Talk about swapping free agents Newcastle would be one wild move if they manage to stay up but i don't think Sule would want to waste his prime years.

Lordave:
He never loved the club, the idiot once preferred playing for Assanal and NoTenham ChilledSpurs than playing for us.

The whole story makes me think he’s slow in the head.

I wish they remove Zakaria from that list and go for who would agree to cede a little paying time to Nianzou. Nianzou is due to get his chances.

Happy New Year, bro! Good to see you are still around.
I think you are a bit harsh on Suele. I'm also disappointed that he failed to extend his contract but a few things must have influenced his decision.

I think Niklas doesn't feel appreciated and valued like some of his age mates at the club. This is his sixth season here and he has not really looked like a senior member of the team. His weight has been a topic of discussion internally from time to time during his stay here and some dumb fans have even questioned if he has the elite mentality to succeed at a superclub like Bayern just because he's laid-back and not as vocal as Kimmich and Muller. The unfair criticism and scrutiny is enough to make him reconsider his options.

This was supposed to be the season where he comes into his own after the exit of Boateng and Alaba. He has played well this season but he probably suspects, as i do that Nagelsmann would mostly play his boy Upa over him when he has to pick between the two of them as Lucas is an undisputed starter when fit. The 5-0 loss to Gladbach comes to mind. Sule was on the bench for that game while Upa put up a disasterclass.

I wish him all the best wherever he ends up going and i hope he leaves on a high.

reccy:
At some point, i even forgot that this is Chelsea fan thread..... The way our scampool and ba-yarn brothers they argue here, no be small thing oooo...


Meanwhile, their threads are dry with nothing meaningful going on there.....

Nah to pursue dem comot remain now...

LMAO. This thread na beer parlour. No topic is beyond discourse and all comers are welcome

I totally agree with Android22 on the Muller issue. Muller is primarily an attacking midfielder, but his versatility means he can be deployed anywhere across the final third with varying results. Notwithstanding, Muller has never been a striker. He has played there on occassion but that doesn't mean he is one. His best position has always been behind the number 9.

Regarding the Jota/Firmino issue. The reason Firmino has been under fire in recent seasons is because of his poor output in front of goal. No one would be criticizing if he was putting up decent attacking numbers. He has been poor in that aspect and no amount of false-nine can excuse that. Jota offers Liverpool more goal threat in that same position, though while playing a different role. Firmino has a fight on his hands to keep his starting shirt, though Mane's indifferent form on the left might force things in his favour.

Skimpledawg:


What is this?

The thing burst my brain, walahi! Android22 no well at all

I think the reason for the goalkeeper conundrum is because the FifPro XI is voted for by professional players across the globe while the best goalkeeper award is voted for by national team captains and coaches, with additional votes from journalists and fans. So, they are basically two different things. You can win the best GK award and still not make the FifProXI. I do agree that the whole thing is a bit unsettling but it is what it is

BlueMann:

Man be wishing he had jumped at the chance to represent Sierra Leone

popizaino:
If you want to know how ineffective this jorginho passes are compared to other DM, it is the fact that this his passes aren't even responsible for the second assist.......Most times,DM don't rank up much assist from open player except they are charged with set-piece duties but you will find their numbers high up in the second assist which is missing in jorginho stats yet ,this is fans want to sell us lies that he has quality of passes and also an effective passer.

Yeah. Those ones are called secondary chances or pre-assists. I'm not even asking for assists from him. That's just cherry on the cake for a DM. But progressive passing shouldn't be too much to ask from a supposed pass-master, is it? Control the tempo of the game and set your team playing on the front foot with incisive passing. That's what world class deep-lying playmakers and midfield controllers do. Kimmich is a master when it comes to this. Even guys like Kroos and Thiago who are naturally risk-averse know how to move the ball forward into certain strategic zones while not necessarily splitting defenses. I could go on and on. There are levels to this shiit. Jorginho stans should watch more of football and lick less of his ass.

Ibime:
"Italian Leon Britton"

Pkasso, you expect these neophytes to know what you are talking about?

You found the most adept comparison sha

LOL. Leon Britton the acclaimed best passer in the England at that time Barry Ferguson of Birmingham City is another one that comes to mind. Na Jorginho pipu be that. 1000 passes, no assist