₦airaland Forum

nihilistjnr:
Let Neymar escape Mbappe's shadow first bro....before you compare him to someone who made UCL final without Messi's help

raumdeuter:
How is Neymar in Mbappes shadow?

TLona1:
Weaklings who have shown up in every level (club amd international).

I see

If ordinary Salah could score 32 league goals in EPL, how much more Neymar?

nihilistjnr:
una don start again.

'ordinary' Salah..

airmark:
Don't mind him. Barka bot.

airmark:
Salah came back after failing in his first attempt. He's no more ordinary and not a weakling like those i mentioned.

I want busquet and Neymar to join man utd, with Mou barking at them to mark like werey.

raumdeuter:
Was Suarez not a diver? Is Sterling not a weakling and diver?

Sterling without a quarter the talent of Neymar scored how many goals in the EPL last season

nihilistjnr:
una don start again.

'ordinary' Salah..

nihilistjnr:
which metric do you want?

airmark:
Salah came back after failing in his first attempt. He's no more ordinary and not a weakling like those i mentioned.

I want busquet and Neymar to join man utd, with Mou barking at them to mark like werey.

raumdeuter:
The metrics that you used to reach your conclusion

nihilistjnr:
Let's start with this

nihilistjnr:
I saw that one of the twäts plaguing us here can't even make the jamb cutoff for mass comm.

mans literally too stupïd to even qualify as a town crier for ffs.

nihiIistjnr:
I tire for am.. Do you think we can make champions league this season?

TLona1:
Ahnahn! What's this you're saying?

Was Salah a top player before he returned back to the EPL?

I'm pretty sure you must have referred to Salah as a weakling before Liverpool signed him and now see what he did in just one season, breaking numerous records.

Lemme ask you this. Was Salah better than Neymar before Liverpool signed him?

raumdeuter:
I know this post was from last year when you responded to my post on City against Man Utd but I you brought it up recently and think it reinforces some believes I have held recently

I think in the last 15yrs football changed. Football is faster more technical the big giant players have been sacrificed for smaller, shorter, very mobile lighter players. Nowadays players cover 13-15km easily in a game, I bet in the 80s hardly will players cover 9km. Now it favours guys that can run fast and run longer. So bigger guys will suffer

Also it eliminated specialists for generalists. Think of it, when did the requirement for a goalkeeper start including playing with his feet. Older keepers are just evaluated based on the saves they can make and reflexes now their ball playing skills is almost as important as shot stopping

Now Central defenders. Gone were the days when the job of a defender is to stop attack and boot the ball away, Now every defender has to be able to play from the back even if their defensive abilities suffer. Also rules of the games have changed, the tackles you shake hands over in the 80s will land you in jail now, Center backs were allowed to be slow and mean. Now they have to be as fast as everyone. Tactics changed too. Now its more dependent on space than before, thats why almost every top team will play a high line and have a 40yards free space between last defender and keeper. So pace is key.

For a DM before it was ability to tackle, now its your ability to cover space and pass(Busquets). The AM of old were hardly required to do any defensive work, they were the king just pass the ball to them and they will create chances with their brilliance and elegance, Nowadays they are expected to run and press. Wingers are not only expected to cross they are expected to be a major source of goals. The olden days winger got dropped to full backs(Jesus Navas, Young, Valencia)

Now to attack, This is where the 9 suffered because they couldn't cope with the pace, they got eliminated almost completely and the Support striker who had more ball holding skills, who can drop deep were made to bulk up and play as lone strikers, Most strikers for top clubs at the beginning of their careers were support strikers. Morata Lewandoski, Benzema Suarez, Aguero, Henry, RvP. Its not uncommon to evaluate strikers on how much they can hold up play, pass, play with their back to goal instead of the old fashioned fox in the box who just stick it in the net

Tactics also changed. 4-4-2 which was the preferred tactics then favored target men. Now a 442 will most certainly lose to a 443, 5231 or 451 because the 2 men in front wont even get the ball since the midfield will be outnumbered

Also football went more scientific not just based on natural abilities, modern techniques were introduced into training, diets and match analysis where every coach is using technology to gain some advantage. Before its common to see footballers drink and smoke. Mario Basler was a chain smoker, Old highlights of matches I have seen some players smoke on the sidelines. Nowadays you cannot, you are placed on a strict diet and training regimen.

Football changed and the target men were the major casualty

raumdeuter:
How and when did Salah change from a weakling

Is Sterling not a weakling and a diver? How many goals did he score last season

pkasso:
Interesting writeup. The phrase 'artists in an age of athletes' comes to mind a lot these days. There is more reliance on athleticism than actual talent in modern football. It's why you see guys like Bakayoko steal a living as footballers. It's basically faster, harder, stronger out there.

I think modern footballers are very privileged. Sport science has made huge leaps in the last decade or so. Players now have an army of physios tending to their every need. Shorter recovery time in between matches, thanks to the ice rooms and sub-zero baths. Injuries are now well diagnosed and treated so much that it's not so uncommon to see a player make a return ahead of schedule.

And what about the money? Back then, most played the game for passion. There were part-time footballers, who did it only for the love of the game. There are stories of some paying out of their own pockets just to take care of some team expenses. But there are no such worries for the modern footballer. The take-home pay alone for the week is more than most people earn in a year. Not to talk of bonuses and other add ons.

There has never been a better time to be a professional footballer but the stakes have also never been higher. It all looks sweet and rosy from the outside but the mental and emotional pressure these guys face especially at the highest level is brutal. The expectations of the most demanding of fans, the suffocating gaze of the media. Even the most resolute of players can break down under such intense pressure. Only recently, Carrick revealed he battled depression during one of the most successful periods in his career. Aaron Lennon had to take some time off from football last year due to some personal issues. Little wonder most of these clubs now employ psychologists and shrinks to whom the players can open up to.

Most of the time, i'm cynical about these things. After all, they make loads of money and live the life many can only dream of. Why should I give a damn about how they feel? But you can't help but feel for them sometimes. It's a tough job.

krattoss:
Where is chelseabmw.. The guy who opened this thread?

airmark:
Where did I call Salah, a weakling?

airmark:
January signings will determine bro. Tired of playing 1000 passes, without a reliable striker at the end of them. Even Morata will support Chelsea getting a better striker.

PlainJAY:
Do you know that's not the real nihilist ?

airmark:
Really? This is crazy.

raumdeuter:
I think modern athletes work harder and are more scrutinized that their predecessors. At a small age, you are expected to be a top level athelete, wake up early, follow a strict exercise, training and diet regimen. Never misyarn, never nack the wrong hoe. Must be perfect from age 19 and given millions and you cannot even use cocaine not even some pain killers else youll fail drug test.

Diggz with the change he get, you know how many girls he don give belle for Abraka Imagine say na him dem give 10k Pounds a week, Naija population for don double

Its tough but they get paid very well for it.

Those things George Best tried with women those days, If it was now, he will be in jail, See the one Ronaldo is facing currently

Those days some footballers were barely fit to run, they were easily gassed. If you watch some of the ball played in the 80s and 90s its like at snail speed right now, I still remember those days when Maradona Valderama etc will be rolling belle and nyansh for field after dem don smoke igbo finish
if you see some teams counter like City or MSN you will think its an Olympic 100m dash

I saw one Ronaldo documentary and his training was insane, There was one they did the will take a corner kick and immediately turn off the light. Ronaldo in the darkness will still try to nod the ball into the net

PlainJAY:
Do you know that's not the real nihilist ?

TLona1:
They might not like to play under Mou but they'll definitely perform way better than Hazard did.