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Im really interested to see how Cesc plays against a good team... Against city, I think he failed or was invisible. Arsenal he played well, but arsenal really isnt a good measuring stick that game..

WOW... This board is so fickled.. When chelsea were playing barcelona in 2012, everyone said how much cesc sucked balls back than, but now that he plays for chelsea, hes god status.. However, last year when modric was rumored to chelsea, everyone was sucking his balls as the best cm in the world. I love how he is all potential when Cesc never started for barcelona on a consistent basis nor Spain (until he played false nine and even than ft9 was still starting) and captain a shit arsenal team, the same team that won nothing besides a fa cup in his tenure there...

For the kid that said silva wouldnt work under jose....

The thing is when you have superior athletic ability, the potential pass one can do is greater than one without.... watch the first few passes, cesc wouldnt be able to make those passes nor would kroos.. those are passes modric and thiago and others can make, because their nimble and agile and athletic. AS thiago is better than cesc, so is Modric.

One example..

Silva would be effective.. Jose at real madrid had a choice of either silva or ozil and chose ozil because he was cheaper than silva at the time. Silva most definitely could of succeeded in the current makeup of Chelsea and Jose....

and yet when Mata was on chelsea, the same people said it wasnt any question who was more superior Silva vs mata.... http://www.whoscored.com/Articles/-z7-jyvrhectam1edtdl1a/Show/Player-Focus-Thiago-Alcantara-The-Rightful-Heir-to-Xavis-Throne

must be, according to your logic...

Phil Jones... Not no John Stones..

Its too bad hes only 10 goals away from Cristiano.....

Cesc does do that, however, unlike Cesc, Thiago has athletic ability and superior technique which allows him the ability to create better and pass in different situations Cesc cannot... I dont know if you guys watch munich games last season, but when kroos got benched for thiago, thiago was munich's best player up until he got injured again. He could do everything kroos can do, but he can do it faster, press better and move better. Cesc, isnt a slug like kroos/mata, but he is not quick or fast and their was already a few times this season where our cm got completely outrun, especially cesc because of his physical deficiencies... Also, alonso is probably the best long ball passer ive ever seen and neither cesc/thiago are near him. There a reason why Pep wanted Thiago over Cesc, even though Cesc was more decorated and experienced. Think about it. Kroos and Cesc are pretty similar players. Both, when given time, are fantastic passers of the ball. Both can score goals and both are set piece maestros... However, both have the same physical limitations, being both are hella slow and neither sheild the ball well or dribble it particularly well. Thiago, on the other hand has those attributes that they lack, which is exactly why he was chosen ahead of kroos last season. If their is one thing thiago lacks, its size/height/strength. There was a huge difference in munich when thiago played vs when kroos played, if you go to the munich board, they mentioned it quite a bit. The team looked amazing when thiago was starting for them. It's actually pretty crazy because during thiago transfer time, a lot of people wonder why he went to munich, where the midfield was better than barcelona and everyone said he would rot the bench, when in reality he never did, unless he was unfit/injured...

Neymar: 40goals in 58 matches and will probably break the brazilian record held by Pele..... Neymar didnt need to go to barca for people to already figure out he was the world's best young player, but his stats are still...

Yeap. Your right on that. Cesc assists this season have been magnificient, however, this long debate with various people, I think I lost concentration on what my initial argument was. which was basically thiago is better for barca/spain than Cesc. As you said, everything else can be debateable.. This season would be a good measuring stick to see who is better.

If you can execute those passes, vision comes naturally to you since the game slows down for you. Similar to american football or basketball, when your technique is superb the pass comes natural, especially when you have superior footwork... It's always people that lack superior technique and positioing/physical attributes, that have trouble. Wait and See when Thiago comes back this year...You can see what Spainards all see in the heir to Xavi.

He played false nine at barca.... You know what messi stats are this season... 9 apearances, 7 goals, 7 assists in the false nine position...

When you have better technique, you can execute the pass better. When you can shield the ball better, you can pass better.

Assists/stats is everything to you... Ask barca fans what they really thought of Cesc and most if not all will not have a glowing statement... Also, thiago plays further back, while Cesc was an experiment false nine. Kind of like Lampard vs Xavi. Im pretty sure lampard has more goals and assists than xavi ever did, but by your logic lampard is better and has better vision, etc.... You know why barcelona had him as a false nine, rather than in their midfield? Its because his skillset wasnt good enought to play in their midfield, so they had to find a way for him to succeed... You can tell me all the nonsense about assists, like Juan Mata, but players like Silva and Thiago will always be better in my eyes and in most Spainards... That's correct, but Fabregas was one the best player and the captain of Arsenal while Thiago was not that outstanding in Barca. I think Thiago had never been a star there. He was a starter for a few months but never become intouchable and Barcelona didn't really wanted to keep him. Fabregas was a World Cup and Europe Cup winner and one of the best midfielders in the world at the age of 23. Thiago is yet to leave his mark. He has the talent and plays in a very good team but his carreer is nowhere near to Fabregas'. I like Thiago a lot but he needs to improve a lot in the next few years. Barcelona and Xavi wanted Thiago and Thiago was an untouchable.....Under Pep. WHich is exactly why pep made thiago his number 1 target, not CESC. Even when he was available, Pep passed him.... They said when thiago went to munich, that munich had better midfielders and he would rot on the bench, yet, he pretty much started or appeared every game he was healthy. They said munich has a guy name Kroos, but yet, Munich chose to pick thiago over kroos...

WHen your on a bad team with low ambitions, someone always gets the stats ala KDB and Lukaku....(its like sterling and his midtable liverpool, someone going to get stats in a gunho offense) Watch the second video of Thiago passing range. Please tell me Cesc is obviously better in longball

Cesc had henry, flying dutchman, reyes, rvp, pires, gilberto, cole and campbell the year they made the final. no stats... You still think Cesc long range/ball passing is obviously better?

Thiago played and started during the era that barcelona was viewed as the best team in history. Cesc played and started when arsenal are becoming the 4th place loving trophy team they are today and won 1 fa cup in his span at arsenal...

2:04 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxf-zP5EH5Q No stats, but you know where the play is from.

You mean Cesc won a fa cup in 7 years at arsenal... Thiago played a significant amount of games for when barcelona was one of the best teams ever in history, not for a team that won 1 fa cup in 7 years... Thiago already won more titles than cesc.

Assists doesnt equate to vision. If that was the case Cristiano, lampard, gerrard would be up there in terms of vision... People look too much into vision as assists.. Yet, I remember reading when mata was on chelsea he had more than all 3 barca midfielder combined assists or something crazy like that... Vision its simple.. Thiago, like Silva can move around and adjust, however, Mata/Cesc are more static playmakers... Therefore, the option to provide the pass is greater from a player like silva/thiago vs cesc/mata. Thiago has a better passing range than Cesc and even longball passing is debateable. Vision isnt the pass that leads directly to the goal, vision can be the pass before the goal that doesnt show in the stats sheets... Also, when you have better technique, you can make more and better passes in different situations.

Some fans actually think attacking players want to track back and defend constantly... In most team sports, no one wants to do both constantly and consistenly... american football, basketball, etc...

Liverpool is a midtable team. best option for them is to lose all their cup games, so they can concentrate on getting 4th place this season...