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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...

Why did Roberto Martinez give him the n10 jersey?

Iniesta has been on a decline similar to ribery and sergio is good under one specific system..... If it was me, I would drop all the barca players in the midfield and put javi martinez, koke and thiago as the 3... However, I doubt iniesta and busquets will get dropped anytime soon.

What is Cesc better than Thiago at? One touch play: thiago Short passes:thiago Long passes: I guess Cesc Dribbling:Thiago Vision: Thiago Creativity:Thiago Flair:Thiago Speed/agility:Thiago Strength:Cesc Tackling:Cesc Technique: Thiago Shooting:Cesc Leadership:Thiago Pretty much cesc vs thiago is exactly what mata vs silva is.... Mata is going to give you better stats, but SIlva is the better team player and overall player.. (I remember when this board honestly thought Mata was better than Silva).

Ozil to Munich...... Pep going to buy every midfielder available and if this sale goes thru, Wenger will regret not buying Cesc. DM jack-Cesc walcott-Giroud-sanchez Looked pretty good on paper.

Stat wise, no... However, i think i replied incorrectly. What i meant was Thiago was better for barcelona than cesc was at the time. So, he's attributes were more barca suited than cesc was at that age, so he was "better."... I still think thiago overall is better now than Cesc at his prime. Thiago is the reason why losing Kroos wasn't significant at all to munich..THIAGO BACK!

CAVANI +COSTA... One can dream.

Didnt ake immediately play for first team though? Thiago went thru barca b for a few years...

I remember this prior to signing Cesc... http://www.barcaforum.com/showthread.php/6964-Cesc-Fabregas-or-Thiago-Alcantara A lot of people from barca felt thiago was already the better player for them even with cesc world class stats at arsenal.. There was also another article from a catalan supporter concerning the situation http://www.barcablaugranes.com/2011/6/26/2244275/fc-barcelona-european-champion-thiago-alcantara-is-better-than-cesc Same people said thiago would rot on the bench at munich, yet outplayed and started instead...

Raibot looks like a good prospect. Roma is getting another good young midifielder...

Xabi alonso was the best cm in the league.... Thiago wasn't part of a youth/fiscal generation of arsenal, he was part of the prime years of barcelona....

When Oscar plays a million games vs sterling who played 1 a week.......

Jose >Your logic.

lol..... Israel did pretty good in the world cup.

You can see it.... neymar never played for barca, but barca were willing to spend big because everyone knew neymar was the best young player in the world. In spain, especially catalonia, thiago was the best kid to come out of the academy since messi. thiago specialized in one touch football, something barca excels at, something cesc never excel at... Just because he had better stats, doesnt make him the better player for a specific system..