Daniel1980

Have a feeling Fabregas left for such a low price for him because he was adamant that he wants only London(his girlfriend and daughter live there), leaving Barcelona with no leverage if they wanted to sell him. And I've heard there are many add-ons in the deal--Chelsea structured the Fabregas transfer in such a way that Arsenal wouldn't profit. All in all, really smart deal, even considering Fabregas's wages.

Kaka. He was very good when he was fast, but his speed was the key to his success. As a playmaker, he wasn't exceptional. He was phenomenal in 6-7 games in a season and invisible in most. But he was incredibly popular and overhyped, and his good looks and "good boy" image played a huge role in his popularity.

Yeah, ridiculous. He's good, but compared to all these guys, such a price for a teenager is beyond silly and will put a lot of pressure on him.

I don't like him much, but rationally, Costa should be good for us. Yes, he's not the type of striker who creates himself, but with so many creative players behind him, it isn't really necessary. While he's far from being a dream signing for me, he will strengthen the squad. Though deep down, there's always the fear that he'll be Torres 2.0. Hope he'll prove my gut wrong and my brain right.

Yep: Stats: 25 minutes played, 32 passes, 88% pass success, 1/3 accurate through balls, 6/6 accurate long balls, 2 key passes, 1 assist. We can safely say Barcelona didn't completely brainwash him into doing only two-metre passes.

Really nice assist and he was very good overall. Del Bosque's mistake(and not the only one) to play Silva over him.

I meant not his lack of confidence in general, but his lack of confidence when it comes to making the decision to shoot. Passing to another player--right it or wrong--is always the easiest option. I hope I'm wrong and Hazard really just doesn't want to seem "greedy" or whatever. In that case, he should become a bit more greedy. He's a star player and it's natural that more is expected from him.

It's possible, too. I honestly think Hazard needs to be more confident and selfish. Sometimes being a bit greedy isn't bad when you have the talent.

It's like he's afraid to shoot. His lack of confidence worries me.

That explains why Fab left the session early, then. But it's not the first time I got the impression that del Bosque and Fabregas didn't get along, and I'm not really surprised to hear that Cesc was upset about his small part in the WC. Silva was terrible in both games, but del Bosque keeps starting him, for some reason.

Same here. Hated the little shit's guts when he was at Arsenal. But can't deny he's talented as hell, so I'm happy to have him now and don't even mind his ego. In other words, Spain's team is a right mess. I wonder why Pique abandoned the session.

It doesn't really look like a dispute to me. lol The only thing I noticed was that even Fabregas looks very tall next to Xavi.

Yes, Oscar is a possibility. But even if he leaves, Lavezzi isn't exactly the best candidate to replace him. I'd prefer to have Cesc at #10 and someone like Vidal as a CM.

Yes, but they may want to go themselves. Who knows? It's not always only the club's decision.

haha I know Arsenal fans who are absolutely convinced that Fabregas would never agree to wear Chelsea's armband. They never learn.

There have been precedents of players granted the captaincy just after one season in the club if they impressed enough. A recent example: Montolivo. Because of other players' injuries, he put on the armband after only a few months in the team and he became AC Milan's full-time captain after only one season, ahead of the players who were in the team far longer than him. Montolivo used to be Fiorentina's captain, by the way. So while longevity should matter, it isn't crucial. Merit is more important.

It's very hard to choose. There isn't any obvious candidate. The captaincy should be based on merit and leadership, so we'll have to wait and see who steps up. So far, I don't see leadership qualities in players like Oscar and Hazard, and it isn't clear who will stay in the team long enough to become the captain. While I don't have any preference, I wouldn't want the captain to be: 1) too young to deserve respect of older players 2) a substitute player. Ideally, I think the captain should be: 1) WC player 2) someone who's been at least a few years in the club, though it isn't crucial 3) team leader in games 4) 25-32 years old (not too young and not too old; just enough experience) But obviously, it isn't always possible.

IMO, the last real WC defenders were Nesta-Thiago Silva. AC Milan's defence was a joy to watch when Nesta was in his prime. But in recent years, defenders really have been poor, even in top teams. Hell if I know why. It's pretty puzzling, actually.

Obviously this guy:

I think Jose knows better than anyone how talented and unmanageable Mario is. I trust him to make an informed decision.

In other words, if Torres doesn't score 30 goals next season, it will be Fabregas's fault.

Iniesta was okay. Silva was shit.

Agreed. I don't like judging any player by his performance in a WC. There are too many factors to consider. Some average players manage to shine in a WC and some great players seemingly flop. That being said, I also agree that:

Er, I generally agree with you that stats aren't everything, but have you seen Xavi play last season? He was terrible in many games. Even Barcelona fans who adore Xaviniesta and are often blind to their faults admitted that he was one of the worst players in many games. This is just a few random quotes from barcaforum: "Once again showed he is well past his best, simple passes going off target and he just doesn't control the game at all.. Sad but true." "As the season advances, Xavi's decline becomes more and more apparent." "Apparently, he slows more and more the game. Doesn't take risks of assisting or getting further forward. Pretty much a ''heavier'' player these days." " I would believe this if I wouldn't see Cesc, Messi or even Busi making those passes.""He is nothing more than a blunt knife now. I'm really sad about his offensive demise."This is just a few random quotes from February 2014. Xavi is no longer the old Xavi. He was bad last season--both his game and his stats.

His pass accuracy really improved at Barcelona, but IMO, his passes became less risky and creative, adapting to Barcelona's possession style. That being said, he still created a lot of chances for the team last season, second only to Messi. I think he can easily switch back to the way he played in the PL. From what I have seen of him, he never looked comfortable playing Barcelona's tiki taka anyway. He might be three years older now than he was when he played in the PL, but creative midfielders that don't rely on pace are the least affected by their age. And hell, he just turned 27. He's still young. I don't expect Cesc to have problems adjusting to the PL, unless Jose tries to turn him into something he isn't.