DYC.

Every player that shows the slightest bit of talent gets most of the fans very excited. I don't think that's quite the same for the people in charge of the youth or the manager in charge. Not one Chelsea talent stalled at Vitesse has set the league on fire, was considered as one of very the best by the followers of the league or seen as a true potential star. Some do well, some are inconsistent, and others are poor/crap. And the Eredivisie is not exactly top level.

Yes, yes, yes. More importantly, Mendy and Imbula moving to Chelsea. All the players sent to Vitesse were never supposed to make it at Chelsea. Very much a window display for the lesser talents.

I don't think Juve are capable of buying Verratti from PSG. Offence vs defence. I'm backing Barca. The super trio equals too much fire power.

I guess that makes sense with an aging Pirlo and Tevez and Pogba possibly on their way out.

Do you think Marchisio will take over for Pirlo or do you expect Juve to buy a new player?

Ronaldo was worse. Weird game btw.

Now he's a real talent. It's kind of sad for Bale because he tries.

Pogba is not at that level to carry the team. Even before the injury. Can't believe he missed that open shot though. Pirlo was very poor. Vidal and Marchisio worked their socks off to 'save' their midfield. Well done, Juve. I was dreading Clasico part 342. Looking forward to the final. Bale cracks me up. But he tries. That was a very poor second half from Real. But the Morata goal came out of nowhere. Changed the game and Real started to rush.

You're right. I was thinking about a different penalty. Or I'm just very confused right now. Anyway, you are correct.

You mention Drogba. Did Drogba win Chelsea titles? Chelsea's first two titles were won because of a strong collective, Drogba was not even the star man. Drogba was very, very important in 09/10, 14/15 was won with little contribution from the big man. He scored a lot of cup final goals but to say he won his team triophies is too much credit imo. You have to actually reach finals to win them. Drogba was crucial in the CL win, but was he more important than Cech? Cech who made those incredible saves. Countless amount of saves. The final alone. Bayern created so many chances, but Cech was incredible (poor finishing as well). Cech saved the Robben penalty. Cech was the hero of the penalty shoot out. Cech was the man of the tournament for me, slightly ahead of Drogba, but that's just my opinion. Ramires and Lampard were important too, but plain luck was decisive as well. But I hear you on Ronaldo (he still scores long shots though, not to mention his headers). It's funny because I sound like a Ronaldo fan right now, when that couldn't be the furthest thing from true. But I recognise his greatness. Or better said, I think he's a great. I think the difference between you and I is that I don't believe in one player winning his team titles. Not consistently. There are some single seasons or a single tournament when a player really carries their team, but impossible over an extended period imo. The collective is everything.

You don't have to be as good as Messi to be incredible. Messi is on a level only a handful of players in the history of the game have been able to reach. Messi does indeed give Barca that bit of extra, yeah. But Ronaldo did that for Utd, helping them become the best team in the world. He also does it for Real, but Barca and Messi are better. But again, I do agree they should've done better in the league. These past three years provided the perfect opportunity to add one or two more league titles. But Messi doesn't win Barca titles, it's the collective. Messi was the best player in the world by far in 11/12. He scored 73 goals and provided 23 assists in all competitions for Barca. That a single individual could produce such numbers is simply astonishing, and his 73 goals in one season was a record. Barca finished 2nd in La Liga and went out in the semis of the CL. The collective was not strong enough to win the major titles that year. Cesc totals 30-40 in goals and assists in his absolute top form. And that's something he can manage maybe two or three seasons in his career. And that's if he's very lucky. Cristiano totals 60+ consistently. That's the difference. Consistency. That's what makes CR and Messi special. No one (in modern football) has been capable of doing that. It's usually a case of two or three stand out seasons for even the very best. As for CL finals. First I'd like to add, don't forget Ronaldo was not supposed to play the final. He wasn't (match) fit but didn't want to miss the final. But even if you ignore that, inferior players have performed better in a CL final and (arguably) superior players have performed worse. One of my all time favourites for example, Zidane. Juventus reached the final of the CL twice in a row in '97 and '98. They lost both finals. Where was the great Zidane? Why didn't he carry the team and win them the final? How was a man with his god-like talent and ability not capable of making the difference? Not just that, he only managed to win three league titles in his career, despite playing for the best teams in Italy and Spain. He only won the World Cup and European Cup because France was the best team in the world by far at that time. And Ronaldo Fenomeno is overrated as well. He scored a lot of goals but he only won 1 league title and has never won the CL. He's never even managed to lead his team to the final like others, Cristiano for example (3 times), have done. 16 goals in 42 appearances in the CL. Quite frankly, both players are overrated. See how ridiculous that sounds. My apologies for the long reply, didn't expect to go on like that.

Fergie was bitter. He knew Hazard was a special talent. He talked about value but he paid £30 mil for a teenage Wayne Rooney and €30 mil for a teenage Anderson. Both were huge, huge sums of money at the time. He knows it's necessary when you want to pick them up early. What a steal Hazard turned out to be. I was never so ecstatic about a completed transfer before.

He scored goals for Sociedad, he was not a supporting striker then. Schurrle is different. He likes to receive the ball, cut inside and shoot, and he shoots a lot in general. That's not Griezmann's game. He's comparable to Pedro. Schurrle's big problem is his erratic first touch and poor link-up play. Griezmann's first touch and overall ball control is very good and he links up very well, it's one of the things I like about his game. Again, it makes sense in my mind but at the same time it's still quite risky. But if the rumours are true, Mourinho also thinks he could fit the team. So let's see what happens.

Tired of Barca - Real. Would be nice if Juve made the final.

Of course, but I don't believe it all. Turkish clubs are always linked with has-beens, but that description does not suit Cech. His comments in the media suggest Petr is still very competitive and looking to play at the highest level.

If you told me Suarez would become a world-class centre forward and key player for Barcelona 5 years ago, I would've slapped you silly. I still don't believe it. The progress he's booked since Ajax is unreal.

Come on, we're talking about Cech. Not Lindegaard.

Bale got Spurs to the CL? Bale's breakout season was when Spurs played CL football. So that's after making the CL. His first good season overall was 10/11. If you're looking for someone to credit for Spurs' 'succes', I'd say Modric is the guy. Calling Bale clutch for two goals in two finals is too quick. It took Drogba quite a while to earn that tag. And Ramos is the one that actually equalised in the dying minutes for extra time.

A little something I wrote about Griezmann a while back in the Summer Window thread. At the time his possible acquisition was merely based on hope, but looking at the rumours: Griezmann's entire game is revolved around movement. He's constantly moving, always looking for space. Direct running, moving into positions to create space for his teammates, drifting into positions to offer support and a passing option. Quick, agile, sharp, very good ball control, a cool finisher, Griezmann has a real eye for goals. Not the type of player who will get people off their seats with mazy dribbles, neither does he possess outstanding ability passing. Definitely the type of player who's at his best in and around the box. But that's more than fine. It allows most of the play to go through Eden and Cesc, all players that love to get on the ball. Griezmann is not the type of player that likes to get involved in the build-up play much, but he has a quick mind. He's very good at playing quick passes and exchanging one-two's to keep the ball circulation high. Something that has been a problem as we've often witnessed slow passing, making it easy for opposition team to organise their set-up and defend. A very intelligent player and he complements Hazard well because of their completely different styles. Willian and Cuadrado offer different options when necessary. And this way you have three players in your starting line up who are all capable of scoring 15+ goals each in all competitions. Kind of weird how he's now so heavily linked with the club. In my mind, Griezmann would suit Chelsea perfectly, but reality doesn't always agree with me. Still, I definitely support this transfer. I refuse to get excited though. Need something more solid.

Barca's midfield has been excellent. Rakitic is everywhere, strong on both ends, and more than astute in his distribution. Great player. Iniesta keeps growing centre midfield role and is starting to own it. His defensive abilities have always been underrated. He's definitely lost a step though, but that's alright. And Busquets is in top form. His positioning is amazing and he breaks up so much play. Brilliant, brilliant top by Ter Stegen for the Lewandowski shot btw. Bayern's finishing has been poor. Barca's super trio doing the usual. Very, very poor defending for the second goal though. What was Benatia thinking leaving Suarez unmarked?

I've watched more than a fair bit of Brazil, though not much since the World Cup ended, and I disagree with that. I think calling him a creator is generous, though he is a bit more influential overall, plays with more flair and he scores fairly frequently for them. Doesn't really say much though. Playing friendlies against decent and poor sides for the most part, with the occasional good team coming along. He does click really well with Neymar.

My mind was blown. I remember even Buffon and Pirlo raving, and those guys have seen everything. But like you said, he hasn't developed. Never quite playing like that again. The weirdest thing is, it seems like most of his flair and fantasy has been drained out his system. He doesn't play like he did in 12/13 and I find that very strange.

Because of this Can you comprehend the fact that he made the decision to do that when the ball was played to him? In less than a second or two, he imagined this. And executed it brilliantly as well. Genius. I can't believe that's Oscar. The Oscar of right now. It's still up there with the best goals I've seen.

Luca Toni is still scoring goals for fun?!? Unbelievable. Sign him up.

I read that a while back too, but it doesn't make sense. He was bought for €30 mil, so a clause for €30-35 mil is insanity.