DYC.

:lol:

Haha don't let the tattoos fool you, Mereiles isn't strong at all. I wouldn't mind Mereiles joining us for 12 mil at all, as long as it doesn't mean we're not getting Modric or a player of his type. @nadavtkl He can't play DM (unless you like DMs who are weak defensively ).

Villarreal lost so much quality with the departure of Cazorla. Borja is a great central playmaker (wish we'd go for him) but Santi was the one of great importance in the final third. Nilmar is inconsistent which leaves everything up to Rossi most of the time, which of course is impossible. Also Garrido went for Marchena, he's so poor. Can't understand how he picked him over Senna. And Zapata obviously isn't a RB. Some bad choices by Garrido which made Villarreal even more vulnerable. Painful loss but then again, this Barcelona side is of a different class. That Alcantara is gonna be huge star, just has to happen.

Nahh the only thing I was hoping for was a creative midfielder and a winger (maybe two). I wouldn't mind Perreira coming in but not for that price. If we're willing to spend that much money on a player we should get someone of a higher class. 30 mil for Perreira is a rip-off, even in today's market.

'Unknown talent' for f*cking €30 mil? The point behind buying unknown talent is the fact that they come cheap. You can get so much better for that much money, Santi Cazorla for instance was bought for €22 mil by Malaga.

Definitely, he bullied players with his tackling and chasing. You call Mikel a destroyer? Mikel hardly bullies anyone around. Standing in the way and intercepting is his game.

My bad, I thought you meant Barca and Madrid when you said the best midfields in the world. But I wouldn't compare us to them. They have mastered the high pressure game and have Busquets, Iniesta and Xavi in their team which means nobody can retain the ball better than them.

Barca can afford to play without a destroyer because they average 96% possession per game. And Busquets might not be a destroyer but he's a great interceptor. Real Madrid do play with a destroyer, Mourinho always plays with either Khedira or Lass. Utd's destroyer is Fletcher, who always plays when fit but he's been out for months. But I agree that we only need one defensive-minded midfielder.

Our suicidal high line.

Yeah the guy really disappears from games, it's so weird..

Very true. That's why I was hoping for Torres-Anelka partnership with Mata and Malouda/Benayoun in free roles from the sides.

True but Zola was something else though.. His technique alone was among the best ever. But let's not turn this into a Zola discussion .

Come on now, you can't say he's as good as Zola after 20 min. Don't get me wrong, I'd love for that to actually happen but that's just too much to expect from a player. It's an insult to Zola's legacy as well.

Let's see how we do against 11 men and better opposition first

Even my neighbour's dog could've told you that.

Don't say that.

Come on eldo, you're better than that. Credit goes to Anelka and Ramires here.

Luck is on our side yet again. Another undeserved win? :champions:

That high line is gonna f*ck us up against actual decent opposition...

Lampard at the tip of the diamond though? The last thing he needs is less time on the ball. Surprising choices by AVB, we can only hope everything works out.

60 mil pounds and a phone call from Torres and he's ours :eyebrows: ,

Iniesta please.

Exactly while the philosofy of the manager is also very important, something many here for some reason overlook. When Louis van Gaal became Bayern's manager, where there's always immense pressure to win throphies, he made the likes of Muller and Badstuber starters, who were unknown at the time but that doesn't matter to him. Frank de Boer did the same at Ajax and made the likes of Eriksen, Boilesen and Alderweireld, who lost his starter place under the previous manager, starters. Some people say they are confident AVB will intergrate youth (if he gets the time). What this belief is based on I don't get as he's only been a club manager for two years and he hasn't made any promises regarding intergrating youth. There was a similar belief by some in Ancelotti while his eight years at Milan didn't suggest he finds intergrating youth important. So the manager's philosofy plays a key role as well.

Hope we play with youngsters in the Carling Cup. I'd love to see something like this: Hilario PF/Clifford Chalobah Luiz Bertrand/PVA Mikel McEachran Kakuta Sturridge Lukaku Mata With the likes of C. Clifford and Lalkovic coming on as subs.

How can you call Arsenal's group easy? I call Dortmund to finish first but Arsenal will probably finish above Marseille.