Styles

Great OP and good topic. I can't tell you just how pissed off I was with Carlo when he made those dumb decisions. The absolute worst one was starting Paulo Ferreira at left-back ahead of PVA against Marseille in what was essentially a dead rubber game as we had already qualified as group winners. If a manager is going to make stupid decisions like that then they may as well close the youth department down and stop wasting rescources on these players. Sturridge is 10x the player Kalou is, he should have been given a hell of a lot more chances in the last two years. I remember a game against Everton last season Kalou was having another nightmare game as usual (even by his very low standards this performance in particular was absolutely horrific) and Sturridge only came on in the 88th minute. What the hell was he supposed to do in 2 minutes plus stoppage time? That sort of thing is a confidence killer. It's reasons like that I am absolutely glad Ancelotti was sacked. He just didn't seem to give a f**k about Sturridge and that made my blood boil. Now AVB strikes me as more inclined to give the young players a chance. I think McEachran is clearly our best young player* and nobody else has his level of talent and potential of all the kids so it's only natural he plays the most. But I thought PVA and Bertrand would also get opportunities so this Pereira transfer has kind of surprised me because I thought we had adequate cover for Ashley. *Not including Sturridge. He is 21 now and is a adult, he should be treated like a senior squad member and not a kid that is being eased into the team.

Respect to Yossi for being a humble man and giving Mata the number 10. It's a shame but football is a ruthless business and if you are not in the managers plans then you just have to deal with it. He's a very good pro and if he does move I wish him all the best.

I would like us to get a Premier League team so the young players can be tested.

To be to Stoch he was very close to the first team. I remember a very good game he played against Stoke under Scolari and you thought he might get a few more opportunites but sadly they never came.

Sahar? Di Santo? Pfttt, they weren't good enough to lace this guys boots

Did anyone expect any different? He is a bad player playing badly. Shock, horror!

I hav a feeling we're going to get a difficult group. :mellow:

Oh definitely without doubt. Training with the first team is an important part of a young players development. I'd imagine doing well in training alongside top talent would improve their confidence no end. In fact I'm guessing Piazon did impress at Cobham when he was there recently which may have sped things up because it looked like he was going to go back home until the day he signed.

Excellent compilation of Sturridge's time at Bolton for anybody who hasn't seen it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LamXIcNTXtc Ancelotti

I remember Pato was training with Milan before he was eligible to play for them as well. I don't quite think Piazon is going to be a first team player this season though. I think he's going to be with the reserves. He hasn't even played a senior game n his career so it would be amazing for him to come in and just go straight into the first team.

My own personal opinion is that he should stay and fight for a place in the team. As we saw at the weekend he can still contribute to the team. I was amazed when people were saying they would rather keep Zhirkov and sell Malouda. He might not be the type of winger we all want ie. a Robben type and he might be very frustrating every now and again but he's a good pro and is an excellent squad player.

I'd love to see McEachran, Oriol and Lukaku all get some minutes in this game.

Some days he is good, very good even. And then some days he defends like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqiMQMVF1GY I'm sometimes genuinely scared when watching him play. He is pure entertainment but then for a central defender maybe that isn't the best thing in the world!

He actually has his own website that is updated everyday with what's been happening. http://www.juanmata10.com/index.php?seccion=noticias&id=673 Translated into English: Here's a video posted on his site yesterday and it says Chelsea player on the intro:

Sure you have. The comment is specifically relating to Park and his performance iin what was Utd's toughest and most important game of the season. Isn't he supposed to be hard-worker essential in games like that? Why was he one of the worst, if not the worst, player in that final when that is supposed to be the type of game he excels in? He is a worker but he has very little quality. There are literally hundreds of players who could offer the same as Park but also give you more going the other way.

He only plays against decent opposition when Utd want to shut up shop and play on the counter. Why would you ever want that sort of player when you can have any player that you want? And even for that role De Jong is 10x better.

Park though! I think you've bought too much into the hype spread by Utd fans/media that he is some must-have, quality footballer. He looked good against us last year because we were so sh*t! Barcelona ran rings around him in the final. Where was all that hard-worker stuff when facing quality? He was made to look the painfully avergae player that he is by a good team, probably the only good team they faced last year because no Premier League team was worth sh*t including us.

Haha, well said. Park! Still amazed. I think Max is trying to go for an alternative option just to come off a little more enlightened than us chaps who want goals! :champions:

Surprising to say the least. He's an important player for Utd because he suits their style in the crunch games i.e. soaking up pressure and hitting on the counter. I'd rather we play and take the initiative and I don't think he has the sufficient quality to play a part in that sort of game. Hard worker with very little quality imo. Picking him would be a wasted choice but to each their own.

Fair enough, your choice. One question, would you want him in the team every game or just as a squad player?

Good choice. I agree with you that he can pretty much do everything in the final third. It's why the Sneijder to Utd rumor makes no sense to me, he does everything Sneijder can do but 10x better.

LOL. Of all the wonderful players there are in the league you go for Park? Seriously? Only player I would take from Utd is Rooney and possibly Nani.

Oh lol of course, silly me. Messi is the best player of his generation. I laugh when people compare him with Ronaldo and ask who is the best. Ronaldo has changed so much over the years. He is now just an athlete who runs in straight lines and shoots on sight. He lost all his magic and flair.

LOL, what's that supposed to mean? SIlva is doing very well in England mate. He is pure quality.