OneMoSalah

To be fair for Nigeria he plays as an 8. He was sort of like that against Palace too, he linked with Drogba a few times like in that video of him against Spain, looking to play a one two and get higher up, got a shot off. I think in previous years, hes played as the 6, to good effect but Matic and Ramires were both on at the time (I think) when he came on so he had a bit more freedom to play slightly higher and be a bit more free as he knew there was cover.

Very good player, plays both flanks, technically very good and knows where the goal is (basically a goal every 3 games at Barca). Incredibly hard worker too, if hes available I think we'd be daft not to consider him. Hes won the lot in Spain and in Europe as well as the Euros and World Cup on the international stage. Only 27 years old too.

I'd of had Ballack in there ahead of Essien tbh despite Essien being an absolute monster of a footballer in his best years. Ballacks ability to play several roles was key when we lost players, especially when he adapted his game to suit other players (Lampard in particular) and his leadership skills were always there to see from day one. Still gutted we let him go that early tbf. He still had another year or two in him I felt. Ray Wilkins is quite daft though. Willian? Really? Cmon man.

Can we put out our B team and park the bus again? Will be very funny to beat them like that again.

Courtois Ivanovic Cahill Terry Luis Fabregas Matic Messi Willian Hazard Costa fuck it why not if people think we are going to get Begovic, Clyne, Sterling, Lacazette, Varane, Reus and Bale I'll have Messi in my team.

If you read what I've posted in the Oscar thread you'll know exactly what I feel about Oscar's contribution.

Really I think the game against Burnley he was one of the key culprits in how we dropped 2 points. We played with the ball a lot on the right side but between him and Ivanovic, created very little. Ivanovic is a full back though so hes not as much to blame as his first role is to defend but still Cuadrado didn't create anything worthy of note still was very disappointing that day. First half v Everton was his best game for us but still pretty poor.

Tim Sherwood really has surprised me with Villa... Benteke looking very good. Jack Grealish a half decent player in the making too, simple and effective. Roberto Martinez a shambles, spends 30M on Lukaku, Everton sitting maybe 10th or something, any other club he'd probably get sacked.

Ribery is still a class player. Hes had injury problems this year, in fact Bayern have really struggled with injuries a lot recently as well as at the middle of the season with Lahm, Thiago, Badstuber, Robben in particular. I don't think Ribery will be sold, hes far too valuable a player to sell even at 30 or 31 years old. I think honestly if Kevin sticks with Wolfsburg and can have another highly productive season then he should go. His return to Chelsea was probably too soon like I said in the post above and imagine he does that again at another huge club?

Ahead of who? Gotze? Muller? Robben? Ribery? No chance. Bayern's team is already too good him going there is pointless, hes obviously developed into a good player but hes certainly not as good as any of them He never got his chance here because he wasn't good enough either, which sounds harsh but it is probably right, still surprised he didn't get another loan because Werder Bremen is hardly the best of clubs to come from to go into the Chelsea squad. Also Wolfsburg have just bottled a 2-0 lead v Hannover...

Yes but Fergie had players like O'Shea, Brown, Park Ji Sung who were rarely used but when they played, put in big performances, especially Park Ji Sung who was quite an underrated footballer I think. Milner v Bayern x2, Milner v United, Milner v Barca x2... big games and was a disaster in most to be fair. He played as a CM at Villa especially when they had Young and Downing on the wings. Hes not good enough to play here, people talk about Willian, Ramires and Oscar being players who work harder than players who create chances and stuff, do we really need another one, especially an inferior player to those 3? If he wasn't English nobody would be mentioning him right now. I mean I'd even have Jordan Henderson ahead of him and quite frankly hes another average English player. English players in the market right now bar Rooney, Sterling and Barkley really aren't worth buying. I'd rather we kept getting value for money and buying better foreign players than shite English players and I'm sure most will agree. Until the quality improves whats the point in ruining a talented squad with better players than shite like Milner? I get we need to have players who rotate who aren't the greatest but we already have enough of them on our books and out on loan rather than investing in 29 year old Englishmen who aren't good enough.

Hes a central midfielder. Thats where he played at Villa and was easily his best position. Hes not a top 4 player. Not in the slightest. Sure he can cross and pass the ball but so can Stewart Downing does that mean hes good enough to play here?

Think as well before when he was at United he used to be a bit more creative other than goals. He has got over 10 assists for Real this season for the first time since going there, which I think you see paired up with his 40-50 goals a season or whatever shows exactly what you said, that he is a goalscorer (well you said goal poacher haha but think thats unfair as some of his goals aren't just in the box). Messi always seems to have over 15 assists a season at least too and as you said in general play is better, hes got great vision for a striker, if I'm honest I'd go and say its frightening how good his all round game is, he could easily play in midfield for Barcelona as a more advanced midfielder or as a number 10.

Its funny because in reality he isn't even on the same level as Messi when he decides to play at his best in terms of footballing ability. People talk about top 2 but in reality there even is a gulf between Messi and Ronaldo. I suppose when your that desperate to win individual awards ahead of team ones it really shows what he thinks of himself if he has to beat Messi in individual awards, really I think it is more to make up for the lack of collective trophies hes won at Real in comparison to Messi at Barca, he's probably slightly jealous at all the collective trophies Messi has won since he moved to Spain but really what player probably isn't haha? Also his ego needs feeding constantly, remember at United they asked him Ferdinand and another player think it was Anderson, who they thought was the best player of all time, Rio said Maradona as did Anderson but he said himself.... I'd argue hes probably not even matched some of the achievements Diego Maradona had, dragging teams to WC finals and European finals and that.

Would say hes better than Pogba too or at least has proven he can cut it against the big boys in Europe, unlike Pogba.

Everytime I see that video of him celebrating his teams 4th goal like that it makes me wish more and more Atletico won. Sure if it was the second goal (which was Bales and was the decisive goal) then yeah but the 4th goal for your team against a knackered team? Man.... what the fuck

Yes. Milner doesn't offer anything Ramires does except for being English and perhaps a bit better technically but still lacks positional sense (Ramires does as well) as you can see with why whn hes played central midfield for City hes always charging around to get back into position because he has been out of it and doesn't win as many tackles as Rami does. The game against Arsenal Ramires had a good game, is Milner better than that Ramires? No definitely not. Hes only at City because hes English and can play a few positions, he was a good player at Villa but never quite top 4 material and I think thats clear to see for the fact he can't get a game consistently in his common position (which is central midfield) or even out wide, when Fernandinho and Fernando have been poor in the middle this year and Navas and Nasri poor outwide. I get we lack English players but if you think we should be looking at players at Milners level then why don't we go after Stewart Downing or Adam Johnson (before he got done for noncing) instead of Salah or even Defoe instead of Remy when we needed a striker? They are clearly not top 4 material... although I'd of taken Defoe as third choice over Drogba tbf.

So sad to see such a well respected footballer react like that. Hes won what 3 of those best player in the world awards now you'd think as well as being a great individual that he'd have matured enough to realize football is a team sport. The whole fiasco when he and several others asked wht Jose played such a defensive style in bigger games was great though, Jose told him because he doesn't cover the wings or want to defend, shut the greeting cunt right up but it cost him his job ultimately. What a lad Arbeloa is though, he probably knew he'd get that sort of reaction from Ronaldo but still did it anyway.

If we are going to take any player from Real Madrid, I'd take Isco over Bale anyway. Isco, Fabergas and Hazard in the same team... imagine the sequences of play...

Interesting. He can be a box to box player but also posses great technique to play as a deep lying playmaker or even as a number 10. Wouldn't be against this to be honest. Don't agree that hes not as good as now, hes obviously had injury problems but hes played a lot more this season and has looked like he can reach the levels he was at when Dortmund got to the CL final. He absolutely bossed the game against Jose's Real Madrid. Also if Cesc played as a 10 he'd be able to interchange with him in the same way Ramires has done an also Oscar in the start of the season but to a better effect as hes a better player in possession than the two of them.

To be honest he had that good season in the PL but Suarez the year after came along, blew his season out of the water and produced the best season an individual has had in England for years since that year Ronaldo scored 40 something goals in all competitions. Bales season was very good but isn't that good in comparison to Suarez's season and other than goals would hardly say its much superior to Edens this year. Hazard is a better footballer than Bale, Bale's physical attributes help him a lot, take away Bale's strength, insane speed and stamina and hes a nothing player really. Hazard without that insane speed still has incredible close control and also the ability to see things only some players can see like Silva, like Messi, like Ozil. Wouldn't swap Hazard for Bale even if we got Varane as well.

Milner is a decent player available on a free but Ramires is definitely better footballer. Also is a few years younger. Milner isn't top 4 quality.

If he goes to PSG, a club probably smaller then the one hes already at in terms of history and prestige, then he's shown his true colours. He should go somewhere to push himself, the French League is not the right move. Don't think Real Madrid is either unless they sell Modric but can't see it given how Modric is a brilliant player and can go on at that level for 2 or 3 more years at least before playing as a 6.

Evra came from the French league though. It wasn't exactly the same hustle and bustle as the Prem but the Italian league and PL... there is a huge huge difference, absolutely huge. That's one of the reasons I thought he'd possibly be struggle as well as the fact he played his best stuff for Fiorentina in a role behind the striker this year with a lot of freedom. Gervinho and Salah in England in comparison to Gervinho and Salah in Italy, different players... Cuadrado in Italy, Cuadrado in England, same thing. There isn't the time on the ball that he wants also how many times has he took a touch and passed it back in his Chelsea career so far? Or so it looks. Also physically, he looks very very lightweight, I know its not a huge difference these days in comparison to 30 years ago when players where literally booted off the park but still certain wingers as well as smaller players in this league (height wise), like Hazard, Silva, Mata, Moreno, Ayoze Perez, Sterling etc although they are 5 ft 6 to 5 ft 9 or whatever they aren't actually that physically weak (and are still perhaps working on it like Pardew was quoted saying about Perez earlier in season having done some gym work to cope with demands). Think Cuadrado could do with it a bit because he will get hit in this league and like we've seen with Hazard, Sanchez and other wingers like Ronaldo, Robben in the past, he will get hit hard too.

Could go down as an all time great CB tbf. Scary how hes been consistently better than what he was last year and he was frighteningly good last year too.