OneMoSalah

Ramires - Mikel vs Newcastle anybody?

He turned his national down because they effectively turned him down by snubbing him for the Confederations Cup despite him being better than anything they had.

I am not saying fuck his nation, I am saying that if his nation refuse to pick him when he feels he should be picked then why should he pledge his allegiance to that nation? Diego Costa is a good player who should have been playing for Brazil regularly for the last 2 years when you look at his performances and the strikers ahead of him. They wouldn't pick him for a year so hes been put off playing for them obviously because he doesn't feel like they want him. Its his choice, I agree with his decision, why should he say no to Spain if he has a better chance of playing for them? FIFA rules are there for a reason, if the rule says he can change his allegiance then he can change his allegiance, he won't be the last player to do this and he certainly isn't the first. Well I'm not gonna lie but I find it extremely stupid that a manager has to pick certain players to keep the fans happy. Really strange. Fans are really important in footballl but fans don't pick the teams, fans don't train players to go and win world cups or confederation cups. Mate your english is fine, don't worry we are just arguing about a specific topic. Diego Costa is good, hes better than most of the strikers that Scolari will have the chance to call up for the world cup so its only obvious that he should have called him up for the last 2 years or whatever. I've seen a few Brazilians call him a cunt or a traitor, he is just doing what he feels he needs to do, which is play international football and compete against the best in the world. He was really only called by Brazil when Spain started to look at him a while back despite having scored 20 goals last season so its logical why hes turned Brazil down.

So Brazil is the only nation in the world where there is pressure on the manager, that is fucking bullshit and you know that. There is pressure on the managers in most international teams, not at the same level due to their targets but the fans want to be happy but when it goes to the fact a player shouldn't be picked up due to the fact the fans won't know him then I'm sorry but that is the stupidest reason I've ever read for a player not to be called up.

I don't agree with any of that at all. How is he a traitor to both teams? He was tossed aside without being given the same chance the likes of Jo or Fred was who are inferior players in an inferior league (no offence to the players or league). He wasn't called up for about a year, he was called back up because Spain only started putting in an interest in him so he declines Brazil because Spain want him and have spoke to him about this for a few months. He is choosing to play for Spain as he feels it is the best for his career and he feels more appreciated by Del Bosque. If you're angry because he's already played for Brazil before blame FIFA's rules and not the actual player who is doing what he thinks if best for his career and if Del Bosque picks him frequently then it is completely understandable.

Wtf? Alonso has never had power or pace.... he is certainly still mobile enough and throws himself about still like he used to but he was never in particular very powerful or very pacey. On a free, this would be an exquisite transfer. No other words for it. Always has been a world class player.

I understand what you're saying but I strongly disagree. You made out that because the people don't know who he is, that he shouldn't be picked on that basis because people can't see him but they can see Jo and Fred. Since when was it that people who aren't the Brazil coach need to see a player for him to be picked? Its never worked like that so why do you keep implying that?

Couldn't agree more. I still feel Spain will edge Brazil as favourites despite it being in Brazil. If Brazil don't win the World Cup there will be extreme consequences I think, they will be branded as failures because looking at that comment you quoted it seems that a lot of Brazilians have the feeling that Brazil are already champions too. Don't want to call who will win the World Cup, I feel there will be a surprise winner which means Spain or Brazil won't win it.

His two best performances for Chelsea have came against Arsenal at the Emirates. Was joint MOTM with Willian in my eyes.

What so the almighty 5 times world champions Brazil cannot send someone to watch Diego Costa in Spain? Or Scolari can't go there himself? Jesus fucking christ. Other national team coaches go to watch players they are interested in play in other countries..... Also since when did the Brazilian people pick the Brazil squad? Recently Scotland picked a lad who plays for Watford that nobody had ever fucking heard of, hes played 3 games for Scotland but hes been brilliant. Its not upto the Scottish public to pick the team is it, same with Brazil, same with England, same with Tunisia, same with fucking anybody. Yous are all posting stuff about Diego Costa being a cunt but Scolari refused to pick him so when Costa declines to play for Brazil how does he become a cunt or whatever? Would also like to know that, how is someone a cunt for exercising his right to chose between 2 top national teams?

I totally agree.

Maybe Del Bosque could have called him, I'm trying to read up to see if I can dig anything up on when he gained Spanish citizenship. According to something of the BBC website, Del Bosque would of had to wait for FIFA to clear him to switch his allegiance from Brazil to Spain anyway as he had to in the last international break but the fact stands that Scolari only used him twice last year and basically threw him aside despite the obvious fact that Brazil is really lacking a good striker. Well Diego Costa in 2012/13 scored 20 goals in all competitions, playing at a much much higher level of football than the regular strikers picked by Scolari (Jo and Fred), how does that not warrant a call up for Brazil? I would like to know how 20 goals in a single season from a good player playing in Spain's top flight and European football, shouldn't result in a call up? Are Brazil such a footballing super power that they shouldn't be calling him up? No. If you have a player scoring 20+ goals in a single season and he's playing for a good team in a very high standard of league you should call him up. Brazil may be his home but still do you think that he appreciates being picked for a game or two games maybe a year and a half ago and then not being called up against despite having a successful season? Hes been living in Spain for something like 7 years now, its a second home to him, Brazil basically shut the door on him after not picking him for the Confed Cup, Spain became interested and he obviously felt he wouldn't get many games for Brazil after not being picked for the Confed Cup so why can't he accept Spains proposal of playing for them? Scolari isn't being made out to be a villain, just everyone making Costa being out to be a complete cunt is uncalled for. Hes doing what he feels he should do, he obviously wants to play international football and feels he will get more of a chance for Spain. Just my two cents on it anyway.

Well me, if I were in Diego Costa's situation, I'd rather play for someone who appreciates me more. The fact Scolari has constantly picked strikers like Jo and Fred ahead of him for however long is ridiculous. Why would you be patriotic if you feel that country hasn't neccessairly wanted you despite being one of your countrys top performing strikers?

Brilliant offensively and more importantly defensively against an Arsenal side who have more of the ball than most of their opponents.

Well he played well last season and scored what was it 20 goals? Where was his call up to play at the Confederations Cup? He didn't get one despite you could say a good CF, or a different sort of CF to Fred, being the Brazilian national teams weakpoint. Obviously he has to wait to gain Spanish citizenship so perhaps he couldn't have played for them or perhaps he could have but still by picking Spain he obviously feels he is valued more and wanted more doesn't he? Why else would he pick to play for them?

How is he doing anything wrong? He has the choice to choose to play for Spain or Brazil so why shouldn't he be able to choose? Brazilians are just annoyed because they lack a class striker and he is choosing to play for Spain because they obviously wanted him more. He played in a friendly for Brazil but still, its not a competitive match so if there is a problem it is with FIFA's rule and not Diego Costa. All I am seeing is certain Brazilian members annoyed because he has the ability to choose, Scolari hasn't show any sort of major interest in him since he started scoring goals at the start of the season. He obviously felt like an outsider because he had a pretty impressive season last year where Scolari could have called him up a lot more but he didn't.

Willian and Bertrand joint MOTM for me.

Don't get how Hazard or Jose are up for both awards. Hazard didn't play at a very very high level consistently for us and Jose had a shocker in 2013. Baffled really. Heynckes & Ribery should win the awards comfortably. Ballon D'or isn't based on just talent, its based on talent and performance, Hazard didn't perform to his full potential, I can count on one hand how many games he had where he looked worth 32 million. It was his first season but still he shouldn't be in that short list. Mata should be though.

Ancelotti and Madrid would be idiotic to try and even make Mourinho consider selling Rami in the first place, never mind to Real Madrid.

Yes Fernandinho maybe only completed 77% of his passes but his influence in the game grew in the second half, he was controlling the game for most of the second half until about the 75th minute or so when we put much more pressure on them.

Well Jose did say when he was at Real, when he leaves Real Madrid he won't be managing Malaga but a top club in England so yeah... I'd imagine they aren't the best of buddies

Yes but looking at how his seasons probably gonna be going, playing say 10 plus consecutive games at 35 years old with little rest means you can pick up little injuries. Doesn't matter how fit you are, if you don't have a sufficient amount of rest then you will pick up niggling injuries. Older players are more fragile, Jose will have to eventually rest him just to make sure. He'll rest him on Tuesday which is good.

Still has to hit higher standards to be the player he was at Liverpool but honestly if he plays like this for the rest of the season fuck his Liverpool days, this sort of standard is good enough for me and good enough for the team.

Still cannot beat the first man with his crosses 9 times out of 10. Needs to change. Good solid performance defensively and very good at providing overlapping runs for his winger.

Rami has been excellent for Chelsea since 2011-12 season under AVB. Its not about him playing next to Lampard or anything, he's just gotten better and more consistent as a player. Anyway when City started to press us more in the second half Lampard was invisible at times, Fernandinho was getting too much space and time to pick his passes despite the efforts of Oscar to try and stop him and that allowed Silva, Nasri and Toure to get more involved. Lampard was alright in the first half but in the second half he was quite poor. When Mikel came on we had that platform that we needed, he was just doing what he does best and it allowed us to regain control of the match. Still surprised Lampard started against City, he won't start against Arsenal for sure but I have no idea who will to be honest. JT will get a new contract but I don't think Lampard will because I think he will retire. If he is our starting CM at 36 then somebody at Chelsea needs a head check. Jose said he was going to handle him like Makalele in his last year, playing him in the bigger games but hes been overused already and I'm surprised he's not picked up any niggling injuries yet due to playing near enough 90 minutes every game.