robsblubot

^^ Care to point out which facts I got wrong? Chronologically: Torres: 1. Torres was great for Liverpool for many seasons 2. We buy Torres for 50m 3. He's been awful for us (according to many) 4. We cannot sell Torres for 10m unless we pay his wages Torres LOST (a lot of) value at Chelsea! 1. We buy David Luiz for 21m + Matic (say 25m) 2. According to you he's awful 3. We sell David Luiz for 50m making him the most expensive defender ever. David Luiz INCREASED (really doubled!) his value at Chelsea!

Speak for yourself man. I've been reading a lot about DL's hair lately. I'm going to answer it, by saying that's really a question for Scolari, Guardiola, Barca, and PSG. Why don't they care about his concentration issues? I can only guess (honestly) they believe they can circumvent that by other means (teamwork/tactics/cover). Be assured that if Luiz flops completely at PSG and is sold for 10m to everton I will be the first one here stating the obvious. However, some say he has already flopped for us and was still sold for 50m. That's really tough to grok. Likewise if Mikel hits his head and starts performing like Pirlo or Modric, and Barca signs him for 30M, I will also be on here stating the obvious, that I was wrong. Won't lose a minute of my sleep either way though.

Torres CANNOT BE SOLD (at least not for 50m) = FACT Carrol sold for peanuts by liverpool = FACT DAVID LUIZ WAS EXTREMELY WELL SOLD (for a lot more than we paid) = FACT David Luiz, after being named here the worst defender on earth by some luminaries around here, sold for 50M making him the most expensive defender ever = FACT So, not only do you guys have a problem with facts, but also timing?! Do you understand that this deal took place AFTER he's been, according to you, the worse defender on earth (liability, etc)?! It's like if Bayern, Barca, and PSG were battling off to sign Torres or Carrol right now - do you see that happening?! If you cannot see the difference, then I'm so sorry.

Fair enough, but just don't rate Ronaldo in tight spaces. Big games are played in tight spaces and I feel Messi can do that while Ronaldo can't. Bale is also younger, so I guess we shall see. Agree that Jaglielka isn't comparable to John terry. I also think Gary is a lot better than Jaglielka and both missed the leadership of a JT. After all there is a reason Gary plays for us and Jaglielka for Everton. Concerning England, not that sure the defenders were that much to blame. It's really not the defenders' job to watch a player like Suarez, but the midfield. Midfield that was nowhere to be found most of the time, leaving the defense exposed, especially mister Gerrard.

Great players win you matches... That's what Eden did today.

no dude, they are opinions. David Luiz sold for 50M = FACT David Luiz bought for 21m + Matic = FACT Brain farts, bad decision making, never world class = OPINION I for one have a hard time taking these opinions seriously, when considering the facts listed above.

Have to agree with the others here: really disappointed by his attitude both on and off the pitch.

no, I never said player's valuations are that precise. Just that they ought to be taken into account, because they will never be that "off" either. Had PSG not been in the picture and DL would've been sold for 35m, which is hardly cheap for a defender. We bought him for 21M + Matic! So it's also not a one time thing either. Now, I am NOT the one here who chooses to ignore all these facts. I've said over and over that PSG as the new rich has to overpay to acquire players... was it any different with City or even us before? Just for the record, I'm not a big fan of Ronaldo and think Bale isn't t that far behind him (higher ceiling too). Messi (who's a genius) doesn't even have a price tag on him. ------- Anyway David Luiz is gone and got us a lot of cash in return. Shouldn't we be talking about Gary here though? How does he fare against other low block defenders? Top of my head, Terry is still better; Godin is better as well; then you have players who are comfortable with both high and low blocks, like Kompany and Sergio Ramos. Though I feel Kompany is more comfortable in a low block. There aren't that many players of his type, who are much superior than Cahill.

We shall see. I think David Luiz is far more proven than any those you mention. Torres is really a completely different subject with very little to do with DL. Fair enough. Now we finally go into opinions again: to me DL virtues are defensive indeed! The high block he does IS BETTER than a low block! Why? Because in my view, with a good delivery, like the one which allowed Victor to beat Luiz or the one which allowed Balotelli to beat Cahill, the defenders will very often get beaten; that's how goals are scored. So, if you can stop an attack higher on the pitch, you may be preventing the delivery itself. Again, this is a personal opinion, and some very famous coaches prefer a different approach, ours included. I don't claim to know better; just that there are many ways to win, because I've seen many very different winning sides. Gary is a good defender. Not world class and I don't see him ever becoming a target for another top club, unless at the end of his contract for ex. What really concerns me is that we don't have any defender who can play in a high block. Haven't seen Zouma though. Reckon you gotta have the option, even if not your preferred way of playing, for those games where you gotta pressure from the get go.

You keep repeating this absolutely ridiculous statement based on nothing other than your very personal opinion. There is really nothing to discuss about this. It is indeed widely accepted PSG overpaid for David Luiz. However, by how much? Chelsea priced him at 35m, so of course they overpaid to get him because they had to! Given a choice, DL would prob go to Barca or Bayern. Now if you think Barca, Bayern, and PSG were after David Luiz because of his hair, that's a again, a pretty fantastic view of the very professional world of football - especially the players market. The only pundits who don't rate Luiz are English. DL makes "a mistake" and a member of this forum goes on and on how that was a mistake and all. Then Cahill makes a similar "mistake" for England... not a peep... (neither were mistakes to me BTW). So, I assume you must be surprised how Brazil doesn't seem to concede goals, even though they play with 2 attacking fullbacks and Paulinho in front of him, not to mention glorious QPR GK behind. Ah I forgot it's the perfect 1m83cm giant Thiago Silva who always covers for DL. OK dude, we shall see. Just don't be surprised if PSG are much stronger next season in the CL, because money does buy quality.

" Luiz has more awesome hair." That's a ridiculous stament. So, you are saying PSG paid 50m for his hair. You know it's not the owner right? that they have scouts, agents, coaches who are paid to research and get the data on stuff like this? Yeah yeah everybody is an idiot, except Chelsea fans who think Gary is the best defender in the world. Never seen any reports about any team after Gary, and he'd be awful at Barca; they need high blocking defenders. (this is an opinion)

So where did you "check"? You have a serious problem with facts vs opinion: the fact is PSG did pay 50m while your "opinion" is that he's not worth 50m. Barca offer was gong to be 35M (also not a fact but some reports), so PSG had to outbid them. So, why hasn't Gary gotten any offer ever? Why isn't any top side after him?

Pretty bad performance so far. Thought MIkel wasn't that great against Bosnia. Emenike was fantastic though; pace, power and the final touch.

Last time I checked PSG is from France, Bayer is from Germany, and Barcelona from Spain.

I guess he just did. The players market spoke earlier, but people here don't understand the language.

You clearly haven't seen Brazil play...

that's because they are exactly the same game. New case, updated rosters, a few tweaks in graphics, and 5-star/new release pricing... sounds like a great business model to me.

Agreed... Fernandinho is the actual CM of the bunch. Oscar has more potential, but Hernanes is more ready at this time, not to mention in better form. Hernanes should be utilized more by scolari, who is over-conservative with team selections.

From the perspective of Paulinho, Oscar was a god against Mexico. Brazil will destroy Cameroon and everything will be perfect until the next round - then we will go out. Update: rumor has it Paulinho may be leaving the team with either Hernanes or Fernandinho coming in. WIth that, our chances would improve a bit.

If we can sign a 29yo for 19m we can certainly leave Torres training with the youth system. Malouda wasn't happy with the treatment, but it wasn't enough to move him. Perhaps Torres would react differently and would go seek greener pastures... who knows... One thing is for sure, if Torres is the second striker, we'll need a lot of luck so that nothing bad happens with #1.

Well Filipe is 29 (will be shortly) while Fabregas just turned 27. Fullbacks rely more on pace than midfielders, especially Fabregas' position where stamina is far more important. It's silly to dismiss concerns about his age. It's certainly debatable. Would you consider an accident if he is never able to perform at the same level for Chelsea?

just an (IMO) important caveat about these two: Brazil had to play with 3 DMs (switching to a 3 defender at times), so that the team could actually defend. Hardly our problem right now since both our FBs are good in defense and Luis also good defensively. Great player, but also have concerns about his age - not to mention the fact we are signing players after they have a hot/magical season.

^^ nah Jose doesn't start 2 attacking fullbacks. Scolari is smart... He saw that the attacking fullbacks were completely exposed, so he will stick Ramires on the right to help Dani Alves. Paulinho is a good player, but terrible marker and a bit on the slow side. Too slow to cover the fbs. So, that's what he is trying to correct with Ramires.

David Luiz with lots of gel and a tiara.....

didierforever, you prob quoted the wrong post, but this one should answer yours too. Yes, it's always the same with me because my philosophy is different. Actually, I'd say it's not different, only that I accept and understand there are OTHER successful ways of playing the game. "When Robert di Matteo took over, the team sat back and prospered. Obviously, Chelsea's defenders -- David Luiz aside -- were simply better suited for a low block than a high one. Or so said common wisdom. Enter Jose Mourinho:" http://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2014/3/25/5545706/jose-mourinho-john-terry-high-line Try and Picture Gary and Terry in the same situations DL and TS have been under yesterday. No, not merely at the time of the crosses, but the beginning of the play, where they were positioned when Croatia started the counters. Imagine our defenders, or other slowish defenders running towards their own goalie and then trying to stop the cross. Very different than staying in the box and watching what is happening in front of them. Do you understand what I am getting at? You say DL made a mistake in the game and I am saying that in those conditions, Gary and Terry wouldn't even be starters, because it would've been a crazy thing to do. Mistake is a relative thing... players have virtues and shortcomings. I've always accepted DL has shortcomings as a player, and I reckon all top clubs interested in him did/do too... so does PSG. TPtB keeps on saying you need a genius moment to beat defenders and defenses, and I couldn't disagree more. You don't need a brilliant moment from a player, but rather a good moment from a TEAM! A good movement from a mediocre player will do, if the rest of the team creates the conditions in which that movement can be effective. Otherwise we'd have far fewer goals in football. Complaining about Luiz' lack of concentration is akin to complaining about Ramires' lack of technique, or both Terry and Garry's lack of pace. My views may seem repetitive to some of you, but it works both ways.