robsblubot

WHU are a very poor side - we are just doing what we were supposed to do. All other top clubs will beat them too long ball galore. Fulham and WHU huge relegation candidates for me.

3-5-2 is a very risky formation these days because most sides play with lots of width provided by the second attacking line. You end up losing your own wide players because they have to track back to provide defensive width to the back line. It could work in certain circumstances of course.

Fair enough ... please don't take it personally - this whole thing about winning and losing is a lot more about population size, GDP, focus on football, and far less about the empirical things we like to talk about. in fact, being that big of a footballing nation hasn't really helped Brazil in any way - it may actually have hurt its development or so some believe. On technique, quality talent... Back in Brazil there is a southern announcer who says when a poor side is very committed and motivated (for whatever reason) before facing a far better side, that they are going to lose all the same - with or without the extra motivation and commitment. I guess Belgium are especially committed these days; the fact they have Hazard, Benteke, KDB, and host of other extremely talented players probably isn't a factor at all... The answer is also socioeconomic as usual.

right and then we go back to the old discussion: either that forward run is a movement he is allowed (even encouraged) to do or it isn't and he wouldn't have been doing that for so long. Did you notice where he lost the football? No one covered him? What's the difference if he is the one who makes a mistake, when already close to the opponents box? Again, assuming he's allowed (even encouraged) to make those runs. Players in attacking positions (as Luiz was in the video) are allowed to make mistakes due to tight spaces. That's not what we've been criticizing him for. Off the ball movement, positioning, concentration, that's where his deficiencies lie. On the ball, he is flawless as a two-footed passer.

1. Yes, I said it to make a point a hyperbole as we use it so often around here. Commitment is cheap, most professional players playing at this level have enough commitment otherwise they wouldn't be there. It's a competitive sport after all. I was referring to Cahill. Whether he is committed or not makes no difference to me because his technique is not good enough at this level - not for England not for Chelsea. 2. So, you think commitment is enough? So England is not committed enough? That's why they lose?! Brazil won 5 times with the likes of Romario, Ronaldo, Ronaldimho, and Rivaldo, known to be the most committed players ever...

#1 please don't quote what I did not write. I did not say commitment is not needed, but merely that is is hardly enough.There are far more players that give 100% than players who are good enough to play for a top side. Merely based on the small number of top sides in the world. #2 We go back to #1 - they don't win because of their amazing commitment, but their fantastic technique.

no not an agenda at all - as a brazil supporter I actually think he *should* move to Barca; that would be good for David, Brazil, and esp Barcelona! As a pre-abra Chelsea supporter, I am 100% sure that Cahill is not good enough to start for ANY top club in the world. It's just his technique or there lack thereof. I couldn't care less about his commitment. Championship is filled with players who give 100%. The Irish give 110% in every match and they lose every time. Barca look like they couldn't care less (like David) because they use their great technique far more than they use their physique, but that would be the wrong impression to have.

that's where we all disagree here: some of us think Cahill is not good enough == consistently poor.

Agreed. If even after WBA game David doesn't get the nod, then he needs to move. THe only question mark is Roman who's said to be a big fan of Luiz.

If David Luiz goes to Barca, we could get the player he'd be replacing: Mascherano....

Not disagreeing with you (when talking about his peak), but Dida is Gremio's goalkeeper 2nd in the Brasileiro with 2 matches to go. Vargas who scored for Chile is also tehre, on loan, from Napoli.

I think they've been actually trying to move away from the exclusively passing game they had employed in the past.

Agreed. I don't think Oscar was brilliant, but he did have a great game and that kind of consistency is impressive for a 22yo.

David started both friendlies for Brazil and was captain in the first one when Thiago did not play. His passing was the usual, great overall, but I was particularly impressed by his long passing against Chile because Chile apply pressure very high up the pitch; their players had obviously been instructed to stop David from carrying the football. Still, he assisted! Neymar, hulk, and Oscar a few times even under pressure from the back.... really incredible stuff. On the defensive side he looked better with faster play and interceptions. He was slow to close down on Chile's goal though: Thiago completely missed his aerial interception leaving David as the last man (big no no), David attempted a block but was just too far from the player (Vargas), and finally Julio Cesar had no reaction - Brazil's weakest link IMO. Brazil don't produce great Gk unfortunately. I've been paying attention to Luiz performances for Brazil and I think it's not just sharpness; he's a bit slower than he was last season. Not sure whether it was due to too much partying after the Conf Cup win, too much fun on vacation, who knows?! Still, I see he's lacking fitness for both Chelsea and Brazil. BTW, the irony of it is that if we go back a few (many) pages, we will see many ppl complaining of how aggressive luiz is and how he needs to tone it down a bit; now we feel he's not been aggressive enough and too lax.

If Terry did play... otherwise, none of them is world class. You can make the world class case for some of the midfielders, attackers, but not the defenders IMO.

So, playing Terry wouldn't increase the overall quality of the team? I know it's not going to be enough, but it would certainly be an improvement. Better defenders can intercept the ball high up the pitch, and then help keep possession. He can also set up an attack with a quick pass afterwards. Lesser defenders will mostly produce blocks and clearances, but aren't so great regaining the football and with possession which hurts the team. Rooney seems to have a hard time scoring only when playing for England... Sturridge too. Wilshere plays better for Arsenal. And so on... What England, and most pundits don't get is that your mediocre players will be found at this level. The opposition will always go for the weak link (s).

That's where I disagree. I don't think you can blame a striker for the lack of goals or a defender for conceding goals; it's all connected. The quality of every player on the pitch contributes to how well you play and scoring is just a consequence of that. A player like Terry would make the team better period.

Congrats! I'm sorry for the swedes - great people not to mention gorgeous girls - but Portugal must be there when it's in Brazil.

Agreed - the way we play it won't matter if he doesn't score so much. We need someone who can work the ball while keeping it tidy. We missed out on him and Paulinho who plays better and better for Brazil and Spurs... we keep on acquiring CAMs though.

well this is just a pre-WC concern... all these internationals are itching for minutes so not to jeopardize their spot for the WC. It's the perfect time to go for a difficult target, such as this; at the same time it's the perfect time to unload some dead weight - just don't play unwanted players.

Why wouldn't Dembele be happy there? Wants to move up or hasn't been playing?

Phil Jones (who rarely plays CB for his club), Smalling, Cahill, Jagielka while John Terry sits on his sofa... Wonder what crosses his mind when he watches England these days?

I wouldn't, but then again I don't get paid to scout and my understanding is that we've got a host of well-paid scouts at the club. Since Juventus is a top club, I reckon someone there thought Progba deserved a shot and that type of insight is what it takes to find these gems before they turn into the final product.

yeah but I wish our scouts could spot these guys before they join the top clubs and cost a fortune...

Completely agree that he does go missing at times. He's so very young after all and that's what happens with youngsters. Oscar used to do that a lot, but now he's been able to become more consistent with (at least) the defensive side of his game. However, I'd have to say I see no point in having Ba instead of Lukaku. Perhaps Considering Andre can also play striker, I'd say Torres and Lukaku would have been at least just as good as what we have today. Eto has shown signs of life though - he's been very sharp and scoring important goals. I hope that continues, but he's certainly a short-term solution. TBH, since we have 3 strikers plus Andre, I'm glad Lukaku is at Everton and playing a lot. WTF at the troll post & gif above... shameful way to make a point.