César Azpilicueta

[Vesper 28,833]

43 minutes ago, Unionjack said:

I don;t know whats going on with Dave. Hes gone from being the 1 player I would pick first into any team we put out into thinking what other options do we habe.

He has always been the solid rock, the Mr Dependable but theres obviously summet not right. And its been like it all season so far.

Its weird cause he was stromg before we went to the 3 CBs then he took to that really well but under Sarri hes made no good contribution going forward nor defending and I just don't get it.

Anyone have any suggestions as to WTF is going on with him?

I think he is burnt out a bit. He has put in INSANE minutes the last 6 years. I think he played almost every minute of every game a couple times. Also the contant switching positions, from a RB, then to a makeshift LB, back to RB, then to CB, then to RB again, with RWB tossed in a few times. He was never a hugely offensive player, and also fullbacks in the EPL just get hammered the whole game.

My famous stat.... in all football there are only TWO world class LB's over 28. Marcelo (who is on the decline) and Jordi Alba.

RB there are maybe THREE.  Dani Alves (35yo, so soon is done, his ridiculous FIFA Top XI notwithstanding) Antonio Valencia at Manure (33yo) and Azpi (29). Maybe maybe Danilo D'Ambrosio (30yo)at Inter, but if so, why did they go for Sime Vrsaljko? Because D'Ambrosio is 30 and on down slope, thats why, lolol.

For DMF, world class over 30, there is one, Fernandinho (33yo).

Not a chance I call 35yo Daniele De Rossi world class anymore, he is a shadow of the player he once was. Same for 35yo Gabi (now cashing in on shit Arab team) 34yo Javier Mascherano, cashing in in China, soon 32yo John Obi Mikel (cashing in in China as well) nor soon 34 yo Riccardo Montolivo and soon 33yo Lucas Biglia, both of AC Milan.

Maybe, barely you can make a case for Biglia and maybe maybe 31yo Luiz Gustavo, now on Marseille. I say no.

It's a young man's game at fullback/wingback and DMF. Time waits for no one.

 

[Unionjack 7,531]

59 minutes ago, Vesper said:

I think he is burnt out a bit. He has put in INSANE minutes the last 6 years. I think he played almost every minute of every game a couple times. Also the contant switching positions, from a RB, then to a makeshift LB, back to RB, then to CB, then to RB again, with RWB tossed in a few times. He was never a hugely offensive player, and also fullbacks in the EPL just get hammered the whole game.

My famous stat.... in all football there are only TWO world class LB's over 28. Marcelo (who is on the decline) and Jordi Alba.

RB there are maybe THREE.  Dani Alves (35yo, so soon is done, his ridiculous FIFA Top XI notwithstanding) Antonio Valencia at Manure (33yo) and Azpi (29). Maybe maybe Danilo D'Ambrosio (30yo)at Inter, but if so, why did they go for Sime Vrsaljko? Because D'Ambrosio is 30 and on down slope, thats why, lolol.

For DMF, world class over 30, there is one, Fernandinho (33yo).

Not a chance I call 35yo Daniele De Rossi world class anymore, he is a shadow of the player he once was. Same for 35yo Gabi (now cashing in on shit Arab team) 34yo Javier Mascherano, cashing in in China, soon 32yo John Obi Mikel (cashing in in China as well) nor soon 34 yo Riccardo Montolivo and soon 33yo Lucas Biglia, both of AC Milan.

Maybe, barely you can make a case for Biglia and maybe maybe 31yo Luiz Gustavo, now on Marseille. I say no.

It's a young man's game at fullback/wingback and DMF. Time waits for no one.

 

Ive always thought that the defenders could get away with being older but their jobs have changed so much mow.

They aren't just some big bruisers that like man handling kicking someone about and using them for headers in corners.But those are still very handy to bring out at times.

The modern day defender is basically a forward that can tackle lol And those are few and far between.

[Adnane 1,101]

The number of right backs who are equally competent defending and going forward for the top level in this world are very rare ( Kimmich, Carvajal look like the most obvious ones at this moment ). 

Azpi offers so much to the team that he cannot be displaced at the moment, whatever we will get will be a downgrade on him in so many aspects. 

It's okay if our right back isn't as strong offensively as the left one, in fact, it's necessary, Alonso will leave us exposed very often with his ( very useful ) forward runs, we need someone to have the composure of Azpilicueta in recovery on the defensive phases. 

If we want to sort our right side issues, we need a strong winger, which Pedro has been this year, offering so much more than Willian. 

If the Pedro that started the season stays healthy and keeps showing up, then our right back is far from being a must fix area. 

[Vesper 28,833]

On 27/09/2018 at 4:47 PM, Unionjack said:

They aren't just some big bruisers that like man handling kicking someone about and using them for headers in corners.But those are still very handy to bring out at times.

Ah, the good ol' days

 

[Vesper 28,833]

On 27/09/2018 at 4:54 PM, Adnane said:

The number of right backs who are equally competent defending and going forward for the top level in this world are very rare ( Kimmich, Carvajal look like the most obvious ones at this moment ). 

Azpi offers so much to the team that he cannot be displaced at the moment, whatever we will get will be a downgrade on him in so many aspects. 

It's okay if our right back isn't as strong offensively as the left one, in fact, it's necessary, Alonso will leave us exposed very often with his ( very useful ) forward runs, we need someone to have the composure of Azpilicueta in recovery on the defensive phases. 

If we want to sort our right side issues, we need a strong winger, which Pedro has been this year, offering so much more than Willian. 

If the Pedro that started the season stays healthy and keeps showing up, then our right back is far from being a must fix area. 

I would add in Sergi Roberto, Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Sime Vrsaljko and my choice for CB, but now also RB too (he is like Azpi in that he can swing between both CBand RB with aplomb) Benjamin Pavard

I also want Junior Firpo to replace Alonso, to rebalance the left side as well., Sarriball needs high, hard pressing coming from both the left and the right (and the middle, hello Jorginho and Kante and Ampadu (if Sarri would play the lad,grrr)

I don't have as much faith in Pedro as you seem to, mainly because he is not an everyday player and is injury prone due to his small stature and fearless flinging of his tiny body.into harm's way.

 

We NEED Bailey

sell Willian to fund 

its fucking suicidal to keep Willian and even worse to renew his ass

I will accept Luiz, BUT NOT WILLIAN OR MORATA

My desired back 4

CB Azpi

CB Rudiger

LB Junior Firpo

RB Pavard

Luiz, Ampadu, AC, Emerson on rotation ,

plus another CB (Jonathan Tah (22) OR Nikola Milenkovic (20), both 1.95m giants, but still great passers,and one would be the future hammerhead

(Azpi, Pavard, Ampadu,and AC can ALL play both CB and RB so mad flexibility)

Sell  Zappacosta, Alonso, Cahill, Zouma, Kenedy (generates around £130m, so only an extra £20-30m or so net spend to grab Firpo, Pavard, and Tah (£10m to £20m net to add Firpo, Pavard and Nikola Milenkovic)

 

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

Well this guy pretty much summed up how transfer windows go don't even know why the clubs needs a board to be fair. Kudos to football manager for bringing millions of scouts out in the light. We bring the Rudigers and Moratas when the mighty Junior Firpo is up for grabs. Fecking clueless board lol

[Vesper 28,833]

On 27/09/2018 at 8:20 PM, petre.ispirescu said:

Well this guy pretty much summed up how transfer windows go don't even know why the clubs needs a board to be fair. Kudos to football manager for bringing millions of scouts out in the light. We bring the Rudigers and Moratas when the mighty Junior Firpo is up for grabs. Fecking clueless board lol

If you are referring to the board as in this chatroom, and me as being clueless, then I have to say you are the clueless one. You try to paint it as though I didnt rate Rudiger pre buy (I rated him, still do, highly) and then you (in same same sentence) paint Morata as some success. You can slag out Firpo all you want, he will go for £54m (his release clause) to Shitty. Why? Because he is a great young LB with every tool needed to excel in the EPL.

I dont see you putting up any names. Only tossing shade via some snarky Football Manager reference. I have never played or even tried FM. Am I to assume that you are utterly satisfied with Alonso as our LB?

If you think my recco's are so dodgy, by all means, feel free to list out alternatives and please,  do tell why mine are such shite.

I work with what the market has to work with, and go quite deep into why and how players can be brought in or why they shouldn't be brought in. Cheap 'appeals to authority' logical fallacies and rhetoric will get you nowhere. 

I am not the one who bought Drinkwater, Bakayoko, Morata, Bats, and Zappacosta for over £200m in the last 2 main windows. I am not the one who let KDB, Salah, Costa, Courtois, and Lukaku go for a combined £300 plus LESS than what they are now worth. I am not the one playing ostrich head-in-the-sand normalcy bias-enhanced games with Hazard and CHO and their failure to renew contractual wind-downs that will see them both either leave on frees in June 2020 or be sold at cut-rates prices in the next 3 windows (each one returning less and less).

So no bruv, NOT clueless, not in the least. I am all about realistic probability modelling, including using stochastic processes such as Markov chains to account for random variables and to introduce chaos theory elements into the computations.

If you meant something else, then I apologise in advance and ask for further elucidation on what you were trying to say.

[Vybz Kartel 1,613]

He seems to be getting worse each game. Needs to be left home on Thursday 

[kellzfresh 7,229]

48 minutes ago, Vybz Kartel said:

He seems to be getting worse each game. Needs to be left home on Thursday 

He's looking very tired and rusty. Too much mistakes which he rarely used to make before.

[Footballover 222]

I'm sorry but this forum became unreadable with this Vespa girl literally spamming every thread... You really need to take it down a notch. No one wants to read these scouting reports of yours in each and every thread on the forum. 

[Jase 43,479]

5 minutes ago, kellzfresh said:

He's looking very tired and rusty. Too much mistakes which he rarely used to make before.

Okay, I'd say he hasn't looked as solid as in previous seasons but think to say he's made many mistakes might be stretching it. 

[kellzfresh 7,229]

8 hours ago, Jason said:

Okay, I'd say he hasn't looked as solid as in previous seasons but think to say he's made many mistakes might be stretching it. 

He slipped yesterday which made robertson get all that space to cross for shaqiri to score an open goal. He also gave the pass away in the carabao cup which made sturridge score. Azpi rarely makes mistakes but I just think he's a little tired and will be back to his best with a little rest.

[NiclasCFC 2,582]

2 hours ago, kellzfresh said:

He slipped yesterday which made robertson get all that space to cross for shaqiri to score an open goal. He also gave the pass away in the carabao cup which made sturridge score. Azpi rarely makes mistakes but I just think he's a little tired and will be back to his best with a little rest.

Since when is slipping a mistake?! Omg that can happen to anyone at any time...

[Jase 43,479]

3 hours ago, kellzfresh said:

He slipped yesterday which made robertson get all that space to cross for shaqiri to score an open goal. He also gave the pass away in the carabao cup which made sturridge score. Azpi rarely makes mistakes but I just think he's a little tired and will be back to his best with a little rest.

Okay, I'll give you the Sturridge one but as Niclas said above, how is slipping considered a mistake? Bit nonsense to be nitpicking on that one.

[Vybz Kartel 1,613]

4 hours ago, Jason said:

Okay, I'll give you the Sturridge one but as Niclas said above, how is slipping considered a mistake? Bit nonsense to be nitpicking on that one.

The Mane chance that Kepa saved was Azpi's fault. Mane should never have been allowed to get his shot away. Azpi was also sloppy in possession towards the end of the game him and Moses led to some of our unnecessary pressure moments in the final 15 min by failing to retain the ball well. Watch the last 15 min of the game yesterday and you will see what I'm talking about 

[Jase 43,479]

2 minutes ago, Vybz Kartel said:

The Mane chance that Kepa saved was Azpi's fault. Mane should never have been allowed to get his shot away. Azpi was also sloppy in possession towards the end of the game him and Moses led to some of our unnecessary pressure moments in the final 15 min by failing to retain the ball well. Watch the last 15 min of the game yesterday and you will see what I'm talking about 

Funny you're only saying this about a few players when the whole team did a shitty job at keeping possession for the entire game!

[Vybz Kartel 1,613]

1 minute ago, Jason said:

Funny you're only saying this about a few players when the whole team did a shitty job at keeping possession for the entire game!

That's actually not true, I'm not a big Alonso fan but even he was good on the ball yesterday. We became quite sloppy in the second half after Willian lost his legs and it got worse when Moses and Barkely came on. 

[Vesper 28,833]

On 30/09/2018 at 0:18 AM, Footballover said:

I'm sorry but this forum became unreadable with this Vespa girl literally spamming every thread... You really need to take it down a notch. No one wants to read these scouting reports of yours in each and every thread on the forum. 

At least get my name right, I am not a fucking scooter. And if you dont like my posts, ignore them. I don't see you contributing much to the forum. You have FIVE posts since I joined almost ten months ago, one of them is a no text picture. You are also the first person to whinge about my posts, versus many likes. If you want to just read articles then stick to footie news aggregator sites.

Finally, I hardly am on every thread. Pure tosh.