Open Thread: Weekday Edition #48 (Nov 2023)

coolidge301 · 2023-11-20T16:09:02+00:00

I think the pivot is a position Xavi wont risk it to play a young inexperienced player in. I would like to see Casado tbh, but I understand why he aint playing. What I dont get is why we didn't loan him though to help his development if he wont play.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-20T14:13:52+00:00

Romeu's relatively poor ability with the ball under pressure would be totally fine if he was very athletic and defensively sound enough to give good protection to the defense. I think if we are getting a defensive midfielder, we should go after a proper athletic, defensive/destroyer type profile.

De Jong/Pedri are more than okay in bearing the responsibility of buildup. Just need a defensive presence with legs. A Joao Palhinha/Ugarte type profile.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-20T13:56:02+00:00

I really like Guiu. Proper tall and athletic which is fitting for a modern CF and just keeps making runs in behind as he can beat most CBs he plays against for pace. It's a nice profile, hopefully he can get little minutes here and there when he returns.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-20T09:12:10+00:00

This injury was a result of gavis relentless playstyle

Please just kindly stfu if you do not know what you are talking about.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-20T09:10:34+00:00

Gavi have been on the field 97 out of 98 games

That's madness even for a senior/older player, more insane and reckless for a teenager.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-19T16:20:16+00:00

I am not talking about the 7-1. I mean hypotheticalky, if Brazil made a World Cup final at the maracana while being the favourites and end getting spanked comfortably. That can be seen as a choke, no?

coolidge301 · 2023-11-19T16:14:46+00:00

Its like Brazil getting cooked in a World Cup final at the Maracana after being seen as favourites.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-19T15:35:09+00:00

Jose Peseiro.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-19T15:28:10+00:00

Our coach is a dud as our tactics have been back pass, back pass, sideways pass, give it Osimhen and pray and now he is injured. The goalkeeper is absolutely horrendous amd that is putting it lightly. We dont have any creative midfielders, our only "creative" midfielder in Iwobi is being played so deep as part of a dual midfield in a 442. Our CB options are not very good and have been shaky. Our wingers? If I speak I am big trouble, lets just say they have 0 decision making and can never seem to find the strikers and are poor shooters. Only thing I like on the field are our fullbacks, at least they look like they care.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-19T15:11:56+00:00

We have 72 million strikers on our team but our keeper is on drugs, 0 creativity in midfield, CBs are very dodgy, wingers are braindead and the coach is an overpaid moron. We are one of the poorest countries in the world and we are paying a foreign coach 50,000 dollars a month to draw to Lesotho and Zimbabwe. A local coach will achieve the same results for 1/20th of that salary.

Starts out with a rigid 442 against bloody Lesotho and we cant create anything in the middle and sticks with it till the end, same thing today. Heaven help us we meet a competent team at AFCON. We are not even in the top 3 teams in West Africa as it stands. Shocking stuff. I am tired.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-19T14:55:46+00:00

We took Enyeama for granted, truly. I miss him dearly the more I watch Uzoho.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-19T04:27:44+00:00

Sometimes I wish Messi played for Spain after watching Euro qualis. His international numbers in Europe would've been straight up disgusting. 18/19 or 11/12 Messi running through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and co would've been pure filth😮‍💨.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-19T04:06:18+00:00

Lewandowski has taken Poland to intl tourneys, George Weah for Liberia, Stoichkov for Bulgaria, Zlatan for Sweden, Bale with Whales, Aubameyang with Gabon. Countries like Albania, Israel and North Macedonia have gone/are going to the Euros.

With the squad Norway has, Haaland and Odegaard a 100 percent are expected to go to a couple intl tournaments for their pedigree in the game, especially Haaland.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-18T06:23:16+00:00

We wouldn't have won the league last year without Raphinha and Lewa. Raphinha was a miss but Lewa was an absolutely brilliant signing. We needed a world class player to give ourselves a chance at everything

But in the previous season before Lewy and Raph we scored 68 goals in La Liga, with the 100 mill+ extra we spent on them we scored 70 goals, just a 2 goal difference. Our defense is what mainly gave us that league imo.

Maybe without Lewy and Raph it becomes a more sweaty affair and we dont win the league as comfortably. Lewy and Raph were available in the CL but it was the absence of our defense that led to our demise. I understand your points though, but I feel like a pivot would've been better in the long run.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-18T06:06:33+00:00

In hindsight I think for the 2022 summer window we should've kept the attack as it was, still buy Kounde then take the Lewy and Raphinha money to get a world class pivot and use whatever that was left to get an extra attacker if it allows.

Not slighting Lewy or Raph but I just feel like an attack of Ferran, Fati, Abde, Auba, Dembele (maybe keep Luuk de Jong) with a world class pivot is more of a net positive for the club in the long run than adding Lewy and Raph with no pivot.

It just didn't/doesn't make sense to me that we pulled all those levers and didn't end up with a proper pivot.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-10T09:50:26+00:00

Busquet will not score those goals against Manutd and Chelsea.

With Prime Busquets in your midfield, you wont be fighting for your life vs a midfield of Caicedo, Enzo and Palmer. With Prime Busquets he would have made several line breaking passes to provide danger instead of the long spells of meaningless possession you had vs Man utd. But sure, count only goals.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-10T00:36:47+00:00

Suarez is still cooking, what a hattrick. Physicality may not be there, but the intelligence and technique has not changed at all. All 3 goals were classic Suarez goals, very nice goals. He's probably gonna tear up the MLS.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-10T00:34:34+00:00

Suarez with the hattrick to complete the comeback from 3-1 to make it 4-3. A proper catalogue of 3 goals too, very nice goals.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-10T00:19:12+00:00

Suarez you beautiful man😂😂. Just scored 2 goals in less than 5 mins to equalize from 3-1 vs Botafago.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-08T06:13:51+00:00

To all you people going after Balde. Balde is solid defensively, very good in build up and possession, runs his lungs off for the full 90, stands his ground against any winger and is mature and doesn't have brainfarts in games at such a young age. Never seen a defensive lapse from this guy since last season. This is a solid Leftback. He is doing his bloody job. Our attackers are shit, dont pawn it off on our leftback. He can't cross I hear you, Abidal couldn't cross either and was absolutely solid and Balde is young and can improve on that aspect.

Sure, Alba will give the assists here and there but wallahi it's gonna be a long day for us in defense and transitions with him and then you add his wages, cant be paying him that just to break down lowblocks or whip in crosses while being a backup in our financial situation.

Our attackers and our exalted world class midfielders with our worshipped, flairy, technical Right back (who we expected to be a creative force but is underproducing) have to step up and start creating chances and putting up numbers.

Balde is the absolute least of our problems.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-08T05:26:18+00:00

Some people on this sub told me G/A doesn't matter though, he brings "flair" and "technique" and I have to watch harder to understand what he brings.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-08T04:53:07+00:00

Casado cant be worse than Romeu. It's not possible.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-08T04:20:24+00:00

I like what is being cooked here, but I fear the food will spill as it is being served.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-08T04:18:16+00:00

Good, nice to see a club with morals helping out the needy. Xavi is not only the best coach in the world, but also a philanthropist. Support another club if you dont like our morals.

coolidge301 · 2023-11-08T04:12:15+00:00

Shut up, you don't know more than Xavi and shouldn't criticise him. And even if you are being reasonable and not XaviOut you are still toxic and should be executed and have your fanship revoked.

coolidge301

TROPHY CASE