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The 2nd place 85 point Rafa squad versus now

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Fox

Fox

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So this squad nearly won the PL. bar that stupid January we would have won it.

I keep hearing how certain players with the club now are not good enough for a challenge so let's compare

Reina/cavalieri
Aurellio/dossena/insua
Arbeloa/degen/kelly
Carra/skrtel
Hyppia/agger
Pennant/babel/el zhar
Yossi/riera
Masher/plessis/spearing
Alonso/lucas
Gerrard
Kuyt/keane (sold in jan)
Torres/ngog

Torres actually missed 14 PL games that season so babel, ngog, yossi and riera played a lot


So.....how much worse is our squad now. Central defence jumps out of course although Sami was getting on and played less than agger and skirtl
 
We're worse in every department now - that's the short answer.
 
I will have a go as I'm bored on a train

Reina not quite as good as he was then

Johnson better than arbeloa just
Enrique getter than aurelio
Carra worse than then
Agger and skirtl hmm same

Masher same as lucas now IMO
Alonso of then is better than Hendo/Allen of course for now

Downing no worse than riera or babel then IMO. (On current form twats)

Yossi still just getter than Raheem

Stevie not as good as he was

Torres and kuyt versus sturidge and Suarez

Oooh close one there

So next season I think we can match the 2008/9 squad

Problem is in 2008 city and spurs were not challenging.
 
Fox said:
I will have a go as I'm bored on a train

Reina not quite as good as he was then

Johnson better than arbeloa just
Enrique getter than aurelio
Carra worse than then
Agger and skirtl hmm same

Masher same as lucas now IMO
Alonso of then is better than Hendo/Allen of course for now

Downing no worse than riera or babel then IMO. (On current form twats)

Yossi still just getter than Raheem

Stevie not as good as he was

Torres and kuyt versus sturidge and Suarez

Oooh close one there

So next season I think we can match the 2008/9 squad

Problem is in 2008 city and spurs were not challenging.
Click to expand...

Are the people on the train enjoying your ventriloquist act ?
 
Fox said:
Don't agree on full backs
Click to expand...

Depends what you want from them. Defensively, our full backs were much better then.

Oh, and by the way, Mascherano then is streets ahead of Lucas now.
 
Yep. We could do the whole stats thing... but just take my word for it.
 
The central defense and midfield are better, much better, and both are better in depth. Our attack is competitive.

What did we learn from this?
 
It lacked squad depth, flair in attack and top class wide players... BUT.... the team had a world class spine:
  • Arguably the best number 9 in the game at the time
  • The most productive attacking midfielder in the game
  • The best defensive midfield partnership in the game
  • One of the best playmakers in the game
  • Top class central defenders
  • One of the top and form keepers in the world
In key positions we had players that were steely, intelligent, tactically aware and well suited to and well versed in the system the manager wanted to play.

To complement that spine we had Arbeloa who is a very competent fullback and getting regular playing time in a very talented Real Madrid side (albeit one that is struggling at present), Aurelio who was an excellent footballer sadly blighted by injury, Yossi who regularly contributed goals and assists (underrated then) and Kuyt who you could always count on to never hide and give his all (even if you couldn't count on him to trap a ball).

These days we only really have Suarez and arguably Johnson who you could classify as world class. Gerrard is a fading force and Reina is struggling. In other areas we have good players and in some cases potential to be better than good.

This idea that we're exhibiting a snobbish attitude to the likes of Downing with no real justification is a fucking joke and a damning indictment of where the club is at right now, which is as we all know out of the Europe's premier competition and struggling to break into the top 6.
 
Lucas on his top form was as good as masher. I always said on here masher was over rated. Nothing going forward, liability with tackles and average passer. Lucas of form before this season was as good and he will be better on time.

Torres not as good as Suarez either. Our full backs now better.
 
No he wasn't fox

There's a reason good money was paid by barca for him and no one has bid for lucas
 
Fox, you have said a few daft things in the last two days, like Rafa to City and something else equally as bizarre but this last one takes the cake. There is no way Lucas is ever going to be or has ever been as good as Mascher, that's like saying Henderson on his day is as good as Xabi, in fact it's even worse
Regards
 
Vlads Quiff said:
Fox, you have said a few daft things in the last two days, like Rafa to City and something else equally as bizarre but this last one takes the cake. There is no way Lucas is ever going to be or has ever been as good as Mascher, that's like saying Henderson on his day is as good as Xabi, in fact it's even worse
Regards
Click to expand...
I never said rafa to city. Laudrup was my tip.

Hendo might be as good at same age as xabi was for us

I like to get the forum talking mate. Quiet on here.
 
Farkmaster said:
The central defense and midfield are better, much better, and both are better in depth. Our attack is competitive.

What did we learn from this?
Click to expand...
My guess is just as you say. Get Lucas performing at Man City 2011-level, fix the defensive frailty which has appeared this season, and get Joe Allen performing as he can, and we're not far off that "group".
 
I only came in here to point and laugh at the Lucas v Masher comment, but I see a few people have beaten me too it.

Masher would eat Lucas alive and still have room for Joe Allen.
 
Fox said:
Hendo might be as good at same age as xabi was for us .
Click to expand...

What?

Have you just followed up "Lucas is as good as Masher" with some sort of attempt to suggest that Henderson might be in the same league as Alonso?

The answer is none of the current team are better than the team that finished 2nd - the best you could say us that one or two if them are no worse than the comparable player (Johnson, Enrique & Suarez Vs Arbeloa, Autelio & Torres).
 
There's some shite been chat in this thread.

IMO;

1. We lost that title to no bottle, the squad was lackluster in a few areas but the amount of times we could have pulled away, and didn't, says it was down to being shithouses (5 years later, and not a whole lot different in that regard).

2. Suarez>Torres
 
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