Football Transfers Thread

[Themer]

Cry it off darling, scared that your beloved Manchester United going to face some pressure this season?

Bring in the sheikh. Bring in the money. Bring in the title for Manchester City.

After Man City's first game I doubt they'll get into to the Champions League spots. They were dreadful; Tottenham would have thrashed them had it not been for what can only be described as an out of this world performance by Hart.

I think the England keeper's jersey is safe for ten years to be honest.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

After Man City's first game I doubt they'll get into to the Champions League spots. They were dreadful; Tottenham would have thrashed them had it not been for what can only be described as an out of this world performance by Hart.

I think the England keeper's jersey is safe for ten years to be honest.

Yes - one good thing to come out of City is they've probably provided England with a keeper finally. They'll ruin Milner though - if he wants to remain first team, he should resist the ? and stay at Villa.

Is it just me, or was the main signing of the summer - David Silva - absolutely rubbish? :laugh

 

[Dr. Pepper]

Lol no need to take the bait Masterblaster

City's players were poor and looked very rusty, but their system was interesting and once everyone gets match fit and ready it'll be interesting to see how the fluidity works out.

Dr. Pepper added 10 Minutes and 2 Seconds later...

Silva and Toure did struggle but it'll take them time to get used to the Premiership. Today's game was 100 mile per hour football from the word go. Toure played for Barcelona were composure, patience and control is the mantra of the club. Silva was also part of Spain's tika-taka football team and playing at such a high pace is probably quite new to them.

 

[War]

I tell ya if England could play 100 miles per hour football more consistently, that is done in premiership. It would be very uncomfortable for other nations to face us.

 

[Dr. Pepper]

I tell ya if England could play 100 miles per hour football more consistently, that is done in premiership. It would be very uncomfortable for other nations to face us.

I actually disagree. I think the problem is that they DO attempt to play 100 miles per hour football. Just take the Hungary game as an example, how many players were just rushing forward in attack? There was no patience or control of possession. When you come up against top quality defences, you'll fail if you just hoof it up and rush everyone forward, and will be destroyed on the counter (cough cough Germany).

 

[War]

I actually disagree. I think the problem is that they DO attempt to play 100 miles per hour football. Just take the Hungary game as an example, how many players were just rushing forward in attack? There was no patience or control of possession. When you come up against top quality defences, you'll fail if you just hoof it up and rush everyone forward, and will be destroyed on the counter (cough cough Germany).

Nah the germany game, we lost just due to terrible formation.

If we have the right formation & right players. 100 miles per hr premiership style football could beat tika-taka football. I.e Inter thrasing of Barcelona in the 1st CL semi-final last year.

But admittedly England don't have the players who can make that formation work @ international ATM.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

I wouldn't say that - I mean, do you seriously believe that's the best this group of players are capable of? They were way below par at the World Cup - a completely different team from the one in the qualifiers. I have no idea what happened between then and the tournament, but that was not the same England team who destroyed Croatia twice and breezed through their group!

 

[Dr. Pepper]

Nah the germany game, we lost just due to terrible formation.

If we have the right formation & right players. 100 miles per hr premiership style football could beat tika-taka football. I.e Inter thrasing of Barcelona in the 1st CL semi-final last year.

But admittedly England don't have the players who can make that formation work @ international ATM.

Inter didn't play 100mph football. They were defensively rigid and disciplined to the limits possible, and mercilessly destroyed Barca on the counter.

100mph football is "going for it", "getting men forward" and attacking even if the opposition is so capable on the counter. It produces some excellent premier league matches, makes the premiership such a competitive league but it leads to tactical naivety at International level.

England did play a rigid style and a formation that was unable to compete with Germany, and do lack quality players all over the pitch, but the point is that they went for it no matter what. Lampard was just going further forward, Gerrard was chasing the ball everywhere, the right winger just did all he could and Defoe and Rooney were just waiting for passes to them, whilst Cole and Johnson bombed forward. Not to mention Terry's "heroics" going forward leaving England to be ruthlessly attacked on the counter.

This type of football leaves English players lacking in patience. They don't come up against teams "parking the bus" enough to learn about controlling the possession and being patient in their attacks. It's so end to end that there's always an attack "on" so they always have to get forward.

 

[m_vaughan]

Silva and Toure did struggle but it'll take them time to get used to the Premiership. Today's game was 100 mile per hour football from the word go. Toure played for Barcelona were composure, patience and control is the mantra of the club. Silva was also part of Spain's tika-taka football team and playing at such a high pace is probably quite new to them.

Give Silva time. He is used to organised passing and build up play as opposed to just sprinting back and forth and playing insane amount of long balls.

 

[mattfb]

Hmmm, I'm not too sure about that formation. With Johnson being his attacking self, Gerrard and Cole being given effectively free roles, you can't rely on that shape to happen all the time. Johnson, Gerrard and Cole could so easily be caught out leaving Mascherano to cover for them all.

Personally I'd like to see Hodgo try something like this:

                  Reina
            Carragher        Agger       Insua
Johnson
                 Lucas       Mascherano
         Cole            Gerrard                 Jovanovic
                        Torres

In attack you would have Johnson attacking down the wing and becoming the right winger, whilst Cole drifts inwards and creates a 4v3 in the centre of midfield, offering another attacker in a crucial area. Jovanovic would be the left winger in attack whilst still being able to make darting runs into the box. Therefore Insua wouldn't be needed to bomb forward on the other side, creating a 3 man defence + Mascherano, which keeps wary of the counter attack. Lucas would be a disciplined box-to-box player. And Gerrard would have a free role to attack how he pleases, and keep his ego assured.

It has pace and looks fairly good attacking wise but I think it's harsh to drop Kuyt. I'd start Aurellio over Insua tbh, but Insua will get games during the season because I cant see Aurellio will be able to play even 35+ games imo.

Anyway I'll be interested to see what Hodgo does. Really excited!

 

[blake]

You honestly expect us to be dominating big teams like Tottenham away from home immediately? Our squad has had no time to gel, there are so many new people so it's ridiculous expecting them to come out like a well-oiled machine and dominate Tottenham from start to finish.

 

[Ollie_H]

To be fair, the only reason you didn't lose that game is because Joe Hart was in goal. Had it been Given, you may well have lost 3-0.

 

[Dr. Pepper]

Mancini got it totally wrong though. Look how deep the 3 central midfielders were. They just gave away their numerical advantage in central midfield, and allowed Modric to have too much time and space on the ball. And at the same time they were susceptible on the flanks with Bale especially taking advantage (the fact that Richards had a shocker didn't help). SWP and Silva were being played as inside forwards when neither are inside forwards. Silva was going central and being crowded out by great team defending. They were effectively playing 7 defenders and 4 attackers. It seemed as though Mancini played for the draw.

 

[Ollie_H]

That is what is gonna happen when you play De Jong and Yaya Toure in the same side.

 

[War]

Inter didn't play 100mph football. They were defensively rigid and disciplined to the limits possible, and mercilessly destroyed Barca on the counter.

100mph football is "going for it", "getting men forward" and attacking even if the opposition is so capable on the counter. It produces some excellent premier league matches, makes the premiership such a competitive league but it leads to tactical naivety at International level.

England did play a rigid style and a formation that was unable to compete with Germany, and do lack quality players all over the pitch, but the point is that they went for it no matter what. Lampard was just going further forward, Gerrard was chasing the ball everywhere, the right winger just did all he could and Defoe and Rooney were just waiting for passes to them, whilst Cole and Johnson bombed forward. Not to mention Terry's "heroics" going forward leaving England to be ruthlessly attacked on the counter.

This type of football leaves English players lacking in patience. They don't come up against teams "parking the bus" enough to learn about controlling the possession and being patient in their attacks. It's so end to end that there's always an attack "on" so they always have to get forward.

Yes my bad. I confused good counter-attacking football with the high pace premiership style football.

War added 10 Minutes and 50 Seconds later...

That is what is gonna happen when you play De Jong and Yaya Toure in the same side.

Plus Barry. 3 defensive mid-fielders in a 4-3-3/4-5-1 (whichever formation city played was crazy). At least one those 3 midfielders have to be a Gerrard or Xavi type player.

I was shocked when SWP started too. Sometimes i wonder if he does amazing things in training, since it was shocker Capello took him to the world cup & Mancini starts him alot.

Man City's best XI i think would be:

-----------------------------Hart-----------------------------------------

Richards---------------K Toure---------Kompany--------------------Kolarov

-----------------------Y Toure--------Barry/De Jong-----------------------

Johnson/Ballotelli---------------------Silva--------------------------Tevez

--------------------------Adebayor---------------------------------------

- Obviously one of Barry or De Jong has to play on the bench. Its crazy to think they have 4 DM, with Vieira also around. Will be interesting to see if Milner does really go to City now.

- Im glad Richards is starting due to English bias. But he needs to improve ASAP.