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So you're agreeing with me that he isn't a tempo-setting midfielder and is nowhere near as dominant throughout the 90 as a Rodri? And his game is about the box most of the time? Glad to hear it. He gets dominated by Rodri every time they play against each other. I didn't mean they don't...

It's a manufactured media rivalry, as one player is significantly better at football than the other. The other got put on his level due to circumstance (being born two years apart, playing for rival clubs in the same league) and being able to keep up in goal stats. I also don't buy that Messi...

Bellingham hardly pressed on Sunday night. That's a second striker, a false forward type of player. A true midfielder is guys like Xavi, Modric, Kroos, Rodri - a guy who controls the tempo of the play, passes and moves, blocks off passing avenues, plays combination play intricately in tight...

The overall point is that Spain are one of the very few national teams who have the synergy, drilling and passing and cohesion of a club side. That's probably why they looked so good at this tournament and their hardest game was against probably the second best team in the tournament in terms of...

Yeah fair point - I phrased it too strongly and too black and white. I just meant, in general, a superior technical side will have a much greater chance of dominating an inferior one throughout the 90 mins. And the teams regarded as the best ever are generally high possession, pass and move...

Anyway, I don't wanna argue with you, Rory - I consider you a good and intelligent poster, and it's just a difference of opinion and me being forthright in how I think about football. Cheers.

I know you didn't. Exactly, should never have played two of them, and played either Scholes (not that he did much when he was selected before, even in his favourite position) or Carrick (the poverty man's Xavi or Busquets, but a better fit than Gerrard or Lampard despite being an inferior...

They're still not regarded anywhere near those teams in global history, which is my point. That's also because it's easier to play defensively and counter-attack than to be proactive and break down defensive teams. That's why counter-attack works a lot despite teams being outplayed. Everybody...

Excellent team, but nobody in their right mind would rate them anywhere near Pep's Barca, the best Brazils, Spain etc.

I didn't say they were better players - Bellingham is a better player overall than Ruiz, because he has more athleticism generally and can get into the box, and has achieved more at a top club. However, Ruiz will always be a better fit for a team that plays like Spain. I agree there's not just...

'Pretty universally accepted he's a terrible manager with 0 tactics. He doesn't get anything out of the players strengths.' Yes, but if they're as good as hyped he shouldn't drag them fully down either. Come on, it's obvious that the likes of Olmo, Ruiz, Rodri, Zubimendi are more technically...

Yeah, they keep talking like their players are superstars, and everyone else's are inferior, but that is PL hype. Technically a lot of them are mediocre. There's no rhyme or reason to rate Mainoo and Rice over Ruiz and Olmo outside of Arsenal and Man U hype, Guehi over Le Normand, Bellingham...

He's resigned.

REM. To be fair, 'Man on the Moon' suits Cristiano down to the ground given his delusions :lamine:

Nah it's nothing as bad as that. It's more issues of bending down and getting up. For now at least, it doesn't hurt much if at all in a stationary position or when walking. Probably the way I play - lots of twists and turns, direction changes. Plus many years of playing without warming up maybe.

He will always be individually better than everyone, because he's Messi and one of the two most talented players of all time, in my opinion. The thing is that his ageing and being way past prime means he can no longer showcase that talent to its fullest, and allows less talented but younger and...

Yeah, the exception being of course when he won the World Cup, then moved to Miami. He wasn't particularly special for PSG that season, and he did well at Miami at a poorer level than Europe. However, the World Cup takes precedence and he was brilliant in it, hence still deserved the award. He...

Rodri feels like the most deserving contender. He's been consistently brilliant at club level, and was the top man in a team that successfully won an international tournament too. His impact for Man City and Spain clearly elevates those teams to what they are not quite when he isn't playing (yes...

It's also a maybe very pedantic argument. It's an ideological and stylistic preference debate. Whether he's a good player, or excellent (in the context of this generation), my overall contention is that he is nowhere near the all-time great, 'contender to dethrone Zidane' level talent he has...

Agree, you have good insight. As for bold, I made the same point. El Gato used that as justification for him being an 'excellent midfielder', but that's not what a midfielder is tasked with. Rodri controls games, passes, cuts off passing lanes, that's a midfielder. This isn't just about...