Lionel Messi - the ultimate 'flat track bully'?

stinger · July 4, 2010

davek said:
As for quality, it's impossible to prove this point, but from what I've seen a team like even the Uruguayan national team would waltz its way through a CL competition with only (maybe) Barca at their very best able to compete with them. Maybe the pride and passion of playing for the national team elevates the performance of players many top CL teams wouldn't invest in? Certainly the German, Spanish or even Dutch squads at this WC (who are pretty much all CL blooded players) would rout the best CL opposition.

World Cup is the most important tournament for players, but only from a pressure/psychological perspective (you don't see this kind of reactions following missed penalty kicks like Gyan's or Adiyah's in Champions League), but top european clubs would destroy top national teams. Club teams have much better understanding between players (because they are spending much more time practicing and playing together) and usually these days are run by much more competent coaches, than their NT competitors.
Have no doubt that...let's say: Liverpool from 08/09 season would be a main favorite to win the whole thing.

davek · July 5, 2010

Brownie said:
Dave? You actually REALLY THINK Uruguay would beat every single club team in Europe apart from 'maybe' Barcelona?

Definitely. And while I'm on the subject, so too would a team like Mexico. Who would see them off in the CL? United? No chance. Ditto Chelsea, Bayern, Inter, etc etc.

davek · July 5, 2010

stinger said:
World Cup is the most important tournament for players, but only from a pressure/psychological perspective (you don't see this kind of reactions following missed penalty kicks like Gyan's or Adiyah's in Champions League), but top european clubs would destroy top national teams. Club teams have much better understanding between players (because they are spending much more time practicing and playing together) and usually these days are run by much more competent coaches, than their NT competitors.
Have no doubt that...let's say: Liverpool from 08/09 season would be a main favorite to win the whole thing.

This is just a complete nonsense. As bad as they performed this WC I would even take the English national team to beat any of the curent top three PL teams (the club sides to keep their England players in any such game). Capello's team in the qualifiers would steamroller Chelsea, United and Arsenal. And that's merely the English national team I'm using as an example there. Is someone really going to give me an argument that Spain couldn't handle Bayern Munich or Inter Milan? Really?!

I'm truly shocked by the counter assertion. It just goes to show how much people have been dumbed down over the course of the last few years - accepting as given the media hype over the overblown CL circus instead of observing and concluding on the basis of what's served up on the pitch. Stop drinking the Kool Aid lads.

stinger · July 5, 2010

Argument - Club team is spending around 9-10 months together, National team is spending one month max and only because of the tournaments. Top clubs also have a bigger pool of players - if they have 2 class RBs, they will just sell one and get LB instead, National team can't do it, so you have a team like France who has 4 top LBs for example, but is struggling with CBs - sooner or later it would be corrected by sports director and coach of club team.
There's a reason why coach like Luis van Gaal was a total disaster for Holland - his tactics are quite complicated and requires time, he didn't have it to install it properly, when he was managing Holland.