The Ultimate Football Thread 2013-2014 Vol. 4 EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A etc

Fear The Ibis said:
ICE CITY FC said:
AZwildcats said:
ELCHAPULINCOLORADO said:
tSamShoX said:
Nasri still trash tho
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STILL MORE QUALITY THAN THAT THAT HORRENDOUS MANURE MIDFIELD
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He is trash though. 
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Yall are wild. Samir Nasri isn't trash by any meaningful definition of the word, the guy had a down year and still created more clear-cut chances than any other attacking player in the Prem last season.  He might have had an off year but class is permanent. Phenomenal technique, movement, and versatility. My son is gonna bounce right back under Pellegrini. :pimp:
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You can't just go and make up things and call them facts.
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I didn't make anything up son. Get YOUR facts straight.
 
SinnerP said:
And ex-Liverpool, John Barnes... 
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 Barnsey still with the Mic skills...
 
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SinnerP said:
The latest Bale-rumor... plus Fabio Coentrao thrown in.
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If we sign Lamela, Willian and Coentrao.. I'd have no problem letting Bale go. On paper, we have no excuses if we fail to finish at least 4th...

...........................Soldado.......................
.......Lamela..............................Willian....
.............Paulinho ......... Dembele...........
...........................Sandro..........................
..Coentrao..Vertonghen..Kaboul..Walker..
...........................Lloris
 
@ManUtdStuff: Official: United's 21-year-old defender Scott Wootton has joined Leeds United for a fee of £1m & has signed a 3-year deal.
 
Kind of bummed that Barca has no games scheduled while im here in Barcelona. I will be doing the tour and museum of Camp Nou tomorrow. I will just take that all in as much as I can. I heard its a great thing to do here.
 
Comment: Arsenal problems extend well beyond failures in the transfer market - from the owners to the academy
The Calvin Report: Enlightened coaches and scouts have been allowed to leave

Terry Murphy takes pride in representing Arsenal. He dresses impeccably, in club tie and blazer, and speaks respectfully, regardless of whether he is visiting a public school headmaster, or a single mother of four on the 18th floor of a high rise in north London.

He has standards. He has nurtured generations of young footballers in the 40 years since he left Holloway School, where he taught PE, to join a club which no longer reflects his instinctive dignity and innate sensitivity.

He was Arsenal’s youth development officer, and moved into recruitment when his mentor, former chief scout Ernie Collett, was knocked down and killed by a fire engine in 1980. He took pride in producing people, not merely players. His best boys, such as David Rocastle and Martin Keown, matured into measured, intelligent men.

They lived Murphy’s professional principles. These are inscribed on a single sheet of A4 paper, which highlights 32 qualities he believes are found in a successful player. They range from mental toughness to controlled aggression but also touch on more human qualities, such as intensity of commitment and awareness of responsibility.

Murphy is 73 now, and speaks sadly of modern football’s devotion to the lowest common denominator: “It’s not the game that I used to know. I don’t enjoy it so much. The job hasn’t changed, in essence, but the expectations of the parents have changed. Unfortunately, nowadays it all comes down to money. That puts a different emphasis on management, influences the way things are run. It’s the deciding factor.”

He is too decent, too loyal, to draw the timely parallel with Arsenal’s broader problems. He is an unwitting symbol of what the club has sacrificed since its move from the spiritual home, Highbury. The business plan still promotes the mythology of “The Arsenal Way” but it is the institution itself which has lost its way.

The rancour, bile and frustration generated by Arsène Wenger’s inability to invest inordinate sums in a thin, transparently inadequate first-team squad miss an important point. Issues at senior level are symptomatic of the stasis which afflicts Arsenal in a number of critical areas.

The problem begins at the top, with an absentee owner, Stan Kroenke, who sees no reason to be proactive while profits protect an asset which lacks the emotional pull of his other major franchises, St Louis Rams in the NFL, and Denver Nuggets of the NBA. Arsenal are well down a food chain which also includes Colorado-based clubs in three contrasting sports, ice hockey’s Avalanche, lacrosse’s Mammoth, and Rapids, from Major League Soccer.

The predictable, faintly pathetic posturing of honorary vice-president Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith, who reacted to the opening day defeat by Aston Villa by claiming she deeply regretted selling Kroenke her shareholding for an estimated £80m, is indicative of a board which lacks dynamism and direction.

Wenger’s reputation as a technocrat is damaged by doubts about the quality of his support staff, and his reliance on long-time ally, Bosnian coach Boro Primorac. Arsenal’s preponderance of injuries brings into question the application of adequate conditioning programmes. Alan Pardew, confronted by a similar issue at Newcastle, responded more decisively, by bringing in Olympic expert Faye Downey to oversee a culture shift in training methods.

But it is at Arsenal’s Academy where the real rot has set in. It was rudderless even before Liam Brady signalled his intention to stand down as head of youth development at the end of this season. Enlightened coaches and scouts have been allowed to leave; three, Shaun O’Connor, Miguel Rios and Ose Aibangee, have subsequently established Brentford as one of the most progressive clubs at youth level.

Results have been abject, and the quality of coaching has declined. Arsenal’s Under-21 team conceded 22 goals in five pre-season friendlies, losing 7-0 to Luton and 5-1 to Colchester United. A clear-out of the older age groups, undertaken by the admirable and increasingly influential Terry Burton, was long overdue.

Brady bemoans the overexposure and overindulgence of young English players, compared to their European counterparts, but has done little to prevent standards of discipline from slipping. Pat Holland, a highly respected coach and scout, lasted only six weeks in charge of Arsenal’s Under-18 squad, where a strong-minded clique resented his adherence to old-school values.

The club’s moral compass is askew. Wenger’s determination to ignore the obvious character flaws of Luis Suarez hinted at his isolation and desperation. He has been further demeaned by the perception of panic, generated by yesterday’s rumble of transfer talk and failed bids.

It is no surprise to learn Murphy has been marginalised recently. His qualities may be unfashionable, but they will never be unworthy. Men like him inform us what Arsenal once stood for, and how far they have regressed.
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I hope Brady isn't replaced by Burton and Court. Viera or Bergkamp would be excellent! I think someone new would bring some freshness and hold sort **** out. I don't know too much about Jozak but for one thing, the talent that has come out of that club speaks for itself.


@AFCAcademy Dinamo Zagreb’s Romeo Jozak, Patrick Viera, Dennis Bergkamp, Terry Burton, and David Court are the options to replace Brady this season.
-Arsenal have taken on American trialist 15 yr old CB/DM Kasha Wallace. He competed for the U15s in the Nike Cup and Lion City Cup.
I hope things work out for Kasha. MURICA!
@RYO_cleverfish @jeorgebird Arsenal have signed another trialist Ukasha Wallace
@bbcsport_david Spoken to reps of PSG CB Sakho - say Barca, Milan, Arsenal & Tottenham have contacted to express interest. €12m fee, €6m salary #bbcfootball

@samuelj29060 Neville: "Arsenal have been exactly the same since they lost Vieira. You go in hard against them, you win the game. Simple as that."


@ChampionsLeague TRANSFER: @SL_Benfica have signed striker Rogelio Funes Mori from River Plate for an undisclosed fee - http://uefa.to/172k9t3
 
Funes Mori kinda has American roots, moved to Texas when he was 10 then went back to Argentina in 2008.

:lol: at that Osvaldo comparison
 
:lol:

I'm worried about our midfield for tomorrow. If you watch the video from the previous page where Neville points out some of our problems. Jack and Ramsey don't play well together. Jack certainly isn't the type of player to be that deep, especially doing the necessary defensive duties and such. Frimpong is an option seeing as though he is our only CDM but idk if that's something Wenger would go for. We're certainly gonna get pressed hard

La Masia’s most promising

Posted at: 00:00 on Monday, August 19, 2013 Category: News, Youth Written by: Sach

Article is kind lengthy and there's pics but I didn't post them, link at the bottom

La Masia’s most promising
Eric, my totalBarca colleague, recently suggested I write an article on the club’s most promising talents. I told him it was something I would definitely work on at some point. So with the start of the Spanish youth season just around the corner, it was time to oblige. In this article, I discuss the 15 most promising youngsters at FC Barcelona’s youth ranks between the age group of 11 and 18, with a bit of insight on their playing style, strengths, weaknesses, background and more…

I’d like to note that none of the youngsters from Barca B were considered for this article as, technically, it does not come under the ‘academy’. Also worth noting that comparison’s to any established footballers were made purely with the intention of giving our readers a better idea of the player’s profile and is not an attempt to compare their potential. I can think of atleast 15 more players who could just as easily have staked a claim on this list, but there had to be a limit to the article at some point. Who knows, there might just be a Part 2 of this series at a later date…

Wilfred Kaptoum
Wilfred Kaptoum
Wilfred Kaptoum: When Tata Martino arrived as coach of FC Barcelona, it was said one of the first names he enquired about was 17-year-old midfielder Wilfred Kaptoum. Much to the surprise of many at the club, but to those who have followed Kaptoum over the years with the Barcelona youth ranks, it was hardly a surprise. Kaptoum is a midfielder with an exquisite touch, who started his career at the club as an attacking midfielder but now plays in the Sergio Busquets role as a deeplying pivot. Tactically astute, great skill set for a ‘6’, good ball distribution and with a ‘touch’ as considerate as a mother’s kiss. Kaptoum is one of the two players at the club in the ‘Thiago’ profile (Ayoub is the other) capable of reaching the first team.

Munir el Haddadi: The star of this season’s Juvenil A (U19) side. Munir is a left footed forward capable of slotting in as a “9” or out wide on either wings. Top scorer of the Juvenil B side last season with 23 goals, where he was mostly employed on the right hand side of attack as he often looked to cut-in and unleash a curving effort on goal. When it comes to playing style, Munir resembles most to Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria. One of the four talented Moroccan’s currently in La Masia along with Moha, Ayoub and Imad.

'Rodri', captaining the Spain U17 side in 2012
‘Rodri’, captaining the Spain U17 side in 2012
Rodrigo Tarin: ‘Rodri’ is the standout defender in Spain at his age group and currently the centre-back in the Barcelona academy with most possibilities to reach the first team. He joined La Masia in 2011, and immediately established himself as a star in the Cadet A side of 96” generation. This season he will be playing with the Juvenil A alongside Munir and Kaptoum. Fearless in the tackle, great aerial ability, with an excellent ball output, Rodri has shades of Sergio Ramos in him. He is currently with the Spain U19 national team at the Torneo de L’Alcuda along with club teammates and also talented defenders Xavi Quintilla and Joan Campins, while Juanma Garcia (another very highly rated Spanish youth international) has just recovered from injury and joined the pre-season with Juvenil A. With Jose Suarez in goal and Godswill/Campins, Rodri, Juanma, Quintilla/Fran as the back four, it will be one of the strongest Juvenil A defenses in recent times.

Ayoub Abou: The 98” generation of La Masia boasts of three very special players: Lee, Aleña and Ayoub special. Born in Morocco and moved to Barcelona at the age of 9 to live with his brother Latif, Ayoub is a midfielder in the Iniesta/Zidane profile who is capable of some very very special things with a ball at his feet. From a very young age his superiority has forced the technical staff to play him at a level or two higher to his age group and he will spend the next season at Juvenil B. One can never truly predict the future, but I’ve honestly never seen a 15-year-old who exudes as much elegance and class as Ayoub. A dream footballer.

Ayoub at 12 years age
Ayoub Abou Oulam, a magician from Casablanca
Carles Aleña: My personal pick for midfielder of the season in 2012/13. Aleña is another of the three special players from 98” generation. An attacking midfielder in the mould of Cesc Fabregas with a left foot to die for. I first witnessed Aleña play four years ago with the Benjamin A, at the age of 11, and even at that very young age he always stood out amongst his peers. Hit a suprisingly abnormal growth spurt in 2012 and now stands with a privileged physique that is very similar to that of Ayoub. There is a tranquility and flow about his movement with a ball that is hard to find in many world class professionals, let alone someone of his age. Loves to combine with his teammates with short precision one touch passes, while always looking to pop up in the box and chime in with a goal or two. Currently doing preseason with the Juvenil B in Mexico, despite belonging to the Cadet A age group.

Lee Seung Woo: Arguably the biggest prospect in the academy today along with Ayoub. As Barca tv journalist Jaume Marcet describes him “a striker with a midfielder’s soul.” Lee is a very unique talent. His ability to breeze past defenders with ease, get into goalscoring positions and set up teammates at will have made him a real leader of the 98” generation. Often seen dropping deep into midfield during games, linking up with teammates and driving the ball forwards with his exceptional dribbling and close control, a quality that is reminiscent of Leo Messi. His connection with Aleña is a joy to behold.

Lee
Seung Woo Lee celebrates a goal
In March this year, Lee and a few other internationals were unfairly banned by FIFA from participating in official competitons for the club upon complaints from an “unnamed club”, stating that FIFA laws prevent club’s from signing international footballers under the age of 18. Barca point to the fact it was the Korean FA that offered Lee, and two other footballers Paik and Jang to the club. The issue is yet to be resolved, but these players will continue to train with the club and take part in friendly tournaments until then.

Oriol Busquets: Primarily a defensive midfielder, but is equally adept at centre-midfield or centre-back. Oriol is a tall lanky 14 year-old with privileged physical, technical and leadership qualities and a specialist at scoring long range scorchers. His superiority at the Infantil A was enough to convince the coaching staff to promote him two levels to the Cadet A next season, skipping Cadet B altogether. No, he is not related to Sergio Busquets or Oriol Romeu.

Alex Collado with his MVP award at MIC 2013
Alex Collado with his MVP award at MIC 2013
Alex Collado: A technical marvel. Alex is a refined footballer who relies heavily on his polished technical skills to overcome complicated situations, much like former Valencia man David Silva. Equally capable of slotting in as an attacking midfielder or on either wings and has a wonderful left foot, giving comparisons to the Man City midfielder even more credence. He was awarded MVP for his excellent performances with the Infantil A at last season’s MIC. Needs to work on the physical aspect of his game, but no one can debate the undisputed quality of this player.

Arnau Comas: Like Oriol Busquets for 99” generation, Arnau is the star midfielder and leader of the 2000” generation. Also like Oriol, Arnau is primarily a defensive midfielder who is equally adept at centre-midfield or centre-back. When it comes to playing style, they resemble each other closely too. Both are equally tall, but Arnau with a bit more muscle on him, and to complete the list of their contrasting features, Oriol is a red-head while Arnau is a blonde with a Ronald Koeman look about him.

Abel Ruiz Ortega: The Ibrahimovic of La Masia. Abel is a ‘9’ capable of leaving the audience in absolute awe. Joined from Valencia at the age of 12 last summer and immediately established himself as one of the top strikers at the academy. Possesses an endless repertoir of tricks and flicks, with a lethal right foot, while his great physique enables him to hold off two or three defenders with ease before setting up a teammate.

Abel and Lee enjoying a day out in Barcelona
Abel and Lee, the two star strikers enjoying a day out in Barcelona
Enric Martinez: There is no dearth of top quality centre-midfielder’s in the academy, and Enric is a standout in this position. He belongs to the same age group as Arnau and Abel, and came to the academy with Abel from Valencia. A midfielder born and bred in the touch based possession game, Enric is a real team player and very Xavi-like in his playing style. Was voted MVP of the Torneo de Arousa last year where he shone infront of the watchful eyes of Vicente del Bosque.

Takefusa Kubo: The crown jewel of many great “cracks” from the 2001 generation, who last season was part of the team many (including myself) consider the greatest Alevin A side in history. ‘Take’ joined La Masia from the club’s FCB Fukuoka academy in Japan and is undisputedly one of our biggest prospects today. What he lacks in physique, he makes up for it with incredible technical qualities, intelligence and ability to maneuver the ball in tight spaces. While he can often get pushed around by much stronger built opponents, an inevitable growth spurt, which usually tends to occur late in Asian kids, will no doubt see him overcome this issue with time. Top scorer of the academy this season with 79 goals.

"Take" and "Ansu"
“Take” and “Ansu”
Anssumane Fati: The Yin to Take’s Yang. Despite being an attacking midfielder one can easily be forgiven for assuming ‘Ansu’ as a striker. Compliments Take perfectly on the pitch, with a slightly more physical approach to the game. But the Guinea born youngster’s repertoire dosen’t end there, far from it, he possesses fantastic vision and skill set and is capable of leaving one spellbounded with moments of utter brilliance. Was the top scorer in the recently concluded Torneo de Arousa, one of the most prestigious youth tournaments in Spain, despite being a year younger than his opponents.

Adrià Bernabé: As if the “best Alevin A side in history” tagline wasn’t enough, the club decided to go one up and add the best Spanish midfielder of the 2001 generation to the team by signing Espanyol midfielder Adrià Bernabé this summer. Voted MVP of almost every youth tournament he played in last season, Bernabé will compliment Ansu, Take and Adrià Altimira in attack, while adding more style and panache to the Infantil B midield. One of the signings of the summer at La Masia.

Eric Garcia: Another gem from this famous 2001 generation of La Masia. Unlike Take, Ansu and Bernabe, Eric is a centre-back. The leader of this great generation and the best defender in Spain at his age group. He’s the tallest player in the team, with great ball output, superb anticipation and an excellent tackle. Erik has it all to make it at the very top. The true depth of this 2001 generation can only be understood when you realize the fact I’ve yet to mention names like Adria Altimira, Nico, Nil, Arnau, Marco, Amor, Ivan, Mortimer. All standout players at this age group in Spain. A truly astonishing generation.
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http://www.totalbarca.com/2013/news/la-masias-most-promising/#ixzz2cYxM0s7I
 
Jesus Corona to twente FC in Holland. It's the winger, not the GK. Good for Mexican footy. Meanwhile Fabian :rolleyes
 
I don't think Ramsey should be in the starting xi

Also Sakho should be signed at all cost. Arsenals defense had been questionable for the last few seasons.
 
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quik1987 said:
I don't think Ramsey should be in the starting xi

Also Sakho should be signed at all cost. Arsenals defense had been questionable for the last few seasons.
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Aside from last weekend Ramsey has been in good form since last season. Hard to take him out of the line considering his link up with Arteta really paid off. But of course if (when) we get another midfielder things will change. Same goes for Sakho, it really should be a no brainer. But I'm just imagining Wenger putting in a 7m bid and not wanting to go higher :smh:
 
P$G basically willing to let him go and like you said, arsenal will undercut the price someway and he'll end up elsewhere...story of this window smh
 

You eat your crow yet?

But seriously if you think Nasri is trash why?

Regardless of form, such an attractive player to watch. :smh:
 
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