Well I think Busquets' miss last night pretty much summed him up in terms of attacking flair. I wouldn't have wagered much on Makelele scoring it either though.
Printable View
I wouldn't associate flair with that miss at all, it was just the fact he's not used to being in that situation and for whatever reason he didn't have the composure to do it. If that was a pass flying at him in midfield you'd think he'd be able to put it wherever he wanted on the field.
Ha. I still dont get it. Gerard gave suarez the ball?
England were gonna get trounced that day if Paul McGrath and Lilian Thuram were in defence. It had "one of those days" written all over it.
I honestly wasn't doing a like-for-like comparisoon. But it is one of the things about Barca that they have such dislikeable squad members like Busquets and Pedro that make them so hard to like even before you get into a discussion about the way they play.
As above.
I wasn't being altogether serious using those examples but you do have a point about team flair.
But there are things like the sponsorship scenario and the battering of "Mes que un club" down the throat of European soccer fans that also makes me dislike them. I also have a contrary streak in me which you may or may not have noticed.
I think I finally get it.
Things are finally heating up. Anyone pm me betting for Friday?
I think the problem with Barcelona is that, although really are just like any other football team, they sometimes get portrayed as pure, noble artisans of football, by some fairly gullible people.
I say that as somebody who loved their style and was saddened by their decline.
Karma...in different forms.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...71540384_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...25868658_n.jpg
It wasn't just flair though, it was attacking flair. I'd expect a guy who excels in the attacking flair department to put that one away. He was seemingly being compared to Zidane, Figo and Ronaldo at the time after all. I was just loosely making the point that that's not really his function in the side.
Exactly and for every team at these Finals there are the travelling fans, the fans at home and usually a world cup fever. There isn't any bigger collective show on the planet.
The same consideration applies to Greece as to us and even if their game last night with Japan did not meet standards of other teams, one goal from either would have transformed a country's mood. If only we had a midfielder like Karagounis for the past 12 years. As long as teams have a viable chance of going through, there is that magic world cup thing alive in the game, football quality is only one of the ingredients.
Another game denigrated, Iran v Nigeria, was actually played in a brilliant atmosphere and it was something to see how a very disciplined Iran were organised to survive.
Neil Lennon made a good point after that game. It may have been boring for us but try telling that to Iran. They worked hard to get what they wanted. Fair play to them.
It's vintage Dunphy. Attack the manager by talking up those not in the team. If England had lost with Terry and Cole in the team, it would have been how could the manager not have played the in form Baines and Jagielka. C'est la panel.
England were beaten by Trap tactics. Harry and hoof, except Uruguay have a world class centre forward. England dominated possession and if the Rooney of old had been on song, England would have won it. Hopefully, Italy win tonight so we have an exciting last round of games.
That isn't a problem with Barca, that's an issue with some ott perceptions,
the problem is then with the reaction to those ott perceptions, usually marked by irrational dislikes, reactionary rants, lumping every body who appreciate Spanish football into the same mindless sheep box and who read the Guardian (as if that was an insult).
Most supporters think their club is something special, that's a universal phenomenon and when they actually do something special it demands appreciation in the wider world, that appreciation is earned. Reactionaries just react.