I agree with you, Raul is not the player he was. but you can't blame him, the galacticos era took the focus from him, although he still stayed the symbol of Real, he wasn't getting all the attention like normally he was, now he had Zidane, Beckham and Figo, to take over the club (which they did pertty good for the first year or two...).

He is still a good player though. Can't agree with you about him not worth a place in Real's squad...

quote:

Originally posted by KrazyDJs He is still a good player though. you can't deny him the place in Real's squad.

Agreed that he is a good player but compared to the players he is competing with at the moment, Im not sure if he is better than any of them.

Capello clearly had an agenda in mind when he signed Ruud despite having a striker surplus so its obvious one or two of them are going to go and ronaldo and raul look like the most likely candidate. Its a known fact that Capello likes Cassano so I doubt he is going anywhere and Im a fan of the player myself so I think it will be good to keep him and theres no way in hell robinho is going anywhere. That guy I think is going to be a decisive factor in any succcess that madrid are going to see.

I can see Ronaldo going. I guess the trade with Inter (Adriano for Ronaldo) won't happen, but I can see him move to another club this January, or even this summer if Cappelo decides to kick him off.

Again, as you said yourself, Raul is the fans favorite, Ronaldo (and Ruud too, but it dosen't matter anymore) is older than him, and again, imo, Raul is a good player, that can have a place in Real's squad.

About Cassano, I guess he's either you hate him or love him player. I, personally couldn't stand his attitude at Roma, and I didn't like him as a player in either clubs. Capello will give him a chance (a couple of chances ), and maybe I'll even change my mind about him.

Robinho, well he's just class. would develop in a couple of years to the best striker in the world. just need to get some experience.

cassano is class. im so glad we signed him.

quote:

Originally posted by KrazyDJs Robinho, well he's just class. would develop in a couple of years to the best striker in the world. just need to get some experience.

Not in the same class at Messi to be honest. Lacks the awareness and end product, both of which Messi already has and he's three years younger. Nevertheless Robinho's a very talented footballer who will beat defenders all day.

In some ways Ruud Van Nistelrooy is who Real need, in others he's not. Real Madrid have possibly the most demanding fans in the world, they're used to not only world class players, but entertainers, artistic players, geniuses with the ball. They've seen the likes of Redondo, Ronaldo and of course Zidane. Ruud Van Nistelrooy is just about goals, he's not an entertainer. If his goals dry up he's in trouble at the Bernabeu, it's an unforgiving place.

Last edited by evil_bastard on Jul-31-2006 at 01:36

I don't really fancy Messi, and not because he's from Barca. I give him the credit for being there and being dubbed as the "Next Maradona", but can't seem to see what all the hype is about. A good player, yes.

Better from Robinho? Don't know, as far as I rememeber they don't play in the same positions, but I agree that Messi had been more popular and had a better start than him. We will have to see how they develop.


Ruud is a scorer, never believed he'll fit in La Liga, that's why I hoped and thought he'll get to Bayern, in the Bundesliga he could fit just perfectly with his abilities (Just scoring a lot of goals).

quote:

Originally posted by KrazyDJs I don't really fancy Messi, and not because he's from Barca. I give him the credit for being there and being dubbed as the "Next Maradona", but can't seem to see what all the hype is about. A good player, yes. Better from Robinho? Don't know, as far as I rememeber they don't play in the same positions, but I agree that Messi had been more popular and had a better start than him. We will have to see how they develop. Ruud is a scorer, never believed he'll fit in La Liga, that's why I hoped and thought he'll get to Bayern, in the Bundesliga he could fit just perfectly with his abilities (Just scoring a lot of goals).

Robinho's problem is he's immensely talented but still has a lot to learn. Playing in Europe against top-level opposition week-in week-out will surely help him, although he's still some way from the finished article. People talk about him like he is 18, but he is 22. He still doesn't really know his position, he doesn't score enough to play up front and gets a bit bullied by defenders, but leaves his full back exposed when he's played on the wing. As a dribbler he's one of the best in the world and he's very quick, he just needs to work on his end product.

What amazes me about Messi is his intelligence, he's an old head on young shoulders. He reads the game very well, always finds space, picks passes and through balls that even the fans didn't see. He's so alert to what's going on around him, and almost always plays the right ball. But he's not just a very creative team player, he has all the individual skills to damage defences himself, amazing technique and first touch, he's a good dribbler, very pacy and direct, hardly ever loses the ball, he can finish and even shoot from range, he's good with both feet. Messi has it all and at 19 years old he is, for me, probably the most promising young player in the world. You get the impression that he's in it for the team, whereas Robinho goes out to show off. Even when Ronaldinho was at the top of his game last year, the majority of Barca's attacks were going through Leo Messi. Ronaldinho got all the credit for destroying Real in the Bernabeu, but Messi was orchestrating many of their attacks.

While people have always worshipped the goalscorers in football, I've always been a fan of the creative genius, the playmakers at the heart of every move. Messi often plays on the right or left of a front three for Barca, and like Ronaldinho is given quite a bit of license to roam. Rather than play off the shouler of the defender he will often drop deep, get involved in play and link the strikeforce with the midfield. In short, he makes things happen, he opens doors. Like Ronaldinho I just love watching him play. With Messi and Tevez in their peak years I think Argentina will be very difficult to stop in the next World Cup.

Last edited by evil_bastard on Jul-31-2006 at 20:59

very well explained evil_bastard. unlike robinho, messi has been playing in europe ever since he was 14 and that's an important factor to consider.

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