Originally posted by KroneHe is actually still pretty good shape to play. The Prmeirship league is plays hard marking and he is able to handle all that. But I have heard many of his injuries aswell.
Wouldnt Say Ballacks past his prime, Everytime ive seen him play since joining Chelski hes been great. And he was on a free...Good bye if you ask me!
maybe not past his prime, but definitely not as good as he was at bayern munich. then again i honestly dont know, ive never watched german football. im just going by what ive heard other people say about ballack. anyways my point was that big clubs are still willing to pay shitloads of money for older players, whether they're past their prime or not.
According to the greatest football podcast in the world (Football Weekly on Guardian Unlimited), Ballack isn't playing much differently from when he was in Germany. The only - albeit significant - difference is that he isn't scoring nearly as many goals, as Lampard seems to take responsibility for that. According to those in the know, he's always been a lazy sod, but previously managed to score a few.
Originally posted by Ya Krunk'd Floo
According to the greatest football podcast in the world (Football Weekly on Guardian Unlimited), Ballack isn't playing much differently from when he was in Germany. The only - albeit significant - difference is that he isn't scoring nearly as many goals, as Lampard seems to take responsibility for that. According to those in the know, he's always been a lazy sod, but previously managed to score a few.
another john moston moment
another diabolical display buy Spurs... and Martin Jol
0-0 in the 75th minute... why not bring on Mido and Huddletone BEFORE ARSENAL SCORE. WE needed to score, they didn't, so why on earth wait for them to make a move FIRST?
we barely had a shot on target, the strikers never saw the ball, why on earth no change the system to get INTO the game?
every time Spurs look like losing a match, Jol hasnt got the slightest idea of how to fix it... with each and every game that passes i lose more confidence in Jol's ability to control a match.
now for some nitpicking:
Jenas - unfit, why did he take off Ghaly and not Jenas when he was clearly out on his feet and uninterested in playing (more so than usual for Jenas)
Robinson - wtf... seriously... how do you get so bad in the space between seasons.
Defoe - did he play? or just stand around in offside positions?
Malbranque - for a 'premiership player' he has the first touch of a clubfooted quadraplegic (yes i know...)
All in all it was Jol's fault, he never knew how to win that game and it showed, he had no tactical awareness what so ever, and Arsenal deserved to win it.
Best Ever Premiership Team, anyone?
----------------------Schmeichel------------------
Neville--------Adams--------Desailly-------Cole(?)
--------------------Keane/Vieria-----------------
Ronaldo---------------------------------Giggs---
-----------------Bergkamp/Cantona------------
-------------Shearer----------Henry-------------
I can't decide between those two pairs, so I've copped-out.
Sweet.
PS. Spurs are the bestest.
Originally posted by Phat JIm a huge fan of the German League and Im a fan of Bayern Munich. Ballack Pizarro, Podolski, and Makaay were a great duo of strikers. Anyways, Ballack still plays as good as he used to. Chelsea now has a team full of world class players including Ballack. Then, he is known as a World Class Player. That is how good he is.
maybe not past his prime, but definitely not as good as he was at bayern munich. then again i honestly dont know, ive never watched german football. im just going by what ive heard other people say about ballack. anyways my point was that big clubs are still willing to pay shitloads of money for older players, whether they're past their prime or not.
Ballack is a great player but he is not World Class, a World Class midfielder would of performed alot better than Ballack has. Of course you can adapting to the EPL is difficult (becuase of the physical side) but the German League (From what ive seen) is a physical league.
The only players i would class as 'World Class' in the EPL (And im a Liverpool fan) are Henry, Drogba, Cech, Ronaldo their maybe one or two i havent said but the four named would walk into any squad in the World.
Originally posted by Nellinator
I'd say that Gerrard could walk onto any team as well. What team wouldn't play Ronaldo in the starting 11 BTW? Who could he not beat out?
Gerrard is poor, people need to stop being inside him all the time.
It's not a matter of the player, it's a matter of the manager. He wouldn't get in at Arsenal because there are people better suited to the job, nor Barca. Real Madrid probably.
-AC