Most underated players

[Fried]

Suárez is sick. Goal scorer & playmaker.
Second, although very highly regarded in Ballon d'Or.

[Teso Dos Bichos]

erik ADP is not underrated he's a juve legend. Pato was rated fairly high before coming to Milan and anybody who follows the european leagues know how good he is.

Yet in any discussion about the best whatever Del Piero is never mentioned.

[Juanele]

Yet in any discussion about the best whatever Del Piero is never mentioned.

He is the exact same as Raul is for Real Madrid. A legend for their club team but not really thought of outside of it (although Raul has had some good success with Spain).

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Raul was thought of highly before his level of performance dropped significantly. By contrast Del Piero, while not anywhere near his pre-injury form, has improved in recent years.

[phil80]

Zarate, Pandev, Friedel, Arshavin

Players that are finally being rated fairly: Iniesta, Walcott, Lassana Diarra

[Teso Dos Bichos]

On what basis are they underrated?

For me the first three players suffer from inconsistency which is why they are rated as they are. In the case of Arshavin the jury was out until he proved himself in a better league. He has made a good start at Arsenal but it is early days.

[impalemeplz]

He is forgotten by a lot of people and underrated by many, namely, by people who make computer games. He's wank on Pro Evo.

Doesnt he have 99 agi and 90+ shooting accuracy in pro evo :confused:

[Tony Dellbird]

Doesnt he have 99 agi and 90+ shooting accuracy in pro evo :confused:

Not on Pro Evo 6 he didn't.

[phil80]

On what basis are they underrated?

For me the first three players suffer from inconsistency which is why they are rated as they are. In the case of Arshavin the jury was out until he proved himself in a better league. He has made a good start at Arsenal but it is early days.
How is Freidel inconsistent? He has been one of the more consistent keepers in the premier league
zarate and pandev are somewhat inconsistent but nothing out of ordinary. They have both been solid in serie a and have had many great performances this season alone.
As for Arshavin, a player does not have to be in a better league to be considered underrated. Anyone that watched zenit and russia knew how much talent he had. It's understandable for people to be reluctant to compare him against the best players because of his league but talent-wise people have overlooked his capablities.

[Bolivianfuego]

Also let me add to the list, freddy adu.

He lit up the U20 WC better than any of the brasilians, yet he is struggling at getting any playing time anywhere/ got sold for cheap (800k US) partly due to politics, and bad decisions on his part and his agents. What do you guys think?

[Moishe]

How is Freidel inconsistent? He has been one of the more consistent keepers in the premier league.

I kind of wondered this myself. I can't recall the last run of poor form he's had and considering he really hasn't played in front of World Class defenses, I'd say he's done well. Honestly how many EPL keepers have had a better run over the past five consecutive seasons? Honest question.

As for Zarate whom you mentioned, if he's consistent at one thing it is not looking for teammates. I see nothing wrong with strikers that want to score but dribbles himself into nothing too often.

[hackespitze123]

Tim 'Fußballgott' Wiese!

[Teso Dos Bichos]

How is Freidel inconsistent? He has been one of the more consistent keepers in the premier league
zarate and pandev are somewhat inconsistent but nothing out of ordinary. They have both been solid in serie a and have had many great performances this season alone.
As for Arshavin, a player does not have to be in a better league to be considered underrated. Anyone that watched zenit and russia knew how much talent he had. It's understandable for people to be reluctant to compare him against the best players because of his league but talent-wise people have overlooked his capablities.

Friedel is inconsistent because the level of his performance varies greatly. In some games he goes into superhero mode while in others he is unremarkable. I accept that consistency for a keeper, particularly with a weak defense, is hard but there are other keepers who have been more consistent across the board, like Given. I put Friedel in the same tier as keepers like Schwarzer and Jaaskelainen. They can be superb on their day but those days are erratic. Although to be fair Schwarzer has been the form keeper this season and behind an impressive Fulham defensive unit.

You said it yourself when you used the words 'inconsistent' and 'solid' to describe both Zarate and Pandev. They are rated fairly and consistency is what is holding them back both in terms of standing and their club side. They are effectively UEFA Cup tier strikers at this moment in time.

There is a difference between someone putting in performances in a weaker domestic league and doing so in one of the best leagues in the world. The jury is always out until they prove themselves and rightly so. Your standing depends not only on what you do but where you do and who your opposition is. Arshavin will be have his standing adjusted based on his performances for Arsenal. Before that all we had was a very good player in a second tier league who had some standout games in continental and international football. The true test, as always, will be consistency. He has made a very good start at Arsenal so good luck to him.

[phil80]

Friedel is inconsistent because the level of his performance varies greatly.

You said it yourself when you used the words 'inconsistent' and 'solid' to describe both Zarate and Pandev. They are rated fairly and consistency is what is holding them back both in terms of standing and their club side. They are effectively UEFA Cup tier strikers at this moment in time.

There is a difference between someone putting in performances in a weaker domestic league and doing so in one of the best leagues in the world. The jury is always out until they prove themselves and rightly so. Your standing depends not only on what you do but where you do and who your opposition is. Arshavin will be have his standing adjusted based on his performances for Arsenal. Before that all we had was a very good player in a second tier league who had some standout games in continental and international football. The true test, as always, will be consistency. He has made a very good start at Arsenal so good luck to him.
I disagree about Friedel, unlike the other keepers you compared him with he doesnt fluctuate as much. He has been fairly consistent and doing a solid job with a questionable defense.
Zarate has been inconsistent but nothing out of the norm and when he is in a good spell, he is one of the brightest stars in serie a. Pandev has been doing exceptional in their league games. There has to be something said with the fact top tier clubs are constantly being linked to him now(Pandev).

Arshavin's standing will be adjusted but to anyone that has truly watched him play they knew how underrated he was (for zenit and russia), and mind you i was claiming his rating to be adjust before his four goal route the other game. On a side note, I realized I forgot to mention diego who also definitely gets overlooked

Now as for the real thread topic player. Sorry to break it you teso, but Iniesta still remains most underrated player (something i have been saying since 2005- when very few knew of him). Watching his performances this season, it would be pretty hard to find a better midfielder around especially in the premier league, and it always strengthens my stance when posters still put lampard over him, with last night being a nice reminder on who the superior player is.

[revelationx]

Iniesta still remains most underrated player (something i have been saying since 2005- when very few knew of him). Watching his performances this season, it would be pretty hard to find a better midfielder around especially in the premier league, and it always strengthens my stance when posters still put lampard over him, with last night being a nice reminder on who the superior player is.

Iniesta was very good vs Chelsea.

[KumarsS]

Indeed. By himself he got me close to a heart attack at least twice.

[Aljon]

I want your opinion on this you guys;
who do you think is a better player? gerrard or iniesta?

[phil80]

I want your opinion on this you guys;
who do you think is a better player? gerrard or iniesta?
It depends what kind of player the team needs. They each have different strengths and are among the best midfielders at the moment. Iniesta is a better dribbler and has superior close control, Gerrard is a better shooter, tackler, and overall leader. Also, Iniesta is better at controlling the pace of the game but gerrard can stamp his authority especially in crucial moments better than Iniesta. Both can play the CAM position very well but Gerard's influence decreases when he is pushed outside, while Iniesta has done well at left attacking wing. They are both in good form, but if I were to pick I would rather have Iniesta on my team because of the way he controls the pace of the game.

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Here we go again...

You are correct when you discuss Gerrard usually playing at full throttle which is part of the reason why he is more suited to his free attacking midfield role instead of in central midfield. You are also correct when you say Iniesta can adjust his play based on the pace of the game which helps him to play in different positions/roles. However I do not correlate that to be able to control the pace of a game as that is what Xavi, not Iniesta, does. Yet again you are guilty of marginalising Xavi in your bid to promote Iniesta.

[phil80]

Xavi does it better but that does not mean iniesta is incapable of doing it, the question was comparing gerrard and iniesta with no mention of xavi. And for the record, I have always claimed xavi is the better and more important player for both club and country.