I've seen game where I thought he was the best. I get it if others don't agree. That's because they're stupid
He's played against all the top forwards in the world and walked away with his head held high. It's a Luxury to have such a squad player.
Recently when he has gotten a chance he has made far less mistakes than Varane , and I reiterate, recently, he flies under the radar because he is the backup player but I find he has improved leaps and bounds as a player, at this point I certainly don't fear when he has to start, he wasn't bought for millions but I believe he is more than capable, for me in this form, he can always start and I don't have a problem with it.
Yeah. I'm not sure anyone noticed but with the lack of truly great CBs out there Nacho has quietly established himself as a top 10 CB imo.
Sadly, this might be a discussion worth having now. Not to say i'm sad that Nacho has turned out to be fantastic but sad that we expected so much from Rafa and the start to his career here was so damn spectular that our expectations were justified. Rafa has regressed this season and wasn't his spectacular self last season either. As far as CBs go he is nowhere near the age at which we can start thinking about selling him. But if team selection was an absolute meritocracy (which it isn't) Nacho would be in serious discussions as competition to Rafa. We are so fortunate to have squad players like him, Isco, James, Morata etc. #blessed
Varane looked like he'd be a legend at the club. He was young, athletic, with good instincts. But he has regressed seemingly every year since he became a regular. Injuries played a part, too. Too bad.
I still think Varane is really good if not great, lets not forget Varane is only 23 years old (Nacho is 27), that is extremely young. Also love the fact that he is 6'-3". I still think that in a few years when he enters his actual prime he will be the worlds best CB. I think he is being harshly judged by his own high standards he set at such a young age. I love Nacho for so many reasons, I've expressed that many times. We are lucky to have him, and the fact he can play all 4 defensive positions and play them well is even more impressive.
The problem with Varane is that he's not durable. You can't be Baleinho level of injury prone and be a defender. Nacho is a monster. Isn't he the fastest player on our team too? I can't remember if it was against Bayern or the league game before, but the opposing forward had a break away and my boy Nacho hunted him down from 15-20m behind the player. Nacho isn't Pacman, he's the damn ghost.
Varane has had a very good season in my books. So much of what he does is gone unnoticed because of his superior positioning and ability to read a play that he doesn't need to do last ditch tackles or interception.
Also he has never, in almost 4 seasons, been out for an injury. Very impressive stuff. I think Nacho is a very good defender. If he leaves us he can probably play his way up to a starting spot with Spain too. His problem though is we will forever think of him as that young rotation option when he is actually 27. His playing style fits us well since we play with a high line, but his heading ability leaves a lot to be desired to be fair. I remember when Mourinho was here he said he would be a good full back but never be a RM level center back because of that. I disagree, but he should always be paired with another CB that is dominant in the air.
Yeah, I didnt think he was that bad either. Needs to cut out some of the fancy nonsense he sometimes does, but I still think I would start him over Nacho if he was available.
I actually think Varane hasn't been good this season. He's had poor positioning and what has bailed him out time after time is his immense speed. He lacks concentration in various moments of the games which is a no-no when we have Marcelo and Dani as fullbacks. Nonetheless, I don't see Varane here next season, I think he'll join Mourinho at United. He was going to go this season but Zidane managed to convince him to stay for one more. He's already won everything there is to win here and always tried his best with us, I'll always be grateful for that.
Right now despite his crystal clear weak points in defence, i dont mind having him as our main CB. I think he is getting stronger mentally and he will improve his positioning and toughness as he plays as a starting CB more. But first lets see how he plays against cules tomorrow.
I agree with this. I think Varane has been quite poor this season. He is poor on 1v1 against skillful players I feel. He loses his concentration very often and with Navas in this peculiar form we can't afford that. The only thing Nacho has against him is being from the academy and being the 4th choice CB for so long. He has proven time and time again that he can play against the best without a problem. Crosses and corners are his weak points I feel but overall he makes alot less mistakes than Varane. If Nacho had a game similar to the one Varane had against Valencia there'd be people wanting a new CB because Nacho isn't good enough. Fact is he has never had such a game since he got promoted but that conveniently gets flown under the radar.
ZZ managed to convince him by offering him a starting spot. That's what he wanted. I don't see any reason for him to leave now. Pepe is going and Vallejo is too young and has had quite a few injuries. Varane recently said he wants to retire here. No starter here would leave for United unless pushed out. And Varane has been pretty good in big games when he was fit including 3-0 for Atletico. We can't easily replace a 24 year old like him. Nacho was getting blasted here for couple of mistakes against Atleti and Bayern. Opinions change on a weekly basis.
All good points. I'm not worried about him leaving. His only concern was not being undisputed starter and Zizou gave him that. He is at the best club in the world, winning trophies, undisputed starter, coached by his idol, has put down roots in the city, why would he leave all that for............. rainy Manchester and the dark abyss that is the EL. I wouldn't say that. I suggested that a discussion could be had about it now with Rafa not playing up to his standards and Nacho raising his game and becoming quite dependable. I'd still put Rafa over Nacho based on ability, instincts, speed, heading and poise. I wish we could get the Rafa from 3 years ago. That dude even scored goals.
I still have hope that Varane will pan out. Looked like the real deal a couple of years ago but Nacho seems to be ahead of the pecking order on my list completely on merit and how dependable he's shown to be. He's fucxing solid.
Just giving this thread a bump to say Nacho is awesome. His goal against Sevilla shows how well the guy understands the game. Very intelligent player. Just unbelieveable how well he can play either as CB or FB. And the best part, a canterano who never had to leave to become a football great. I think there's still room for improvement but this was Nacho's season. Hopefully he will lift two trophies this season to crown an amazing year. If Lopetegui doesn't call him in favor of Bartra and other shitty players for the WC it will be one of the most unfair decisions in the sport.