Notice how he specifically says 'right now' and then states 'over the two legs against Juventus' to specifiy the time period. We have had this debate before with you regarding Arsenal players and Cesc in particular. He's a great talent but blows hot and cold. When Arsenal are flying (like when Gab wrote that) then he is a great player but when Arsenal stuggle he is invisible. Despite his talent he is still a kid, particularly in terms of physique, and that is his downfall. He can easily be rendered useless by someone marking him, or in a physical game and requires midfield protection to function. He's clearly one of the best young talents in the world but until he shows consistency and is able to perform regardless of the conditions then he will never be considered the best.
not to mention, in terms of behavior, Cesc is a dick. throwing pizzas, spitting in Ballack's face as an 18 yr old.
-----------Akinfeev------------- -----Richards---Kompany------- --Boka---------------Emanuelson-- ------------Toulalan------------- ------Fabregas---Trochowski------ --Ronaldo-----------------Messi-- --------------Fred----------------
Messi was 17 and Fabregas was 16 when he made his debut for Arsenal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi
4-3-3 ---------akinfeev------- eboue-milligan-coda-lahm -------mascherano------- -----cesc---muntari------ RVP------fred------ronaldo reserves: kameni, zapatta, j.djourou, sissoko, obodo, valencia, rooney, adebayor. edit: i tried to keep it to 3 arsenal(in the first 11) and no french players
-------------------------??------------------------- Sergio Ramos-----Mexes------Senderos-------Lahm ----------------------De Rossi------------------- C.Ronaldo------------------------------------Robben ---------------------Fabregas---------------------- --------------Messi------------Rooney---------------
Ahem.......here we go....... --------------------------Rensing------------------------- ---------Mertesacker------Tasci--------Jansen---------- -------------------------Ottl------------------------------- K-P Boateng----------------------------------Trochowski ------------------Schweinsteiger------------------------- ----------Hunt----------Gomez---------Podolski----------
Mexes is 24 and De Rossi is 23 as is Lahm As far as GK is concerned, I don't think it gets better than Akinfeev in this age range.
Cesc left for Arsenal before having the chance to "break into". You can compare him with Messi, but Iniesta or Xavi bloomed very late compared to him... Iniesta haven't even been a starter until this year, and he's 22 already.
Or perhaps he left because he knew he couldn't have broken into the first team. He had iniesta and xavi in front of him. whereas at a similar age Messi made his first team debut. at age 16 I believe.
So, you can read Cesc's mind, huh? Look, every time I hear a Barcelona fan talk about the subject, he's always pissed about the way Wenger took Cesc away. He was a big promise, and if anyone would've thought that he wouldn't have a shot at it they wouldn't care at all, but it's not the case; they wanted him to remain there.
He was 17 iirc. Just because he left doesnt make him any less off a player. Infact it turned out to be a smart move because now, he has started games in a World Cup finals match, ahead of Iniesta. Cesc Fabregas is a phenominal young talent with a lot of potential to turn into something special, as is Messi, so whats this debate about? They dont even play the same position.
I don't miss Cesc, and I'm not even a Barca fan. Barca doesn't even need him at all. I don't need to list the reasons why, but the midfield is strong enough without him, and it won't get better with Cesc's addition. But when Barcelona fields Messi, it's a different animal, and he is integral to their attacking success. Messi made his Barca league debut at 17 years and 3 mos against Espanyol. Cesc didn't make his league debut till 04-05, making him also 17 yrs old at the time. Messi made his Barca debut at 16 yrs, but it wasn't league. So basically at the same age, both made their league debut. But Messi forced his way into a stronger, star-studded team, forcing Ludovic Giuly off. In addition, Messi's Argentina beat Cesc's Spain at the u-20 cup.
The reason I said that Cesc shouldn't be on this team was because I think Iniesta should take his place as Spain's midfield representative. Hence my argument. Peace.
-----------------Akinfeev------------------ Eboue-------Ramos ----Kompany ------Lahm ------------------De Rossi------------------ CRonaldo-------------Messi-------------Robben -----------Podolski-----------Rooney--------
They offer different attributes. Cesc is a way better passer. Iniesta is a more all around versatile player, but Cesc offers creative passing, and for someone so small and so young, he pulls a lot of strings in the midfield. Also Iniesta is a couple years older than Cesc. Fabgregas deserves his place in the team. He's earned it.
Messi was 16 when he played in a friendly, but Cesc played in a competeive match when he was 16 I think in the Carling Cup which doesn't excatly prove anything The Introduction of Cesc Fabregas is what made Arsenal sell Pat Vieira one of the best players in the world in his position, that makes forcing Ludovic Giuly out of the Barcelona line up like a nothing achievement Also Fabregas just forced his way into the Spanish national team starting line up which consists of players like Xavi, Iniesta etc etc