this isnt freddys fault. This can happen to anyone, all you need is a douchenozzle of a coach, play on a team, that doesnt fit your style, or both. It happend to Benny Feilhaber at Derby. Benny is still a great player despite what the BS masses may tell you. Freddy Adu is still a great player, just in an unfortunate situation. We're supposed to have a few yanks jump the pond this january. This scenario could just as easily happen to Kljestan, Cooper, or Marshall when they complete their moves.
Yet it always seems that it's the situation and not the player according to a lot of posters on this subject. It's about the player, not the situation. If Freddy or anyone else is worth their weight, they make the necessary change or do what they have to do to get into the starting X1. It's pretty obvious that Freddy hasn't made that happen. You can choose to believe that Ricardo is to blame. At the end of the day, it's about the ability and the desire of the player to make a difference. Freddy hasn't done it and thus never makes the starting team.
You don't want to cheer a player because he got into a bad situation few saw happening? It's not as if he went there for the money. The coach doesn't want to play him and you're blaming him? The same thing could happen in any league and at any team. Every thread you blame the kid but if you read what he said and look at his options you can't blame. Every thread you blame him but it's obvious he went to Monaco because of De Bontin and Monaco's 2003 run in the Champions League. I thought it was a good move, La Liga probably suited him best but he probably didn't fancy being in a relegation battle with Recreativo. In Italy he had some interest but it's possibly the hardest league for an attacking player. He wasn't going to England and it looks like he had no interest from Holland. And we don't know if he had any interest in Portugal. Don't want to sound like a fan boy at least analyze his situation. And you keep mentioning he should leave ASAP. He can't leave just like that, loan players don't have the same power to just walk out and look for another deal. If you want the kid out email Rui Costa. http://www.slbenfica.pt/Contactos/contactos.asp I'm curious where do you think he should go next?
What he supposed to do? Are you an idiot? Go on strike, demand a transfer. This is a democracy, he's not a slave you know? Get his agent to tell Benfica/Monaco that he wants out. What you think they gonna do? Chained him up and throw him in a cell? Get real. They gonna tell Freddy agent to go find a new home, preferably one that would pony up a few $MIL so Benfica can at least get back some of their investment. Clearly Benfica no longer want him, and so does Monaco. I understand some of these clubs are rich, but I wouldn't imagine them wanting to pay a player just to sit around doing sh*t. They be more than happy if he can find someone to pay his salary.
Yes, it's always an effective strategy for a player who is getting no playing time to go on strike. Brilliant.
Ricardo has said he has done well in training but he never wanted him. He expressed that a few weeks ago in an interview posted on Serbenfiquista. We really don't know what goes on between them. http://translate.google.com/transla...investidores.html&sl=pt&tl=en&history_state0=
"This" is a democracy? What is? Go on strike? What's he going to do? Stop not playing? He's not a slave, but he's under contract.
Adu has performed well when given his limited chances by Benfica and Monaco. For whatever reason, Ricardo simply does not care to give him a decent chance. But you can't blame it on Adu's on-field game performance.
Well they are 2-0 up so they certainly don't need him right now. As fans you need to keep it in perspective that clubs are professional organizations and not personal training camps set up to condition players for their national teams.
Don't forget the blog! Wonder who pays Freddy's salary? (Benfica or Monaco) because it seems like he gets paid more than you'd expect just for that (so maybe they'd like him to play occasionally). Dull game. The crowd watching the game (term used loosely) is just so boring (and bored). They showed Freddy laughing and yammering away on the bench.
Guys, he was never going to start today. The injured players do not play his position. Monaco has all the same strikers they had last week when Adu didn't play. He didn't have any more opportunity today than he did last week.
Well, it is France. But seriously, going on strike to protest lack of playing time is possibly dumbest idea I've heard on this website.
Yes, I know. But if you had been following Monaco this season you would know Ricardo isn't exactly a tinkerer. And you would know that the two forwards who started today have both been scoring regularly and started last week. I predicted at the beginning of the thread that they would start again, and I was correct. THERE WAS NO LOGICAL REASON TO EXPECT ADU TO START TODAY.
Do you really think Ricardo's going to cut off his nose to spite his face like that? He's not a great manager, but it's a managerial sine qua non at even the lowest levels of international soccer that you're not going to make personnel decisions like that. This is starting to reach "Freddy's not playing because he's better than everyone else" proportions. People would rather wax conspiratorial than admit that an American may not have earned a starting spot. It's starting to seem that the less playing time a Yank Abroad gets, the better he's perceived to be.
3-0 Licata assisted by Pino Pino has been very good from what I've seen today. And then Bordeaux pulls one back.
My theory is that he doesn't want to waste time developing a player who won't be here next season anyway. Loans suck.
You have good points, I'll give you credit for that. But a lot of this situation has to fall back onto Adu and his handlers. First, the move to Benfica. Benfica is a good team, has good talents and I can understand why he want to go there. However, did he think he was ready to take on senior internationals for playtime? The starters on that team all start for their perspective national teams. Who the hell did Adu think he was. The greatest player in the world? That kid needs to take a few steps back before can advance. Next, the move to Monaco. So yes, Freddy was going to get loan out as the new Coach doesn't see him in his plans and also the quality is just too deep. I have all the feeling that Adu (and his agent) actually pushed for Monaco. Again, I can't imagine that Benfica just randomly pick a team to ship him to, the player would at least agree to the new destination. But who in the hell in their right mind would go to a team without know the coach of that team, and at least talk to the guy. This was a pretty dumb decision. It's like walking up to a home and knock on the door with absolutely no knowledge who owns that home, they can come out with a shot gun and greet you at the door. That's exactly what happens at Monaco. Yeah, all BS agree that this is a bad situation for the kid, but don't treat it like he has absolutely nothing to do with the situation. He, at the least, steered himself into this mess. He ain't just no innocent kid that got struck by lightning chasing after butterflies.