This is why I am not falling over myself upset if the team doesn't sign a DP this offseason. If you want the best of the best you might have to wait for a golden opportunity to present itself. In the summer Manchester United might be letting go of Pogba and Cavani. Both guys are not scrubs and move the needle when it comes to eyes on the team. However you don't get even a crack at either of them if you tie up the DP spot with whatever suspect player might be available in the moment. That being said I will still take Pavon back on this team if he was available. And if it can be done without giving up a DP tag all the better.
Maybe just being cheap. Really good oroven DP’s in todays market cost ~ $10 mill. Maybe Klein & boss want to pick up a 2-4 mil DP. I fking hate this direction. I don’t like we are considering players that have reps as either criminals or clown show low-lifes. And putting character aside I would like to see a long term plan. If we are going for a 3-4 mil DP lets get a very promising 24-25yo who can play with us for years to come. Neither Pavon nor Costa are likely to stay long, given their histories. Neither will be locker room leaders, well not in the right direction. Given our FO dicked around last Fall and found no quality DP’s I would rather they do their jobs now and find us a longer term, higher quality DP- even if it means waiting until this summer. But really - will these clowns ever get it together? Getting my hopes up makes me feel like Charlie Brown, forever believing but always left kicking at air.
JPA without doubt was our worst DP in terms of on field play. Nice guy but in 22 games (17 starts) he amassed 3 goals and 1 assist. That made him our 6th best scorer, behind Donovan, Barrett, Magee, Franklin and Juninho! To be fair we traded him away in mid-Aug to Chivas where of course he scores 7 goals in their remaining 9 games.
My thing is how much are we going to pay this guy Costa? How long a contract are going to give him? How committed is this guy to coming here to help US not just help himself? How healthy is this guy and in shape given his history? I don't have any trust in this FO watching out for the club in these matters. Worst case scenario? He comes in fat and injury-prone with a huge salary and long contract a la Cabral. Best case he comes in relatively fit and ready to play and makes our O explosive where everybody else we have fills in the holes and we become more than the sum of its parts with a salary and contract where Galaxy has an out if it all goes to pot. But The FO. We have to trust they do their part in this mix. I am very nervous.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/reports-la-galaxy-chasing-brazilian-winger-douglas-costa Interesting! A winger but maybe use him as a CAM?
Being told Douglas Costa & Cristian Pavón are a huge possibility for #LAGalaxy. Yes, from the people that do the actual hiring and scouting/negotiation process. Don't speak to unreliable sources. This would be good for 'Carson' since South Central doesn't have much yet. #LAFC— ЯΣПé ЯӨMΛПӨ (@reneromanosport) January 23, 2022 I posted and deleted a similar rumor yesterday because the Twitter account seemed really suspicious. this person at least exists and has been around a while. Not sure if he has any real contacts or not. I’d be excited if we pulled this off. We’d still need one more hardy central midfielder but otherwise it would be an exciting way to head into the season. I think the fact that Costa is on loan from Juve opens up GAM/TAM possibilities that might work for all three parties.
That's the whole point of giving Kevin Cabral the young DP tag. He is supposed to be the guy that is the future. When it comes to DP's I care about 2 things most. I need you to not be a disruption in the locker room and I need you to do your job in the game. A player coming to collect a check doesn't bother me as long as you do both. Ibra didn't come here for the love of the badge, but he did what he was paid to do and he remained civil enough in the locker room to get it done. I would love it if we could get a positive role models every time. But as long as you are not a straight up ex-convict, we are good if you follow those 2 guidelines as far as I'm concerned.
Highlight dribbling clips show you the move but seldom the end result. After you fake your guy out do you make a great pass, score a goal, or give the ball away? IOW is Costa a productive defense killer or a flashy ball hog? So let's go to where the rubber meets the road - producing goals and assists. Costa, by the numbers 9/2020 -> 12/2021: Juventus, 9/20: 2 games (0 starts, 40 minutes): 0 goals, 0 assists Bayern Munich 10/20-> 2/21: Bundesliga -11 games (3 starts): 1 g, 1 a Champions League - 6 games (2 starts): 0 g, 2 a DFG-Pokal (Bunde Open Cup): 2 games (1 start): 0 g, 1 a FIFA Club World Cup - 1 game, 16 minutes: 0 g, 0 aBayernTotal: 20 games (7 starts, 663 minutes): 1 goal, 4 assists Out with injury 2/21 ->6/21: 2/21 to 6/21, missed 23 games across all competitions Gremio 6/21-> 12/21 (suspended twice for yellow card accumulation) Brasileiro Serie A - 26 games (20 starts): 3 g, 2 a Copa Do Brasil - 1 game (1 start, injured 29'): 0 g, 0 a Copa Sudamericana - 1 game (sub, 74 minutes): 0 g, 0aGremio Total: 28 games (21 starts, 1852 minutes): 3 goals, 2 assists Overall Stats, 9/2020 -> 12/2021 50 games, 28 starts, 2,555 minutes: 4 goals, 5 assists Offensive production, per 90 minutes: 0.14 goals, 0.18 assists, 0.32 g+a. Position RW or RM 24 games, LW or LM 13 games, AM 7 games. Availability Out of 70 regular season league games from 9/20->12/21 Costa played in 39 (56%). He did not play in 31 games due to injury (15), yellow card accumulation (2), 'not in squad' (9), and unused sub (5). To give the benefit of the doubt and consider the 2/21->6/21 hairline fracture as a one off event and remove those 15 games: Out of 55 regular season games he played in 39 (71%). My Takeaway I am getting heavy, heavy Gio vibes. Costa obviously impresses with his technical skills. I mean the man started for Bayern Munich, played in six Champions League games, and was a sub in the FIFA Club World Cup Final. Plus he was a regular starter for Gemio when they were still in first division. But his production stats are screaming red flags. Despite his obvious superb dribbling skills Costa has created only 4 goals and 5 assists, across all competitions, in a year and a half of soccer. Nine total g+a in 50 games. An assist rate of 0.18 per 90 minutes, less than 1 assist every 5 games if we generously assume he plays every minute. Those are downright abysmal numbers. Ball hog much? GDS II? Maybe GDS^2? Add in all the missed games. Two yellow card suspensions in one season. Nine unexplained "not in squad" games, including 8 for his most recent stop Gemio? Reasons for concern? But Gemio believed in him. They saw his skill and started him most of the game he was available. And were relegated at the end of the season. You guys excited yet?
Based on this video he has a deft first touch. He can shoot from either foot. He is not afraid to go into a tackle. Does not get muscled off the ball easily. Is a willing passer. He has breakaway speed. He does appear to over dribble though which could be a problem if he were a ballhog. I don't know but I am thinking this might be more along the lines of the 2nd coming of Allesandrini minus the injuries. Juventus was playing him as a winger but with the new signings and especially if we got Pavon, we will need to play him as a CAM with Sasha and Vasquez as super sub. ------------------Chicharito-------Cabral/Jovolijic Delgado/Pavon----------Costa-------------Grandsir ----------------------------Raveloson
I agree with a lot of skydog's thoughts. I think, in general, the Galaxy have done pretty well with DPs, just in the sense that we've had possibly at least 4 that could rank highly as the best DP signings of all-time. Even in these darkened times, we've had great DPs that would be the envy of other clubs: Alessandrini, Zlatan, Pavon, Chicharito if he can stack another year like his last. So in that sense, we know what to look for. I think the things you have to hit on with your DPs are, in more or less this order: -Performance -- still able to operate at a best XI caliber in MLS -Availability -- able to remain healthy enough to play at least 85% of available games a season -Mentality / leadership -- guys who want to win and hate to lose -Star power -- the hardest to define; not just name recognition, but a certain "it" factor, the ability to be electrifying Here's my Galaxy DP tier list based on these: GOAT tier: -Donovan, Keane, Zlatan Top tier: -Beckham, Omar, Alessandrini, Pavon, Chicharito*, Mid tier: -Gerrard, JDS, Cabral* Low tier: -JPA, GDS In terms of performance / star power, Costa could be up to there with some of the best DPs we've ever had if he as able to muster his top form. The other factors are big questions marks, though.
I have researched Costa to get a better idea what we're getting into here as far as what happened in the Bundes and then in Serie A. Not to the degree Skydog but deep enough to get that same gut feeling something is up with this guy. To me, it boils down to the commitment he brings. I can see the highlights and those are impressive skills he possesses. But the dude himself feels off. Undisciplined, loose cannon and rebellious to a fault. Forget we give him a shitty nad contract that blows bags of money for a long time. Can Vanney get his meat hooks around an unruly player of this caliber? What will it mean for the locker room if this happens? Greg has already copped to the team loosing focus and motivation last season. If this signing goes south, the team is screwed. I know I am being a bit pessimistic but we have to imagine the worst and evaluate. If it goes great then great. But it looks like we are signing this guy. And he doesn't come in with a clean bill of health given his history of injuries. I hope for the best. Season Injury from until Days Games missed 20/21 Hairline crack in the foot Feb 14, 2021 Jun 15, 2021 121 days 20/21 Tear in the abductor muscle Jul 24, 2020 Aug 26, 2020 33 days 19/20 Biceps femoris muscle injury Feb 9, 2020 Feb 29, 2020 20 days 19/20 Hamstring Injury Nov 24, 2019 Dec 13, 2019 19 days 19/20 Muscle Injury Sep 15, 2019 Oct 28, 2019 43 days 18/19 Calf Injury Apr 11, 2019 Jul 29, 2019 109 days 18/19 Hamstring Injury Feb 4, 2019 Apr 7, 2019 62 days 18/19 Knock Nov 4, 2018 Nov 9, 2018 5 days 18/19 Ankle Injury Sep 20, 2018 Oct 16, 2018 26 days 17/18 Thigh Problems Jun 25, 2018 Jul 5, 2018 10 days 17/18 Calf Problems Feb 1, 2018 Feb 5, 2018 4 days 16/17 Knee Injury Mar 16, 2017 Apr 6, 2017 21 days 16/17 Minor Knock Mar 6, 2017 Mar 6, 2017 0 days 16/17 Hamstring Injury Sep 19, 2016 Oct 17, 2016 28 days 16/17 Hamstring Injury Jul 11, 2016 Sep 8, 2016 59 days
Since my overly long posts put people to skeep all you need to know us this: In the last year and a half (50 games played) Costa has a grand total of 4 goals and 5 assists. That’s it. All you need to know. The rest of this is just an old rant that I frequently repeat because people seem to not get it. And because that is who I am - a ranter. Why clubs and fans don’t believe what players are telling you with their history of play on the field just flat out baffles me. For offensive players it is particularly easy to see whether they produce. Why would anyone think a player would suddenly start creating goals and assists when they aren’t doing it at their current clubs? They are playing with the same type of ball, on similar fields, with their own good coaches and teammates, following the same rules. If they could produce more goals or assists they would do so. They are heavily incentivized to do so. Their paychecks and career depend on it. Costa had good coaches at Bayern and Gremio the last couple years. And what did that yield? When you add his highlight tapes + crappy stats + career careening downward you know exactly what you are getting. Great technical players who don’t get assusts are 100% of the time Gio like ball hogs. I know everyone wants to believe - but 5 goals & 4 assists in 50 games is about half of Sacha level production. And Sasha is old and plays much further from the goal. Speaking of Gio, we ignored his long club history of brief moments of good production surrounded by multiple/season-long droughts. Apparently we learned nothing from that. Our current team desperately needs offensive output, not flashy dribbling. DP money is designed to purchase elite scorers and goal creators. And Costa’s body of work is screaming I’m not that guy.
Allesandrini was an offensive specialist - a great 1v1 player and a high production finisher. Until injuries slowed him down. He scored twice as many goals as Costa in his last 50 games prior to our signing.
Beckham played 23 games and got only 3 goals and 7 assists in his final season with Real Madrid and he was hardly a bust for the team. I'm not saying that Costa is a guaranteed winner, but I am saying that he might exceed expectations. That being said if there is a better option out there now I would rather wait for that option if it can be done. But if there really isn't anything better now and won't be in the summer either, and this is the best we can get, then we can absolutely do worse than Costa. Don't Lose Hope My Friend!!!
Goal creation rate: Becks: 10 goals, 23 games, 0.43g/game Costa: 9 goals, 50 games, 0.18g/game So while Becks “only” produced 10 goals in 23 games, that was still over twice as productive as Costa. And Becks did that in what, six months? (He wasn’t even allowed to practice, much less play, with Real Madrid in the early part of the season.) Costa took 16 months and twice as many games to produce one less goal. Not to mention that Becks did a lot more than play offense - he also had midfield defensive duties at Real Madrid, often playing box to box. Does Costa help on the defensive side? I don’t know but would wager not. I just don’t think you are realizing how truly pitiful Costa’s offensive stats were over the last year and a half. He might come in and be great - anything can happen in life. Let’s just not pretend his history doesn’t suggest that is unlikely.
I was going to make a similar argument that Beck's #'s were far superior to Costa's but you beat me to it. Not saying I'm thrilled by Costa's numbers by any stretch, but a better comparison is probably to Chicharito, who had 12 goals in 45 games in his two seasons leading up to his move to MLS (0.27g/game). Not great, especially considering he is a striker. But he was able to turn it around in year two for the Galaxy. I guess it's possible Costa could do the same thing if he has the mind to. Personally, I wasn't overly enthused by our Chicharito signing, and I'm even less so by Costa, especially if he is indeed a DP. Like you said, anything is possible, but doesn't look likely.
Regarding Costa, I have to reiterate, he is under contract to Juve until June of 2023 and just on loan to Gremio (a club that just got relegated). Given his questionable history, there is absolutely no reason for the Galaxy to take the risk of bringing him in a DP under contract to the Galaxy. None, end of story, period! If the Galaxy, can somehow bring him in as a TAM player for all or part of 2022, then that is another story altogether, but again, I wouldn't want him under a long term deal. Personally, I would rather see the Galaxy go all in on a much more proven attacking midfielder, even if that doesn't happen until June with a July arrival date. In the interim, give Alverez a shot with Vazquez and Sasha as alternates if he isn't producing. Another idea, play Joveljic as a withdrawn secondary striker (I actually think Chicharito would be better there, but fear it would burn him out).
Well the stat site I pulled my info from most have been jacked up lol. I haven't been following Juventus so I can't speak to his overall game play especially on the defensive side. My point is that stats can be deceptive and players can exceed expectation especially when they know the people have doubt. Ashley Cole did. Chicharito did as well. Like Professor X said, "I am looking for hope." Stop trying to black pill me Skydog lol.
Agree. Speaking of a proven attacker Rusnak puts up good offensive stats year after year. Last season Rusnak created 22 goals in 34 games, 0.65 goals created per game. To be fair Rusnak started every game. In any case, 18-25 g+a per season is exactly the type of player the Galaxy needs, and they do exist for DP dollars. Instead it looks like we are going for the 9 g+a per 1.5 seasons player who will magically improve. So is the horse dead yet? Real good and dead? Cuz if not, y’all know I’ll keep beating it to make sure.
Ok, how about this. In 2015 Bayern paid a $30 mil transfer for him, the 4th highest transfer in their history at that time. In 2018 Juventus —after Costa played a year for them on loan and led the league in dribbles and was 2nd in assists (14) — exercised their $40 mil transfer fee option to keep him. In 2018 he made Brazil’s 23 man WC roster and Guardiola once labelled him “one of the best wingers in the world!” So he is obviously a very special talent. So maybe coming to the US, some maturing, and playing against lesser opposition will be the spark that gets him going again! How’s that?
You guys are making me more confused but I am enjoying the tunes. Here's one for ya from my perspective.
Hey at least we now have something to talk about! His injuries worry me more than his stats. The stats are hard to gauge without watching him play. Plus we never know how he would do in MLS. The opposite of the stats is Miguel Almiron. I would have died to have him on our team. In MLS out of 68 games he had 22 goals and 30 assists. In the EPL out of 97 games he has 8 goals and 3 assists. MLS is known as an attacking league so I think it’s a little hard to gauge where Costa would land. Saying all of that I would definitely not want to gamble on another DP. edit: Didn’t know we were all adding songs. This song speaks to the last several years of being a fan.