Watched the Madrid v. Sociedad match yesterday. 2 observations: 1. You can have Messi. To me Ronaldo is by far the best player in the world. 2. I miss the shit outta Adebayor. When he's on song he's such a ridiculous weapon. That is all.
Could you elaborate on the messi/ronaldo point? I dont get to see them play a lot, but Messi always seemed like more of a game changer to me. Then again, minnow La Liga competition probably isnt the best guage.
I wouldn't call La Liga competition "minnow". When mid-table La Liga teams play mid-table EPL teams they usually fair pretty well (Fulham vs A. Madrid comes to mind from last year) Secondly, I'd take Messi hands down. Messi is a better player, he scores just as much if not more and has incredible assist numbers to boot. He generally makes his goals out of nowhere with just his skill. That said, unlike Ronaldo, Messi has never been proven successful outside the Barca system (Argentina is the only other system we've seen him in). So if I was making a new team I might pick Ronaldo because I know he can adapt. However, Messi on Barcelona is the best player in the world and I don't think anyone currently playing comes close. FabregasTED, you watched Madrid/Sociedad yesterday... did you see the Barca game the day before? Messi hat trick like it was nothing, and he had almost every shot on target, compared to the rest of his team which was more wasteful than usual. EDIT: Just looked at the stats for this year. Both have 24 goals except Messi has done it in ~90 shots vs ~160 and has more than double the assist total (actually he leads La Liga in goals AND assists). Also Messi has played 3 fewer La Liga games.
Ronaldo has pace, power, and strength. He's scored 30+ goals in one season in two separate leagues playing two completely different styles of football. He's physically imposing, full of pace, great in the air, and one of the best free kick takers in the world. Messi has Ronaldo beat in close control, dribbling, passing, and finishing, but has also had Iniesta and Xavi playing behind/ with him his entire career. I'm not entirely sure Messi could cut it in the Premier League. We know Ronaldo can. I always ask the question of which player I'd rather have on my team. If both magically decided they wanted to come to Arsenal but we could only get one, I'd take Ronaldo.
I can agree with that. Like I said, I KNOW Ronaldo can make it work in different systems in different leagues. Messi is kind of unknown outside of Barcelona.
It's funny that you mention that. If I'm captianing a world pickup game I'd choose CRonaldo before Messi as well. I dislike the guy, but he's the entire package of what you would look for in a footballer.
Yeah I mean don't get me wrong Messi's a supreme talent, but he benefits a TON from his system and the relative lack of tackling he faces. People stand off him in that league unlike anything I've ever seen.
It's still kind of a silly hypothetical though. Fact is the players play where they play and the tapes and stats show that (at least to me) Messi is hands down the best player. I can't say whether he would cut it in the EPL, but then you really can't say he can't. We simply do not know.
I'm comfortable saying that Messi would get eaten up in the Prem. We will never know for sure (He'll never play in England), just doesn't seem tough enough to stand up to the demands of the English game.
He'd be kicked and tackled out of the league. He also wouldn't get nearly the calls he does in Spain. Would he be a great player in England? Probably but he wouldn't dominate like he does there.
Messi is kicked all the time in Spain, and it's doesn't stop him. Ronaldo was kicked all the time in England, and it didn't stop him. I literally think Messi would run circles around most of the defenders and would be the best player in the league. He's the best player in the world, and there only is one other forward that comes close to him. To suggest that he couldn't hack it anywhere seems ridiculous to me. He is a generational talent.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWFP7tinIoY"]YouTube - Messi Injured by Ujfalusi, Atletico Madrid 1-2 FC Barcelona, 19 September 2010[/ame] He'll get kicked but premier league defenders dive in so much he could make a mockery of the league. Might find it hardest in Germany or Italy.
That's a better way of putting my sentiment on the matter. I didn't mean to suggest that Messi would be complete shit in the Prem. He'd still be a great player, just no where near as dominate. He's not gonnna be putting up any 40 goal seasons playing in EPL. Eh you're probably right Wanye, but I just don't see it in him. I see him as a generational talent sure, but perfect for where he is. I doubt his adaptability.
Why? Because he hasn't proven it? He's never had a reason to leave Barca. He grew up there, and for most of his time in the senior team, they have been considered the best team in the world. He played well for Argentina, but not at the level he was expected to, but the same can be said for Ronaldo, Drogba, Torres and many other top strikers. In the Premier League, defenders dive in and leave their feet a lot. That's tailor made for Messi's dribbling style. It seems like the only credible argument for him not truly succeeding in the Premier League is that he would get kicked. Well, he's being kicked now for club and country. I'm sure he's used to that... Anyway, I agree that we probably won't find out.
I don't know for sure, perhaps some inherent Messi bias I have. I don't have any concrete reasons to why I doubt his ability to adapt to the Premier league, I just do.
When I watch Barcelona I usually pull for the other team so I could see an upset, but I must say when Messi is "on" (as he was this weekend and many weekends recently) he's absolutely mesmerizing. He creates far more goal chances than any other player I can think of and that makes for exciting football. Let's just hope he's not "on" vs us.
The "can he cut it on a rainy Tuesday in Stoke?" argument re: Messi doesn't hold water for me. I think he'd immediately be the best player in the league, and as someone said EPL defenders dive in so much he'd make mincemeat of them. That argument IMO was started by pundits like Andy Gray who are so out of touch with football outside of England they really have no idea.