Suppose ya can think what ya want. I find the premiership very defensive and boring so barely ever watch it. I love watching Serie A, much more technical and exciting imo, the best in the world!
yeah, i love italian football, but i like the epl and la liga, so it isn't love or hate for me, but i have a clear favorite, which i am sure is true of most other people.
yeah, nobody is trying to slag klose off, but remember zlatan creates more for himself and others than klose (who is not nearly as skilled with the ball at his feet than ibrahimovic), and ibrahimovic drops much deeper. not too mention bayern is a machine right now, with everyone scoring seemingly at will, whereas if inter didn't have ibrahimovic playing well, they would be down with milan in the standings instead of tied for up top. this isn't a klose v zlatan thread anyways. I hate ibra, but his form so far is no less than stunning, imho.
well that would include technicians like baggio and zidane among others, not too mention today the likes of ronaldinho and messi and a few other high-level technical players. a more interesting question would be is he the most technical player in italy, which reduces, of course, to is he more technical than totti, as totti has laid claim to that title over the last few years and made it all his own. so, just on technical abilities alone is ibrahimovic better than totti? i say no, though ibrahimovic can trap a ball probably as good as anyone in the world today, and his first touh is as clean as totti's, or pretty close. i think totti has him beat in some of the flicks, skills, and passing. So, you first need to convince us why he is the most technical player in italy currently, then we can move on to the world currently, then we can move on to everyone post-maradona. That is an unenviable task, as i personally don't think it is possible, so good luck with that one.
Have you watched Klose play much over the past 3-4 seasons. His technical abilities are very good and he creates a lot for others. In his last two seasons w/Bremen plus this season his stats (Bundesliga Only): ------------Goals Assists Matches 2005/2006: 25 15 26 2006/2007: 13 14 31 2007/2008: 8 3 6 Totals: 46 32 63 Those IMHO are world class stats for a striker. Its too bad that niggling injuries hurt his form in 2006.
great striker, no doubt, but i think toni edges him in technical ability personally, yet alone ibrahimovic. I have watched almost some if not all of bayern's games this year, though in the past i didn't watch him that often for club. not saying he has no technical abilities, just that they don't match up to the technical wizards of the game.
Toni is better at taking it out of the air, holding the ball, and maintaining possesion with his back to goal. That strike against Karlsruhe on sunday was pure magic. I think Klose has the edge in shooting accuracy and dribbling. Klose is very successfull at beating players 1v1. Early in the season Toni tried many times to dribble players 1v1 and was not very sucessfull, now he has changed his tactic. He plays off the defender’s shoulder and either runs onto through balls or flicks the ball past them. He is one of the best I have seen in a long time at doing this. I think both have great technical ability, but Toni is better at some things and Klose at others. We Bayern fans are truely fortunate to be able to watch 2 of the top 5 strikers in Europe playing together. The thing that amazes me most is that they work so well together.
agreed, i knew when toni went to bayern and then was joined by klose that good things would happen, though i had no idea so good and so soon. the thing is i believe klose and toni, especially toni, have had injury concerns that have limited from being at their best. toni and klose have probably been two of the most overlooked strikers the last few seasons given their strong production levels, but if they keep playing like they are, then that will change soon enough. heaven knows italy's front line needs him back, as he is much more than just an aerial threat. he is big and looks clumsy, but he has good balance and technical skills. klose is just a monster with a strong sense for goal himself. both are on imperious form right now, and their partnership should only get better as fitness and familiarity increases. is gila one of the other 3. f'n milan's summer mercato. passed up first option on toni.
Toni stated that he would not play for any other team in Italy when he left Fiorentina. My top 5 strikers in Europe (not in order). Based on current form (IE the past 3-4 seasons including this one): Toni Klose van Nistelrooy Drogba E'to If zlatan can keep up this year and last year's form, then he can move onto this list. But I think these players have consistently proven their quality over the past 3-4 seasons and are doing so this season as well (except Drogba is hurt).
true, after we rejected him (in fact, ancelotti, bronzetti, and others have said that an agreement was all but in place for toni for 15Meuros, but it was scuttled, then after that, especially cause inter and fiorentina now have a cad relationship (at least the two owners do, see the fight over obinna from chievo), so he said that he would rather go abroad than double-cross fiorentina and go to inter or whatever. anyways, good list, don't agree with it entirely, but pretty much so.
over the past 3 seasons plus the beginning of this one (which was his specified time frame), i would put toni ahead, as ibra struggled some with juve two years ago, but as for the future definitely it is ibra, no doubt.
Ibra played in Juve for 2 seasons. First season he was voted best foreign player in Serie A by all the players in the Italian league, 2nd season he was shit. To summarize, I would hardly call this struggling. People talk about how he scored 2 goals against Sampdoria but as a side-note. In the previous match, he scored 2 goals against Livorno as well. Just as important, his 3rd goal (which would've given Inter the win) was called off-side. A horrendous call. Pictures were shown of the situation in Italian media and Swedish media as well, he wasn't standing "on-line" with the last defender even but was well behind the defender as the ball was in the air. Unfairly, the match ended 2-2. I'd take Ibra over Toni and Klose without a doubt, Messi ?, let's trade
I don't see Ibra as better yet, but in a few years he may aproach Toni's level. Lets not forget Toni was the first player to finish with more than 30 goals in Serie A since the 50s.
yeah, i meant that, two seasons ago (2005-2006) he struggled. hence over the 3+ year period, toni has been better when taken in whole, imo. this wasn't meant to be a who is better right now meaning only this year, it was specified who was better over the last 3+ years. going forward who would i take? ibra, personally.
I dunno, are we speaking about who has been the best player in the past 3 years ?, its still Ibra. He's been Mancini's golden boy and was the main reason Inter won the league. I guess it's just a matter of opinion. If you'd take Toni, that's a respectable choice but I strongly disagree.
current form in this case meant from beginning of 2004-2005 until now. that is what nekkibasara said in his top 5 post. given that toni has scored something like 73 goals, very few of which were penalties, in 105 games, in two different leagues and three different teams, he has proven himself as a top 5 striker over that time period in my book. given how other players who might have been better than him, or are better than him going forward, in this time frame have had injuries or poor form for some extended period of time.
I don't know if Ibrahimovic should really be compared to Toni. They are two different types of players. Toni is a striker, Ibra is more of a forward or suporting striker. I think the reason people don't seem to see the class that Toni has is that he is rarely flashy. He just puts the ball in the back of the net. He rarely is seen doing tricks, but he doesn't need to. I would say Toni is a pure striker, an incredible finisher who only needs one chance to score. He is very good with his positioning and his runs are always well timed and into good areas. Ibra is totaly different kind of player. He is not going to play off the shoulder of a defender and run onto a through ball. He is more like Drogba, but with good technique. If Ibra could hone his finishing skills he would be a great striker. To me he is slightly ahead of Klose in some areas of his game, but not finishing. Ibra is better at playing with his back to goal, but Klose is faster and has a better shot with both feet.
no doubt they are different types of strikers, but i thought we were comparing them nonetheless. toni is a #9 in the truest sense, ibrahimovic is not.