Napoli are looking quite good against Nice. Have they ever excelled against a top team? Their front three are rapid.
Napoli are looking quite good against Nice. Have they ever excelled against a top team? Their front three are rapid.
Nice just got two red cards with ten to go.
The front three of napoli are good. Especially the small guy
el classico on late. 11pm spnish time start.
Barca look poor on paper and even worse on the pitch. Busquets has lost it. Hard to see how Paulinho's going to make things better.
Great goal from Asensio. Hopefully he really takes off this year.
I can't remember who said it on here, but Barcelona appear to be entering the Thomas Gravesen phase of transfers.
Real Madrid are absolutely sorted with Isco and Asensio. Christ. Modric will still continue to be the best midfielder on the planet for the next few years as well.
This will be one of those seasons where Gerard Pique mysteriously plays like shit.
For a move? Or to get a bin man sacked?Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
Because he'll be EXPOSED having to do more defending than normal.
Asensio will be the best player in the world in a few years if he keeps it up. It must be unusual in Spain for a real top quality player like that to reach first team age without having spent time in either Barcelona or Real Madrid's youth teams.
Barca could be mistaken for a random tinpot Spanish side who luckily won the cup at this point. And that's being generous.
Barcelona turned him down and bought Turan instead .
Vietnam U22 just scored a nice little goal against the Cambo's...
https://gyazo.com/6ef403c2b6e199a1e403cb4849850ce2.gif
Suarez has been ruled out for 'over a month' with a knee injury as well.
Front three of Hleb, Gudjohnson and Messi for their next game.
When was the last time a player came through (and played regularly) the FAMOUS LA MASSIA?
Busquets or Pique?
Funnily I saw Isaac Cuenca had come off the bench in the 84th minute for Hapoel Be'er Sheva last night, and I lolled.
They abandoned La Masia a while ago (I read somewhere) and it's now costing them.
Yeah, appears so. I just Google'd and found this. Hard to argue with their verdict.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
http://pollemma.com/2016/08/26/barce...h-system-myth/
The pseuds just bummed it because they had a clubhouse and a CULTURE. It was never any more productive than anywhere else.
Their verdict is 'youth academies are pointless', which raises the question of where they think footballers come from.
The thing I read said more that since 2013 or whenever they decided to go full on Brand Barça, they've consciously decided to cut resources to La Masia. But I don't know where I read that.
What? They are specifically talking about La Massia, and it's success (or recent lack of) - how have you come to that conclusion?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
The last paragraph.
Quote:
Is Barcelona’s youth system myth all based on just one generation of players?
The answer looks like a resounding yes. The generation just before this one, including Puyol and Xavi mixed in with the current three main stars. Which is pretty sobering, when you consider how many football teams are basing their whole ethic on La Masia. The question you have to ask is, why even have a youth academy if this is what happens. Man Utd has relied on transfers since their golden generation of Scholes, Beckham et al, Liverpool haven’t produced anyone near the likes of Owen or Gerrard in two decades, Ajax comes through with the odd Sneijder, but seems a long way from the team that last won the Champions League. Why even bother?
Seems like a reasonable assessment for the clubs specifically mentioned - but it obviously doesn't apply across the board.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
I think there is an element of truth in these academies that get players in from the womb and then sell them at 23. Would they be better players if they grew up playing lower league football? Or does the education of a massive MASSIVE club's academy provide benefits to the entire league anyway.
Everyone's favourite numberwang club Brentford has now shut down its academy. Personally I would say big clubs have a moral duty to put back into their local community by setting up their own youth football system with the vast resources they have, at least in comparison to local boys' clubs and youth teams.
Agreed. Especially given that the top clubs now barely having any English players, let alone "local lads" in their teams. CSR, and all that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
Are there any clubs with multiple academies around the country?
La Masia is an equivalent to Utd's, except by fluke/drugs they just happen to have produced the best player in the world.
Otherwise it's just a small-but-steady stream of players who have made it to the top of the game, mixed in with a much larger bunch of mid-table cloggers.
Not in the U.K. Catchment areas are set up around the training ground which is where you can sign players from.Quote:
Originally Posted by Offshore Toon
Oh, so Newcastle can't just set up an academy in London? At what age does it become a free-for-all?
12 months before you can sign a professional contract, at which point you can sign a pre-contract, so 15 I think.
The academy systems in the MLS have grown quite nicely, and most teams at least have one good homegrown player, while the better ones often have two or three.
Everton vs Hadjuk is live on YouTube for some reason, at the minute: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qE3d4UUtCss
The Croats going mental.
It's on YouTube because no broadcaster picked up the rights. ITV4 showed both legs of the last round but for reasons passing understanding have gone with women's under 19 rugby tonight.
ESPN have had a couple of Europa qualifiers in the past too, but they're showing some thirteen year olds playing baseball. Amongst the stat lines is each player's favourite emoji. I wish I was bullshitting.
Expected favourite emojis?
Why have the Croats "disgraced" themselves? Racism or just general tomfoolery?
These commentators are amazingly biased :D
They're terrific. Rooney looking much more like himself with that finish.
I love how holier than thou English commentators get about foreign hooligans. Like, really?Quote:
Originally Posted by Raoul Duke
Rooney looks livelier than I've seen him in 3 years.
Bear in mind this lot are one step up from goat herders.
The half-time "show" here on YouTube is literally just listening to the stadium announcement :D
The sprinklers are rather hypnotic.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raoul Duke
Better than that wank channel which showed the Emirates Tournament. At half time they showed a fifteen minute advert which largely consisted of watching a middle aged man varnishing a desk.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raoul Duke
We have a second academy in Bath. We got special dispensation as half our catchment area is the sea.Quote:
Originally Posted by phonics
It's the Bath academy that found Bale.
Well for a time it was. Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Busquets, Fabregas, Pique and Alba all played together.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
United had a similar thing, but I don't know of any other academies comparable.
I wish the Wallsend Boys Club was still producing. Michael Carrick was the last one of note.
Sporting CP.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
I think if Rafa stays for another few years we'll see a bump in useful academy products in the near future. Everything I've read suggests he's involved in all aspects of the club and has begun to change the mentality throughout.
We may also be in the Conference with Shola back up top.
Regular Toon / Heed derbies. :happycry:
You won't, although you will have a few that move on to other clubs and then become quite good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Offshore Toon