You look at the talent in the Madrid squad and look at ours... The gap is bigger than it is between us and, say, Everton.
Gareth Bale is...The most expensive player ever?!
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While not looking completely convincing during the build up the guy has so much end product. His numbers have been good but for near £90m you wouldn't expect any less but has done well when you consider his lack of preparation going into the season and adjustment to a new league. Saying that I think it is far easier to go from England to Spain than the other way round.
The current system is suiting their front three very well imo, helping get the best out of all of them.
The current system is suiting their front three very well imo, helping get the best out of all of them.
Still looks to me like Madrid players are more reluctant to pass to him than any other player in the team.
Probably, but to be fair to sincher, i'd say Di Maria has easily outperformed Ozil this season. He's been much better than Isco and even Bale (at times), too. He's really stepped up to the plate this season.
But yes, Ozil is the better player - no doubt. He will only get better, too, while I can't imagine Di Maria ever being considered a complete 'world beater'. I'd say he is in the top three proper wingers (so no Ronaldo etc) in the world, though, even if he did play in midfield tonight.
Looks odd doesn't it? It really seems like he has to be completely open for them to pass the ball out to him. On the contrary they seem to really search for a way to find Ronaldo though.
Well so far spending €100M on Bale and selling Özil for €50M seems like a great deal by now. I have to admit when they did it I thought they were insane but it really seems like the right call so far.
All recent posts have been giving him a lot of praise.
He is looking superb. And with the amount of injuries he has had this season as well as the pressure of that price tag, he is taking it in his stride.
That kind of goes without saying, we're barely ahead of Everton in the league!
Really pleased for him.Always nice to see a British player try his luck abroad and succeed.But saying that we really should have gone for him.
That's a bit knee jerk, wouldn't you say? Bale's been out injured for most of the season, so until season end, it's very early to call.
You might be right though and if he continues this form and Madrid win a couple of major honours, I'll agree.
Would have loved Bale at United tbh.
Yes you're right Di Maria has been excellent this season. But I feel a lot of people have been under-rating Ozil due to his recent downturn in form. I mean this is a guy who has created more goal-scoring chances than any other player in Europe for the last 3 years, he's still the main creative lynch pin of a tremendous Germany side. I just feel his problems at Arsenal stem from his average fitness and the supporting not making the most of his abilities. Now that Ramsey and Wlcott are injured a couple of his prime targets have been dried up. That's the problem with pure playmakers like Ozil. If the team around them is not scoring they will start to look rubbish all of a sudden.
Something that a lot of German people (including posters on here) are increasingly disgruntled over.
Everton aren't that much better than us, are they?
Around the same level as us. But their players probably don't even earn half of what ours get.
I still don't understand why Ferguson took a pass on Bale when he was gettable at a reasonable price tag. His talent was widely known. Insane.
When? We did try to buy him when he left Southampton for Spurs, and reportedly made a bid for him when he left Spurs for Madrid. It was the player/clubs who rejected our advances.
This myth still exists?
Has he improved his dribbling and agility lately? The Norwegian commentator, rubbish as he was, often mistook him for Di Maria, as did I. He's a long way shy of Ronaldo's level though in terms of quality..
Agreed about Ozil - I think everyone is forgetting that he basically put 30 goals on a plate for Ronaldo every season since he left WB. I believe he had the most assists (or perhaps it was chances made) in that time after Lionel Messi, too (correct me if wrong). While I don't think he should be the main man for Germany until he sorts out his big-game issues (which, to me, cannot be disputed outside of the one game vs Barca in 11/12), he is clearly a much better player. The fitness is an issue and it's puzzling as to why it hasn't been addressed after so many years. He's no Anderson, but it certainly limits options from the bench if you know he has to come off after an hour. Agreed with the last point though - as many Arsenal fans have already said, there aren't enough runners in the team when Walcott or even Podolski aren't playing. There is 0 penetration in the side, and to show his best football, he does need people to be making runs. He'll definitely improve if Arsenal strengthen the department upfront.
I'm just glad I don't have to see his stupid celebration all the time anymore. Does he still do that?
Bale is clearly fantastic and one of the world's best players. Surprised that some thought it was ridiculous comparing or putting him higher than Ribery. I think he'll go down as Wales's best ever player - yes better than Giggs...
Apparently in your mind it is a myth, so please help me understand why it is a myth.
The record indicates that Southampton sold Bale for roughly 7m. Whatever the actual sum was it is fact, not myth, that Bale went to Spurs.
I don't have access to United's financials but I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest we could have easily found 21m for Bale.
Was Bale a known quantity at the time? Yes, he was. His talents were obvious to any casual observer and he was widely hailed as the next British superstar footballer. There was much talk linking him to United because of Giggs.
What is unknown is how much interest Ferguson ever had in Bale.
“We were disappointed in Southampton at the time because we were first there, but they never came back to us,” Ferguson said.
“It was not the boy who turned us down, it was Southampton, then a few weeks later he signed for Tottenham Hotspur."
FFS Can't believe SAF did'tn sign him from Southampton. He was too busy buying Ashley Young LOL
we also (allegedly) matched Real Madrid's offer
I think our matching Real's offer would have sadly made no difference to where he ended up. They had been publicly courting him for a number of months before that. You had Fiorentino bigging him, Zidane on the charm offensive, even guys like Sergio Ramos chipped in. When the most illustrious club in the world is chasing you like a smitten man how could Gareth turn them down ?
It appears so. I've been impressed with his close control whenever I watch him play. At Spurs he was more of a kick-and-run type dribbler.
Are you suggesting we should have spent 21m on what was then a 17 year old left back playing in the championship?
His first goal versus the Germans was a very good control of the ball
He has already performed better for Wales than Giggs ever did. However, I think you might need informing of a man called John Charles.
Are you suggesting we should have spent 21m on what was then a 17 year old left back playing in the championship?
It was obvious this leftback was destined to become a superstar in attacking midfield.
Obvious to the tune of 21m. Obvious.
Why £21m? Have you just pulled that figure out of nowhere?
Not at all, Di Maria has been phenomenal this season. After Modric, our most consistent player.
Don't put yourself down like that mate, Everton aren't that much better tbh. ;-)
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That isn't even the issue with his point. Brwned already corrected him.
It's widely known we held a keen interest in him but Southampton told us he wasn't for sale. Then he ends up a spuds player within a month.
He's taken the piss all night against Iceland, as he should. An assist for the first, involved in the second and just scored a solo goal from the halfway line. In these type of games he can win them single handedly for Wales.
Goal: https://vine.co/v/MAtDqjr0mDM
Goal: https://vine.co/v/MAtDqjr0mDM
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but it's a good thing he's being used in this way. I think if he went to barca, he may have struggled more as I think he would have been tasked with being more involved in the build-up which really isnt what he's developed himself into.
And he's learning from his idol how to be even more devastating with that end product.