The SNH Football thread

[lazyalf]

got to be the james rodriguez goal for me. context has to play a part in goal of the year surely, and its tough to be the world cup. that lass was under zero pressure again poor opposition at a low level. great goal though.
Zidane is one of the best players i've ever seen for me. he's won fuck loads, done it in the big games and most importantly just the way he played the game was amazing, a proper visionary. henry is my favourite player ever, but Zidane probably was better overall.
used to love watching trezeguet too, was a badman. i miss watching a lot of these old players

Don't get me wrong though - if he had played up to the level he was capable of - he could've been one of the very, very best. His touch was amazing and his dribbling was very good on tv.
But his attitude was 95% of the time just moot and moping around, never taking runs and very rarely making any assists which is arguably the purpose of a playmaker. He had a good period in Juve and was one of the most interesting players in serie A during a time where that league had some of the best players ever. But not better than for example Nedved, Jugovic or Baggio... and only slightly better than Del Piero, Djorkaeff, Veron and Mendieta..
(who all played that role).

But his bit in real was a farce tbh.
That whole team was imo a joke and Figo was at least as good. And that is the period along with the ridiculous french national team that got him the attention and credit.

He doesn't 'touch' Ronaldinho or Laudrups level imo.

Today i'd rate him like Iniesta or Silva who are amazing players that people also tend to prefer because of their playing style, but who unfortunately haven't had as much influence on the game as they could have.

It's weird that he's considered above people like Totti or Gerrard imo.

i miss watching a lot of these old players

What... the... I don't even know where to start. OK, I'll make it short then - gtfo!

[hubb]

To have on a team, definitely.

A certain flux into worldclass or momentary brilliance is just less useful.
I wouldn't begin to argue style over usefulness because I'm just enjoying it, but the world of football should.

And they are comparable in the way they won TOP games almost singlehandedly. Which is the bit that really appeals to most people.

[hubb]

*edit*

ridiculously good french team


I know im terribly opinionated but at least there's an explanation

[murky21]

Yeah man I can't endorse that. Zidane had more genius than any of those lot, only Figo in his peak comes close . Lots of legends there but zidane was an artist of the game, right up the with Emanuel Eboue for me

[jrkhnds]

as if "a certain flux into worldclass" was all Zidane ever managed to display. that guy was the best player on the planet for half a decade. Gerrard was always a good midfielder, granted, but that's about it.

+ what murky said

[jrkhnds]

even comparing Zidane to Gerrard

[DJoe]

not sure about that 'Today i'd rate him like Iniesta or Silva who are amazing players that people also tend to prefer because of their playing style, but who unfortunately haven't had as much influence on the game as they could have. ' Iniesta has had a fucking huge influence, hes won the champions league 3 times and had an amzing footbaling relationship with xavi. cant even be bothered to list all the stuff hes done. but hes had a huge influence.
also lol at zidane not hving an influence on the game

[hubb]

but seriously I think Iniesta is the perfect comparison tbh

he's won everything, has had those volleying moments like against chelsea

touch of a god etc . ... but there's just not that consistency to it...


how anyone can rate Z above Ronaldinho is scientology to me

[hubb]

I wouldn't say Gerrard is comparable stylistically

he can't do a turn with the ball

[lazyalf]

Well precisely, talking about consistency Hubb, Zidane was wayyyyy more consistent than Ronaldinho!!!

Also, I'm not sure I got you about the other French players of the national team playing during the same period as Zidane, but let's make it clear - NEVER in a million times would they have won a WC and a Euro without Zidane. NEVER. Yeah Henry, Vieira, etc. But whatever. They needed this touch of genius, this vision of the game. Zidane was making the players around him top notch players. How can you say he wasn't a playmaker... That's nonsense!

[hubb]

as if "a certain flux into worldclass" was all Zidane ever managed to display. that guy was the best player on the planet for half a decade. Gerrard was always a good midfielder, granted, but that's about it.

+ what murky said

Laudrup won the spanish league 5 times in a row which no other player has.
Ronaldinho did it three times (i think)
Zidane (i think it was only once and on the most expensive team ever where other players like ronaldo, figo, hierro was as good or influential imo)

Gerrard was always a good midfielder, granted, but that's about it.

Exactly... operative word being always. It's just a case of what matters most to people and when Zidane doesn't trumph the assists, goals lists or work rate - it's down to influence and ofcourse .. as Ive already said .. he DID win a few games almost on his own.. but they both did and you would expect it less from a player of Gerrards type/build... + Im trying to be civil and bring an englishman to the mix lol..

[Forum]

right up the with Emanuel Eboue for me

This guy knows

[hubb]

Well precisely, talking about consistency Hubb, Zidane was wayyyyy more consistent than Ronaldinho!!!

Also, I'm not sure I got you about the other French players of the national team playing during the same period as Zidane, but let's make it clear - NEVER in a million times would they have won a WC and a Euro without Zidane. NEVER. Yeah Henry, Vieira, etc. But whatever. They needed this touch of genius, this vision of the game. Zidane was making the players around him top notch players. How can you say he wasn't a playmaker... That's nonsense!

Well... tbf m8 that is your problem isn't it, which means if I wasn't interested I shouldn't accept the argument because it's completely central to my critique?

If you ask anyone about the role of the 6 or the defensive mid, there's not only two names that will come up immediately . ie Makellele (sp) and Vieira... but also Petit and Duchamp. It lead to genuine frustration for Domenech that he had to chose only one striker out of that amazing bunch because Zidane was so lazy that he had to field two 6'ers behind him. And most of France just gave Domenech shit for it, despite the somewhat ok idea behind that. It's the same kind of formation that Duchamp had in marseille for a bit btw, where we saw Valbuena turn into the player he is now.

It's a problem when people talk about vision, and it doesn't transform into being the one that does the assists. Im not saying this to sound like a tnuc, but because it's a genuine misnomer in football media. You have to have a product behind it when it turns into abstracts..

Well precisely, talking about consistency Hubb, Zidane was wayyyyy more consistent than Ronaldinho!!!

this is just not true... Ronaldinho was on fire from the beginning.. ever since he scored that crazy unintended freekick in the wc (playing for psg) which made everyone notice and until the time where he went down in the last bit of his barca days stopped smiling and turned consistently bad ... he had a mini bit of succes in brazil that meant he got called up again for brazil but thats was an entirely different player.

[Forum]

More importantly

[+] Spoiler

[ehbes]

Zidane and Gerrard are apples and oranges

[hubb]

[hubb]

Zidane and Gerrard are apples and oranges

yeah im not making it easier for myself

[Johoosh]

Iniesta's one of the best midfielders of all time

[hubb]

My favourite along with Riquelme and Laudrup

[Forum]

Not sure about Riquelme, he never really did it at a top team