*Official* English Football Season 2012-13

[Jarquis]

Thought Mourinho dropped him as he went through a spell where every goal Madrid conceded was from a cross...

 

[Pothas]

He has not had his best season but it does not sound like that really has much to do with it, more that Mourinho has fallen out with all his Spanish players.

 

[The Sean]

Disagree tbh.
Casillas has been dropped by Madrid but there's not exactly and obvious person to replace him, Kompany is a better CB than Pique let alone Ramos. Llahm ahead of Marcelo, Pirlo over Alonso and RVP ahead of Falcao IMHO.

Yeah, this. I suppose Casillas captained the Euro winning team so that's something but I wouldn't have him, Pique or Marcelo anywhere near a team of the year. Pirlo over Alonso is probably fair too, and I'd have picked RvP as well but Falcao has had an epic year TBF so it's six of one, half a dozen of the other really.

The voting was ridiculously Spain-centric on every level really. Guardiola was one of the three nominations for World Coach of the year despite semi-retiring in May after having led the most talented squad on the planet to nothing more than the Copa del Rey.

 

[Jarquis]

Well Mourinho in his press conference basically said "I'm the manager, I pick the team I believe is most likely to win the game" when questioned about it.

On the RVP/Falcao. I'm as big a fan of Falcao as you'll see and have been for some time, But RVP's year was something else.

As for the above post -

 

[Uppercut]

Disagree tbh.
Casillas has been dropped by Madrid but there's not exactly and obvious person to replace him, Kompany is a better CB than Pique let alone Ramos. Llahm ahead of Marcelo, Pirlo over Alonso and RVP ahead of Falcao IMHO.

I reckon Ramos was easily the best CB in the world in 2012 but Pique was mostly quite poor, I think they've picked him purely on the Euros because the Spain defence was just unbeatable.

I don't think you can include Kompany, he wasn't at the Euros and he's done nothing in the CL. The Premiership's pretty much a second-tier league now so you can't pick a player on his performances here alone. Can maybe argue for Hummels or Pepe but meh. Spain had the only real stand-out defence of the year.

Could make a case for RVP but again he's done nothing outside England and Falcao's performances in the Europa League and Super Cup matches probably turn it for him. We don't take those games especially seriously in the UK but they're matches that people watch all over the world so it's a pretty good time to perform. But even if you take the English view of those tournaments, his scoring record pretty much matches RVP's in a much better league.

I think you can only go up for one position and Lahm's been playing right-back all year. Would have had him ahead of Alves myself but meh, they're both very good. Would have Pirlo over Alonso too fwiw.

 

[Neil Pickup]

anyway, i don't understand why the debate about this incident is about sportsmanship, it should be about why there's not a system in place to correct obvious refereeing mistakes.

BCCI?


z

 

[sledger]

Think Uppercut's right on Falcao over RVP. That said, it does seem a shame that RVP misses out completely, not that there's really any space for him in that side, but few players ever reach the level of form he's maintained over the last 18 months or so.

 

[Uppercut]

Guardiola was one of the three nominations for World Coach of the year despite semi-retiring in May after having led the most talented squad on the planet to nothing more than the Copa del Rey.

Find it infuriating how people use the quality of the team Guardiola created as a stick to beat him with.

 

[The Sean]

Find it infuriating how people use the quality of the team Guardiola created as a stick to beat him with.

What? He gets monumental credit for creating that squad. What he shouldn't get is an automatic nomination for coach of the year when with that same amazing squad he didn't win anything. Particularly when he coached it for less than half the year.

 

[sledger]

Unless the longevity of his tenure was taken into consideration, I do find it hard to see any justification for him receiving a nomination this time around, tbf.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Find it infuriating how people use the quality of the team Guardiola created as a stick to beat him with.

**** you post some ******** **** sometimes. If you honestly can't find what his actual point was from that post you must have brain damage.

 

[Uppercut]

Jesus. Smitteh's even angrier than usual these days.

What? He gets monumental credit for creating that squad. What he shouldn't get is an automatic nomination for coach of the year when with that same amazing squad he didn't win anything. Particularly when he coached it for less than half the year.

Yeah I agree, I wasn't really aiming that at you. Just finding it annoying lately that people are saying "I could manage a team with Xavi/Iniesta/Busquets" when those players (and even those types of players) are only so highly regarded now because of the team Guardiola created.

 

[Ikki]

Pirlo over Alonso is the main suggestion I've read. Not seen enough of Pirlo outside the Euros in the last year for an informed opinion; based on that alone he'd be a shoo in though.

Pirlo should have definitely been in it. I am surprised Pique made it over Kompany since he missed most of the season. Lahm > Alves and Marcelo. If there was a year to move away from that Barca/Real combo it was last year.

 

[Furball]

Kompany's done nothing other than being the stand-out centre half in a league filled with crap defences.

 

[GIMH]

A league filled with quality forwards as well tbf. But I wouldn't have had him in either.

 

[Ikki]

Whatever, Chiellini. Point was that I didn't think Pique deserved to be in it.

 

[Pothas]

Unless the longevity of his tenure was taken into consideration, I do find it hard to see any justification for him receiving a nomination this time around, tbf.

Yeah it really is a strange one, especially when Conte took Juventus through the whole season unbeaten. Shows how unfashionable the Seria A has become I suppose.

 

[L Trumper]

Disagree tbh.
Casillas has been dropped by Madrid but there's not exactly and obvious person to replace him, Kompany is a better CB than Pique let alone Ramos. Llahm ahead of Marcelo, Pirlo over Alonso and RVP ahead of Falcao IMHO.

Are you suggesting Pique is better defender than Ramos? Over last 18 months its a no contest, Pique was horrible during most of the time. Ramos was in the best form of his career. Having said that I agree one of Kompany, Chiellini or Thiago Silve should've been there. Alves was **** over last year too, in fact he is not a starter for Barca any more. Lahm can take up right back. Probably Alba on left in stead of Marcelo.

 

[L Trumper]

Whatever, Chiellini. Point was that I didn't think Pique deserved to be in it.

Yep pique and alves are ****. Probably Chiellini, Lahm would've been better. And Alba ahead of marcelo too.

 

[sledger]

Yeah it really is a strange one, especially when Conte took Juventus through the whole season unbeaten. Shows how unfashionable the Seria A has become I suppose.

I suspect his recent (alleged) indiscretions may have taken him out of the running, in all probability. Otherwise his omission is really quite hard to rationalise, whatever Serie A's status.