*Official* English Football Season 2012-13

[Cevno]

So you are not comparing the two sides and yet Guardiola just inherited Rijkard's side?

Rijkard got plenty of investment, he was part of the whole Laporta thing which saw the arrival of Ronaldinho and others.

For Guardiola to get rid of Ronalhinho and Deco straight from the off signaled an imediate change which was not at all easy to pull off, look at what hapened to AVB at Chelsea.

Basic core of the team, which was on the up. Plus also the enhanced pulling and money power.

Rijkard got decent investment but not as much as Guardiola did.

And as for the last part, yeah Guardiola did a terrific job but he didn't create the whole team from scratch. Also, he just crumbled when there was one blip mentally after a few seasons of success.

 

[Cevno]

Bradford have beaten more premier league teams than QPR this season.

 

[Cevno]

Also, how the hell you view Mascherano as a poor signing I have no idea.

Ah he wasn't meant to be there actually. He's been a decent squad player.

But he's still a example of very good investment in the squad.

 

[GIMH]

Bradford have beaten more premier league teams than QPR this season.

And Reading but lets not make too big a deal about that, wouldn't want to pick on fred would we

#Stillbitterabout1995

 

[L Trumper]

David Villa has been ok?

He was brilliant at Valencia, no where near as good in Barca. He was great in second half of 10-11 season, apart from that not as great as everyone thought he would be. Also injuries didn't help.

 

[L Trumper]

Alves wasn't. Villa wasn't. Pique wasn't. Busquets and Pedro were B team players. Xavi, Iniesta and Messi had never played as well as they would do under Guardiola. And the core team was nowhere near as successful under Rijkaard. They finished 3rd the season before.

Before that they won two league titles and a CL. Let us not pretend Rijkaard's Barca was full of donkeys and incompetents. As far as Xavi, Iniesta and Messi playing well, that is called improvement with experience. Biggest thing Guardiola did was to remove dressing room of most of the party guys one by one. Consequently it improved the work rate of whole team and the pressing game took off.

 

[Furball]

Before that they won two league titles and a CL. Let us not pretend Rijkaard's Barca was full of donkeys and incompetents. As far as Xavi, Iniesta and Messi playing well, that is called improvement with experience. Biggest thing Guardiola did was to remove dressing room of most of the party guys one by one. Consequently it improved the work rate of whole team and the pressing game took off.

It wasn't full of donkeys but it was full of primadonnas who weren't prepared to pull their weight.

Guardiola came in and immediately changed that.

And I watched Barcelona play Rangers the season before Guardiola took over. Guardiola simply isn't given enough credit for making Xavi and Iniesta the players that they are.

 

[L Trumper]

It wasn't full of donkeys but it was full of primadonnas who weren't prepared to pull their weight.

Guardiola came in and immediately changed that.

And I watched Barcelona play Rangers the season before Guardiola took over. Guardiola simply isn't given enough credit for making Xavi and Iniesta the players that they are.

They won the Euro 2008, before he took over. I agree they improve immensely, but it is not really Guardiola's doing. May be Xavi to a little bit. But Iniesta is going on a up ward (injuries permitting) curve since his breakthrough in 06-07 season

 

[Uppercut]

Riijkard built a very good team with Barca but it was nothing like Guardiola's team. Played a front three of Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Messi/Giuly that didn't do any defending at all; all three were left up the pitch at corners so they could counter-attack. Also played a double-pivot with Edmilson and Van Bommel as spoilers. In the 2006 CL final Xavi and Iniesta warmed the bench.

Riijkard didn't leave Barca in terrible shape but he definitely didn't "lay the foundations" for Guardiola either. Most of the players Riijkard's team were built around were immediately cleared out when Guardiola took over. And the tactical features that characterise the team now were pretty much built from scratch.

 

[Uppercut]

They won the Euro 2008, before he took over. I agree they improve immensely, but it is not really Guardiola's doing. May be Xavi to a little bit. But Iniesta is going on a up ward (injuries permitting) curve since his breakthrough in 06-07 season

The point isn't that he improved them technically, it's that he created a team that plays completely to their strengths. Changed the game too. People now think players that press from the front and play 235254 passes a game are the best types of players, even if they don't win anything in the air or get in the box a lot or put in big tackles. Before Guardiola the most highly-rated midfielders were players like Gerrard or Lampard that chipped in with a lot of goals and made chances with good long balls. Or players like Essien that ran around a lot and broke up attacks.

 

[Cevno]

Cristiano Ronaldo snubbed by Pep Guardiola at Ballon d'Or | Mail Online

 

[sledger]

Cringe.

 

[Cevno]

Chelsea

Ivanovic

 

[sledger]

Onya Swansea.

 

[L Trumper]

The point isn't that he improved them technically, it's that he created a team that plays completely to their strengths. Changed the game too. People now think players that press from the front and play 235254 passes a game are the best types of players, even if they don't win anything in the air or get in the box a lot or put in big tackles. Before Guardiola the most highly-rated midfielders were players like Gerrard or Lampard that chipped in with a lot of goals and made chances with good long balls. Or players like Essien that ran around a lot and broke up attacks.

This is what I posted previously, I don't think we are making different points.

Biggest thing Guardiola did was to remove dressing room of most of the party guys one by one. Consequently it improved the work rate of whole team and the pressing game took off.

 

[GIMH]

James Wallace

 

[sledger]

Walcott agrees new four-and-a-half-year Arsenal deal - Goal.com

Gun.

 

[Pothas]

Never worth that wage but I suppose Arsenal had to stop the rot at some point and manage to make someone stay.

In more important news, Uwe Rosler has signed a two year extension, bloody great news.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Never worth that wage but I suppose Arsenal had to stop the rot at some point and manage to make someone stay.

In more important news, Uwe Rosler has signed a two year extension, bloody great news.

There's the man Blackburn should have signed from Lillestrøm, obvz.

 

[Jarquis]

Never worth that wage but I suppose Arsenal had to stop the rot at some point and manage to make someone stay.

In more important news, Uwe Rosler has signed a two year extension, bloody great news.

Go check his output from the last 3 seasons. Can't criticise.