Vlad19
football manager
- 5 January 2006
Alright, since we're getting deep on this, I thought I'd throw another wood to the fire. One of the more underrated things when it comes to transfers is how the player fits into his new team, and it also matters who is already at the club and how they might react.
Shevchenko and Ballack's signings last year were improvements on paper, but unsettled what was previously a match-winning machine. They were too big to fit into the system. Sheva was competing with Drogba for playing time, the wingers weren't set, too many midfield players, all of whom good enough to start. At a team you have to have a clear hierarchy and competitions for playing time should be resolved.
In that respect, ManU and Milan have been best. Because we can all name a starting eleven for each from years back. Few teams prosper with 13 "starters", it doesn't lead to collectiveness. In Milan and ManU, the top dogs are well known and a new 'alpha' player is brought in to replace an old one, not just because he's good, but because he's good for the team. Beckham left, Ronaldo came in. RVN left, so Saha could flourish. Teams like Real that stack talented players on top of each other notably can't seem to sustain form for a long stretch.
Basically, I'm saying having clear levels/hierarchy of skill at the club is conducive to a more harmonious team. If you have players duplicating each other (Ballack, Lampard) it leads to neither player feeling comfortable and settling into some sort of consistent form. Or worse, both playing at the same time, which makes you weaker because you have two players with the same weaknesses. If you have two different players (Pirlo, Gattusso), one can cover for the other's shortcomings.
With all that said, I loved Bayern, because now they've formed a pair of versatile wingers there and Toni and Klose can lead from the front with Podolski accepting he can earn a spot up front if he works hard. That's constructive for the future and keeps everyone sharp.
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On another topic, who knows more about David Suazo? I just watched the highlights of Cagliari-AC Milan last season and that dude won the game for Cagliari single-handedly. Seriously athletic and fast, kinda like a deadly Martins. I think he might surprise people when playing on a team like Inter and turn out to be a fantastic signing. Can't say I'm happy Milan lost out on him.
I don't agree entirely. Their defence and goalkeeping situation is very shaky. Vidic is good, but Ferdinand is mistake-prone, as is Evra (defensively). The goalie situation is also questionable since van der saar is aging and the polish guy they signed has shown nothing yet. ManU's strength has always been the midfield, where they break moves down and retain the ball, thus they may be able to get away without truly great defenders, but, as Milan showed last year, they may not.
Shevchenko and Ballack's signings last year were improvements on paper, but unsettled what was previously a match-winning machine. They were too big to fit into the system. Sheva was competing with Drogba for playing time, the wingers weren't set, too many midfield players, all of whom good enough to start. At a team you have to have a clear hierarchy and competitions for playing time should be resolved.
In that respect, ManU and Milan have been best. Because we can all name a starting eleven for each from years back. Few teams prosper with 13 "starters", it doesn't lead to collectiveness. In Milan and ManU, the top dogs are well known and a new 'alpha' player is brought in to replace an old one, not just because he's good, but because he's good for the team. Beckham left, Ronaldo came in. RVN left, so Saha could flourish. Teams like Real that stack talented players on top of each other notably can't seem to sustain form for a long stretch.
Basically, I'm saying having clear levels/hierarchy of skill at the club is conducive to a more harmonious team. If you have players duplicating each other (Ballack, Lampard) it leads to neither player feeling comfortable and settling into some sort of consistent form. Or worse, both playing at the same time, which makes you weaker because you have two players with the same weaknesses. If you have two different players (Pirlo, Gattusso), one can cover for the other's shortcomings.
With all that said, I loved Bayern, because now they've formed a pair of versatile wingers there and Toni and Klose can lead from the front with Podolski accepting he can earn a spot up front if he works hard. That's constructive for the future and keeps everyone sharp.
------
On another topic, who knows more about David Suazo? I just watched the highlights of Cagliari-AC Milan last season and that dude won the game for Cagliari single-handedly. Seriously athletic and fast, kinda like a deadly Martins. I think he might surprise people when playing on a team like Inter and turn out to be a fantastic signing. Can't say I'm happy Milan lost out on him.
I don't agree entirely. Their defence and goalkeeping situation is very shaky. Vidic is good, but Ferdinand is mistake-prone, as is Evra (defensively). The goalie situation is also questionable since van der saar is aging and the polish guy they signed has shown nothing yet. ManU's strength has always been the midfield, where they break moves down and retain the ball, thus they may be able to get away without truly great defenders, but, as Milan showed last year, they may not.
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