Messi Marvels, Cavenaghi Scored

Asil,

dude thanks for the updates! Interesting…. I’d personally prefer Messi to be at Barca coz I dont get to watch the Serie A games (except weekly highlights!) From the player’s standpoint - Messi’s speed can rip apart teams in the italian league. I’m not sure how it might help in the overall development, but of course , Inter’s also loaded with other argentines, and he might gel well there. I’d still like to see him in the Spainish or the EPL (slightly more physical, will test him better + awesome global coverage ). I’m not sure if Barca will transfer him yet though, he was seen as a long term investment for them, and is already paying BIG TIME dividends

Wonder how the other folks on here feel about this!

Hye for all ARGENTINIAN fans how are you ? I just want to know about ARGENTINA coach . BASILE will replace ARGENTINA until when ? I hope Maradona , Burruchaga or serrizuela can be Argentina coach . I want to look ARGENTINA beat Brazil again . Really hope that . I also hope riquelme can play for ARGENTINA squad back . VAMOS ARGENTINA , ARGENTINA PARA SIEMPRE . NO ILLORE PARA MI ARGENTINA POR FAVOR .

Posted from  Malaysia

Hello All,

I’m not sure if anyone cares, but Argentina has moved to the top of the FIFA World Rankings with 1616 points. I’m assuming this was partly due to previous results expiring, and Brazil losing and Argentina winning against a top ranked footballing nation. Great news!

Posted from  United States

haha..yup..C.ronaldo is SELFISH..
lol..SELFISH+individual!

Posted from  Malaysia

Ken - I live in Virginia. Born in South America, live in Virginia.

I still think that Riquelme is the most exquisite Argentine player, and that Saviola is the most underrated. But Messi is the chosen one. No one has a game like that against Real Madrid (no matter how bad they are now) without being kissed on the forhead by the soccer gods.

I’m going back to read the posts now. great to hear from you, and toddutah!

Posted from  United States

My two cents about Kaka–

He’s an incredible talent, usually the best player on the field. He’s not creative like Riquelme or Aimar or for that matter Totti, but he is an amazing athlete, and he’s fast with genius technique. When he’s on he’s virtually unstoppable with the ball. His only problem, as far as I can see, is that he can be too passive. He doesn’t dominate through his actions or personality. just my two cents.

Posted from  United States

My two cents is that every player has weaknesses even the great pele and maradona. If we were to watch thier careers we would see many games where they did not perform. Since they are from the past all we see are the great highlights but every player has good games and bad games. What makes Messi. Kaka, C Ronaldo so great is that they can beat very good defenders off the dribble from a stopped postion. This forces the defense to change philosophy when playing a team with a player like this. There are many players with great pace and good first touch that can finish of a great pass but very few that at the highest level can just blow by a very good defender with the ball at their feet. This is why teams fear Messi, Kaka, and Ronaldo and why each one brings so much to their teams. It puts the defense under constant pressure to have a defender and second defender always ready to cover if the first gets beat. It is a great advantage for a team to have a player of this type of skill. It can open things up for the other players and that is why it is so important to have players around him that can take advantage of these openings. Did you notice how many chances Eto had in the game because of runs by Messi?

Posted from  United States

Great article on Goal.com about Messi - its a must read:

Barcelona Alchemy: Maradona + Romário = Messi?

http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=256533

Posted from  United States

Eto’o had a ton of chances because of Messi. I will be really disappointed if DInho or Eto’o leave Barcalona this year, because those three are really excellent together.

I’ve heard that they are looking at Jaunde Ramos for the Barca head coach, or Marco VanBasten. Either way, hopefully someone who can expand Messi’s role on the team, and lket him play a role that is more creative and free.

Posted from  United States

Julian,

Were you refering to my post when you mention ” pure speculation about Messi on here”?

If you did, well then we disagree which is O.K.

Most of my reference are based on my observation of the two legs in CL against Liverpool. Is that what you are refering as “speculation” to my comments,
the recent game gainst R Madrid is a “local derby” while the CL
group stages knock out is at a higher level and I give it more weight.

Maxilopez,
Yes I do think that Kaka is number one because his finishing is DEADLY. It is true that he gets a bit hype because he is Brazillian. But then I believe that Brazil has earned their names by winning the WC 5 times.

With regards to Ronaldo, he has scored quite a few goals for Man Utd which has put them in contention for the top spot in the Premiership. The premiership is physical and fast; Just look at Tevez’s face; that should tell how he is earning his living!

With regards to your comment that Ronaldo is selfish, I believe that Ferguson is allowing him to “grow”. Not many top managers would give a player that kind of latitude.

As I have said before, I would have more respect for Ronaldo had he dive less or stay more on his feet specially in the penalty area?

Alexa,

I concur with you that Riquelme is the most”exquisite” argentine player; good choice of word coming from you. I think he is our lazy magician because he does not defend. But his pasing skills and vision of the game cannot be matched by any other Argentine players at this time, less other players in the world.
Thanks for telling me that you live in Virginia. I was just curious.

Todd Utah made a great point about Ronaldo and Kaka in that they can both beat the best defenders. This is what I call deadly finish above.

With regards above to the comments that Argentina is taking top spot, I would agree to that only if they beat Brasil!
Asil and Vick, I enjoy your comments. thanks

MaxiLopez -

love that statement–”Love it until death”.

About C. Ronaldo. He has a huge bag of tricks, and he does seem to follow the portuguese tradition (or at least the rep) of diving.

But he really has grown up this year as a player, especially after the controversy of the world cup. His “end product” is much improved too. Many people dismissed him becuase he couldn’t finish, just like many people criticize Messi about his finishing ability, but he is becoming a goal scorer now. In any case, he’s a better player than Wayne Rooney at the moment.

Thanks for all that info, asil.

Ken- keep the posts coming.

Posted from  United States

Ken I dont agree with you that we can not be number one in the fifa ranking until we beat Brasil. That type of logic just does not hold when it comes to rankings so we just have to accept that we are ranked number one in the world and take it as a compliment. There is no question my mind that Brasil is in a down time right now from which they could recover quickly but they looked very bad against Portugal. By your logic only Portugal could be ranked number one. It does not matter much as this summers competitions will give a better feel for who the top teams in the world are right now. As for me I like our chances this summer and put Argentina as a favorite ahead of Brasil for the copa. Do you think that brasil should be the favorite this summer? If so what players beside kaka do they have?

Posted from  United States

Todd Utah,

My statement about us being the number one is not based on logic. It is more based on common sense and emotion. Just because we beat France in a FRIENDLY, we should not be number one. I think at this time Italy should be the number one based on OFFICIAL competition such as wc 2006 etc.
Just because Portugal beat Brasil does not make them number one also.

The idea about us beating Brasil
is an “emotional” statement because of the intense rivalry between Argentina and Brasil. Remember that Ing, the blogger has criticized me for not taking an emotional approach. Since I am willing to change myself, I am taking some emotional approach on some issues such as this one when it is justified in my mind.

Brasil will always be a contender and a favourite because of their football traditions and past success at the wc. But I am not sure whether they can win Copa America because they are in a tough group and also because what you stated in that right now they are a bit down. I hope they lose and Argentina win it.

But I would not love Argentina till death like Maxilopez, the blogger as he stated above. Remember that I am very attracted to “greatness” wherever it is found be it arts, science, literature, people etc.

If Riquelme keeps doing very well for Boca, and he is not brought back to the NT, that would be one reason that I would not give my unconditional love to Argentina. Unconditional love is a sacred thing that I also reserve for a person like my mother, spouse etc.

Thanks ToddUtah, for your comments and also for being candid. I have a lot of respect for people who are honest and straightforward. It appears to me you are one of them.

Alexa, you also should keep posting. I like to read from you and all others irrespective of dissent.

Ken I respect your emotional response to us needing to beat brasil and I agree that we do. This summer should be a time for us to position ourselves as the number one team in the world. We should seek this and hold on to it for the next three years or more. It is time for Argentina to take this great talent pool and bring it together to form a team that dominates through the next decade! How is that for emotion? lol

Posted from  United States

we need a new entry in the blog entitled

ARGENTINA #! IN FIFA RANKINGS

Posted from  Canada

Todd Utah,

I am glad you realize that we should be number one after beating Brasil in an official competition
such as Copa America; right it does not make sense to me.

Yes if we can INTEGRATE the many talent and have a coach that is prepared for most eventualities ( such as injury) and field the best eleven, we would win assuming we are 110%.

This is because our history plays against us. Did you not see it when Messi scored against Mexico and it was not awarded; also Ayala scored a header against Ivory Coast and the goalkeeper cleared it after the ball crossed the line and the goal was also not awarded. Crespo was called offside when he was not and in fact he was in a position of scoring; to add insult to injury the referee game him a yellow card because he did not hear the whistle. There was an exquisite backheel pass from Riquleme to Crespo and Crespo was foul in the penalty area. Of course he was not awarded the penalty. Are all those incidents intentional? Absolutely, because each one of them could have led to a goal.
How to you beat it? Be 110% in every area ranging from the players to the coach.

With regards to domination, I believe in football, success goes in cycles because sooner or later, world class coachs can keep any individual players quiet and success is also its own enemy. Just look at Barca for example, they are not the same one as last year. Etoo is one one side and the Brazillian, Ronaldihno and Deco etc are on another side. What happen to a divided house? It simply cannot stand… With reference to Barca, they are already kicked out of the Champion League.
Cheers to you and all others

Messay,

When you do a new blog, make sure you make a catchy heading using the FIFA rankings. Please do not just say new thread. In that way we can attract more people to this blog. Thanks buddy.

Messay Buddy,

With the new blog, I would say something like below:

Argentina move top in FIFA world rankings; Is the Brazil era on the decline?

Thanks

Messay Buddy,

Sorry, I meant new entry, not new blog in above

Hi everyone!

Great posts all around! While we are talking about Messi and some of the other top young players around this time, here are some thoughts on them:

1. C. Ronaldo - probably the best dribbler of the lot. He has been a tad bit selfish in the past, but I think we are seeing the change this season. A good winger and has greatly improved his goal-scoring abilities. Has good physical presence and height which really helps in set pieces too.

2. Kaka - A good dribbler and absolutely lethal in counter-attacks. However, unlike some of the other players, I think he’s a sort of a player who definitely needs a good support cast, i.e. he needs to be in a good team to shine. I personally don’t feel he is the type to single handedly change the course of a game. In conjunction with 2-3 other players - he is really good. Has a great eye for goal with long range shots.

3. Fabregas - I thought he was one of the best young midfielders last season. Wonderful vision and presence, and is very much involved every aspect of the game. Good speed and good dribbling for a midfielder , and his passes are are of rare quality, precision and vision. A good tackler too - I’d like to personally see Gago evolve into a role like his. Gago has shown good awareness and orchestration so far - but I don’t think he has done enough justice to his attacking instincts. THAT is where Fabregas is right now. I love this kid- a wonderful passer. A seems like a very emotional player- can get into foul trouble.

4. Rooney - An out-and-out striker and goal poacher. Is the almost complete package in terms of scoring with his head or legs. Brilliant off-the-ball movement and positioning, and a great ability to take a shot when one least expects it. He’s a bull on the field - aggressive and physical. Of most strikers, I’d bet on him to get a goal during crucial stages of a game. Used to get into foul trouble before - but I think he’s matured on the field a little more. His off-field antics are legendary of course

Tied 5) Peter Crouch & Totti- hmm …. both have very VERY HOT girlfriends

I’m sorry if I’ve strayed away from a subject. Just thought I’d share some thoughts and also get some opinions on the other top younger players at this time.

Vick

Vick,
From my point of view you have not strayed away from a subject because you have a right to voice your opinion.
I agree with everything you said except the part about Kaka being not able to “single handedly change the course of a game”.

What about when Messi made against the recent Brasil Friendly? Kaka stole the ball midfield from Messi and beat one or two defenders before slotting the ball in the net? Is that not an example of single handedly changing the course of a game by scoring? To me this a deadly finishing!

Just for fun Vick, don’t you think that Crouch is the most UNELEGANT player in the premier league?

Fabregas has a great “Football” mind given he is only 19 years old. What is unfortunate is that he in a club which is OUT in every one of the four competitions.

Vick,

That was pretty about crouch. But i thought you listed players that were young. KAKA is 25 or 16, Totti is about to be a grand father (j/k)
Ronaldo is 22 and so is Rooney.

Fabregas is the only young player that could compete with messi. This is why I am nuts about messi because for his age he is just way tooo tooo tooo tooo tooo tooo tooo tooo (i cant stress the toooo enough) mature, talents, amazing …… undescribable.

The players that needs to be compared with C ronaldo and Rooney are the likes of Tevez, Van Persie, Zlatan and so on.

But yet Messi is still above all of them, Messi is with Ronaldinho, Henry, Gerard, Kaka, Riquelme, Aimar and so on.

Posted from  United States

Messay,

I love your reasoning that players need to be compared based on their age. I did NOT even realize that. Thanks for bringing that up.

Vick,

Regarding Barca, there is no way Messi would leave Barca because he is loved by both coach and President. Further Messi is grateful for what Barca had done for his health. Recently he said that he wanted to go to River Plate, but they refused him because he was “too small”.

However, one of either Ronaldihno or Etoo will definitely leave because there is conflict.

Age groups?
I would probably group into under 25 and 25 plus or someone who has already peaked, and someone who is yet to peak.

You cant make comparisons like he is 19, they are 22. In the international arena, they must be no biasedness based on age.

And also I beleiev most players in the international scenes dont develop with age. Some peak at 22, some 25 and some after 30. If it were so, players like Aimar, Saviola, Kluivert, etc should have been legends already.Have they improved with age? No, not at all. So I wouldnt bring the age issue when you talk about Messi, Aguero, Tevez, Ronaldo, Rooney,Fabregas… They are all the same age group to me.

And if you personally ask me, I am most positive about Fabregas being someone examplary ten years down the line.

Posted from  United States

Messi’s is just running on HIS WAY. And he’s already the best dribbler in the world, by far.
If he keeps this passion and hunger for football, if he keeps his mind right, he’ll be the best of all times, along maradonna.
Leonel Messi is blessed, will he resist to girls ? to drugs ?
To party time ? To people around him who will treat him as a god ? will he keep beeing Messi the young football lover ? Will he always remind where does he come from ? Or will he sink in the vice ?
The football future depends a lot on Leonel Messi’s spirit.

Vamos Messi VAMOS !

Posted from  France