Mikel Arteta: Aston La Vista To The Title?

[samspade]

See I just think that 2010/11 Barcelona team was one of the greatest collection of talent in football history with a top manager.

Let’s not forget as well we should’ve beaten them in the earlier rounds if not for the refs.

In my eyes it was just a great team that clicked on their day. That Utd team was pretty mediocre and had a doss run to the final.

It’s more the ideas behind the two teams I’m trying to contrast. I think it’s clear that the the ideas behind that Barca team have proliferated throughout modern football (and resulted in its improvement imo) and the Utd team’s have not had any such influence.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Is Serie A better now than it was in the 90s and 00s?

????

 

[Rex Stone]

It’s more the ideas behind the two teams I’m trying to contrast. I think it’s clear that the the ideas behind that Barca team have proliferated throughout modern football (and resulted in its improvement imo) and the Utd team’s have not had any such influence.

Well no that’s not true because not every team plays the same way?

People said the same thing about Sacchi’s Milan teams or Cruyff’s Barcelona side before that.

It’s really hard to replicate a team made up of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Dani Alves etc.

 

[samspade]

Well no that’s not true because not every team plays the same way?

People said the same thing about Sacchi’s Milan teams or Cruyff’s Barcelona side before that.

It’s really hard to replicate a team made up of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Dani Alves etc.

I know there have been a number of revolutions in football. I feel that what pep began to ask of his cb’s, fb’s and gk at that point became the things everyone is now looking for. People started to take false 9’s more seriously and there was a move away from 442. The way they pressed after losing the ball has also become common place. This country in particular came to reassess the value of small players and technical ability imo. You’re entitled to your view and maybe it’s not as clear as I make out, but I’m not going to discuss it further as I’ve had enough of the football eras debate tbh.

Edit: I also said that team were not the sole influence on the next generation, I just think they were one of the most important.

 

[Camron]

I have to say it's great to see you happy about making CL football. I still remember your famous essay on 'what is a CL spot good for' and 'I'd rather be a Liverpool fan' as we came 2nd.

Seeing you cured bro, means so much to me!

@Makingtrax pulling out the top-4 receipts

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

????

Sorry I missed this.

That's maybe a harder one to answer. Serie A was the predominant league of the 90's / early 00's as you obviously know.

Oversees talent from that league drained largely to the PL and La Liga.

To answer your question, I honestly don't know.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Sorry I missed this.

That's maybe a harder one to answer. Serie A was the predominant league of the 90's / early 00's as you obviously know.

Oversees talent from that league drained largely to the PL and La Liga.

To answer your question, I honestly don't know.

I think there is external factors but my point is just because time has passed doesn't mean it's automatically better now than whats gone before. New doesn't always mean better. I also think La Liga was strongest back in 2012 or so, stronger than it is now anyways.

I'm not overly concerned about this topic tho, I don't think the PL is THAT much worse, I just don't think it's better now than it was in let's say 2008. But it also hard to measure.

 

[TriniGunner]

But you have more time to rest and prepare, yes you loose games but not 11.

No no no!. It depends on the fitness, physical attributes and recovery times of EACH player. For example. Elneny could probably play 4 games per week and still run like he played 1. Saka (because of his physical attributes) may require 1 extra day of rest because those 4 games would cause an injury on game #5. It's all these things the physios look, tell the manager and they determine who is best suited to play. Based on these factors, we may lose games because some of our players just aren't up to it physically.

 

[TriniGunner]

The last two years of loses combined has been the worst since the 1980s bro.

Change is hard.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

I think there is external factors but my point is just because time has passed doesn't mean it's automatically better now than whats gone before. New doesn't always mean better. I also think La Liga was strongest back in 2012 or so, stronger than it is now anyways.

I'm not overly concerned about this topic tho, I don't think the PL is THAT much worse, I just don't think it's better now than it was in let's say 2008. But it also hard to measure.

I'm just going over old ground here probably but to I think what I'd say without question is that the PL and the players are less fun to watch than 10 years ago.

As the game has evolved and put more and more under a microscope and poured over in terms of every stat under the sun, players coached to the nth degree etc it's lost it's charm and players, even the great ones have become almost homogenized.

It's not good enough now to be good as a pure winger or a 10. You have to be an allrounder, you have to be able to track back, tackle, have the stamina, do virtually everything to a high standard. I think that's why a beautiful footballer like Özil got passed by in the game, you can't get by with his weaknesses in the modern game no matter how talented a pure 10 he is. Same thing happened to Pirlo eventually.

Very few players are individuals anymore, they're a cog in a well oiled machine. Which needs an exceptional skill level across the board but it's robotic and almost boring to watch.

 

[Blaziken]

Arteta stans are cult..

 

[Trilly]

Arteta stans are cult..

What prompted this?

 

[Sanchez11]

Arteta stans are cult..

Watch them turn when he loses 3 in a row again.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Watch them turn when he loses 3 in a row again.

Or just go into hiding again...

 

[Sanchez11]

Or just go into hiding again...

That aswell mate.

 

[Trilly]

I’ve skipped the last ten pages but this is all Mikel’s fault.

If Klopp was our manager nobody would be talking about if the league was harder or easier, we’d be talking about trying to win it.

Didn’t this all start because one group tried to say Arteta has a harder job because the league is more difficult now? It’s always him!!!

 

[Makingtrax]

It's not good enough now to be good as a pure winger or a 10. You have to be an allrounder, you have to be able to track back, tackle, have the stamina, do virtually everything to a high standard. I think that's why a beautiful footballer like Özil got passed by in the game, you can't get by with his weaknesses in the modern game no matter how talented a pure 10 he is. Same thing happened to Pirlo eventually.

Very few players are individuals anymore, they're a cog in a well oiled machine. Which needs an exceptional skill level across the board but it's robotic and almost boring to watch.

The modern game? He only played for us a couple of years ago mate. Wait . . unless you mean Deniz Özil who played for Fenerbahce in 1910. I hear he couldn’t be arsed to tackle back smoking 60 a day.

 

[Makingtrax]

Hope Mikel watched Unai, to pick up some pointers about how to score against Liverpool at home.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

The modern game? He only played for us a couple of years ago mate. Wait . . unless you mean Deniz Özil who played for Fenerbahce in 1910. I hear he couldn’t be arsed to tackle back smoking 60 a day.

I mean aren't you adding to my point with this?

Mesut was top 3 number 10 in the world up till 2015-ish. He was able to be that level of player in that time period even though his all round game offered very little.

By 2020 he was still fundamentally the same player with the same strengths and weaknesses. The game evolved and demanded more from a 10 than he could give and it passed him by.

You can't get away with just pure ability in the PL anymore. You need the whole package including the physical side.

I saw someone bring up Le Tissier too, one of the most gifted English footballers of all time in my opinion. If 90's Le Tissier was around now he'd be this generation's Lee Trundle, great ability but fat and allergic to the sniff of defending or putting effort in.

 

[Blaziken]

What prompted this?

They are turning on Henry on twitter