07-15-2012, 11:44 AM
Very sad about Silva and Ibra leaving, but... life goes on.
I don't think that Ibra is irreplaceable, but T. Silva surely is.
Though I'm still behind my words that Milan almost was Ibra + 10, with some investment and some tactical and style changes we could make up Ibra's departure.
Even if Ibra actually was the fittest player in the world for Serie A, he was nowhere near that for CL, especially when we played stronger sides than us (Barcelona for example), when we could not control the game, and we could hurt them by counter attacking, but that phrase "counter attacking" doesn't exist when a focal point of your team is Ibra. It's not coincidence that Inter won CL just after they sold him - Mourinho changed his system from ball holding play that suited Ibra, to counter attacking play that suited his team best against stronger teams like Barcelona.
Reading the rumors, it seems it'll be Tevez or Dzeko. Tevez will not be sold by City, as he's a sure starter, the player that Mancini brought back after he was a total asshole. Dzeko is not in Mancini's plans, he will not be starter, and if he's clever he will leave City. Now price tag I believe is around 25 M euros, and since Dzeko is a HUGE Milan fan, for his childhood dream to come true I'm sure he will play for 4,5-5 M salary, the same sum he earned in his last year at Wolfsburg.
I've been writing a lot about Dzeko here, and to not write the same things all over again, let me just write that with a similar player beside him, Pato for example, Dzeko would be the same player that he was in Wolfsburg.
As for T. Silva, well he's the only player we should not sell for any price. To replace him we need at least 25 M euros, the sum Galliani will not spend on defender.
But, to make all this a little less painful, let me express my opinion that truth to be told T. Silva is a little overrated. Obviously he's the best defender in the world by far, but I would say in a footballing world when there are no great defenders anymore. And though he had potential to be as good as Baresi, he never got that far and never will. He's growing is very slow, and I think that he's the same player now with 27, as he was three year ago with 24, only more injury prone. Players like Baresi, Nesta, Cannavaro, Maldini, etc., could hold defense almost on their own against strongest attacks in the world. I simply don't see that in T. Silva, the thing I sometimes even saw in Jaap Stam or Lillian Thuram.
So, to conclude, if we could buy 4 players, a striker (Dzeko), a defender (?), a left-back (Balzaretti), and a midfielder (Ganso, Strootman...) I would be satisfied.
I don't think that Ibra is irreplaceable, but T. Silva surely is.
Though I'm still behind my words that Milan almost was Ibra + 10, with some investment and some tactical and style changes we could make up Ibra's departure.
Even if Ibra actually was the fittest player in the world for Serie A, he was nowhere near that for CL, especially when we played stronger sides than us (Barcelona for example), when we could not control the game, and we could hurt them by counter attacking, but that phrase "counter attacking" doesn't exist when a focal point of your team is Ibra. It's not coincidence that Inter won CL just after they sold him - Mourinho changed his system from ball holding play that suited Ibra, to counter attacking play that suited his team best against stronger teams like Barcelona.
Reading the rumors, it seems it'll be Tevez or Dzeko. Tevez will not be sold by City, as he's a sure starter, the player that Mancini brought back after he was a total asshole. Dzeko is not in Mancini's plans, he will not be starter, and if he's clever he will leave City. Now price tag I believe is around 25 M euros, and since Dzeko is a HUGE Milan fan, for his childhood dream to come true I'm sure he will play for 4,5-5 M salary, the same sum he earned in his last year at Wolfsburg.
I've been writing a lot about Dzeko here, and to not write the same things all over again, let me just write that with a similar player beside him, Pato for example, Dzeko would be the same player that he was in Wolfsburg.
As for T. Silva, well he's the only player we should not sell for any price. To replace him we need at least 25 M euros, the sum Galliani will not spend on defender.
But, to make all this a little less painful, let me express my opinion that truth to be told T. Silva is a little overrated. Obviously he's the best defender in the world by far, but I would say in a footballing world when there are no great defenders anymore. And though he had potential to be as good as Baresi, he never got that far and never will. He's growing is very slow, and I think that he's the same player now with 27, as he was three year ago with 24, only more injury prone. Players like Baresi, Nesta, Cannavaro, Maldini, etc., could hold defense almost on their own against strongest attacks in the world. I simply don't see that in T. Silva, the thing I sometimes even saw in Jaap Stam or Lillian Thuram.
So, to conclude, if we could buy 4 players, a striker (Dzeko), a defender (?), a left-back (Balzaretti), and a midfielder (Ganso, Strootman...) I would be satisfied.