08-16-2015, 02:53 PM
somedevil, I thought something very similar. Galliani always likes to say how he's great friends with Perez, now's the time to try and put that to use. On Kovacic, I would have kept him, but when offered 35m + bonuses and it's Real calling (i.e. the kid probably wouldn't want to stay), it's very hard to say no. Had a quick look at the Inter forums after seeing a link elsewhere and understandably they seem to be having a bit of a meltdown right now.
Didn't have the chance to respond earlier, but thanks for your thoughts. I assume none of us here are professional scouts, so we're all in the same boat.
I think my definition of a complete midfielder is a bit different to yours, in that I think to be described as such, the player must have qualities to excel (i.e. be good to very good) in numerous areas. If we judge by how few weaknesses one has, then we could feasibly say someone like Poli is a complete midfielder, as he's just very average in every regard, not being weak in any one particular area. I get your point, but what I see is Witsel has a couple of strengths, but otherwise isn't particularly great.
I do think he can improve this midfield, I just have massive doubts if he can to the extent that people might be expecting, especially given the weight of expectations due to his price. Romagnoli's in a similar boat, the 25m plus bonuses spent will put unrealistic expectations on his shoulders, but I also think people will show him a little more patience given his age and potential.
Just to clarify, I don't hate Witsel or have any agenda against him (I will support him if he joins), frankly I just don't get the interest or hype around him. Anyway, as I said earlier, maybe this conversation has reached its conclusion and the only way I can judge is if he does join and to see how he performs.
(08-16-2015, 10:19 AM)slifersd Wrote: Before anything i would like to say that I am not a professional soccer scout, and probably doesn't have the greatest eye when it comes to talent evaluation. As such, my way of evaluating players could be way off the mark.
That being said, Witsel doesn't have to be excellent at everything to be considered a complete midfielder, he just doesn't have to suck at anything. You mentioned that other than his passing and physique, nothing else is "special", which could be true. But is he average or slightly above average at those other things? Because if you combine good passing, and physical attributes with decent dribbling and defense, you would have a pretty complete midfielder, no? Last I check, nobody thinks Yaya Toure is the greatest defensive midfielder in the world or has the greatest passing, but he is still one of the most complete midfielders in the world. Again, I would like to reemphasize that I do NOT think Witsel is the new Yaya Toure or Fabregas. I just think he is better than the midfielders we have and therefore should be a welcomed addition to our team. I am sure there are better options than him for 35M, but well, those options may not be available or won't want to sign with us.
When it comes to the perception around the world for both players, I really can't provide any solid evidence to you as to who thinks Witsel is higher rated than Soriano. I am just not sure where I could possibly find solid evidence to support that, lol. When I look at the two, Witsel is a national team player who is a guaranteed starter for Belgium NT and participated in WC whereas Soriano is a fringe Italian NT player. Witsel has been linked with some of the biggest clubs in soccer for a few years now, whereas Soriano was barely relevant in Serie A until last season. Again, these are not concrete proof that Witsel is higher rated than Soriano, but then again I wouldn't really know what would be concrete proof unless we do a huge survey across all the major soccer clubs in the world lol.
Since we happen to have the cash this year, we should simply go out and get all the good players. Looking at the market, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of good options for midfielders out there, so we have to sign who we can get. Witsel is not a home run signing, but he is an upgrade who is available. I would love for Fabregas, but what is the likelihood that we can get him? And if we decide not to sign Witsel, what can we get in his place for that money? If the answer to that is, we will keep the cash and wait for another day, then honestly, I do not see the point.
Just my two cents on the situation. I am sure a lot of people don't think Witsel is that great, and I respect that opinion and even agree with it to a degree. But to hate on a player like Witsel when all we have is Poli, Nocerino, and Montolivo is just hard for me to understand.
Didn't have the chance to respond earlier, but thanks for your thoughts. I assume none of us here are professional scouts, so we're all in the same boat.
I think my definition of a complete midfielder is a bit different to yours, in that I think to be described as such, the player must have qualities to excel (i.e. be good to very good) in numerous areas. If we judge by how few weaknesses one has, then we could feasibly say someone like Poli is a complete midfielder, as he's just very average in every regard, not being weak in any one particular area. I get your point, but what I see is Witsel has a couple of strengths, but otherwise isn't particularly great.
I do think he can improve this midfield, I just have massive doubts if he can to the extent that people might be expecting, especially given the weight of expectations due to his price. Romagnoli's in a similar boat, the 25m plus bonuses spent will put unrealistic expectations on his shoulders, but I also think people will show him a little more patience given his age and potential.
Just to clarify, I don't hate Witsel or have any agenda against him (I will support him if he joins), frankly I just don't get the interest or hype around him. Anyway, as I said earlier, maybe this conversation has reached its conclusion and the only way I can judge is if he does join and to see how he performs.
. It would be interesting to see Menez in that role, even though he is not really a traditional trequartista. Everybody knows that he is dangerous if he is given too much time on the ball, so I can see him pulling defenders out of position a lot and opening up space for our strikers, at least as long as he is given proper support by the three midfielders behind him.
