Celtic FC - AC Milan

hey welcome celts ... am a celt fan too a little more milan

anyways

nakamura ... isnt fast at alll ... - hes just got good vision and other capibilities but hes gotta get through gattuso pirlo and milans experienced team not like some aberdeen or dundee

mcgeady - all give ya that one hes certainly one to watch out

still remember his tricks against rangers they were fabulous ....

the turns ..

Originally Posted by Warro Bantan

Pace isnt enough..there is a reason Nakamura isnt playing for a big club in Italy...he wasnt good enough...now, dont get me wrong, he is an excellent player....for the SPL.

First of all, as someone else said, Naka is slow. I can't agree with what you said at all. Naka is definitely good enough for big European clubs. He says the reason he's so much better at Celtic compared to Reggina is because at Reggina they spent most of the match defending.

Naka is a playmaker. In the same way as Pirlo. The difference is Naka doesn't have the strength or defensive attributes to play in Pirlo's role. He's as good a passer and as intelligient as Pirlo though and also has more skill. imo he's the most intelligient player to ever play for Celtic, even more so than Larsson. He's a player that controls games when we have possession. At Celtic we always have most of the possession in the league which is why he looks much better.

I can't believe I didn't know who he was when he played in Italy as he is world class. The first I knew of him was at the confederations cup where he got man of the match against Greece and Brazil. In the summer Seville tried to get him but he signed an extension to his contract.

I don't like to see people say Naka only looks good in the SPL. I really hope he's at his best against Milan. He'll get more space in the home match against Milan than he's used to because in Scotland you don't get much time on the ball.

I'll tell you what. Search for streaming software called PPMate. Celtic's match at 3pm tomorrow will be on a channel called Goal TV 2. Watch it and I can guarantee you Naka will have a great match as he always does at home.

wheels, though I admit I'm a fan of Nakamura, I don't quite agree with you in your assessment. At Reggina Nakamura didn't do badly, but he was playing a style of play that doesn't necessarily suit his game best (like you said, Reggina aren't well known for dominating matches and holding the ball), while the faster pace and more space of the Scottish game affords him the opportunity to get the best out of him. I think in his time in Italy he's also developed into a more complete player, tactically and physically and has learned to apply himself more effectively in a game.

I think your assessment of Pirlo compared to Nakamura is quite a bit off though. You're right Nakamura doesn't necessarily have the strength (debatable) and defensive attributes of Pirlo, but that's because Pirlo is tactically more aware than Nakamura, so defensively his positional sense is better, but also he knows when to foul to stop opponents playing. I don't think Nakamura's passing or intelligence (in footballing terms) are as good as Pirlo's, who has developed an incredible sense to read the play and make the passes like a wood (golf club). These are two aspects of his game that make him such a unique player. Also I don't think he's more skillful than Pirlo, as Pirlo's technical ability is unbelievable, just that in his role, he hasn't got the need to beat too many players before moving the ball on (doing so would negatively impact our play). However, I do think Nakamura is a little quicker than Pirlo and certainly more consistent with his set pieces. I would have liked to have seen Nakamura try Pirlo's role, I think he wouldn't be too bad with some minor adjustments to his game.

Also, he won't get more space against Milan than he used to, but maybe more time (depending on tactics). Italy is notorious for it's pressing game and tight marking.

Obviously everyone has their own opinions but I really think Naka reads a game as good as any player in the world. Up there with Pirlo in that department. At Celtic there is no player close to his wavelength. Ex-Milan player Ruud Gullit called Naka a genius a few months ago. As did Liam Brady (best ever Irish player), Jamie Redknapp and Gordon Strachan. The reason they use the word genius is because of his intelligience.

Strachan also said last season that he's the most technically gifted player he has either played with or coached. He has played with the likes of Cantona so that's big praise.

Naka lacks the Roy Keane attributes - aggression, leadership, determination, etc. He also lacks strength and is a poor tackler. That's the reason he'll never play in such an important position as Pirlo's.

I feel lucky that Naka is playing for Celtic. Obviously at Milan he'd be just another player but he's a class above everyone at Celtic.

Watch the Celtic game tomorrow and see his intelligience. I'll be watching Lazio v Milan on Sunday.

btw - At Celtic he's double marked most of the time. He doesn't get any space at all. Even Man Utd gave us a lot more space than we're used to.

Your entitled to your own opinion and I won't force my opinion. In the end, we can both agree he's a class player.

One thing though, about playing Pirlo's role. You'd be surprised how little of the "Roy Keane" qualities Pirlo has. He's not actually at all agressive, nor is he determined (in the sense you are referring to of course), lacks strength also and isn't a great tackler. However, he has a player who compliments these qualities perfectly in Rino Gattuso (who I'm sure you won't be a big fan of ). Pirlo is a leader in that he is able to be a leader on the field with his play, literally commanding the game. I personally think Nakamura could have possibly played this role (maybe it's a bit late now for him to change position), because he has shown vision, technique, control (he often dominates Celtic games), great distribution and intelligence. I'm not saying he's definately suited to this position (hard to tell until I see it), but I would have liked to have seen someone try it.

Gatusso will deal with him in midfield. We will see what naka is made off when facing the beast. I have to admit Naka is a genius player but if Milan can stop his contributions from midfield by not giving him rooms then Milan will control the game.
By the way there is this player name Kaka you should be worried about.
and one more, Gourcuff if he get playing time

Anyway home it will be a great match. I like the celtic fans pure class

Good win for us today, highlights:

http://media.putfile.com/highlights--

17 assists for Nakamura this season now.

Well Celtic fans...if we play you guys like how we played vs Lazio, the tie is yours!

Good luck in the next round!

That will be the same Mcgeady who made a fool out of Nesta and co the last time we played.remember him.Nesta applauded him of the park at the end.

Originally Posted by skyeceltic

That will be the same Mcgeady who made a fool out of Nesta and co the last time we played.remember him.Nesta applauded him of the park at the end.

Remind us of the aggregate score at the end of both match days please? I recall that this, ie the result, is slightly more important than who made a fool of whom....

He applauded him for one move in the match. the rest of the time has was busy sending ye back into the UEFA Cup.

He didn't make a fool of Nesta, it was Collocini (sp?).

I was sat 20 feet away when he put the ball round one side of nesta and he went the other way.Lots more to come in a fortnight.

Originally Posted by wheels

He didn't make a fool of Nesta, it was Collocini (sp?).

It is Coloccini.

Originally Posted by skyeceltic

That will be the same Mcgeady who made a fool out of Nesta and co the last time we played.remember him.Nesta applauded him of the park at the end.

do u really think you can compare Celtic players to Milan? and if mcgeady made a fool of nesta, i think kaka made a fool of 4 players in just one attack 2 years ago!! he nutmegged two, and outsprinted the other 2.. there was also a certain Sheva who enjoyed scoring freely against you.. trust me skyceltic, u dont want to go in there - comparing Celtic to Milan, IN ANY MEANS..