F
Frejsgodes
Guest
Mr. Clutch. Gotta love him 
Manuel Traquete
New member
Ronaldo can't produce ANY of the stuff Iniesta does. Cristiano's only advantage over Andrés is at goalscoring, Iniesta is superior at most other aspects. His ball control is far superior, only matched by Messi's.
La Furia
Legion of Doooom
Ronaldo is faster, stronger, better in the air and has a more powerful shot by far. Basically he's superior to Iniesta - and everyone on Barca for that matter, physically.
He's also not a fraction as skilled. Ronaldo's ball control is good at best, as it has been pointed out plenty of time, being able to do useless stepovers doesn't make a player technically skilled. Ronaldo at full speed is much faster than both Messi and Iniesta, but he can't change directions while he is going.
When it comes to ball control Ronaldo isn't in the same league at those two.
Manuel Traquete
New member
Yes, physically he's undoubtedly superior, but that has little relevance in a debate about who's the better/more complete player. Being strong physically alone isn't enough nor even a requirement to be a top player. Being faster/stronger would be decisive aspects if we were comparing sprinters or something, not footballers. Football is essentially about skill, being taller/stronger/faster isn't a relevant attribute on its own.
As far as skills are concerned, Ronaldo is only clearly ahead of Iniesta as far as goalscoring is concerned (ability on the air, shot power are all components of goalscoring). Iniesta is a better dribbler, passer, has a far superior ball control, better vision, more versatility (can excel in more different positions)...
Being faster and stronger, etc... means that he is more athletic, not a better player. When people try to argue that Cristiano is the most complete player in the world, they actually end up proving that he's not complete at all: they usually just start naming all the different ways he can score (free kicks, headers, etc...), seemingly forgetting that goalscoring is just one skill. Being a complete goalscorer is not the same as being a complete footballer.
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La Furia
Legion of Doooom
In Ronaldo's defense, being such a great athlete is a skill, and it allows him to do things a lot of Barcelona players cannot (be difficult to knock over, jump really high, reach extreme top speeds), and together with a decent skillset and very good scoring techniques (even that is related to his strength - he's good in the air in part because he can jump high, and his shot is all about power - it's accurate but he doesn't have any particularly great curve shot) he's dangerous in a lot of ways. But there's no way he's the most complete player in the world, his actual technique aside from scoring is unexceptional; his ball control for instance is only decent by La Liga standards.
I'm not sure if I'd say he's more or less complete than Iniesta, they are kind of opposites - Iniesta is physically slight and not particularly athletic besides agility and ability to make deceptive movements, and isn't a particularly strong shooter, but his ball control, positioning sense, and passing ability is among all time greats, and even his shot has improved.
I'm not sure if I'd say he's more or less complete than Iniesta, they are kind of opposites - Iniesta is physically slight and not particularly athletic besides agility and ability to make deceptive movements, and isn't a particularly strong shooter, but his ball control, positioning sense, and passing ability is among all time greats, and even his shot has improved.
Manuel Traquete
New member
Yeah I have no doubt that from a physical point of view he's superior to any Barca player. But is that really more important than passing, dribbling, ball control, vision, etc..., pure football skills where Iniesta clearly has the edge?
Is Ronaldo one of the greatest goalscorers of all-time? Without a doubt, and he's the best today along with Messi. But is he even among the best at any other aspect?
For the record, I have nothing against my countryman, I actually kind of like Cristiano, which is weird for a Barca fan, and I believe he's one of the best players in the world. After all, scoring 50 goals a season alone is enough to make you one of the best. But this complete player thing that is constantly spewed is baffling, he's a goalscoring machine. He notoriously struggled with Portugal under Queiroz because he was stuck on the wing and he struggled to beat his man almost every time. He has now greatly improved under Paulo Bento, because the new system is designed to make sure he gets into good shooting positions as often as possible, which is where he's at his very best (Madrid is also built to make sure Cristiano gets as many chances as possible). He's a complete goalscorer, one of the best ever, but by no means is he a complete player.
Metaphysical
Bomb Dropper
raw lightning when he came on.
Metaphysical
Bomb Dropper
we should go 3133 as Milan play with 2 strikers and Dani is suspended.
but we'll see.
but we'll see.
Catalonian Devil
Shukran Pep
I'd say he'll probably go with
------VV------------
Mach--Pique---Abidal
-------Busi---------
---Xavi----Thiago---
------Iniesta-------
Pedro---Messi--Villa-
Perhaps maybe Fabs starting ahead of Thiago with Iniesta playing deeper...
------VV------------
Mach--Pique---Abidal
-------Busi---------
---Xavi----Thiago---
------Iniesta-------
Pedro---Messi--Villa-
Perhaps maybe Fabs starting ahead of Thiago with Iniesta playing deeper...
Manuel Traquete
New member
Honestly we should rest Xavi and Iniesta (and maybe Cesc too) at San Siro.
With our qualification sealed, this is a dead rubber match. Getting injuries to key players in such a match would be incredibly stupid and a major blow. Right now, the league is much more important, I'd rather not risk Xavi and Iniesta's health over a dead rubber match, especially with the Clásico approaching.
I'd say the same for Messi, but I don't think anything or anyone can convince him to rest so just let him play.
With our qualification sealed, this is a dead rubber match. Getting injuries to key players in such a match would be incredibly stupid and a major blow. Right now, the league is much more important, I'd rather not risk Xavi and Iniesta's health over a dead rubber match, especially with the Clásico approaching.
I'd say the same for Messi, but I don't think anything or anyone can convince him to rest so just let him play.
Manuel Traquete
New member
Why should we field a lineup like that for a dead rubber match? We need to be practical here. Getting six points from the next two leagues games and getting to the Clásico in the most favorable position possible is infinitely more important than the San Siro game. A potential injury to a key player in a match like this would be incredibly stupid tbh, not to mention compromising..
Metaphysical
Bomb Dropper
Home of Barca Fans
