Fabricio Coloccini

[Chainsaw]

people get ignored for national team because of the team they play for unfortunately. Just like people don't get the recognition they deserve from fans and the footballing public because they don't play for one of the top 4 teams in the league etc.

He has what 34 caps for Argentina? played in world cup? was part of the best defense in La Liga with Depor in one of their best seasons.

The shameful thing is that only when he leaves Newcastle (or if Newcastle maintain their current league position come end of the season) for one of the big 4 or 5 clubs will he finally get the recognition and praise that he deserves. Jose Enrique is a perfect example of that.

He was never good enough to play in a top club, for the reasons that Ed also mentioned. I don't remember his time at Depor exactly, but if I'm not wrong there were lots of criticism toward his performances while he was at Depor as well. And at his time at Depor they were not that great team either. And if he was that brilliant for Depor why he left for a weaker team like Newcastle?!

 

[Hatem Ben Arfa]

But in this case you are wrong. We have seen him before Newcastle, so our judgment of him as a player is not predicated on his Newcastle career but his River and Depor career.

IMO he is not good enough to play for a top 4/5 team in england because he loses concentration too easily, his reading of the game is average and his game intelligence can be a lot better. He is a good tackler, good in the air and is a solid and dependable player, but imo not good enough to be a regular for the best clubs, because they need those traits that I've mentioned he does not have.

I appreciate you've seen him at River, AC Milan, Atletico, Depor, but your statment there shows how much(or little) you have watched of him at Newcastle these last 2 years. He is AMAZING at reading the game, it is the BEST part of his game(I'm sure other Newcastle fans on here will back me up on that point in particular). He is not a player that reacts to situations when they happen, he reads them so well in advance and he stops them before they happen. His game is all about making interceptions, great tackles in 1 on 1's and playing the ball out of the back calmly and keeping possession under pressure.

as for him making mistakes w/ regard to concentration, that was in his 1st season at Newcastle and his first season in English football. He doesn't lose concentration too easily at all. If he makes a mistake it will be because he is being c0cky( winning free kicks off a striker in his own half near the corner flag and ref decides not to give it), not because he lost concentration.

Looks like Newcastle will have to finish Top 4 before he gets the recognition he deserves, or move to a Top 4 club. Becuase he is MUCH better than you are giving him credit for, even if you are giving more credit than the rest of the general footballing public.

 

[Hatem Ben Arfa]

He was never good enough to play in a top club, for the reasons that Ed also mentioned. I don't remember his time at Depor exactly, but if I'm not wrong there were lots of criticism toward his performances while he was at Depor as well. And at his time at Depor they were not that great team either. And if he was that brilliant for Depor why he left for a weaker team like Newcastle?!

Because he was sold on the fact tht newcastle were a team that was going to challenge for Europe! Selling that to a player isn't very difficult when you have Michael Owen(when his reputation was still high), Obafemi Martins, Damien Duff etc in your team.

Also just an indicator of how good he was at the time Newcastle bought him, he was sold to Newcastle for £10.3 Million!

I am also quite sure, that Deportivo ended a season with the best defensive record in La Liga, and Coloccini was definitely a part of that side.

Just looked it up, maybe not THE best defensive record in La Liga in terms of goals conceded.

But Coloccini was a huge part of Depor keeping 16 Clean Sheets in La Liga in 06/07 Season! The MOST clean sheets in La Liga that season
and Coloccini was a huge part of Depor keeping 12 Clean Sheets in La Liga in 07/08 Season!

 

[Chainsaw]

Because he was sold on the fact tht newcastle were a team that was going to challenge for Europe! Selling that to a player isn't very difficult when you have Michael Owen(when his reputation was still high), Obafemi Martins, Damien Duff etc in your team.

Also just an indicator of how good he was at the time Newcastle bought him, he was sold to Newcastle for £10.3 Million!

I am also quite sure, that Deportivo ended a season with the best defensive record in La Liga, and Coloccini was definitely a part of that side.

I only have a shadow of memory from his time at Depor so I'm not sure about that. I just remember that he was one of the defenders that always got lots of criticism for his floppy performances. He always was among the 'brainfarty' defenders to me. I haven't watched him at Newcastle as I don't follow EPL, but Coloccini is one of those defenders that I don't want in my team. Knowing lots of Argentine fans and also going into many Argentina fansites I haven't noticed one mention of his name from anyone wanting him back to the NT. He's just not a reliable defender for many people, almost anyone that I know. Even that Argentina's defence is the weak line of the team now.

 

[Hatem Ben Arfa]

I only have a shadow of memory from his time at Depor so I'm not sure about that. I just remember that he was one of the defenders that always got lots of criticism for his floppy performances. He always was among the 'brainfarty' defenders to me. I haven't watched him at Newcastle as I don't follow EPL, but Coloccini is one of those defenders that I don't want in my team. Knowing lots of Argentine fans and also going into many Argentina fansites I haven't noticed one mention of his name from anyone wanting him back to the NT. He's just not a reliable defender for many people, almost anyone that I know. Even that Argentina's defence is the weak line of the team now.

Its FACT!

Coloccini was a major part of the Deportivo La Coruña side that had the Best Defense(16 Clean Sheets) in La Liga in 06/07. His performances were a major reason why Newcastle spent 10 million pounds on him.

He is WORLD CLASS! & I hope he gets the praise & recognition his excellent performances deserve.

 

[RedMadridista]

He's NOT world class.

 

[La Furia]

Coloccini was a major part of a great defense that year for Depor, you are right there. He was one of there most important players.

That team was also very, very defensive, as in 10 people behind the the ball defensive, so he had plenty of help.

He was a good player for Depor, without a doubt, they definitely missed him when he left, but at the time Newcastle bought him the price was widely questioned for a reason.

 

[Hatem Ben Arfa]

Coloccini was a major part of a great defense that year for Depor, you are right there. He was one of there most important players.

That team was also very, very defensive, as in 10 people behind the the ball defensive, so he had plenty of help.

He was a good player for Depor, without a doubt, they definitely missed him when he left, but at the time Newcastle bought him the price was widely questioned for a reason.

lol, Depor weren't a team reknowned for parking the bus back then. Do you remember Depor back in those days?

He was their best defender and was playing fantastically, and an Argentina International that always started for Argentina at that time. 10 million pounds was the right price. He is worth more than that to Newcastle United in terms of his performances every week.

 

[Metaphysical]

lol, Depor weren't a team reknowned for parking the bus back then. Do you remember Depor back in those days?

clearly you don't.

 

[Sergio]

lol, Depor weren't a team reknowned for parking the bus back then. Do you remember Depor back in those days?

He was their best defender and was playing fantastically, and an Argentina International that always started for Argentina at that time. 10 million pounds was the right price. He is worth more than that to Newcastle United in terms of his performances every week.

I do, i'm a Depor fan, and a Milan supporter, I charted Coloccini's early career rather closely. He was a reject of Milan, though I don't hold that against him, Milan have a track record of impatience. At Depor he was decent, but as Nolan points out, he was part of a very defensive set up. The period he played there was not the Super Depor period of swash buckling attacking football. It was post-Super Depor, after the financial collapse, sale of the big names and the ageing of the ones that weren't. He was a sum of all parts sort of player in that defence, like Andrade, remember him? Certainly not the shining star of that Depor team you make out.

He may well be a great now, I wouldn't know, though he didn't look it the one time I saw him play in Riazor, for Newcastle in a preseason cup at the start of last season. Still looked the awkward player he was when I saw him in Milan and Depor - strong, but a bit rabbit in headlights any time the ball came near him.

 

[La Furia]

I don't think that's fair comparing Andrade to Coloccini, Depor was still a very good team and Andrade was great for them until injuries slowly destroyed him. It's a shame how his career ended, I was a big fan.


Everything started to go wrong in 2004, the year Coloccini signed for them, and the last year Andrade was relatively healthy. It's not Coloccini's fault, but when he broke into the team their strategy was more about hanging on for life than going forward.

 

[Hatem Ben Arfa]

clearly you don't.

Get away man. You make Depor sound like 10-man Inter in Camp Nou and that that is the only reason they had the most clean sheets in La Liga.

I remember them very well from their Champions League days and the years after that.

Coloccini deserves much more credit for his part in that Record, instead of belittling it by saying they played with everyone behind the ball.

 

[La Furia]

Get away man. You make Depor sound like 10-man Inter in Camp Nou and that that is the only reason they had the most clean sheets in La Liga.

I remember them very well from their Champions League days and the years after that.

Coloccini deserves much more credit for his part in that Record, instead of belittling it by saying they played with everyone behind the ball.

Except the Depor that Coloccini played for DID play with everyone behind the ball, he joined the team in 2004 which was the year they stopped being a top 4 side, and he broke out the following season at which point Valeron, Andrade and the few others from their glory years left were shells of themselves. He played most of his games under Caparrós and Lotina, two very defensive managers.

I'm not trying to say he's a bad defender, but it's a fact that the Depor he thrived on was an extremely defensive team. The Depor of 2004 to 2010 was nothing at all like the SuperDepor of the first half of the decade, just look at the statistics.

 

[Hatem Ben Arfa]

I do, i'm a Depor fan, and a Milan supporter, I charted Coloccini's early career rather closely. He was a reject of Milan, though I don't hold that against him, Milan have a track record of impatience. At Depor he was decent, but as Nolan points out, he was part of a very defensive set up. The period he played there was not the Super Depor period of swash buckling attacking football. It was post-Super Depor, after the financial collapse, sale of the big names and the ageing of the ones that weren't. He was a sum of all parts sort of player in that defence, like Andrade, remember him? Certainly not the shining star of that Depor team you make out.

He may well be a great now, I wouldn't know, though he didn't look it the one time I saw him play in Riazor, for Newcastle in a preseason cup at the start of last season. Still looked the awkward player he was when I saw him in Milan and Depor - strong, but a bit rabbit in headlights any time the ball came near him.

Pre-season is Pre-season. And I remember that game, all Depor players did was dive and dive, and one of your players should have been Red carded.

Yes I know Super-Depor had great times in the UEFA champions league, and afterwards your players left(and joined Newcastle e.g. Luque) and became more defensive minded, but for people to say they were a defensive team as if they want to belittle how good Coloccini was, is wrong. Coloccini played a massive part in your defence that season and the season after, and hence the big bid from Newcastle.

Regardless of the past, he has been fantastic for Newcastle these last 2 seasons, and World Class is not an overstatment of the quality of his performances. He is also a great Captain for Newcastle as well, I've been very impressed and he has taken on the role like a pro.

I remember andrade, he was a good defender too. I remember him going forward a lot though. Also, correct me if I'm wrong. Did Andrade not play some games in Midfield for you (I remember a Newcastle-Depor Euro qualification game, and all he did was attack)? I know Coloccini did play as Defensive Midfielder for you some games.

 

[Hatem Ben Arfa]

Except the Depor that Coloccini played for DID play with everyone behind the ball, he joined the team in 2004 which was the year they stopped being a top 4 side, and he broke out the following season at which point Valeron, Andrade and the few others from their glory years left were shells of themselves. He played most of his games under Caparrós and Lotina, two very defensive managers.

I'm not trying to say he's a bad defender, but it's a fact that the Depor he thrived on was an extremely defensive team.

OK I understand that they were a very defensive minded team. Everyone behind the ball is not how I remember it though. And I'm sure there were some emphatic high scoring results for Depor to acompany their clean sheets.

Anyway Newcastle are not a defensive minded team, and he's been thriving the last 2 years. He should be first choice for Albiceleste.