L
linetty
Guest
Wow, he was really sad
Iker Casillas
- Thread starter Barcaman
- Start date
Wow, he was really sad
Alik
Moderator
Raed
Dr. Raed St. Claire
Eduardo Alves on twitter said that the intensity of the Spain side in their training was high, they looked too eager for the next game to redeem themselves. He said that Iker's position between the posts is firm, however Del Bosque is considering changes, Xavi and Silva might be dropped.
To be, he should include Juanfran although he is a hot head and loves a red card, but Azpilicueta is shit and I always hated him. Drop Silva from the team because Silva is not a player capable of holding onto possession at the top, something Spain heavily relied on with Pedro and Villa to keep the ball as far away as possible from the defense. They played the ball to Costa as if he was a target man, he isn't, that is why he failed, and they treat Llorente the same way. Both players enjoy the ball at their feet, and just because Lloretne can pop in with a header, doesn't mean he is a poacher. So for me, perhaps play Pedro and Costa up front for now, drop Silva. Include Javi Martinez who is in good form for Xabi Alonso or Xavi. All they need is Iniesta to lead the line anyway, he is magic.
I also read from Eduardo Alves that Koke is running on fumes due to his long season but if he gets up to speed, I'd include him and Javi Martinez for Xavi and Xabi.
Iker
Juanfran Ramos Pique Alba
Busi
Xabi Javi Martinez
Iniesta
Pedro Costa
To be, he should include Juanfran although he is a hot head and loves a red card, but Azpilicueta is shit and I always hated him. Drop Silva from the team because Silva is not a player capable of holding onto possession at the top, something Spain heavily relied on with Pedro and Villa to keep the ball as far away as possible from the defense. They played the ball to Costa as if he was a target man, he isn't, that is why he failed, and they treat Llorente the same way. Both players enjoy the ball at their feet, and just because Lloretne can pop in with a header, doesn't mean he is a poacher. So for me, perhaps play Pedro and Costa up front for now, drop Silva. Include Javi Martinez who is in good form for Xabi Alonso or Xavi. All they need is Iniesta to lead the line anyway, he is magic.
I also read from Eduardo Alves that Koke is running on fumes due to his long season but if he gets up to speed, I'd include him and Javi Martinez for Xavi and Xabi.
Iker
Juanfran Ramos Pique Alba
Busi
Xabi Javi Martinez
Iniesta
Pedro Costa
khorne
New member
raed, i'm curios, real madrid goggles aside, would you play casillas in the next game if you were del bosque? I'd take the jump and play de gea. Not as a knee jerk reaction to punish casillas, but simply judging by whats best for the team right now, especially the defenders need confidence and the feeling if everything fails, they still have this brickwall between the posts. Which i thought was for years the big advantage that casillas has given spain, but now that's completely turned around.
KingMessi
SiempreBlaugrana
Apparently he's out of the cup injured.
Raed
Dr. Raed St. Claire
That, and even if he wasn't injured, you have to realize that to the team, Iker is a captain whom every really likes and listens to. Him assuming responsibility for the last match and being an experienced captain I'd give him once more chance. It is his last world cup, and he can guide the team one last time. Look what happened to Real Madrid in the big matches in the league, the only competition Casillas didn't participate in: they got demolished. Big teams, even big players, need their captain. Diego Lopez is a good outfit and all but he commands little respect and cannot guide the team, while I think De Gea is absolutely outstanding, the likes of Ramos, Xavi, Busi, all world champions won't listen to him. Had Puyol been in the team and Casillas can leave the captaincy to him, I'd be fine with it but who will captain this side? See the comments made by Sirigu who was fantastic for Italy against England, he respectfully said it best: Buffon is more than just a player. Same goes for Iker.
What kept Spain at the top was a very diplomatic political policy revolved around harmony and skill. More skill of course but a lot of harmony too. Why is Del Bosque so intrusting of new comers? He already included one player that bitched, Silva and he needs to maintain that harmonic balance. Also, Iker sacrificed himself for this Spain side, these specific players so they all respect him and want him in the team. Dropping the captain isn't dropping just an off form player, when the coach deploys his players on the pitch, that is it, the captain is the coach, and if you don't have someone whom the players listen to, its done, just like Real Madrid was in the league. It doesn't help that Pique has been terrible for two years, and in my opinion has turned into an egomaniac, add to that Ramos who has his own issues, yo think De Gea would set them straight? Even Alba who is a hot head, Busi and Xabi are also a bit loose in the head, add to it Costa. Who do you think can keep these guys in check? Man, there is a lot at stake here to introduce a young gun like De Gea in place of Casillas.
Finally, assess the goals exactly, Iker wasn't spectacular but he wasn't totally at fault until the 4th. He saved Sniejder's shot with one handed super reflex. Spain were playing well until Pique kept Robin Van Persie onside, the whipped in ball was met with a crazy header than no one expected. Some people said Iker was out of position, he wasn't. Goal keepers do not hug their lines, they are ready to charge out of the goal and Casillas was standing where he should have been. The second goal came from an outstanding Robben control, which turned Pique inside out and Iker had no chance. The third goal is what people blame on Casillas but remember Iker was blocked by Robin Van Persie, normally those are called in favor of the goal keeper (see Croatia). It is a continental practice to protect the goal keeper. Having said that, Iker should've done better, and IMO De Gea would've had the height for it. The fourth breaks my heart. The fifth, how is it his fault? Then he gets up and produces two outstanding saves. He wasn't spectacular neither in reflexes or command but that was a huge implosion by Spain's midfield and tactically lies at Silva's feet who doesn't fit this formation because Spain and BArcelona are used to having players hold the ball up, AS LONG AS POSSIBLE AS FAR UP AS POSSIBLE. Silva and Costa didn't do that so it was wave after wave of attacked on the defense.
V
voodoomaster
Guest
Haha. we all like iker and he is so important and so on. No. You simply cant have a liability like pinto as captain, and iker plays Even worse than pinto. Do you Take your captain seriously when he is the worst player in your team? No, you dont, let xavi, ramos, iniesta or alonso be captain and send iker back to spain. Lopez is a lot better, as ancelotti obviously noticed, he should have been included.
khorne
New member
Thanks for your thoughts raed, you didn't disappoint
Its purely semantics now, since de gea is out. What i'd like to say is, as a barca and spain fan, i've cursed and loved casillas in equal measure over the years for that "champion factor" that he could make saves exactly in the crucial moments of the game. Robben in 2010 of course, also the penalty against paraguay, rakitic in 2012. The save against iniesta in the copa final 2011 was a very bitter one, lol. you could probably name many more moments when he played for real. I don't think he has lost that, or has declined dramatically in his abilities. But, imo the mistakes that he made on friday (and i agree with you that only 3 and 4 were his fault. the first was a wondergoal, credit where credit is due) were simply the result of not playing regularly for two seasons straight. same goes for the champions league final. misjudgments of situations, that stem from not having dealt with a lot of situations in total. that's the only reasons why'd have played de gea over him, but its a big one.
On the captaincy thing, thats a valid point. i'd have said xavi could do it, but xavi should be dropped as well, at least as a starter. which really leaves only iniesta. well...
i'm not sure. i think he is quite a commanding figure in the team, much more than we give him credit for. The problem is though, he already has to save spain footballwise, if he also has to look after the other players and argue with the ref all the time, it might be too much. from that point, iker is really quite irreplaceable. so, he has to rise to the occasion then. it would be totally awesome though if he does, a legendary final world cup for him.
Its purely semantics now, since de gea is out. What i'd like to say is, as a barca and spain fan, i've cursed and loved casillas in equal measure over the years for that "champion factor" that he could make saves exactly in the crucial moments of the game. Robben in 2010 of course, also the penalty against paraguay, rakitic in 2012. The save against iniesta in the copa final 2011 was a very bitter one, lol. you could probably name many more moments when he played for real. I don't think he has lost that, or has declined dramatically in his abilities. But, imo the mistakes that he made on friday (and i agree with you that only 3 and 4 were his fault. the first was a wondergoal, credit where credit is due) were simply the result of not playing regularly for two seasons straight. same goes for the champions league final. misjudgments of situations, that stem from not having dealt with a lot of situations in total. that's the only reasons why'd have played de gea over him, but its a big one.
On the captaincy thing, thats a valid point. i'd have said xavi could do it, but xavi should be dropped as well, at least as a starter. which really leaves only iniesta. well...
i'm not sure. i think he is quite a commanding figure in the team, much more than we give him credit for. The problem is though, he already has to save spain footballwise, if he also has to look after the other players and argue with the ref all the time, it might be too much. from that point, iker is really quite irreplaceable. so, he has to rise to the occasion then. it would be totally awesome though if he does, a legendary final world cup for him.
Raed
Dr. Raed St. Claire
How is Casillas, a CL and Copa del Rey winner a liability? Also, Xavi is about to be dropped, one of the worst performers for Barcelona and Spain in recent years, he is more of a liability than Casillas. Since when has Xavi a good captain? LOL! Do you not understand Spanish politics in this? There is no way in hell that of all people Xavi would captain this side. Xabi because he is Basque but plays for Madrid and is an integral part of Del Bosque's formation so maybe, but sure as hell not Xavi.
Iker had a bad game, but I swear yall sound the exact same fatalists that wrote Spain off when they lost against Switzerland. Chill.
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