Thibaut Courtois

[El Gato]

You and some others here are talking about Xavi, Iniesta and truly world class players:
1. Who can't be replaced since there is no similar players
2. Plus, it is harder to phase out a player like Xavi or Messi after how much he gave to a team

Then some here mentioned Xabi Alonso, a player not even close in quality to these guys, plus who wasn't a part of a Cl winning teams.

For those who say that Real is good in switching players, lol.
Wait and see their mess after Cr7 has left.
They won't recover from that for years.

Replacing Xabi and Navas is like replacing Rakitic and Bravo.
Even Barca can do that.

Let's see how both teams will replace Messi and Cr7.
Let's see how Real with replace even Modric...

Don't even know what your point is. Everyone is replaceable, all world class players, short or long term. It's a funny thing how some Cules always feel the need to bring the discussion down to a dick measuring contest level. Xavi>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Alonso donteverforgetthis!!!

*sigh*

 

[Joan]

Xavi>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Alonso donteverforgetthis!!!

!

Just a reminder.

 

[RMU ReBorn]

Xavi>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Alonso donteverforgetthis!!!

*sigh*

Not even a contest

 

[BBZ8800]

Don't even know what your point is. Everyone is replaceable, all world class players, short or long term. It's a funny thing how some Cules always feel the need to bring the discussion down to a dick measuring contest level. Xavi>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Alonso donteverforgetthis!!!

*sigh*

My point is:
Around 2010, Barca had the best team in the world.
Real Madrid had an average top5-10 in the world team.

Fast forward to 2015:
Barca is not the best team in the world anymore.
Plus, slowly we needed to replace some players from our famous team from 2009-2011'.
Real on the other hand, didn't need to replace parts of their legendary team from 2011, because they were average then.

In 2014, Rm started their era of dominance.
And in 2018, 2020, 2022, Rm will be on a place where Barca was in 2014, 2016 or 2018, when we needed to replace some of our legendary players.

And now, some of our fans are saying how Rm did an awesome job in phasing out their old superstars.
Lol, they were phasing out a team from 2010 which hasn't won anything and thus those players were easier to replace both in terms of skills and on an emotional level.

Real will now enter into a phase when they will need to replace Cr7, Modric and similar.
Those players are similar to Xavi, Iniesta.
And not Xabi Alonso.

Further my point: Barca had problems in replacing players from a legendary team from 2009-2011.
And Real will have equal problems in replacing legendary players from 2014-2018.
As I have said, sit down and enjoy a comedy gold already with a team without their leader and key player Cr7.

So no, Real is not better in replacing their legendary players.
They will have the same problems as us.

 

[El Gato]

Nope. Your point still is "Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta were legends". Then you make sure to make a point "Raul, Guti, Casillas were somewhat shittier legends" and are therefore somehow easier to replace despite playing over 300 games for their club and being a constant in the locker room.

And not Xabi Alonso.

Yep. Still a dick measuring contest.

And yep, we'll have problems. Except we're not likely to wait 3 or 4 years to get a quality CB like Barca did. In fact, we've planned for Ramos departure for 3 years now and keep monitoring the health of Vallejo. On the pitch he's as good as any other 20-year old in his position so no worries there.
I would have asked how Barca's policy is given Abidal is fighting an uphill battle trying to repeatedly pull Barto's finger from his own ass. I guess he's mildly succeeding lately and releasing intermittent farts in the form of Mina buyback deal, but gets stuck right back in the shit when they realised the passport problem and inability to send Marlon where they wanted him to go.

Keep trying tho!

 

[BBZ8800]

Nope. Your point still is "Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta were legends". Then you make sure to make a point "Raul, Guti, Casillas were somewhat shittier legends" and are therefore somehow easier to replace despite playing over 300 games for their club and being a constant in the locker room.



Yep. Still a dick measuring contest.

I'll give you million of euros for every word of text where you quote me mentioning anywhere Raul and Guti who were legends of 1998-2002 generation... and who were equally as hard to replace.

I mentioned only Xabi and Navas who are quite replacable.
And Cr7 and Modric who are not replacable under any circumstances.

Which proves my point about legendary heroes and "normal" players.
You didn't need to replace legends since 2002 till now at 2018, more or less.
So, your board can't be classed as good in that job, how some Cules say.
Since your board will face those problems NOW.

 

[El Gato]

I'll give you million of euros for every word of text where you quote me mentioning anywhere Raul and Guti who were legends of 1998-2002 generation... and who were equally as hard to replace.

(...)

You didn't need to replace legends since 2002 till now at 2018, more or less.
So, your board can't be classed as good in that job, how some Cules say.

So did we or did we not have to replace legends? Make your mind up lad.

And Cr7 and Modric who are not replacable under any circumstances.

Yep, they are. Not 1 to 1. And not in a single transfer move. Since you seem stuck with the idea that the only way to make it happen is to find somebody of a similar level to those that are leaving and slot them into the gap.

 

[Barcaman]

Would never sign up for the way they " smartly replaced" their biggest legends since Hierro.

No class whatsoever.

 

[BBZ8800]

So did we or did we not have to replace legends? Make your mind up lad.

Real built a legendary winning team who won 3 CLs in 1998, 2000 and 2002.
You won your last La Liga in 2003'.
In that moment your core players were quite old and you needed NEW guys, who will be equally as good.
But, of course that it is impossible:
1. since it is hard to replace Raul, Hierro, Guti, Carlos, Figo, Zidane, R9 and similar guys in terms of skills
2. plus, it is hard to replace those legends in terms of emotions. Fans might get angry and on some level, it is always "wrong" to replace former winners

Real then had 3 years without major trophies (La liga or a CL).
And THAT was the moment when you tried to replace LEGENDARY players.
So, the last time when you were replacing legendary players, you spent 3 years without trophies.

Then your next generation of players won La Ligas in 2007, 2008, 2012.
So, basically, AFTER 2003, when your era ended, in the next 10 years:
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
= you won 3 La Ligas and 0 Cls in 10 years

In those days (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), you didn't need to replace LEGENDARY HEROES since you didn't have those kind of players (since Barca was rulling the world).
Then you have built a new team (2013-2018) with some newly added players and you won 4 CLs in 5 years and 1 La Liga.
And NOW you have a new LEGENDARY team, from 2013-2018.

So, Real:
1998-2003: a legendary team
2003-2013: average teams
2013-2018: a legendary team

In terms of replacing legendary players:
You needed to replace legendary players AFTER 2003.
And NOW, after 2018.

Now, let's add BOTH Barca and Real into maths:
Legendary winning teams:
1998-2003: Real
2008-2012: Barca
2013-2018: Real

Who was in a process of replacing legendary teams and when:
Real in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and you failed.
Barca in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and we mostly failed or were average at best in replacing:
Real in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022: what will happen, it remains to be seen.

So, I was actually replying to posts of some Cules who said that RM is AWESOME in replacing their legendary players (that is a kick into our board).
And then again, I am asking: when on Earth was Real in a situation to replace their legendary team?

So, one more time:
Replacing Higuain, Xabi, Navas and similar is NOT replacing legendary players.
You are NOW (summer of 2018') entering the same phase where Barca has been in summers in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 etc.
You will need to find replacement for your version of Puyol, Xavi, Alves, which we haven't find, more or less (except Umtiti).
You will now have to replace CR7, and then soon to retire Modric, Ramos.

My prediction:
Real after 1998-2003 failed when they tried to rebuild and won 3 trophies in the next 10 years until they have finally built a new generation of winners.
Barca after 2008-2012 failed in rebuilding and won only 1 CL in 7 years, inspite of having Messi, Iniesta, Busquets, Alves and old Xavi.
Real after 2013-2018 will fail again, as majority of big teams, and will have shaky 3-4-5 years infront of them until they will successfully rebuild.

It is extremely hard to rebuild those legendary teams both from skill's point of view and emotional point of view.
(How to bench Busquets, Suarez and one day Messi?)

So:

So did we or did we not have to replace legends? Make your mind up lad.

No, you didn't have.
UNTIL this summer when CR7 left and you did nothing.
If you are reading a section with Barca's players, I am usually shitting on every single kid player.
So, buying Rodrygo and Vinicuis is a FIFA videogame level of rebuilding which will either fail in real world or you will have to wait a few years to get some fruits from those green, raw kids.

So, your rebuilding phase has started this summer and you did absolutely nothing which will improve your shortterm (2 years) results on a field.
You lost half of your team (CR7) and did nothing to replace him.

My bet: you will struggle to end 2nd in La liga this season.

 

[El Gato]

The fact that you go back to 2003 to make your point makes it funny. You're such a tryhard that produces a wall of text focusing on semantics and labels that don't really change the crux of the story

Since 2010 replacement of underperforming or close to declining legends and experienced players has been stellar. You can try moralising it like [MENTION=2]Barcaman[/MENTION] does, doesn't change a thing. It's an institution and a workplace. They've put in their shifts over several years of service, got paid for it, got their names on the walls of Bernabeu and in history books. It's not some voluntary kindergarten arrangement where you're owed more than you deserve or already received, which is what many of our guys tend to ask for when they reach a certain age.

You will need to find replacement for your version of Puyol, Xavi, Alves, which we haven't find, more or less (except Umtiti).

Right, so Umtiti is an exception. God forbid Arthur turns out to develop into a player as good as Xavi in 2-3 years. NO CHANCE FOR THAT RIGHT? RIGHT?! He'll be another exception. God forbid 2 or 3 more exceptions. That'll invalidate the assertions you make that true legends are irreplaceable.

And icing on the cake:

If you are reading a section with Barca's players, I am usually shitting on every single kid player.

That's good ain't it?

Take a walk bro.

 

[BBZ8800]

Right, so Umtiti is an exception. God forbid Arthur turns out to develop into a player as good as Xavi in 2-3 years. NO CHANCE FOR THAT RIGHT? RIGHT?! He'll be another exception. God forbid 2 or 3 more exceptions. That'll invalidate the assertions you make that true legends are irreplaceable.

So, basically:
1. I said that Real till now wasn't in a position to replace their legendary winning teams since in previous years they needed to replace players from a team who won 3 La Ligas and 0 Cls in 10 years.
And that NOW, from a summer of 2018' Real is for the first time since 2003' in a position where Barca was in summers 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, trying to replace the best team in a world/or turning a new page (which didn't happen till now for us).
2. and now, you are focusing on Umtiti who was a successful replacement, and now you are talking about Arthur.
So, we needed a replacement for Xavi. We will never get it. And even if Arthur is a replacement, it will take years until he will reach some world class level.

The point of a story is not: whether legendary players can be replaced (in majority of cases they can't be and won't be).
The point of a story is: once you get into an era where you need replacements for an ageing legendary players who were rulling the world, history is teaching us that majority of teams enter into a darker phase for 3-5-10 years of hit and miss transfer without too many trophies (Real won 0 Cls in 10 years after their last famous CL winning team. Barca won 1 out of 7 after our team won 2 out of 3 or 3 out of 6 Cls).

Final point one more time: REAL is NOW entering into a dark phase of replacing CR7, Modric and the best players, for the first time since summers 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006.
Almost nobody managed to survive that cycle in a successful manner.
Plus, your transfer window isn't offering too many reasons for your fans that a successful shortterm era is infront of you.

As always: do you wanna bet that Real Madrid will be a comedy gold show this season?
I am offering the same bets even to Cules (for example that Dembele won't reach expected levels etc).

I am a tryhard, but feel free to quote this post and estimations whenever you want.
You will see it very soon how good these predictions were.

 

[Joan]

Those are not some very risky bets you're making. More or less, every and each one of us could watch a random youngster (insert: Dembele, Alena, Arthur, Puig, Ceballos, Vinicius...), find a few skills he doesn't possess or is bad at and write him off. But what's the point? You yourself admit you're shitting on every kid player. And that's fine, you'll be right more often than not - but every WC player was a kid at some point. No, not all of them started performing right away like Messi or Busquets. If platforms like this one had existed in the past, you'd be proven wrong quite a few times. Give it some years, many of these might surprise you. Don't call them exceptions then. Clubs will buy young players not because they like it, but because they have to. It's enough for some of them to work out and it's like winning a jackpot.

Regarding replacing legends... of course it's hard to replace them. Not just for their football, but also influence. Doesn't mean you can't do it. Busquets is a legend here, an all-time great CDM, yet you don't think we'll struggle to replace him. Look at Messi, arguably the best ever, most likely we won't have a player of similar quality soon (if ever) here in Barcelona. Yet, when Messi's gone, we'll be able to create a strong collective, functioning team. No need to build a team around someone like we're doing with Leo. Tall striker, pacy FBs... like most teams in the world. Phasing them out is what's important. That's what young players are for.

 

[El Gato]

I am a tryhard, but feel free to quote this post and estimations whenever you want.
You will see it very soon how good these predictions were.

About as good as this one:

What one team in WC fit your ideal approach and think will win?

Germany
All rounders
Good technique
Good muscles
Multi dimensional in attack
Good mental strength
Not too much clownish fancy tricks
High IQ

Take a hike mate.

 

[El Flaco]

Easily MOTM against Atleti tonight. Made a couple of brilliant 1v1 saves that kept RM in the game.

 

[Morten]

Most pointless transfer of all time?
Like, we already have a very good goalkeeper, Ronaldo, Morata and James left in the span of one year, and we brought in a goalkeeper instead of real quality in attack?
Okay, so we got him on the cheap, well done, but it was simply so obvious that a goalkeeper was pretty much the least of our concerns, in addition to pointless RB-signings, when we already dont have a problem with that position.