Not to sound greedy or anything, but maybe we should have tried signing up VDV for our mid. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif) Spurs got an epic deal at 8m, and I think he would have adjusted well in between Pirlo and Seedorf. But maybe the club has bigger plans for the next couple of seasons, who know?!

nice.. from the email eh? u placed ur order already?

I wouldn't have minded that.

Yeah, having 4 dynamite forwards is all warm and fuzzy, but another guy in the creative engine room would have just given us the right balance. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Heck, I'd even have traded him for KPB (even though I think he's pretty good as it is). Rafael van der Vaart is just that added insurance, and truly an awesome buy at that price.

Oh well, can't have everything. Let's go all guns blazing with what we have!

Boateng gives us more balance to the team, since he provides power, pace and more defensive assurance in midfield. VDV would have been great, but not at the expense of KPB.

Yeah, I guess, that being the key phrase. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif) Anyway, I'm not complaining, not one bit. You can't have everything of course, I'd have added in VDV, Dzeko, and G. Rossi along with Krašić. But what we have is A-okay.

If I wanted to have everything, the only other 2 things I would have asked for would have been a top class RB and another mid, preferably a Pirlo alternative

Poli here. VDV and Ibra would've clashed big time, and if Berlu is choosing who we get, it would be Ibra over VDV.

willing to give KPB a chance after all, huh? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I will stake my word on this: Kevin-Prince Boateng is good enough. The dude is a physical specimen. He's good ball winner, strong when carrying the ball (like Zee with more pace), creative in the pass, decent control, strong shot, good in the air. Upside his huge. Maturity is the issue.

KPB's weakness is his love of being overly cute. His backheels and flicks (which he did SEVERAL times last match) were tolerable when we were up 3-0 to lecce, but he was doing them in our OWN HALF. Continuing to play with that naivety when in our own half, when your being deployed as a box-box mid, is just reckless. Seedorf is full of fancy feet in the attacking 3rd, but NEVER messes around in our half. With a little maturity though, Boateng seems to have the perfect mix of attributes to be a class act Box-to-Box.

With him and Flamini on the team, i don't know that we need another midfielder.

I think we should have signed Rafinha for the fullback position. Genoa got him for only 8 million.

Man, 100% agree on that.

Re: VDV - Pirlo is the regista. How many attacking players do we need? The biggest criticism of this squad right now is the lack of guys who track back... I'm not sure how much we could play VDV or how much he would even help. We have plenty of depth ion midfield if not too much quality. Honestly, when and where could we play him? You can't pay that kind of price for him to backup Pirlo and you certainly can't play him next to Pirlo. So you play him instead of Ronnie? We already have a pretty decent option there in Seedorf, and Flamini and Gattuso need playing time too.

If I could have changed anything in the midfield I might have switched out Rino for a young defensive holding mid. Another KPB style player, though one who was cheaper and doesn't rate as high. I think we're going to see a lot of hour mark/late game subs where one of the four top attackers (Ibra/Ronnie/Robbie/Pato) comes out for KPB to sit on a lead. It would be nice to have a little more depth in that area.



So, in conclusion, while I do appreciate van der Vaart's game, I can't see a fit for him on this team. He's basically a really expensive slight upgrade to an are where we have good depth. While I guess you can play VDV on the left wing some, too... the bottom line is his best positions are already taken by superior options. Hard to see him as the kind of need that would justify that price.

+1 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devilsmiley.gif) ...Welcome to the dark side! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

This post has been edited by TriniKing_CE: Sep 2 2010, 08:02 PM

Agreed...

Or we could have at least tried to bullying them into one more transfer. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

Wouldn't Rafinha have taken the other non EU spot? Thus Robinho being impossible to sign? Or does Robinho have a Spanish passport? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

Rafinha is a great attacking FB but his defensive qualities imo are so and so, Genoa will be good for him in learning how a Serie A FB has to play. I wouldn't be so surprised if we go for him in the future

Well I don't know, with the bucket load of youth players we have signed this year, I've got a feeling the board will be looking to promote a whole lot of them into the first XI in the coming seasons. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) Not only because of UEFA rules, but gaps in the team will emerge once guys like Pirlo, Seedorf, Gattuso, Ambrosini etc start retiring one by one.

I see new-found interest in young players from B&G, and if we can unearth a few gems, I'm all for it.