Shame that, Sissoko is a hilarious player to watch.

Their squad depth is ridiculous.

Feel for Martial, probably why he wants to leave as well. Any surprises for you Daz? Nzonzi over Rabiot is a big debate.

I don’t think Dechamps likes Martial that much. He was selecting Coman over him ever since he played shiiiiiit at the Euros.

Yeah Rabiot is a surprise. Just because he offers them something different in midfield. Looks like he’s gone with an extra attacker this tournament which would suggest two in the middle more often than not.

Though they’ve got so many options and combinations it’s so hard to predict how they’ll line up.

Pogba is crap in a two, you'd think Deschamps would know by now.

He’s played some good games there but it’s not his best position, for sure. They can mix the team up depending on the opposition I suppose. Not like they’ve got a really tough group.

Deschamps is a anyway.

Wouldn't surprise me that much if the players didn't really want to play for him.

All it might take is for the tabloids to run a racist smear campaign on him for France's world cup hopes to go up in smoke.

Yeah it’s been a long time since France’s last meltdown in a tournament. They are due one.

Wenger should takeover next

That’ll be when their embarrassment at a tournament occurs.

Xabi Prieto and Gabi retiring this season. Arteta not that long ago.

Amazing that they don't have one single Spain call up between them.

BTW, guess which player was the only one to touch the trophy yesterday as the teams took the pitch?

Gabi is the most surprising given his importance to this Atletico team.

Payet

Spooky, eh.

Was Arteta good enough to warrant a Spain call up though? He wouldn’t have played for Everton for most of his career imo, was a solid midfielder but that’s about it.

Can't believe rabiot isn't in France squad. Deschamps is the biggest obstacle to France winning the wc the big headed dope.

comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 16 hours, 33 minutes ago
comment by Edinspur - Original - Never Left (U1109)
posted 1 hour, 1 minute ago

I think the quality of his football is underrated ya know
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I'm not sure he'd be able to set up any other way, but even if he could, to try to take on Barça and Madrid at their own game but on less than half their budgets has no chance of succeeding on a consistent basis.

Off the top of my head I can't think of any current manager who's achieved more with less.

Mourinho is the only one who might compare, although their respective cases are very different.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I also think the football is quite exciting at time as well. Nice old fashioned forward link up play, midfielders who are comfortable in possession and could probably play tiki-taka if instructed - and I always like watching a thunderc*nt of a CB like Godin as well

I think the France squad looks better balanced than it has ever been before. Just have to hope that Blanc is stupid enough to leave Nzonzi on the bench

Felt bad for Arteta. Decent player, but when the likes of Fabregas, Cazorla and Silva were struggling to get into that side, Arteta had no hope.

He mentioned it in interviews, you could tell it killed him.

Yeah happened to play in probably the best generation of midfielders of all time, no fair

comment by Edinspur - Original - Never Left (U1109)
posted 33 minutes ago
I think the France squad looks better balanced than it has ever been before. Just have to hope that Blanc is stupid enough to leave Nzonzi on the bench
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this ain't 2012 mate, Deschamps is manager now

comment by Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (U11781)
posted 13 hours, 7 minutes ago
Was Arteta good enough to warrant a Spain call up though? He wouldn’t have played for Everton for most of his career imo, was a solid midfielder but that’s about it.
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He was a good enough midfielder to play a role for Arsenal too, and he was no spring chicken by that time either...

Besides, you could probably place plenty of others in a similar category, such as Borja Valero (first one that sprang to mind) for example, who made the squad more than once.

...but it's not so much that, but the fact that not one single one of the players mentioned was ever even called up for a friendly.

Moreover, all 3 played at some stage for the U21s, so they were definitely in the frame early on in their careers.

comment by Edinspur - Original - Never Left (U1109)
posted about 3 hours ago

I also think the football is quite exciting at time as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

You could say that of any side really. But you generally have to sit through a lot of dross to get there.





and I always like watching a thunderc*nt of a CB like Godin as well
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Godin's a fabulous CB, but he tends to go about his business so inconspicuously that he very rarely gets the recognition he deserves. I never really thought much about him when he was at Villarreal, but I think it was precisely because he doesn't tend to get noticed.

That's probably one of things I like about him the most. He's so economical/efficient, even with his thunderc*nting. He can be sly when necessary, but I've never really felt he overdoes it.

Definitely a player who deserves to be written about more.

comment by Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (U11781)
posted 2 hours, 45 minutes ago
comment by Edinspur - Original - Never Left (U1109)
posted 33 minutes ago
I think the France squad looks better balanced than it has ever been before. Just have to hope that Blanc is stupid enough to leave Nzonzi on the bench
----------------------------------------------------------------------
this ain't 2012 mate, Deschamps is manager now
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Oh yeh, point stands though

comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 54 seconds ago
comment by Edinspur - Original - Never Left (U1109)
posted about 3 hours ago

I also think the football is quite exciting at time as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

You could say that of any side really. But you generally have to sit through a lot of dross to get there.





and I always like watching a thunderc*nt of a CB like Godin as well
-----

Godin's a fabulous CB, but he tends to go about his business so inconspicuously that he very rarely gets the recognition he deserves. I never really thought much about him when he was at Villarreal, but I think it was precisely because he doesn't tend to get noticed.

That's probably one of things I like about him the most. He's so economical/efficient, even with his thunderc*nting. He can be sly when necessary, but I've never really felt he overdoes it.

Definitely a player who deserves to be written about more.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeh, there was that one season where everyone regarded him and Benatia at Roma as the best CB's then people seemed to completely forget about him from the season after that onwards.

He is almost the anti-Ramos in a sense.