Slim wrote:Hazy2 wrote:Mase wrote:£45 million for Walker?!!! I'd rather just tell Arsenal we'll pay that for Bellerin!
THAT'S A SHOUT.
And then go back in and get Dele Alli instead.
Just tell slimeeeeey leeeeevy to stick it. full stop.
Slim wrote:Hazy2 wrote:Mase wrote:£45 million for Walker?!!! I'd rather just tell Arsenal we'll pay that for Bellerin!
THAT'S A SHOUT.
And then go back in and get Dele Alli instead.
sheblue wrote:Slim wrote:Hazy2 wrote:Mase wrote:£45 million for Walker?!!! I'd rather just tell Arsenal we'll pay that for Bellerin!
THAT'S A SHOUT.
And then go back in and get Dele Alli instead.
Just tell slimeeeeey leeeeevy to stick it. full stop.
PrezIke wrote:I respect the reasons those here who feel highly insulted by his past comments even if Alves didn't mean it and was just being honest (ManCityBrazil commented that Alves came from a very poor background and probably spoke out of ignorance).
I am not from Manchester, so I cannot know what it is like to experience what most here have as fans dealing with the constant negative treatment over one's life, so from my own perspective it may be easier for me to not be as bothered by it.
Would I like that he hadn't said those words? Of course, but I guess I feel that we are dealing with a reality that some have not had as much exposure to English football. Was it foolish to say he only thought there was one club in Manchester? Perhaps...
Yet, while to us it may sound foolish, we are also likely more educated (more TV/Internet/video game exposure) and pay closer attention than average casual fans, and even some players I am sure. I remember when I first learned that Everton was from Liverpool. I had a similar reaction. If you even asked me where Corinthians was from I wouldn't have known until I looked it up (Sao Paulo). I also don't know the name of any other clubs from the city. If I learned of one and if I was honest I would say I didn't know any other clubs other than Corinthians. Maybe his wording is problematic, but if it was translated it could have sounded differently, and if he spoke in English, it is not his first language. How many times has Pep spoken incorrectly when he may have meant something else?
When I explain I am a City supporter in the U.S. to the most casual fans, people often say something like, "Oh, Utd?" This annoys me, but I tend to feel that this is the reality out there, even as we have grown in stature.
Why was this story even put out anyway? Hmmm...maybe as propaganda to have him go to Chelsea instead of us?
I was a fan of another club in a different sport as a child. At one point the club I followed took on two of the most famous players from their arch rivals, who I hated more than anything, and was shocked at first that they joined. Those same players ended up helping the club I supported win multiple championships.
I won't tell people here what to think, but I will gladly accept Alves into the team, if he joins, and hope he helps us make all of our haters sound even dumber than they already do.
Nigels Tackle wrote:PrezIke wrote:I respect the reasons those here who feel highly insulted by his past comments even if Alves didn't mean it and was just being honest (ManCityBrazil commented that Alves came from a very poor background and probably spoke out of ignorance).
I am not from Manchester, so I cannot know what it is like to experience what most here have as fans dealing with the constant negative treatment over one's life, so from my own perspective it may be easier for me to not be as bothered by it.
Would I like that he hadn't said those words? Of course, but I guess I feel that we are dealing with a reality that some have not had as much exposure to English football. Was it foolish to say he only thought there was one club in Manchester? Perhaps...
Yet, while to us it may sound foolish, we are also likely more educated (more TV/Internet/video game exposure) and pay closer attention than average casual fans, and even some players I am sure. I remember when I first learned that Everton was from Liverpool. I had a similar reaction. If you even asked me where Corinthians was from I wouldn't have known until I looked it up (Sao Paulo). I also don't know the name of any other clubs from the city. If I learned of one and if I was honest I would say I didn't know any other clubs other than Corinthians. Maybe his wording is problematic, but if it was translated it could have sounded differently, and if he spoke in English, it is not his first language. How many times has Pep spoken incorrectly when he may have meant something else?
When I explain I am a City supporter in the U.S. to the most casual fans, people often say something like, "Oh, Utd?" This annoys me, but I tend to feel that this is the reality out there, even as we have grown in stature.
Why was this story even put out anyway? Hmmm...maybe as propaganda to have him go to Chelsea instead of us?
I was a fan of another club in a different sport as a child. At one point the club I followed took on two of the most famous players from their arch rivals, who I hated more than anything, and was shocked at first that they joined. Those same players ended up helping the club I supported win multiple championships.
I won't tell people here what to think, but I will gladly accept Alves into the team, if he joins, and hope he helps us make all of our haters sound even dumber than they already do.
well said
carl_feedthegoat wrote:I heard Levy uses one sheet of shit paper only...no exceptions.
Dameerto wrote:carl_feedthegoat wrote:I heard Levy uses one sheet of shit paper only...no exceptions.
And he folds it to ever decreasing sizes to get maximum benefit.
Dameerto wrote:carl_feedthegoat wrote:I heard Levy uses one sheet of shit paper only...no exceptions.
And he folds it to ever decreasing sizes to get maximum benefit.
zuricity wrote:Ffs , some waffle about this guy
He is too old, he will get ripped in our shitty defense and pep should know better than fcuk around like this .
Slaps on the ears all around
and Carl .... Where's my effin two pints ?
bigblue wrote:Dameerto wrote:carl_feedthegoat wrote:I heard Levy uses one sheet of shit paper only...no exceptions.
And he folds it to ever decreasing sizes to get maximum benefit.
Should just use a bum gun, no paper needed
Mikhail Chigorin wrote:bigblue wrote:Dameerto wrote:carl_feedthegoat wrote:I heard Levy uses one sheet of shit paper only...no exceptions.
And he folds it to ever decreasing sizes to get maximum benefit.
Should just use a bum gun, no paper needed
That reminds me of a certain ditty :-
There was a little man and he had a little gun and the bullets were made of liquorice.
So he shot a little duck through the parson's nose and the bullets came out in the vicarage.
edge275 wrote:This does have a Maicon feel to it.
CTID Hants wrote:Mikhail Chigorin wrote:bigblue wrote:Dameerto wrote:carl_feedthegoat wrote:I heard Levy uses one sheet of shit paper only...no exceptions.
And he folds it to ever decreasing sizes to get maximum benefit.
Should just use a bum gun, no paper needed
That reminds me of a certain ditty :-
There was a little man and he had a little gun and the bullets were made of liquorice.
So he shot a little duck through the parson's nose and the bullets came out in the vicarage.
There you go MC...
Moonchesteri wrote:edge275 wrote:This does have a Maicon feel to it.
Absolutely. But surely this fella will do better than him.
At least he won't cost much. I mean, who counts the wages anyway when we loan him to Sevilla one year from now?
Mikhail Chigorin wrote:CTID Hants wrote:There you go MC...
Oh dear......and there was I thinking I had realistic chances of becoming the next Poet Laureate![]()
Fresh blood and fresher legs would be needed for the City coach to play his way. So, on the face of it, the pursuit of 34-year-old Dani Alves could be seen as something of a curiosity. The Brazilian is older than all but one of the above full-backs. He is not exactly in the age bracket expected as part of Guardiola's squad rebuild.
But then, some players are worth making an exception for.
Alves was, of course, part of Guardiola's famed Barcelona team. Between 2008 and 2012, they won two Champions League trophies and a dozen other pieces of silverware. Alves has used the past five seasons even more constructively than his old boss - adding another Champions League medal and completing the double in each of his past three seasons.
In doing so, he has become the template for the modern attacking full-back. A player still happy to be defined by that term but not constrained by it. His interpretation is more adventurous than most. For example, despite the much-heralded link ups with Xavi and Andres Iniesta, it is Alves who has provided more assists for Lionel Messi than anyone else.
The sight of him marauding down the right flank is a customary one, switching between his posting within the back-four and the wing-back role with ease during his year at Juventus. Indeed, Alves only seems to have increased in effectiveness with age, intervening at vital moments for the Italian champions over the past campaign.
Most notably, there was his stunning strike against Monaco in the Champions League semi-final, having already provided two assists in the first-leg victory. "Did you see his assists? That's what a central playmaker does," enthused Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri afterwards. He came up with more than any other Juve player in last season's competition.
Indeed, only Toni Kroos created more chances in the entire tournament than Alves. He is a big-game player with a temperament that allows him to embrace the biggest of stages. Typically, he also came up with a goal and an assist as Juventus completed the double with their Coppa Italia final win over Lazio last month. His qualities translate to other leagues.
Alves has retained his trademark capacity for adventure and the physical assets remain. If it was not for the fact that Alves had been at the top of the game for over a decade, with 100 caps for Brazil and his age a matter of public record, there would be little reason to think he was anything other than at the peak of his powers.
That fact will have persuaded Guardiola that he represents a bargain. As Messi himself once said: "It would be difficult to find another like him." So why opt for an Alves-type full-back, a younger but more expensive imitation, when the real deal is available instead? With the signing of Alves, City's weakness can become one of their greatest strengths overnight.
That the club's pursuit of Kyle Walker is set to continue is an acknowledgement that this is not a long-term solution. But the decision to chase Alves is also an indication that Guardiola needs short-term answers too. Having just endured a trophyless season, the prospect of another is both unpalatable and unprecedented since the turn of the decade.
Guardiola has had to deal with the sceptics, those who wrongly argue that his success was inevitable at clubs such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Perhaps the naysayers will present similar arguments about Alves, but the fact that he also won two UEFA Cups with Sevilla and went close to a shock La Liga win with the club in 2007 hints at something more.
Alves' infectiousness is something Guardiola wants around. A unique character whom even Gigi Buffon reportedly turned to in the hope of unlocking Champions League glory, he brings the intangibles to City as they look to build a winning culture. Despite their success, Alves adds to that. He is a man Guardiola trusts to do it. And a man who trusts in Guardiola too.
"Tactically, I've improved under Pep, learning to do the simplest thing, which sometimes is the most difficult thing," he told The Guardian in 2012. "I never thought that a team could press like we do: from minute one to minute 95, pressuring the ball and in the opposition's half. Pep's greatest success is convincing players, even great players, to do that."
If he can convince Dani Alves to keep doing it at 34 then why not the rest of City's squad? After all, it's a group with fewer Champions League medals between them than the veteran. Alves may not have youth on his side but he has just enough youthful exuberance to get by. Perhaps he could yet prove a transformative signing for his old coach. And his new club too.
phips wrote:Fresh blood and fresher legs would be needed for the City coach to play his way. So, on the face of it, the pursuit of 34-year-old Dani Alves could be seen as something of a curiosity. The Brazilian is older than all but one of the above full-backs. He is not exactly in the age bracket expected as part of Guardiola's squad rebuild.
But then, some players are worth making an exception for.
Alves was, of course, part of Guardiola's famed Barcelona team. Between 2008 and 2012, they won two Champions League trophies and a dozen other pieces of silverware. Alves has used the past five seasons even more constructively than his old boss - adding another Champions League medal and completing the double in each of his past three seasons.
In doing so, he has become the template for the modern attacking full-back. A player still happy to be defined by that term but not constrained by it. His interpretation is more adventurous than most. For example, despite the much-heralded link ups with Xavi and Andres Iniesta, it is Alves who has provided more assists for Lionel Messi than anyone else.
The sight of him marauding down the right flank is a customary one, switching between his posting within the back-four and the wing-back role with ease during his year at Juventus. Indeed, Alves only seems to have increased in effectiveness with age, intervening at vital moments for the Italian champions over the past campaign.
Most notably, there was his stunning strike against Monaco in the Champions League semi-final, having already provided two assists in the first-leg victory. "Did you see his assists? That's what a central playmaker does," enthused Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri afterwards. He came up with more than any other Juve player in last season's competition.
Indeed, only Toni Kroos created more chances in the entire tournament than Alves. He is a big-game player with a temperament that allows him to embrace the biggest of stages. Typically, he also came up with a goal and an assist as Juventus completed the double with their Coppa Italia final win over Lazio last month. His qualities translate to other leagues.
Alves has retained his trademark capacity for adventure and the physical assets remain. If it was not for the fact that Alves had been at the top of the game for over a decade, with 100 caps for Brazil and his age a matter of public record, there would be little reason to think he was anything other than at the peak of his powers.
That fact will have persuaded Guardiola that he represents a bargain. As Messi himself once said: "It would be difficult to find another like him." So why opt for an Alves-type full-back, a younger but more expensive imitation, when the real deal is available instead? With the signing of Alves, City's weakness can become one of their greatest strengths overnight.
That the club's pursuit of Kyle Walker is set to continue is an acknowledgement that this is not a long-term solution. But the decision to chase Alves is also an indication that Guardiola needs short-term answers too. Having just endured a trophyless season, the prospect of another is both unpalatable and unprecedented since the turn of the decade.
Guardiola has had to deal with the sceptics, those who wrongly argue that his success was inevitable at clubs such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Perhaps the naysayers will present similar arguments about Alves, but the fact that he also won two UEFA Cups with Sevilla and went close to a shock La Liga win with the club in 2007 hints at something more.
Alves' infectiousness is something Guardiola wants around. A unique character whom even Gigi Buffon reportedly turned to in the hope of unlocking Champions League glory, he brings the intangibles to City as they look to build a winning culture. Despite their success, Alves adds to that. He is a man Guardiola trusts to do it. And a man who trusts in Guardiola too.
"Tactically, I've improved under Pep, learning to do the simplest thing, which sometimes is the most difficult thing," he told The Guardian in 2012. "I never thought that a team could press like we do: from minute one to minute 95, pressuring the ball and in the opposition's half. Pep's greatest success is convincing players, even great players, to do that."
If he can convince Dani Alves to keep doing it at 34 then why not the rest of City's squad? After all, it's a group with fewer Champions League medals between them than the veteran. Alves may not have youth on his side but he has just enough youthful exuberance to get by. Perhaps he could yet prove a transformative signing for his old coach. And his new club too.
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