kilmanrok

Um, I though Van Gaal used to say about Giovanni "someone tell me the position he plays, so I can put him there":)

Viva Diego! Que Viva Argentina!

Well, it depends by what you consider as an "argument". Being in a de facto, a priori argument with someone, well, I don't see how this adds up to the livelihood of a forum. Disagreeing in everything by default, you see, takes away the pleasure of arguing about the finer things in life. Those that actually allow people to progress. So you see, it's kind of important for me to not be in a violent argument with anyone, unless I think it's actually useful -- or entertaining -- to do so.

Gobekli, you're right. No, you are. Really. What I'm trying to point out is not how Giovanni is worthless or anything like that. What I'm trying to point out is that modern European soccer is much more about stamina and strength and speed. This stands for Greek and European soccer alike. The difference is the level of this development. In greek soccer, a team like OSFP can win 7 titles in a row by employing an anarchistic, chaotic style of play (which is very beautiful by the way), whereas in Europe, the same team would be destroyed in case it dared to do so (well, not really true, but most of the times...) So, what I was trying to demonstrate is that Giovanni is perfect for Greek soccer, and for leagues like ours, but he really can't help that much in Europe. However, this doesn't mean that if Giovanni was playing for a stronger, more cohesive side, a side that would dominate each game, perhaps Giovanni would be perfect. But, consider this. OSFP and PAO, as well as every other greek team are the Davids, not the Goliaths of European soccer. And so for most of their games, they're forced to sit back and defend and break hard on the counter. This makes Giovanni and his talents somewhat obsolete. A player like Ogunsoto, or Olisadebe however are ideal for such a tactic. Don't you think?

Nice. Giovanni kicks ass. Ok. Let's go with that for a while. How come Giovanni is -- statistically proven to be -- indeed a sack of potatoes away in Europe (yes, whenever and wherever it really counts to have a superstar like him)? Now, I wouldn't dare criticize one of the most skilled players in Greece, but, to answer just a few questions posed. 1. He can't sprint. 2. Has no sense of pressing the opponent's defenders in order to break down their game. And in an age where speed and pressure is of the utmost importance in tactical soccer, Giovanni is -- quite sadly -- like a fish out of water. People, he's from Brazil. Anybody seen Denilson play? He can dribble past half the Greek league in one run. So what? Can he actually perform in a tactical game? No. So where does he play? Do managers fight over him? Nope. They don't. End of story. That being said, I'd just die to have Giovanni or even a player with half his skill in PAO. By the way, I hope everyone's noticed that this is his best season in Greece so far and that -- most importantly -- he's helped Castillo tremendously in becoming a great talent. In other words, I think OSFP should do whatever possible to keep him, and I think that together with a good striker (not Kouzba, not Choutos, not Tatsis), they can perform wonders, provided OSFP's midfield performs decently. In Europe though, that's another story.