Comments on: Barcelona’s upcoming games, free tickets and Real Madrid’s move for Ballack http://soccerlens.com/barcelonas-upcoming-games-free-tickets-and-real-madrids-move-for-ballack/3128/ Soccerlens - Football News You Can Trust Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:26:47 -0800 http://soccerlens.com/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Rui J. http://soccerlens.com/barcelonas-upcoming-games-free-tickets-and-real-madrids-move-for-ballack/3128/comment-page-1/#comment-63325 Rui J. Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:20:52 +0000 http://soccerlens.com/barcelonas-upcoming-games-free-tickets-and-real-madrids-move-for-ballack/3128/#comment-63325 Ballack is effective only if he is used as a 'pivot' to play off of in central midfield, ie. he is a good one touch passer with two excellent feet. This can in itself create chances, but he is hardly a 'creative player' capable of fashioning goalscoring chance after chance for the forwards. He has impeccable timing both with his runs into/around the box and in the air (his height helps:), coupled with the fact that he is an above average finisher equals a high goal tally for a midfielder IF he is allowed the freedom to get forward whenever he chooses. This though only works well against a zoal-marking system because he lacks pace... He struggles in games where he is man marked because he doesn't have the speed or dribbling ability to get free of one-on-one marking situations. Premiership clubs caught onto this last season and if they has a big man with a bit of pace he'd stick to him for 90 minutes and cancel him out of the game. I don't think he works in teams that don't use wide attackers or wing-backs. He gets choked in central midfield and there are too many defenders to pick up his runs. He is by no means a poor player, but slightly over hyped if you ask me. If you play to his strenghts then yeah he'll pay off but teams such as Real or Chelsea who don't need to rely on only him (see Leverkusen or Germany) will mold their attacking play around more skilled players... Ballack is effective only if he is used as a ‘pivot’ to play off of in central midfield, ie. he is a good one touch passer with two excellent feet. This can in itself create chances, but he is hardly a ‘creative player’ capable of fashioning goalscoring chance after chance for the forwards.

He has impeccable timing both with his runs into/around the box and in the air (his height helps:), coupled with the fact that he is an above average finisher equals a high goal tally for a midfielder IF he is allowed the freedom to get forward whenever he chooses. This though only works well against a zoal-marking system because he lacks pace…

He struggles in games where he is man marked because he doesn’t have the speed or dribbling ability to get free of one-on-one marking situations. Premiership clubs caught onto this last season and if they has a big man with a bit of pace he’d stick to him for 90 minutes and cancel him out of the game.

I don’t think he works in teams that don’t use wide attackers or wing-backs. He gets choked in central midfield and there are too many defenders to pick up his runs.

He is by no means a poor player, but slightly over hyped if you ask me.
If you play to his strenghts then yeah he’ll pay off but teams such as Real or Chelsea who don’t need to rely on only him (see Leverkusen or Germany) will mold their attacking play around more skilled players…

]]> By: ttts http://soccerlens.com/barcelonas-upcoming-games-free-tickets-and-real-madrids-move-for-ballack/3128/comment-page-1/#comment-59717 ttts Fri, 14 Sep 2007 19:41:03 +0000 http://soccerlens.com/barcelonas-upcoming-games-free-tickets-and-real-madrids-move-for-ballack/3128/#comment-59717 And Ballack is creative? Not really... And Ballack is creative? Not really…

]]> By: brandon http://soccerlens.com/barcelonas-upcoming-games-free-tickets-and-real-madrids-move-for-ballack/3128/comment-page-1/#comment-59682 brandon Fri, 14 Sep 2007 15:31:03 +0000 http://soccerlens.com/barcelonas-upcoming-games-free-tickets-and-real-madrids-move-for-ballack/3128/#comment-59682 LMAO "yummy models" again lol LMAO “yummy models” again lol

]]> By: Redondo http://soccerlens.com/barcelonas-upcoming-games-free-tickets-and-real-madrids-move-for-ballack/3128/comment-page-1/#comment-59664 Redondo Fri, 14 Sep 2007 13:00:11 +0000 http://soccerlens.com/barcelonas-upcoming-games-free-tickets-and-real-madrids-move-for-ballack/3128/#comment-59664 ttts: Gago and Diarra are both defensive midfielders and not Central/creative-midfielders ttts:

Gago and Diarra are both defensive midfielders and not Central/creative-midfielders

]]> By: ttts http://soccerlens.com/barcelonas-upcoming-games-free-tickets-and-real-madrids-move-for-ballack/3128/comment-page-1/#comment-59658 ttts Fri, 14 Sep 2007 12:29:11 +0000 http://soccerlens.com/barcelonas-upcoming-games-free-tickets-and-real-madrids-move-for-ballack/3128/#comment-59658 Redondo:"Guti and Sneijder are the only CM at Real Madrid" What about Gago and Diarra? No, they do not need Ballack. Redondo:”Guti and Sneijder are the only CM at Real Madrid”
What about Gago and Diarra? No, they do not need Ballack.

]]> By: Redondo http://soccerlens.com/barcelonas-upcoming-games-free-tickets-and-real-madrids-move-for-ballack/3128/comment-page-1/#comment-59637 Redondo Fri, 14 Sep 2007 10:53:01 +0000 http://soccerlens.com/barcelonas-upcoming-games-free-tickets-and-real-madrids-move-for-ballack/3128/#comment-59637 The whole Ballack assumption are rather ridiculous and flat-down wrong. Real Madrid buying Ballack for his star appeal? .. There being no need for another Central Midfielder? 1) We are talking about Ballack here, he is no Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham, Henry or Ronaldinho. He does not command the star appeal need to to make any impact on Real Madrid's finance which is the reason behind going after "players with star appeal" 2) Guti and Sneijder are the only CM at Real Madrid and if the two of them are injured at the same time then Schuster would have a big problem on his hands. 3) Real Madrid have the money to pay Ballacks wages or even 5 Ballacks. The thing is that the club does not want to pay such ridiculous high wages for a player who clearly does not deserve it. His abilites as a player does not warrant the salery Chelsea are paying him. 4) What Schuster meant is that the club has built a wage structure and that they do not want to blow it up by paying Ballack all that money. How could Ballack's wages blow away the wage structure of the richest and most profitable club in the world, who coincidentally just had a best year economic wise in the clubs 105 year old history. David Beckham alone was paid €250.000 a week which is more then what Chelsea are paying. The whole Ballack assumption are rather ridiculous and flat-down wrong. Real Madrid buying Ballack for his star appeal? .. There being no need for another Central Midfielder?

1) We are talking about Ballack here, he is no Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham, Henry or Ronaldinho. He does not command the star appeal need to to make any impact on Real Madrid’s finance which is the reason behind going after “players with star appeal”

2) Guti and Sneijder are the only CM at Real Madrid and if the two of them are injured at the same time then Schuster would have a big problem on his hands.

3) Real Madrid have the money to pay Ballacks wages or even 5 Ballacks. The thing is that the club does not want to pay such ridiculous high wages for a player who clearly does not deserve it. His abilites as a player does not warrant the salery Chelsea are paying him.

4) What Schuster meant is that the club has built a wage structure and that they do not want to blow it up by paying Ballack all that money.

How could Ballack’s wages blow away the wage structure of the richest and most profitable club in the world, who coincidentally just had a best year economic wise in the clubs 105 year old history. David Beckham alone was paid €250.000 a week which is more then what Chelsea are paying.

]]>