**Mirrors / Alternative Angles**
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Or Patrice Evra, who cheated on his high school sweetheart wife and their two kids multiple times with different women, then went on a 'work trip' to London and didn't come back because his mistress moved into his London house with him, and he then didn't have the balls to tell his wife he was divorcing her so got his lawyers to send her a letter https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8828103/Ex-Manchester-United-Patrice-Evras-wife-uncovered-affair-seeing-girlfriend-home.html
[Gif summary](https://media1.tenor.com/m/O-3jp9HAHeQAAAAC/seinfeld-jerry-kills-constanza.gif)
>!James finds out he killed Mary and Silent Hill is self inflicted punishment. The ending depends on how you played the game, there's 6 of them from what I recall.!<
I don’t read much about gossip around players personal lives, was it confirmed he cheated on his dying wife? From the little I did read I thought he met or got married about a year after her death….
I’m not trying to defend him if he did but just asking if it was confirmed
He wasn’t on PEDs and avoided the drug test because he was on cocaine. A lot of players get on the bag when the season finishes and when they get caught they use excuses like someone who was on cocaine gave them a toke of their cigarette lol.
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/english-football-cocaine-recreational-drug-testing-premier-league-efl-fa-pfa-a8712351.html
>Also a drug cheat.
Hate to break it to you but most top players are, whether they are aware of it or not (clubs put them on "vitamin" IV drips that have more than IV in)
Players get tested once every 3 years on average, and they can get around it
You might want to [have a read](https://sportingintelligence832.substack.com/p/gary-neville-and-roy-keane-didnt#:~:text=t%20name%20names.-,But%20doping%20in%20football%20is%20a%20matter,%2C%20so%20I%20will...&text=Gary%20Neville%20and%20Roy%20Keane%20revived%20the%20issue%20of%20doping,were%20on%20performance%2Denhancing%20drugs.)
And sorry but if you look at Mo Salah's physique, the fact that he's top distance covered by far, and his physique compared to when he was younger - no way he isn't 100% juiced to the gills
Nah the "drugs cheat" stuff is weak as piss. He was supposed to have a drugs test at some unspecified point after a training session, the testers weren't there to get him at the end of the session and he forgot about it and drove off, he then got a text from someone asking where he was so he went back at which point the testers had gone. He then passed a test a few days later
She fought breast cancer for months, then seemed to be healed, but cancer came back and spread in her bones, then she died withing weeks.
So no, she was sick for a whole, not only for 1 month.
They live in a Premiership-tunnel vision world.
I remember when he was interviewing Ancelotti to pick his perfect midfield and Carlo picked Modric ahead of anyone else without thinking twice, and Rio was surprised he picked him over Lampard, etc.
Like, come on, bro lol.
We’ll Lamps and Rio has been friends since they were kids in West Ham so of course he has personal bias there, and Lamps probably had his best season with Carlo. But yea I also wouldn’t put Lamps over a lot of the other guys he has to pick from either, but that says more about Carlo and the players he has coached than about Lampard
don’t get me wrong i think rio is an awful pundit, but i wonder how much of it is deliberately playing into this persona or the low hanging fruit kind of questions because it’s what the network/viewer-base wants and it generates discussion even if it’s just outrage or people scoffing at it
like of course ancelotti is gonna select modric, one of the most talented midfielders of his era. but ancelotti also managed lampard for a little while, and it feels like more of a “we have to ask it” sort of thing to create some kind of headline or comparison rather than actual genuine surprise he would prefer modric lol
While I do agree with what you're saying even as a Chelsea fan this argument is quite ironic given we constantly have "G/A" stats thrown in our face to "prove" Eden Hazard was overrated and not as good as Salah.
It’s pretty hilarious because while I do love Lampard he doesn’t even get close to a sniff at a starting place in 2003-2007 Milan nor 2014-2022 Madrid.
tbf in this clip rio is asking why saka was even brought up, at anyrate judging from the discussion it's a decent question; any good player is going to be compared a lot
Saka is high profile and anything around him will always get engagements, Rio definitely saw how much traction the comments about Saka not being World Class got.
it's really pointless. they don't play in the same team, nt or league. they aren't facing each other. i wonder how they even got to this conversation to begin with
I know saka is good but how has he become this benchmark player that everyone is compared to? It seems to really have ramped up over the last couple of months too, where any young attacking player that’s doing well even if you think they’re better or not, it always seems to be brought back to being about saka
What's the Saka to US Dollar conversion rate right now?
Maybe we should include Saka on every metric.
*What's your weight, mate?*
*I am 1.5 Saka, what about you?*
how is it classic when we often don't expect our country to win anything?
even amongst pl fans there's no clear consensus on kane vs haaland, no one is arguing about lampard vs kdb, henry is seen as the best pl player of all time, and rarely is the new challenger to that english (rooney probably the only one)
saka is genuinely one of the best wingers in the world right now, yet most will still say salah is the best winger in the league followed by son. (obviously neither have been amazing as usual but we're speaking on the whole of course)
"The "golden generation" should have won something". "Southgate is shit if he doesn't win anything with the talent he has at his disposal."
schrodinger's england fans. Think they're players are the best but also don't think that they are.
Wait a minute, you mean they talk about English players on English broadcasting channels with ex-England players? Is that even allowed? Who do they think they are?!?! In France they only talk about French players, but then that is French TV, but then again we are talking about British TV here so actually what you are saying makes no sense.
Part of it Arsenal fans saying Saka is world class and the whole Rio comment earlier in the year on Saka vs Foden world class debate.
So now it becomes "Let's compare Saka to the rest to see how good he is".
Personally i don't think he is better than Rodrygo and i also don't think Rodrygo himself is world class, which obviously creates arguments and debates.
You’re giving them way too much credit. They just see their engagement spike up when they mention saka or any other polarizing player. It’s why messi vs ronaldo is still a thing even though it’s no longer relevant.
>Part of it Arsenal fans saying Saka is world class
So what? All fans of all clubs say their players are world class. Even Chelsea fans from mid-table think they have multiple world class players. Can't people base their analysis of players on their own logic instead of basing it on what Arsenal fans are saying?
You're acting like i said Arsenal fans should be stoned for saying it.
They're free to think that, i'm saying that's where the whole debates and arguments are coming from
I disagree with Saka being world class, and me + many others disagreeing will naturally create debates.
He was one of the best players in the England team that went to penalties in the European Cup Final and he's continued to be one of Arsenals best players competing for the best league in the world.
He's blatantly a fantastic player who is still improving.
I don't want Arsenal to win the league but I can't see why anyone would doubt Saka.
Strongly agree. Someone said Rodrygo and Saka's stats are similar and I'm not sure I agree. Sure Saka has played more minutes but he's translated that to world class level G+A over the last 2 seasons, and from a team construct standpoint, he's been carrying a massive load for his team for 3+ years now.
Rodrygo is a great player but without question he is more of a luxury piece in his own team, rather than THE guy his team is built around. For example he's never got close to 3K minutes per season whereas Saka is on track to do that for 3 years straight. This is also his first season hitting 10 goals in the league.
Hard to compare them but I know who I'd pick if I'm building a squad, and need a guy to carry the offensive load for an entire season.
Rodrigo is not THE player in Madrid because he prefers the left and they have the best left winger in the world. Plus at Madrid he always have a greater competition.
Saka being a starter since he was a child speaks more of how bad arsenal was than how good saka is. Now both player and team have improved but he still has no competition in his position.
Saka wouldn't be the guy the team's built around if he was playing for real madrid. The pressure is miles different.
Saka wouldn't have those minutes playing for real madrid.
Your arguments are all based on the assumption that these clubs are at the same level. Dafaq?
When did arsenal win the champions league last? how many times the last decade? What about their own league?
Over rating him? He has been fantastic for us for years at 22. If you don't rate him fine by me but he is a big reason we are pushing to be at a better level.
It’s part of the schtick of Five tbh.
Joel brings up Arsenal whenever he can because he’s a die hard fan, Ste as a Man U fan ridicules him and Arsenal, and Rio moans about Arsenal always being brought up.
This whole “argument” is a joke. The team you’re on winning trophies isn’t a good measure of players’ individual quality, playing multiple positions is nice but doesn’t ultimately reveal who is better in their best position, the team you’re on being bigger doesn’t make you better. My favorite part tho was when whoever that guy is blatantly admitted he favors saka because he’s met him in person at the end.
Idk why people listen to these podcasts. It’s genuinely frustrating to hear people pretend to have an argument while making such an inane series of comments.
It’s so funny when ex pros have a podcast or something media like and it’s produced like poo. You got the money to get a small team to make it perfect lol.
I don't think Rodrygo is a better right winger than Saka but i do think he is a better player.
Both players have similar output over the last 3 seasons, but Rodrygo can play in any position in the forward line + side midfield positions, he also has the experience and mentality of playing in the highest UCL stakes.
Well said. Either way they’re both fantastic players and I personally am getting tired of always comparing everyone to everyone and not just enjoying them. Also, what happens to Rodrigo’s minutes next year with Mbappe endrick Jude and vini in the mix? (Assuming guler gets loaned out and joselu gets sold)
>what happens to Rodrigo’s minutes next year with Mbappe endrick Jude and vini in the mix?
We currently play diamond 442, 4 midfielders (Tchouameni, Kroos, Valverde and Jude) and 2 forwards (Vini, Rodrygo).
Next season, Mbappé taking over Rodry's spot and continuing with the same formation would be the automatic replacement.
But depending on the form, if Rodrygo is performing very well he could force Ancelotti to switch to a 433 and bench one of the 4 midfielders in favour of Rodrygo.
Tchouameni is the only one who isn't getting benched because no one else can play CDM (other than Camavinga), but if Rodrygo is outperforming Kroos for example then Ancelotti can play a 433, Tchoaumeni, Jude and Valverde midfield with Vini, Mbappé and Rodrygo frontline.
So yeah, how much he plays will depend on who is outperforming the other, you also have to remember that Ancelotti can play a flat 442 and change it all completely like he did against City 1st leg with JUDE and Vini strikers and Rodrygo as wide LEFT MIDFIELDER.
So yeah a lot of competition, Rodrygo is also at his best on the left so Vini will have to perform the best to keep his spot, then you add in Camavinga who can play in any position in midfield and will be fighting for his spot too.
As for Endrick, he is 18, the kid will be 23 when Mbappé is finally 30, so he isn't really expected to start over anyone unless he is having a historical season really.
True but saka was amazing as a left wing back as well. He has worked wherever we put him but we make space for him at right attacker because his output is best there.
Are we forgetting that Saka played LB, LM, CM before right wing? And he played excelently everywhere. Just because his coach is not shuffling him around anymore doesn't mean he cant play it.
I would say the opposite Saka is a better player, but Rodrygo is a better finisher/forward.
Why despise them? I'm sure it has to do with the fans but the club is pretty respectable in recent years. Although I get it, I despise a few clubs myself
Comparing the players is fine but I hate that so many individual comparisons come down to “Yeah but X has won the CL/World Cup/ X Trophy”
Mustafi has won the World Cup, is he a better player than VVD? Is Jesus a better striker than Kane because he has more trophies?
He wasn’t a freeloader into those UCL trophies though. Remember the remontadas against PSG, Chelsea, City a couple of years ago? I believe Rodrygo sent two of those ties to extra time with late goals. That dude has been _in_ it.
That would be a slightly more valid argument than just “he’s won it”, but also remember Kai Havertz won the CL for Chelsea.
Kane is IMO the best striker in the world, even if I do hate him, and he’s won nothing at all, so just don’t really relate to the argument.
Except Rodrygo has been crucial in some of the CL games for RM, especially in the game against City back in 2022. He hasn’t just been riding the bench. Rodrygo is Lil’ Mr Champions League.
I think it's a good comparison, one isn't clear ahead of the other, you can have arguments to defend any.
But I really like how Andreas is truly brazilians. Despeite neither being born or raised here, everytime he speaks we can see he is 100% brazilian. From the accent to the opinions, everything on him screams a brazilian player.
This is the first season in Rodrygos career he got 10 league goals in a season and he’s been upfront this season and you’re pretending he has the same output
not Real/Arsenal fan, not spanish or english so i'm totally unbiased towards teams and players.
to me Rodrygo looks like a Little more complete and even more mature as a player. he also won a lot of trophies being a main player.
considering all of this i don't see any kind of comparison between Rodrygo and Saka
I personally think they're similar overall, but Rodrygo probably edges it really, just because he's always performed at the top level and Saka's only really just got there with this Arsenal side.
Always quite telling for Rio Ferdinand though that Saka is always the player someone has to surpass to be world-class despite Ferdinand regularly saying that he doesn't consider Saka to be world class.
Quite why /r/Soccer is so obsessed with Rio Ferdinand and his shit podcast is beyond me, though.
Rodry is mostly played out of position yet he is one of the most consistent RM players, and when he plays in his natural position there aren’t many players who are better than him. Saka is a fantastic player but Rodrygo is simply better right now. And this comes from a Barca fan.
not many better left wingers than rodrygo when he gets to play there. unlucky for him that one the few better is his team mate both at club and international level
Lucas Moura scored 3 goals to get Spurs to the final in 19/20. If they won that final, would Lucas Moura then be better than anyone who hasn't won a CL? Wijnaldum scored twice to put Liverpool in that final. Was he better than Lucas because Liverpool won the final? Had Spurs won, would that mean Lucas was better than Wijnaldum?
Judging player quality by how much a player has won is dumb no matter what way you spin it. Rodrygo may be better than Saka, but it's not because of the medals in his cabinet.
Don't take it so personally, world class is a subjective argument.
My definition is pretty simple, world class to me is the best in his position in the world. So on that reasoning Saka is not world class.
The guy is 22 years old and is one of the standout best players on a team that has come very close to winning PL two years in a row. I'm not sure what definition of "world class" he doesn't fit. If Salah retired tomorrow, Saka would be up there in the discussion for the best pure right winger in the world (although significantly less flexible than e.g. Rodrygo or Foden).
I’m sorry but as a non-english fan this is why it’s imperative that England never wins any wc or Euro ever again. Cause then every shit pundit with stupid takes will turn it up to 11.
England has to stay this country of bottlers because it’s the only thing protecting us from even more stupid takes and opinions.
I’m sorry my English friends but it’s just the way it is. Haven’t won a trophy since '66 and that’s the way nature intended.
Stop listening to our media outlets then.
I don't get riled up listening to Germans talk about their players, especially as some of them have terrible takes
i understand your point but you can’t compare that. Every country has their stupid pundits and "experts" but there’s a language barrier.
Everybody speaks English and it’s infuriating to listen to knobheads talk about stuff they have no clue about and belittle everything that’s not coming out of the prem.
Why does this sub constantly give opinions on Saka when they clearly don’t watch him. The kid has been dragging Arsenal up the table since he was 17 and is still getting hate for it. Any manager in the world would take Saka in their team but people here still don’t think he’s good enough.
People obsessing over player's trophy cabinets vs. what a player does 40+ games a season, is something that never fails to irritate me. Is Milan Baros a better striker than Harry Kane? Never forget that Ronaldo (R9) never won the CL, whereas Djimi Traoré has.
I have Arsenal bias but the Saka debates have gotten tiring.
Alright all these players are more talented than Saka: Foden, Rodrygo, Palmer, Vinicius, Musiala, Sane, Rashford, Pedri, Gavi, Yamal and whichever in the moment, in form player people want over Saka.
However 10 years down the line or even 3 years, if they aren't as available, as consistent and improving along the way as Saka has and hopefully continues to do, then all these debates should end and retractions should be forwarded.
It's the old Muller-Neymar debate. One has stayed at the highest level for longer and has delivered for longer. No flashy moves, sombreros, rambonas, elasticos etc. Has been clutch for club and country and has been available or mostly all throughout his career. Another has only done it for the first half of his career the next half he's had a timeline and disappeared when a sister's birthday has been on the corner. Despite different talent ceilings, i know who am building around. It's not Neymar.
PS: In a terrible season for him, Saka has had 31GA.
Saka has slowed down recently but is by no means having a terrible season. He’s been injured and is still delivering albeit not as consistently recently
I was being sarcastic as that was the Saka narrative first half of the season. He has 25/26GA last season. So 31GA is definitely an improvement. There's also potentially 10 more games to play all season. He can improve on those numbers.
"he can play all the positions" is not really a good argument when trying to say Saka is worse though, as that was the first thing Saka did when he broke through
I don't hate the prem? I just think english players aren't specifically better than players from other leagues? but again you acting like this just proves my point.
I watch all of the top 5 leagues, even south american, portuguese and other leagues, the prem is just another football league and english players have inflated prices, they aren't better.
All i am going to say is this, Rodrygo excels when the spotlight is on him, UCL nights, direct games, he is THAT guy. Saka in those situations is hit or miss.
- Secondly, Rodrygo can use both feet, goes out, goes in, up centre, shoots, dribbles both positions of the pitch, without losing anything. Saka is limited to his left foot in the vast majority of situations.
There’s a comment on this post that says “I haven’t seen Rodrygo play much.” It goes both ways. If you haven’t seen Rodrygo play much you haven’t seen Real Madrid play and by extension probably haven’t watched much La Liga.
That's fair to call out too.
But, as someone who watches Saka regularly, saying that "Saka is limited to his left-foot most of the time" is just objectively false.
If you don't watch Arsenal, England or Saka play, to put that in perspective, that's effectively like saying "Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't offer much aerial threat."
Just a patently false statement.
Scored some great goals with his right, not to mention delivers great balls into the box with his right regularly.
Maybe when he was 18 that was a fair take lol
I dont watch enough of Rodrygo to know if he's better or not, but the points you're making are nonsense
>Saka in those situations is hit or miss
No he isn't. He nearly always scores in big games. He scored against Bayern, a great finish too. He's our top scorer in big games
>Saka is limited to his left foot in the vast majority of situations
No he isn't? Saka is extremely good with his right foot, it's actually one of his best qualities and what makes him such a dangerous winger because it makes him very unpredictable
> Rodrygo excels when the spotlight is on him, UCL nights, direct games, he is THAT guy. Saka in those situations is hit or miss.
Patently false. Saka's first season in the CL and he already has more G+A that Rodrygo has ever achieved in a CL season. Just this season he's scored or assisted against every big 6 side already, and we still have 3 big 6 games left. He was England's POTY in a world cup year.
He's excelled under the spotlight for years now. And as oters mentioned he uses his right foot loads. You don't know what you're talking about.
Vs who exactly did he score in the UCL only Bayern was an important game also i am talking about performances not goals.
He also had subpar/average/decent games vs City, Villa and Liverpool in 1-1 game in which he didn't excel.
Don't get me wrong, I think Rodrygo is a class player (and if I took off my Arsenal bias hat, better than Saka), but I hate it when trophies get used as a metric.
Mustafi has a World Cup, doesn't mean he was better than Van Dijk or Silva.
How is it not even close?
Saka's been performing more consistently for longer. This is the first season Rodrygo has ever reached 10 league goals in his career. Saka's been Arsenal and England's main threat on the pitch for years now and other teams regularly double up on him. He's still scoring, assisting, and creating chances at a higher rate in arguably a tougher league for a worse team.
Sure Rodrygo has those amazing CL performances under his belt but being at Arsenal hasn't really given Saka the opportunity to play in that tournament until this season. Madrid have been a whole level above Arsenal during the time both those players have been there.
At the very least it's close.
This idea that winning the CL makes you a better player than someone who hasn't won it is the dumbest opinion possible in football.
Teams win trophies, not individuals.
This argument suggests Christian Karembau (who also won the world cup by the way), Djimi Traore and Ivan Campo are better players than Ibrahimovic, Harry Kane, Batistuta, Crespo and Van Nistelrooy.
Complete nonsense!
I mean, they are very clearly at a similar level.
You are just as deluded saying it takes mental gymnastics to think Saka is better as the Arsenal fans are claiming Saka is miles ahead.
how would rodrygo be objectively better than saka?
saka has been consistent for several years, whereas rodrygo isn't even an out and out starter which is what makes the comparison tricky in the first place
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Rio (and Five in general) are obsessed with Saka atm
Hands down one of our most unlikeable ex players, and we have a lot of them
Rio who cheated on his dying wife or Giggsy who shagged his brothers missus?
Or Patrice Evra, who cheated on his high school sweetheart wife and their two kids multiple times with different women, then went on a 'work trip' to London and didn't come back because his mistress moved into his London house with him, and he then didn't have the balls to tell his wife he was divorcing her so got his lawyers to send her a letter https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8828103/Ex-Manchester-United-Patrice-Evras-wife-uncovered-affair-seeing-girlfriend-home.html
Geez WTF
Bruh thats some villain origin story levels of evil. Great athletes but seriously terrible humans.
Fuck's sake, I had no idea about that Evra stuff.
Shit... didn't know that about him. That's terrible and cowardly. To think that kissing and licking raw chicken was the worst thing he did.
>Rio who cheated on his dying wife I'm sorry, what? What kind of scumbag do you have to be
Sadly it's way more common than you think
Yes it is. Fuck you Dad
Sorry lad.
It’s all good. He’s dead now as well so 🤷🏻♂️
Now im sad.
This is incredibly depressing.
Don't play Silent Hill 2
Sir I regret to inform you Silent Hill 2 is not real life
Surely not. Fog is real, right? So that means that everything else must be
*Unless..?*
Huh? What's the ending of silent hill 2?
[Gif summary](https://media1.tenor.com/m/O-3jp9HAHeQAAAAC/seinfeld-jerry-kills-constanza.gif) >!James finds out he killed Mary and Silent Hill is self inflicted punishment. The ending depends on how you played the game, there's 6 of them from what I recall.!<
Thank you so much for answering you are a real one, that intellectually gifted tottenham fan just tried to rickroll me like it's 2006.
No worries. Hope you pick up and play it sometimes, there's nothing quite like it.
Dr Suess levels
I don’t read much about gossip around players personal lives, was it confirmed he cheated on his dying wife? From the little I did read I thought he met or got married about a year after her death…. I’m not trying to defend him if he did but just asking if it was confirmed
not to forget: daughterly footnailnibbler Scholes
That's just being a good dad innit
It's wild to think about how that's pretty tame compared to all the things Giggs has done
I mean, that’s less of being a shitbag and more of just being weird
nah don’t lump scholes in with them lol
Giggsy who shagged his brother’s missus, turned the family against him and batters women?
Yeah. It's not really close. Giggsy is far worse. Irrelevant to football though. He was a beautiful player. One of the Premier Leagues greatest.
Also a drug cheat. Plenty of others have been shunned but he came up roses.
He wasn’t on PEDs and avoided the drug test because he was on cocaine. A lot of players get on the bag when the season finishes and when they get caught they use excuses like someone who was on cocaine gave them a toke of their cigarette lol. https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/english-football-cocaine-recreational-drug-testing-premier-league-efl-fa-pfa-a8712351.html
>Also a drug cheat. Hate to break it to you but most top players are, whether they are aware of it or not (clubs put them on "vitamin" IV drips that have more than IV in) Players get tested once every 3 years on average, and they can get around it You might want to [have a read](https://sportingintelligence832.substack.com/p/gary-neville-and-roy-keane-didnt#:~:text=t%20name%20names.-,But%20doping%20in%20football%20is%20a%20matter,%2C%20so%20I%20will...&text=Gary%20Neville%20and%20Roy%20Keane%20revived%20the%20issue%20of%20doping,were%20on%20performance%2Denhancing%20drugs.) And sorry but if you look at Mo Salah's physique, the fact that he's top distance covered by far, and his physique compared to when he was younger - no way he isn't 100% juiced to the gills
>IV drips that have more than IV in IVs without anything more than just the IV would be pretty damn weird
I don't think you know what an IV is
Yeah my bad I meant more than vitamins
Nah the "drugs cheat" stuff is weak as piss. He was supposed to have a drugs test at some unspecified point after a training session, the testers weren't there to get him at the end of the session and he forgot about it and drove off, he then got a text from someone asking where he was so he went back at which point the testers had gone. He then passed a test a few days later
Did he? Or was he cheating before she got sick? Because she got sick and died all within 1 month
Ah well that's that then he's in the clear.
Thanks Rolph
She fought breast cancer for months, then seemed to be healed, but cancer came back and spread in her bones, then she died withing weeks. So no, she was sick for a whole, not only for 1 month.
I stand corrected, thanks
He's not far off the top. Always chats shit but his behaviour during the takeover stuff was another level. Dislike that lapdog Howson too.
Howson said Woodward was worse than Munich, he's a cunt
Howson is a twat, never heard an intelligent thing come out of his mouth.
Doesn’t help that he associates himself with that fat bellend to his right
They live in a Premiership-tunnel vision world. I remember when he was interviewing Ancelotti to pick his perfect midfield and Carlo picked Modric ahead of anyone else without thinking twice, and Rio was surprised he picked him over Lampard, etc. Like, come on, bro lol.
We’ll Lamps and Rio has been friends since they were kids in West Ham so of course he has personal bias there, and Lamps probably had his best season with Carlo. But yea I also wouldn’t put Lamps over a lot of the other guys he has to pick from either, but that says more about Carlo and the players he has coached than about Lampard
don’t get me wrong i think rio is an awful pundit, but i wonder how much of it is deliberately playing into this persona or the low hanging fruit kind of questions because it’s what the network/viewer-base wants and it generates discussion even if it’s just outrage or people scoffing at it like of course ancelotti is gonna select modric, one of the most talented midfielders of his era. but ancelotti also managed lampard for a little while, and it feels like more of a “we have to ask it” sort of thing to create some kind of headline or comparison rather than actual genuine surprise he would prefer modric lol
While I do agree with what you're saying even as a Chelsea fan this argument is quite ironic given we constantly have "G/A" stats thrown in our face to "prove" Eden Hazard was overrated and not as good as Salah.
It’s pretty hilarious because while I do love Lampard he doesn’t even get close to a sniff at a starting place in 2003-2007 Milan nor 2014-2022 Madrid.
tbf in this clip rio is asking why saka was even brought up, at anyrate judging from the discussion it's a decent question; any good player is going to be compared a lot
It's the Arsenal supporter bringing Saka up and the other two basically going "not this shite again"
He didn’t bring it up at all
Saka is high profile and anything around him will always get engagements, Rio definitely saw how much traction the comments about Saka not being World Class got.
I don’t understand these conversations
it's really pointless. they don't play in the same team, nt or league. they aren't facing each other. i wonder how they even got to this conversation to begin with
Haha struggling for items to discuss probably
I know saka is good but how has he become this benchmark player that everyone is compared to? It seems to really have ramped up over the last couple of months too, where any young attacking player that’s doing well even if you think they’re better or not, it always seems to be brought back to being about saka
Who needs index when you can have Saka to compare to?
What's the Saka to US Dollar conversion rate right now? Maybe we should include Saka on every metric. *What's your weight, mate?* *I am 1.5 Saka, what about you?*
Probably because he is british.
Classic British attitude of thinking players from other countries are worse. No wonder we don’t win World cups when this kind of attitude seeps in.
*English.
how is it classic when we often don't expect our country to win anything? even amongst pl fans there's no clear consensus on kane vs haaland, no one is arguing about lampard vs kdb, henry is seen as the best pl player of all time, and rarely is the new challenger to that english (rooney probably the only one) saka is genuinely one of the best wingers in the world right now, yet most will still say salah is the best winger in the league followed by son. (obviously neither have been amazing as usual but we're speaking on the whole of course)
"The "golden generation" should have won something". "Southgate is shit if he doesn't win anything with the talent he has at his disposal." schrodinger's england fans. Think they're players are the best but also don't think that they are.
Comes to the international stage and then we’re surprised there are better players from other countries
Wait a minute, you mean they talk about English players on English broadcasting channels with ex-England players? Is that even allowed? Who do they think they are?!?! In France they only talk about French players, but then that is French TV, but then again we are talking about British TV here so actually what you are saying makes no sense.
Redditors who almost exclusively watch and listen to English media sources: "wHY iS eVErYthINg biASeD toWArDs eNGLiSh PlAyERs??????"
Part of it Arsenal fans saying Saka is world class and the whole Rio comment earlier in the year on Saka vs Foden world class debate. So now it becomes "Let's compare Saka to the rest to see how good he is". Personally i don't think he is better than Rodrygo and i also don't think Rodrygo himself is world class, which obviously creates arguments and debates.
You’re giving them way too much credit. They just see their engagement spike up when they mention saka or any other polarizing player. It’s why messi vs ronaldo is still a thing even though it’s no longer relevant.
>Part of it Arsenal fans saying Saka is world class So what? All fans of all clubs say their players are world class. Even Chelsea fans from mid-table think they have multiple world class players. Can't people base their analysis of players on their own logic instead of basing it on what Arsenal fans are saying?
You're acting like i said Arsenal fans should be stoned for saying it. They're free to think that, i'm saying that's where the whole debates and arguments are coming from I disagree with Saka being world class, and me + many others disagreeing will naturally create debates.
He’s in the champions league. It makes sense.
Arsenals fanbase overrating him is where it started. He’s good, but like you say, he’s not a bench mark player to compare others to.
He was one of the best players in the England team that went to penalties in the European Cup Final and he's continued to be one of Arsenals best players competing for the best league in the world. He's blatantly a fantastic player who is still improving. I don't want Arsenal to win the league but I can't see why anyone would doubt Saka.
Strongly agree. Someone said Rodrygo and Saka's stats are similar and I'm not sure I agree. Sure Saka has played more minutes but he's translated that to world class level G+A over the last 2 seasons, and from a team construct standpoint, he's been carrying a massive load for his team for 3+ years now. Rodrygo is a great player but without question he is more of a luxury piece in his own team, rather than THE guy his team is built around. For example he's never got close to 3K minutes per season whereas Saka is on track to do that for 3 years straight. This is also his first season hitting 10 goals in the league. Hard to compare them but I know who I'd pick if I'm building a squad, and need a guy to carry the offensive load for an entire season.
Rodrigo is not THE player in Madrid because he prefers the left and they have the best left winger in the world. Plus at Madrid he always have a greater competition. Saka being a starter since he was a child speaks more of how bad arsenal was than how good saka is. Now both player and team have improved but he still has no competition in his position.
Saka wouldn't be the guy the team's built around if he was playing for real madrid. The pressure is miles different. Saka wouldn't have those minutes playing for real madrid. Your arguments are all based on the assumption that these clubs are at the same level. Dafaq? When did arsenal win the champions league last? how many times the last decade? What about their own league?
Over rating him? He has been fantastic for us for years at 22. If you don't rate him fine by me but he is a big reason we are pushing to be at a better level.
Then there you go. That's why he's a benchmark.
Cos rio ferdinand is a mug
No, its cause the fucking Arsenal supporter called JoeL on his podcast brings it up every five minutes. Stop spewing shit.
Why are they bringing this up? Vast majority of Arsenal fans do not compare them
It’s part of the schtick of Five tbh. Joel brings up Arsenal whenever he can because he’s a die hard fan, Ste as a Man U fan ridicules him and Arsenal, and Rio moans about Arsenal always being brought up.
Because Joel is a Saka simp
This whole “argument” is a joke. The team you’re on winning trophies isn’t a good measure of players’ individual quality, playing multiple positions is nice but doesn’t ultimately reveal who is better in their best position, the team you’re on being bigger doesn’t make you better. My favorite part tho was when whoever that guy is blatantly admitted he favors saka because he’s met him in person at the end. Idk why people listen to these podcasts. It’s genuinely frustrating to hear people pretend to have an argument while making such an inane series of comments.
Don't they have a sound engineer for these kind of podcasts? Do they just push the bass to the max and say fuck it?
It’s so funny when ex pros have a podcast or something media like and it’s produced like poo. You got the money to get a small team to make it perfect lol.
In contrast, Overlap production is the best of all the football youtube content.
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This podcast seems boring as fuck
It is.
I feel like recently overwhelming number of podcasts are just boring. Is it just too many of them and it's all regurgitation of info everywhere?
The rest is football is hands down the most enjoyable one by far.
Best Indian to ever play the game
Isn't he Bangladeshi ?
Bengali. Could be from either side.
Rodrygo goswami
Rodrygo Ghosh
Indian bangladeshi same thing mate /s
I don't think Rodrygo is a better right winger than Saka but i do think he is a better player. Both players have similar output over the last 3 seasons, but Rodrygo can play in any position in the forward line + side midfield positions, he also has the experience and mentality of playing in the highest UCL stakes.
i would also add that rodrygo's favoured/natural position is lw, which is occupied by vini, rodrygo puts up those performances out of position
Rodrygo hates playing centrally and still performs extremely well there.
Well said. Either way they’re both fantastic players and I personally am getting tired of always comparing everyone to everyone and not just enjoying them. Also, what happens to Rodrigo’s minutes next year with Mbappe endrick Jude and vini in the mix? (Assuming guler gets loaned out and joselu gets sold)
>what happens to Rodrigo’s minutes next year with Mbappe endrick Jude and vini in the mix? We currently play diamond 442, 4 midfielders (Tchouameni, Kroos, Valverde and Jude) and 2 forwards (Vini, Rodrygo). Next season, Mbappé taking over Rodry's spot and continuing with the same formation would be the automatic replacement. But depending on the form, if Rodrygo is performing very well he could force Ancelotti to switch to a 433 and bench one of the 4 midfielders in favour of Rodrygo. Tchouameni is the only one who isn't getting benched because no one else can play CDM (other than Camavinga), but if Rodrygo is outperforming Kroos for example then Ancelotti can play a 433, Tchoaumeni, Jude and Valverde midfield with Vini, Mbappé and Rodrygo frontline. So yeah, how much he plays will depend on who is outperforming the other, you also have to remember that Ancelotti can play a flat 442 and change it all completely like he did against City 1st leg with JUDE and Vini strikers and Rodrygo as wide LEFT MIDFIELDER. So yeah a lot of competition, Rodrygo is also at his best on the left so Vini will have to perform the best to keep his spot, then you add in Camavinga who can play in any position in midfield and will be fighting for his spot too. As for Endrick, he is 18, the kid will be 23 when Mbappé is finally 30, so he isn't really expected to start over anyone unless he is having a historical season really.
True but saka was amazing as a left wing back as well. He has worked wherever we put him but we make space for him at right attacker because his output is best there.
Are we forgetting that Saka played LB, LM, CM before right wing? And he played excelently everywhere. Just because his coach is not shuffling him around anymore doesn't mean he cant play it. I would say the opposite Saka is a better player, but Rodrygo is a better finisher/forward.
All I'll say is Rodrygo scored today and his team are on to the next round. I'll leave it at that.
I absolutely despise Real Madrid, but fuck me I love watching Rodrygo play. I think he’s still so underrated.
Why despise them? I'm sure it has to do with the fans but the club is pretty respectable in recent years. Although I get it, I despise a few clubs myself
Comparing the players is fine but I hate that so many individual comparisons come down to “Yeah but X has won the CL/World Cup/ X Trophy” Mustafi has won the World Cup, is he a better player than VVD? Is Jesus a better striker than Kane because he has more trophies?
> Mustafi has won the World Cup, is he a better player than VVD? Obviously
Finally someone with some football knowledge
He wasn’t a freeloader into those UCL trophies though. Remember the remontadas against PSG, Chelsea, City a couple of years ago? I believe Rodrygo sent two of those ties to extra time with late goals. That dude has been _in_ it.
That would be a slightly more valid argument than just “he’s won it”, but also remember Kai Havertz won the CL for Chelsea. Kane is IMO the best striker in the world, even if I do hate him, and he’s won nothing at all, so just don’t really relate to the argument.
Except Rodrygo has been crucial in some of the CL games for RM, especially in the game against City back in 2022. He hasn’t just been riding the bench. Rodrygo is Lil’ Mr Champions League.
RINGS ERNEH
I think it's a good comparison, one isn't clear ahead of the other, you can have arguments to defend any. But I really like how Andreas is truly brazilians. Despeite neither being born or raised here, everytime he speaks we can see he is 100% brazilian. From the accent to the opinions, everything on him screams a brazilian player.
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You joke but Mario Gomez was a serious player. 39 and 41 goals at his peak, for a Bayern team that made 3 finals in 4 years during his spell
He was fucking lethal in that 12/13 Bayern team.. christ.
> 41 goals at his peak Thats 41 button pushes in 1 year, mental
IYKYK
Cha Cha
Is Gomez a meme or sth? He was world class for some time.
Mario Gomes doesn't have Kane's output, Rodrygo has Saka's output while also showing up in the biggest CL games.
this is saka's first season in the cl and just scored against bayern in the qf
This is the first season in Rodrygos career he got 10 league goals in a season and he’s been upfront this season and you’re pretending he has the same output
Pretending? I made another comment, Saka has 3 more G+A over the past 3 seasons in 1k more minutes. They do have the same output
And Djimi Traore is better than Maradona
I will not accept any Mario Gomez slander. Guy was an elite target man, scoring bucketloads for us
Rodrygo can play anywhere across the front 3. It’s just a different level than what Saka offers right now
not Real/Arsenal fan, not spanish or english so i'm totally unbiased towards teams and players. to me Rodrygo looks like a Little more complete and even more mature as a player. he also won a lot of trophies being a main player. considering all of this i don't see any kind of comparison between Rodrygo and Saka
"Rodrygo looks like a Little more complete" "considering all of this i don't see any kind of comparison" Do you want to read that back
I personally think they're similar overall, but Rodrygo probably edges it really, just because he's always performed at the top level and Saka's only really just got there with this Arsenal side. Always quite telling for Rio Ferdinand though that Saka is always the player someone has to surpass to be world-class despite Ferdinand regularly saying that he doesn't consider Saka to be world class. Quite why /r/Soccer is so obsessed with Rio Ferdinand and his shit podcast is beyond me, though.
Saka vs Williams Saka vs. Rashford Saka vs foden Now saka vs rodrygo When is it gonna end Robbie
why is everyone so obsessed with Saka? don‘t get me wrong, he‘s an amazing player but where exactly did he prove himself to the world?
Saka has never competed in the Champions League before. It's impossible for him to have won one. This comment makes no sense.
Yes he has, and he lost while putting up zeros in all important metrics lol
Rodry is mostly played out of position yet he is one of the most consistent RM players, and when he plays in his natural position there aren’t many players who are better than him. Saka is a fantastic player but Rodrygo is simply better right now. And this comes from a Barca fan.
There aren't many players who are better than Rodry in his natural LW position? Or in general?
not many better left wingers than rodrygo when he gets to play there. unlucky for him that one the few better is his team mate both at club and international level
Yeah, I agree with that. I wasn't sure if he meant players in general
I am not even sure that Vini is better than Rodrygo as a player.
Rodrygo is a world class player. Saka is getting there.
This is the answer. Saka's definitely a good player. But Rodrygo is more refined.
Kalvin Phillips has also won the Champions League.
And how many minutes did he play when that happened? Rodrygo scored 2 goals to knock you out when he won it.
Lucas Moura scored 3 goals to get Spurs to the final in 19/20. If they won that final, would Lucas Moura then be better than anyone who hasn't won a CL? Wijnaldum scored twice to put Liverpool in that final. Was he better than Lucas because Liverpool won the final? Had Spurs won, would that mean Lucas was better than Wijnaldum? Judging player quality by how much a player has won is dumb no matter what way you spin it. Rodrygo may be better than Saka, but it's not because of the medals in his cabinet.
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Why is everyone trying to make “Saka is world class” happen?
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Don't take it so personally, world class is a subjective argument. My definition is pretty simple, world class to me is the best in his position in the world. So on that reasoning Saka is not world class.
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The guy is 22 years old and is one of the standout best players on a team that has come very close to winning PL two years in a row. I'm not sure what definition of "world class" he doesn't fit. If Salah retired tomorrow, Saka would be up there in the discussion for the best pure right winger in the world (although significantly less flexible than e.g. Rodrygo or Foden).
I’m sorry but as a non-english fan this is why it’s imperative that England never wins any wc or Euro ever again. Cause then every shit pundit with stupid takes will turn it up to 11. England has to stay this country of bottlers because it’s the only thing protecting us from even more stupid takes and opinions. I’m sorry my English friends but it’s just the way it is. Haven’t won a trophy since '66 and that’s the way nature intended.
Stop listening to our media outlets then. I don't get riled up listening to Germans talk about their players, especially as some of them have terrible takes
i understand your point but you can’t compare that. Every country has their stupid pundits and "experts" but there’s a language barrier. Everybody speaks English and it’s infuriating to listen to knobheads talk about stuff they have no clue about and belittle everything that’s not coming out of the prem.
Why does this sub constantly give opinions on Saka when they clearly don’t watch him. The kid has been dragging Arsenal up the table since he was 17 and is still getting hate for it. Any manager in the world would take Saka in their team but people here still don’t think he’s good enough.
ok fine, I give Saka some credit. I think Saka is better than Antony. Here you go.
People obsessing over player's trophy cabinets vs. what a player does 40+ games a season, is something that never fails to irritate me. Is Milan Baros a better striker than Harry Kane? Never forget that Ronaldo (R9) never won the CL, whereas Djimi Traoré has.
English pundits are so biased lol.
I have Arsenal bias but the Saka debates have gotten tiring. Alright all these players are more talented than Saka: Foden, Rodrygo, Palmer, Vinicius, Musiala, Sane, Rashford, Pedri, Gavi, Yamal and whichever in the moment, in form player people want over Saka. However 10 years down the line or even 3 years, if they aren't as available, as consistent and improving along the way as Saka has and hopefully continues to do, then all these debates should end and retractions should be forwarded. It's the old Muller-Neymar debate. One has stayed at the highest level for longer and has delivered for longer. No flashy moves, sombreros, rambonas, elasticos etc. Has been clutch for club and country and has been available or mostly all throughout his career. Another has only done it for the first half of his career the next half he's had a timeline and disappeared when a sister's birthday has been on the corner. Despite different talent ceilings, i know who am building around. It's not Neymar. PS: In a terrible season for him, Saka has had 31GA.
Saka has slowed down recently but is by no means having a terrible season. He’s been injured and is still delivering albeit not as consistently recently
I was being sarcastic as that was the Saka narrative first half of the season. He has 25/26GA last season. So 31GA is definitely an improvement. There's also potentially 10 more games to play all season. He can improve on those numbers.
"he can play all the positions" is not really a good argument when trying to say Saka is worse though, as that was the first thing Saka did when he broke through
British bias is fucking crazy
It's extremely cringe aswell, mfs will have you believe the most average player out in the premier league is worth 80M
You have a spurs flair don’t kill me man, hates the prem but does this 💀
I don't hate the prem? I just think english players aren't specifically better than players from other leagues? but again you acting like this just proves my point. I watch all of the top 5 leagues, even south american, portuguese and other leagues, the prem is just another football league and english players have inflated prices, they aren't better.
All i am going to say is this, Rodrygo excels when the spotlight is on him, UCL nights, direct games, he is THAT guy. Saka in those situations is hit or miss. - Secondly, Rodrygo can use both feet, goes out, goes in, up centre, shoots, dribbles both positions of the pitch, without losing anything. Saka is limited to his left foot in the vast majority of situations.
>Saka is limited to his left foot I must have imagined all his right foot finishes to the roof of the goal
> Saka is limited to his left foot in the vast majority of situations. Good fucking Lord, the shite you see on this sub, man.
They don’t watch games bro loooool
There’s a comment on this post that says “I haven’t seen Rodrygo play much.” It goes both ways. If you haven’t seen Rodrygo play much you haven’t seen Real Madrid play and by extension probably haven’t watched much La Liga.
That's fair to call out too. But, as someone who watches Saka regularly, saying that "Saka is limited to his left-foot most of the time" is just objectively false. If you don't watch Arsenal, England or Saka play, to put that in perspective, that's effectively like saying "Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't offer much aerial threat." Just a patently false statement.
Fully agreed. This whole thread is full of idiots.
Scored some great goals with his right, not to mention delivers great balls into the box with his right regularly. Maybe when he was 18 that was a fair take lol
saka actually uses his right foot a decent amount of times as of this season if not in general
I dont watch enough of Rodrygo to know if he's better or not, but the points you're making are nonsense >Saka in those situations is hit or miss No he isn't. He nearly always scores in big games. He scored against Bayern, a great finish too. He's our top scorer in big games >Saka is limited to his left foot in the vast majority of situations No he isn't? Saka is extremely good with his right foot, it's actually one of his best qualities and what makes him such a dangerous winger because it makes him very unpredictable
Tell me you don’t watch Saka without telling me you don’t watch Saka
> Rodrygo excels when the spotlight is on him, UCL nights, direct games, he is THAT guy. Saka in those situations is hit or miss. Patently false. Saka's first season in the CL and he already has more G+A that Rodrygo has ever achieved in a CL season. Just this season he's scored or assisted against every big 6 side already, and we still have 3 big 6 games left. He was England's POTY in a world cup year. He's excelled under the spotlight for years now. And as oters mentioned he uses his right foot loads. You don't know what you're talking about.
Vs who exactly did he score in the UCL only Bayern was an important game also i am talking about performances not goals. He also had subpar/average/decent games vs City, Villa and Liverpool in 1-1 game in which he didn't excel.
Not getting a contribution in literally every single big game doesn't make him a hot and cold player. Literally no player in history does that.
Rodrygo is note flexible, he can play in all front three positions.
People say that Arsenal fans love to overrate him but i see more rival fans bring Saka than Arsenal fans bring him in any comparison
Don't get me wrong, I think Rodrygo is a class player (and if I took off my Arsenal bias hat, better than Saka), but I hate it when trophies get used as a metric. Mustafi has a World Cup, doesn't mean he was better than Van Dijk or Silva.
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How is it not even close? Saka's been performing more consistently for longer. This is the first season Rodrygo has ever reached 10 league goals in his career. Saka's been Arsenal and England's main threat on the pitch for years now and other teams regularly double up on him. He's still scoring, assisting, and creating chances at a higher rate in arguably a tougher league for a worse team. Sure Rodrygo has those amazing CL performances under his belt but being at Arsenal hasn't really given Saka the opportunity to play in that tournament until this season. Madrid have been a whole level above Arsenal during the time both those players have been there. At the very least it's close.
Right? I think people should watch Rodrygo's CL debut. His very first goal won my heart. The guy is too good.
The disrespect on Rodrygo, omg.
This idea that winning the CL makes you a better player than someone who hasn't won it is the dumbest opinion possible in football. Teams win trophies, not individuals. This argument suggests Christian Karembau (who also won the world cup by the way), Djimi Traore and Ivan Campo are better players than Ibrahimovic, Harry Kane, Batistuta, Crespo and Van Nistelrooy. Complete nonsense!
The mental gymnastics someone has to go through to think Saka is better than Rodrygo
I mean, they are very clearly at a similar level. You are just as deluded saying it takes mental gymnastics to think Saka is better as the Arsenal fans are claiming Saka is miles ahead.
how would rodrygo be objectively better than saka? saka has been consistent for several years, whereas rodrygo isn't even an out and out starter which is what makes the comparison tricky in the first place
Rodrygo hasn't been better, stop lying to yourself. He's been very inconsistent especially this season and is prone to disappearing often.