A little post for a potentially big topic
By: Kevin | February 16th, 2009So, in perusing over at Pep’s Most Excellent Place, I came upon this tidbit of data, in a translated interview with Samuel Eto’o.
He was talking to French sports pub SportsWeek, and the topic of his renewal came up:
Your contract with Barcelona expires in 2010. Are you on the verge of taking a difficult decision: staying with Barça or leaving the club, maybe this year already?
No, that’s easy. I actually already made my decision. But I cannot tell anything at this moment.
In general, when one talks like this in February, that’s because there’s already a deal on a transfer…
That’s what you say.
Could Karim Benzema join Barcelona next season to, who knows, replace you?
Benzema is one of those players who can play at every club in the world. So why not Barça? But we also could play together…
So. There we have it. Is Eto’o just being coy, and has decided to make a deal and stay on this summer? If so, people in FCB-Land are being positively Sphinx-like about this decision. Or has he decided to move on?
Everyone knows my view on l’affaire Eto’o. I think it’s damaged beyond repair, and that he wants to not only leave us, but leave us under circumstances that will cause the most inconvenience. Don’t know why I feel thus, but I do.
Maybe some of it is the “let’s wait until summer,” putting things off and putting things off. Maybe it’s the “contract talks will distract me” being pure bollocks since agents do the negotiating. Maybe it’s his wanting to be the second highest-paid player on the side.
Maybe it’s all of the above.
At any rate….have at it, everyone.
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Sorry eklavya but i dont agree. Messi is different because he creates and scores a lot of his goals all by himself. Eto’o not so much, eto’o depends on his teamates to provide service and to create chances for him. Eto’o scores as much as he does because of the players that surround him. Any world class striker would do the same. Certainly Villa is capable of scoring as many goals as long as he gets the same service from the players around him. In fact Villa might score more because if you compare the goals they have each scored this season Villa scores a lot more individual goals.
Thats not to say Eto’o doesnt, because as he proved on Saturday he is more than capable of creating goals out of nothing. I just think Villa does it more often. Dont get me wrong I love Eto’o and i want him to stay, but he is not Messi, he is not irreplaceable. There are 2 or 3 players that could take his place and we could get them….
Not sure how reliable this is coming from Goal but Sport seem to think Eto’o will renew: http://www.goal.com/en/news/1706/barcelona/2009/02/16/1112408/barcelona-set-to-offer-samuel-etoo-new-deal
Posted from
United Kingdom
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Agree about Villa scoring more individual goals. The player most similar to Eto’o this season, though not as good, as probably Forlan; both are often overshadowed skill wise by the players they are up front with, but like Eto’o, Forlan is one of those players that you just know will score goals with the proper support.
However while Eto’o will always be a legend in my eyes, I don’t think it would be wrong at this point for both parties to move on, and the only person I want to see replace him is Villa. I don’t think Villa has Eto’o’s winning mentality, because nobody does, but he is an overall more well rounded player and I could see him forming an awesome partnership with Messi. Plus like Eto’o he’s at the peak of his career and would help Bojan develop as opposed to get in his way.
Bojan is one of many reasons I don’t want to see Benzema anywhere near this club. The kid doesn’t have the best attitude in the world and could easily shatter what little confidence Bojan has.
Posted from
Canada -
My french skills:
Je m’appelle, Bobby Digitelle
Comme ta le vous, mademoiselle
La original, parfit e tranquille
Je ne pas ordinaire, la nouvelle
La bonbon, tres bien
ça va? let’s get it on.Posted from
United States -
Hahahh wtf that doesn’t mean anything!! xD
Hilan I know that eto’o depends much on our other players providing him and I do agree that villa can create more goals for himself than eto’o can but I think that the form the form we have or eto’o has can be reproduced any time soon. Sure villa will score many many goals if he comes but then will our other players be able to provide him as much as now? Im not just talking about what eto’o has done this season but more about what the team together has done.The team has yet to win something though…
Posted from
Switzerland -
ARGH *but I think that the form we have or eto’o has CAN’T be
Dumb mistakes!Posted from
Switzerland -
Has anyone seen this yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoWSoFbvKk8
Go to 3:58 where they talk about a little “argument” between Guardiola and Eto’o regarding Messi’s position on the field. We’ve discussed this here before; does Messi work better on the wing in front of Alves or in the Center behind Eto’o.
It seems more relevant now that we’re talking about Eto’o possibly leaving the team in the summer.
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United States -
My french sucks, but is Isaiah the RZA?
My guess is Eto’o is overvaluing (1) the market and (2) his place in it. He thinks that a huge season will allow him to leverage interest from other clubs into a huge salary at Barca. He’s not taking into account that there’s a worldwide economic crisis that will certainly effect the transfer market, and that there aren’t many likely buyers out there. Besides, Barca has plenty of options if Eto’o does leave (see Jason’s post a couple threads back).
The pressure will be on Eto’o to renew at a reasonable cost more than for Barca to break the salary bank.
And besides, if renewal motivates him into a big season, all the better so long as he stays motivated within the scheme.
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eklavya…..ok i misunderstood you slightly. Our form so far has definitely been incredible and it will be difficult to replicate in the future. In that sense it is unlikely that any striker at Barca ends up scoring as many goals as Eto’o.
You are right as well, we have yet to win anything. We must be humble and continue working hard every game. Although with Pep in charge i am not so worried about this. What worries me is the players physical ability to keep playing at such a high level till the end of the season. Thats why i think rotation is crucial even if it costs us a few points. The next game for example against Espanyol, i would play a 2nd string team, I would rest all the big boys, even if it costs us 3 points and a local derby. If we want to win all 3 competitions we have to think big picture and we cant be spoilt and think we can win every game all the time. It just wont happen.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
On an unrelated note, terrific game from Ronnie yesterday. He’ll never regain those rampaging runs he made at the Bernabeu, but he’s adapted his game and was the only creative force for Milan in the midfield yesterday. His passing opened up Inter in the second half, and almost drew the score level. He’s very different than he was here, but still world class.
Of course, the Beckham drama will draw more attention, but Becks didn’t draw any attention for his play yesterday.
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United States -
There you go, Colin. You got it. When shingai said “comment tu t’appelles? je m’appelle Samuel!” that’s the first thing I thought of, so I hunted down the lyrics and posted them.
I’m not going to get into the Eto’o discussion again, not because it’s not interesting, but I’d just be a broken record. I want Eto’o to stay. That’s how I roll. I understand the other side and were we talking about a different team and a different player, I might even be inclined to agree, but we’re not and I don’t.
The question I have is about this coming week. Do we play a balls out squad of our best lineup against Betis or save some of them for the Lyon match? Priorities, priorities…
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Great vid, OhYes. I subscribe to that guy, those videos are always great. Love the different camera angles and shots they have. Nice to breakaway from the same video footage all the time.
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United States -
i’m tired of Eto’o and his drama. bring in Benzema. whatever drama he has had at Lyon by being the biggest thing ever there will evaporate like piss on a rock in the desert in Barcelona amongst superior players and a totally different footballing culture.
Villa is also an acceptable option, and what a dichotomy of personality! it would be worth it to bring in Villa and only hear good things from him (when you hear things at all) despite not scoring as many goals, to Eto’o’s drama llama stroking at every opportunity as he scores a million goals.
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United States -
Hilal, I wish I could explain my Eto’o feeling. It’s more a gut feeling.
Frankly, I almost hope that we don’t re-sign him. I’d love to see if his goal scoring rate holds up in whatever a new home might be. But I think that both sides will relent, and make a deal. At least that’s what the logical side of me days.
Benzema isn’t coming this summer, not for what Aulas will be wanting to get for him. A more likely option might be if Arsenal doesn’t make Europe, and guys start heading for the exits. Wouldn’t mind seeing an Adebayor/Van Persie tandem make the short plane flight.
Villa is also a good option. I think that in our system, ANY good forward is going to score goals. No, there aren’t many forwards who can score a goal like the one that Eto’o nailed to tie the score. But maybe that forward puts in the one that he shot wide, or controls the first-half touches, putting us in the locker room with a 2-2 draw.
Who knows?
One part of me likes the continuity. Eto’o stays put, then when Henry leaves….
The other part of me doesn’t want the club to be held hostage by someone who is as much a product of our system and playing style, as his very own prodigious talent.
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United States -
Eto’o wastes chances sometimes yes, but Adebayor is even more wasteful, Ade scores like 1 out of 6 chances a game.if eto’o leaves, then we should get villa.
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United States -
Adebayor/RvP have been objectively shit for Arsenal. i don’t want them, together, anywhere near our starting XI. 17 goals between the pair of them this season; Henry and Eto’o have 35, more than twice as many. van Persie might possibly be a good option, but the first time he goes out injured for a few months (and it will happen) he’s not going to seem like it. Adebayor is wholly unconvincing.
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United States -
I think that every striker is wasteful. It’s what they do. We just forget the ones they blow, unless you’re the one writing the match review.
But I also think that the Barca system rewards a striker with put-away chances that pad shot/goal stats, so to speak. Lots of tap-ins or simple redirections into the net. That isn’t the case with Arsenal, where balls are coming off a cross, or a long pass. They just don’t have the passing attack that we have. No team does right now.
Not to diminish what Eto’o has done for the side in any way, but I don’t know, if there were another quality striker who occupied the same position, that he wouldn’t have the same gaudy stats.
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BA: you do realize that van persie has had a hand in EVERY arsenal goal this season? right? adebayor sucks but rvp is legit.
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That is one stat that is scary or impressive, Matt, dependent upon one’s worldview of Arsenal.
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I’ll go with scary… The stat should change with Eduardo’s return.
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RvP is certainly a better player and a better option for us than Adebayor, and is an excellent player overall; but he has a serious problem with injury as well as a temperament problem. he’s only made more than 31 appearances a season (in all competitions) once for Arsenal, in his first season. that should concern us more than his goalscoring (which has never been as good as Henry’s is this season) or his playmaking.
for our left wing i would far rather break the bank for Ribery (who is a vastly superior player in my opinion) than buy van Persie. as you noted, RvP has become rather integral to the Arsenal squad this season which will raise his price. if we paid £12m for Hleb, we couldn’t expect to pay less than £15m-18m (over €20m) for van Persie. Ribery might cost us €30m, but he’s sure to be worth it.
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in the Van Persie vs. Adebayor debate, Van Persie! Alot of skill, great left foot. lots of Pace. I actaully really dont like Adebayor’s play. i say he just had one good season last year. I think Vela, Eduardo, Van Persie, Walcott or Arshavin are would be better buys than Adebayor.
Lets just buy Pato!, he plays for a Uefa cup team anyways…
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United States -
Its sad to read how few ppl here look down on Eto’o worth for the club. Its true any striker in barca shirt
would be expected to hit +20 goals a seasonBut Eto’o strenght is in the type of striker that he is
if you guys recall the intervju, where he said “i eno´joy more, strsssing and winning the ball back from defenders as much as scoring”Villa, Benzema, would score +20 goals. But the team as hole would not benefit as much from there style as much as they would benefit from being in such a good team.
Thanks to Eto’o playin style and willingness, not running and stressing goalkepers and defenders few times a game, but doing so, even at 90th min of the game
make sure that Barca can keep up even higher procentage
of the ball during the game, by getting the ball back
few seconds earlier then normal everytime, Eto’o runs uppfront when the other team has the ballI know barca as team want to get the ball back as soon as possible and its not only cause of eto, but his willingness allow us a quicker return of the ball, most of the time
And that my friends, money cant buy, your born with that
kind if playing style and caracterPosted from
Sweden -
Bashir, I wouldn’t say that people are looking down on Eto’o’s value to the club. I think we all agree that he is an excellent striker in our system.
The question, I think, is more the annoyance attendant to having that guy around. If he fixed the tendency in the box of waiting for the ball to come to him instead of moving to get it sometimes, I’d be much more inclined to put up with nonsense. But if you look at his goals this season (and I can, thanks to my highlight DVDs), precious few of them could not have been scored by any other quality forward.
But as has also been pointed out, knowing where to be and having the smarts and speed to get there is not to be underestimated as well, right? Is a simple tap-in really a simple tap-in, in other words.
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United States -
I think, as Kxevin has mentioned, all this talk of a new #9 isnt about us thinking there are better strikers, but rather us preparing for life-after Eto’o, because theres a good chance he wants out, or wants Messi-Money to stay.
We dont want to puch Eto’o out, but we also dont want to be caught with our knickers down if he says, “hey guys i dont want a new deal, i want out!”
Posted from
United States -
that should read “we dont want to PUSH Eto’o out”
Posted from
United States
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