Goodbye, Giovani
By: Isaiah | June 11th, 2008Well, it’s belated adios time for Giovani Alex Dos Santos Ramírez. The 18-year old has joined Tottenham for approximately 6million euros, which could rise to 11million euros depending on appearances and performance. It was fun to have Gio in our side and, frankly, I’m sad to see him go. I can’t blame him for his move, as mercenary as it is, because he was in a side that was never really going to give him a large number of starts and thus was never going to give him a large-money contract.
Hopefully he has found a good home, but I have my doubts, as do many, I believe. I hope to be proven wrong and quickly so, really, but moving from Barcelona to Tottenham is by no means a step up, even if Gio claims, “It is a dream for me to come to a big club like Spurs.” Right, because Tottenham is a bigger club than Barcelona…(11th in the Premiership is better than 3rd in La Liga? Who knew.)
Enough of the negatives, though. I love the kid’s style and flair on the field and he was quickly developing; perhaps he’ll be another escaped gem like Fabregas and we’ll rue the day we didn’t give in to his demands for Ronaldinho-like money.
His stats with the team during his solitary year were:
La Liga: 28 appearances (10 starts, 18 subs); 3 goals; 4 assists*
Champions League: 5 appearances (1 start, 4 subs) 1 goal
Copa del Rey: 5 appearances, 0 goals
Overall: 38 appearances, 4 goals, 4 assists. Not too shabby for a first-year player who is only 18. Not bad at all, really. But he wanted more, so more he’ll get from Juande Ramos’ new “Spanish Armada”…Best of luck to our little man, who grew up in the youth ranks (from 2001) and is now plying his trade far from “home.” May it go well for you, Gio. And may Soccernet spell your name correctly some day.
*all assists are listed from Soccernet, even though I generally disagree with keeping assist stats in soccer because there is no way to define assists or, at the very least, an agreed upon way of figuring them out. Yet I’ll list them here because the stats are generally indicative of performance.
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Dunno if anyone else is watching but Martin Caceres is playing out of position, at left back, for Uruguay v Venezuela, but is outstanding. Ball control is excellent and his passing is up to Blaugrana standard. He is bombing down the wing at every opportunity from left back. He is right footed though he is looking very comfortable on his left foot. Impressive.
Villa’s finish was awesome. Not many strikers would have scored that goal in the 93rd minute. The touch to get past the defender was sweet and the calmness infront of the keeper was top class. Drogba has said he may stay with Chelsea, leaving the door open for Milan/Inter to fight it out for Eto’o. If he gets bought then we have to replace him with Villa. If not he will still score goals so it’s win win.
Deco and Ronnie for €55million is a decent bit of business. Both players have had below par seasons and are probably never going to return to their former selves. The money could be well spent on reinforcements and should have a positive long-term effect on our squad.Posted from
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Aha. Thanks for the fix, Citizen. I sort of almost trust Wikipedia.
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bye, giovani. i am, by association with my friend, a spurs fan, so i will root you on in the coming years. i do think that spurs will qualify for europe this year.
finally,,,the barca website has the official news that zamby is indeed going to Milan. we get 9 million euros, plus 2 more depending on how Milan finish in the table over the coming years…
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Completely off-topic, but did anyone just watch the Czech-Turkey game? Holy crap that was nuts.
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Not Barça related, but what a finish today between Turkey and the Czech Republic! The weather almost killed the Turks last game, but helped them in the end today. Cech the goat, and that same ref for the Italy-Holland game makes another controversial decision. Does Volkan deserve a red for that shove?
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Isn’t it if you put a hand on another player you get a red? In that case it was totally deserved, he pushed him down with both hands.
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Hope giovanni never comes back to us. He shud never be welcome here. He was given 28 apearances in the first season in a premature promotion from b team(where again he forced the issue). What more did he want? Neither did he shine like like Messi or Bojan for all the chances he was given did he?
Assuming the signing of Alves, we have completed our backline (some we cannot go for a better goal keeper). We have four solid midfielders in Keita, Toure, Xavi and Iniesta. Assuming Deco leaves - replacements in the news - Moutinho, Hleb, Van der Vaart, Lucho, Heranaes (suposedly the new Kaka) and someone from south america who is being touted as the new Deco. Amonst the lot, Hleb seems to be the worst option with high price and frustrating negotiations. Moutinho looks promising if a tad bit expensive. Van der vaart i personally find thoroughly unimpressive. Dont know about the other options. We can even make do without an outside optin with the help of Guy Assulin. If Ronaldinho doesnt leave, then we have the option of him playing the creative midfielder in the middle instead of the front three in the left. Otherwise, him in the usual left position. If Ronaldinho does leave, Then we have the left side to fill up, and Silva still seems to be the best option for it. Dont know about Thiago Alcantara.
Which brings us to the front three. We have in Henry and Eto`o two great strikers for the central position. Bojan is offcourse the antural goal scoring future choice who can also play on the wings. If Eto`s has to leave for team stability (I really hope he doesnt have to), then we are only left with Henry and Bojan. I am hoping once playing in the centre, with a rejuventaed team providing good service, Henry will be able to regain some of his magic. Which begs the question if there is a need to find a replacment for Eto`o. If we do, then the names being touted are Benzema, Trezeguet, Villa, palacio, Gomez etc. Of the lot, Trzeguet doesnt make sense unless he is cheap and doesnt demand too much playng time. He is a good in the box player, but i believe Huntelaar matches him in every aspect and has a huge upside. If Barca provide him good service, he is bound to score tons of goal(maybe even surpassing eto`o’s tally).He is even interested in Barca but we havent shown interest and now real seems to be getting a hold of him. Aguero wud be another player who has huge poitential but he aint for sale and not in our radar. Havent seen too much of Benzema except in the champions league, but was impressed by that goal he scored against ManU. Which leaves us with that elusive Left sided Forward. Villa definitely wud be awesome. It is here that i hope we dont fit a makeshift player. Dont know if Thiago Alcantara can fill that position. I was also hoping for some sort of backup forward winger type player who wud fill in for left or roght front when needed.
All in all, Alves is the only signing i am holding my breath for. Otherwise, we already have a good squad in our hand.
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I think usually a shove below the shoulders is a yellow.
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Congratulations to Guardiola and Barca B. Another strong performance, winning 1-0, and they are promoted. Aggregate of 9-0 in the playoffs. Very sound tactically. Very successful throughout the season. They held a 100% record at home and then blew the competition away in the playoffs.
We are supposedly pulling out of the Hleb deal because Arsenal are not accepting a bid of around €15million. I can’t see why we would try to get an older, more expensive and less talented version of Iniesta, who scores less and is not as good defensively as the real thing. Maybe it’s just me but I would rather get someone who would give us something a little different.
Hernanes has confirmed that we have an offer in for him and he has used the “train only passes once” response Moutinho did a few days previous about the chance to play in our shirt. He also thinks that he is more than capable of playing for us. He stressed the importance of the modern midfielder of being able to both create goals and defend well. That’s what I like to hear.
Lyon’s president has said that he doesn’t think that Benzema would like to go to Madrid, that he likes us a lot. The Catalan press also speculated that Benzema is rethinking the possibility of joining us. Benzema wasn’t sure if he would get as much playing time as he wanted but if Ero’o leaves he feels he would.
Messi and Aguero are playing up front together for Argentina v Ecuador. I do think that they are very similar in styles but I love watching them both. Kun has more instincts inside the box but Messi is on a different planet to everyone else in terms of ball control and dribbling.Posted from
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Sorry for the error in the upper post. I meant, Villa wud be awesome for central striker role (only if his price doesnt skyrocket). I meant to say Silva for the left side role.
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Ciaran, I dont know about Benzema. Watched him in that match against Romania. Looked OK not very impressive. Probably plays better for Lyon. However, Huntelaar wud be an opportunity missed if he comes cheap.
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Does anybody know if the Argentina-Ecuador game is going to be broadcasted here in the US? Unfortunately, I can only find Belize-Mexico and Barbados-US right now, both sure to be boring blowouts.
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I agree with Benzema’s earlier statement that he would benefit from another season in France. I have every confidence that he will be a sensational player for the future. I think that in another 12 months he will be one of the best striker’s on the planet.
Huntelaar is a different player. He is a gift voucher for 25+ goals a season. That alone is surely worth a look. If there is any more money available he should be bought. Van Basten wants him to stay with Ajax but won’t give him a game with Holland. Maybe Huntelaar this summer and try for Benzema next one.
I’m sure as soon as the futures of Deco, Eto’o and Ronnie are sorted we will see a lot more movement.
We sorted out the defense very quickly because he knew exactly who would be moving. Zambrotta, Thuram and Edmilson left and were immediately replaced by Alves, Caceres and Pique.
I can only assume that Keita is there as a replacement for Gudjohnsen rather than Deco. As soon as Deco has a new home will probably see a signing quickly for his position. Txiki probably as deals in principle in place for the replacements for those three.
Signing a replacement for any of those before they have left is stupid as we could be left with two sets of wages and a big minus in the transfer fee column.
I am looking forward to seeing who comes in for Ronnie. That will be the one to give us an indication of Guardiola’s plans. If he signs a left winger then Messi will probably stay with his wide starting position. If they sign a striker than Messi will probably start in the ‘hole’.
I think for Eto’o and Deco it will be direct replacements.
It is worrying that we still have not signed a replacement for the outgoing EzquerroPosted from
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Benzema is a complexity. On the surface, he isn’t ready yet. But the longer he stays at Lyon, theoretically the better he gets and the more expensive he gets. Aulas is of course, crazy for saying that he’s a 50 million Euro player.
The Hernanes thing is interesting. Brazilian, with all that implies, and a two-footed player, which means if he has any talent at all (boatloads, apparently), he’s almost unplayable in the right system. Buzz is we have a deal with him, and have to get it worked out with Sao Paulo, who I can’t see being all that difficult with us.
We should pass on Hleb. It’s already a bigger pain in the arse than it needs to be. I think that explains the Hernanes thing. I know that we’re still on for Moutinho, as well. That should begin in earnest next week, the talks with Sporting.
Ronaldinho and Citeh is looking less likely. They splashed almost 9 million pounds a year at him! Whoa! But ah, those pesky taxes. Our deal with him is a tax-free salary deal. And his deal with them depends on them winning the league, Carling/FA Cup or grabbing a Champions League spot.
Could we wind up with him next season?
I can’t believe that after the summer we have had (Keita, Pique, Caceres, Alves) that we’re still going after players. But we do have a lot of guys leaving, so it’s necessary. There’s still that striker to be resolved, and I wouldn’t mind another defender. And there’s still that Deco replacement.
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Ciaran, I think that we’re going to put up one of those dribbling pylons from the practice pitch on the squad in place of Ezquerro.
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On the striker thing. Rodrigo Palacio comes off the bench in the 90th minute with Argentina 0-1 down to Ecuador and scores 2 minutes later with his only shot. I would sign him only if he promised to cut that thing off the back of his head. I dont know what he is trying but I think 1 dreadlock isn’t a hairstyle. In fairness he is very very quick. Maybe it is to do with aerodynamics or something.
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Just got done with the Czech-Turkey game. Craziness. Absolute craziness. And then to finish THAT broadcast in time to tune to the U.S. Open to watch Woods sink an 18th-hole birdie putt to force a playoff?
What do y’all reckon non-sports fans do with their time?
Ciaran, the Argentines are into that single-lock thing at the back. Palacio isn’t the first player I’ve seen it on. Oddness.
Hey, is the Brazil-Argentina match on Wednesday on pay-per-view, like today’s match? This whole PPV thing is getting frustrating. I liked it better when footie was our own little thing, and every match worth seeing was on free telly.
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I only see the Brazil-Argentina game listed on PPV here…which is, as you put it, very frustrating. Almost as frustrating as being unable to reach through the TV screen and yank whatever that thing is off of Palacio’s head.
You know, I think I’ll find out how much the PPV match is and then decide that I’ll watch it online because that’s free. And choppy like the Argentina-Ecuador thriller today. I feel bad for Ecuador because it’s moments like those that can ultimately make or break a team’s WC qualification campaign.
Does anyone here think Dunga survives if Brazil loses to Argentina? Only 5 points back from the top and still in contention to win it, but will he?
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Ya, like Kevin said, the ridiculous Qin dynasty/Anakin Skywalker haircut is pretty popular (relatively speaking) in Argentina, or Buenos Aires, at least. I lived in Bs As for a couple of months two years ago, and burst out laughing the first time I saw someone like that on the street, thinking that the guy was just a craz Palacio fan. But they really do like wacky hair braidings there. A lot of the time it’s actually a fake extension! (There’s some debate about whether Palacio’s is real or fake.)
On a completely separate note, I really hope Cech doesn’t turn into Dida II. (Remember when he got hit by that flare a few years ago, and started becoming crazy?)
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Reports are that a deal for Hernanes is done, at 15 million for the transfer, and 2 million plus incentives for the player. Nice work. I think he’s going to be a humdinger. Plus now we can tell Arsenal to go get stuffed.
There are some new (and old) names surfacing in the striker sweepstakes. Berbatov is back in the frame, for some stupid, north of 30 million numbers. (What the….?!) Then there’s this young’un who was tearing up Russia last season, Roman Pavlyuchenko. Don’t know anything about him, but people seem to like him as a player, and the price sure is right, probably about 10 million. He’s been their Pichichi for the past two seasons now. Word is fast and strong, with a rocket of a shot. He’s 26 years old, and is 6-foot-2.
And then there’s this: (note that first scene is NOT a re-enactment of the Battle of Stalingrad)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtS6JSzBbsg&feature=related
Seems very opportunistic and slick, like a big Krkic.
News that doesn’t make me happy is that Abidal is being buzzed about for a move back to Lyon. That would suck. His upside is tremendous, and he was fast improving at the end of last season. That would also mean we would have to sign a starting left back.
Trezeguet is once AGAIN in the frame. We’re trying to get him cheap, for less than the 25 million that Juventus seems to be valuing him at. Stay tuned. He wouldn’t be bad, but I might want to risk the cheap, young Russian over the more expensive Trezeguet. We already have Henry, after all.
We have a 40 million price on the head of Eto’o, which indicates our desire to REALLY part with him (low, I would say). And we are disinclined to negotiate, it seems.
Deco says Ronaldinho is Chelsea-bound, but Citeh is up to 200,000 Pounds per week, which is crazy, CRAZY dosh. Scolari also likes the Brazilian. We stand to make 30 million from THAT transfer.
Man, ain’t summer grand?
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I guess Abidal should get another chance here, but he was awful last season. He continually gave away points, and was clearly the weak link on defense in that terrible late March to April run that brought the season crashing down. He gets another shot because he seemed to settle in later, but I wouldn’t be even a little sad to see a guy who half-asses on set pieces go.
Kxevin, what do you mean by “upside”? I usually think of upside as being a young kid with potential, but Abidal is 28. Do you mean he can play better than what we saw last season, or that he contributes on offense? Just a little confused.
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Exactly. I think he’ll (if he stays) play a LOT better for us this season. The signs were very encouraging, from both he and Henry, over the course of the last three or four matches.
Abidal was staying home more, which made him a lot more effective. In the “dark days,” he was going on walkabout too much. He was used to roaming as he did at Lyon, but there wasn’t the talent in Ligue 1 that there is in La Liga, so he was getting caught out of position a lot.
When he stayed put more and relied on his pace and positioning, you could begin to see why we signed him.
I also wouldn’t really blame him entirely. The whole back line seemed to get funky, simultaneously. Everybody seemed to be covering for everyone else, leaving them all out of position and vulnerable.
The pace of Caceres and the stability of Puyol means that suddenly, our captain doesn’t have to cover ground that he can’t any longer. Alves on the right means that Abidal doesn’t have to worry as much about contributing to the attack.
Or that might just be me being optimistic.
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how can everyone be talking about Alves as signed and sealed. experience shows that you need to wait until the official word is pronounced….we still have a gap in the right defense as far as i can tell…
euro 2008 is a great opportunity to see some of these players and compare/contrast. for instance, why would we take van der vaart, who seems to have so much less influence than his partner sneijder, who belongs to our main adversary in la liga. van der vaart would have to be cheap and second string. otherwise, why settle for less quality than our rivals.
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Part of comments from Alves. The player has been told, which means the teams have agreed. The i’s and t’s have been dotted and crossed.
“I actually was never worried or anxious about the whole situation. Everything was clear to me. The reports I received made clear that the negotiations would have a happy end. It was just a matter of time and waiting until the final deal was closed. And thanks to god, the news came last Friday.”
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From all the French national team matches that I’ve seen, Henry and Trezeguet absolutely CANNOT work together. This is somehow strange, as they’re good friends off the pitch. Maybe it has something to do with crazy Domenech leaving Trez off the French Euro squad (still a bad decision, of course.)
So that’s why I think Barca should stay clear of him.
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