Martín Cáceres: blauguayan
By: Isaiah | June 27th, 2008
A big welcome to Martín Cáceres, unveiled today, who has too many accents in his name for easy typing on an American keyboard. But he sure is Uruguayan and he sure is a defender, which is nice to see. Central D was our big failing last year, in my estimation, because of the lack of depth; this year he’ll be standing in (or replacing outright) Gabi Milito, who is going to be injured until sometime around when the cows come home. Which is, unfortunately for the beef eaters out there, not until March or so.
The vital stats for Cáceres: 6′0″, age 21. Born in Montevideo, plays for the Uruguay national team, and has Sergio Ramos hair. For my money he looks like Javier Bardem’s younger, more athletic, less ruthless brother. And yeah, I’m acting as if the only movie Bardem has been in was No Country for Old Men cause I’m a jackass American.*
I expect big things from Cáceres, but I don’t expect him to start automatically unless he somehow has a great report with Puyol. I do expect Márquez to start alongside Puyol at first, but Guardiola may take advantage of his grace period and really just experiment with the lineup a little, including putting Cáceres in the starting 11 from the get-go. We’ll have to wait and see.
And I still very much dislike the new home jersey.
*For the record, I really liked Mar Adentro and I was so-so on Carne trémula, but I haven’t seen Before Night Falls, Love in the Time of Cholera, or actually anything else Bardem’s been in. And I didn’t even like No Country all that much, but only because I got bored by the end.
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Bobby, I think we can rule out any evaluations of anything that happened at Euros as regards France. I can’t believe that Domenech still has his job after that performance. He didn’t really allow Henry to do anything, and they didn’t have anyone to feed him.
And even at his best, Shevchenko never approached Henry.
Hey Corey, it’s a new fiscal year for us, as we aren’t in debt, like (ahem) a certain Evil Empire. Mind you, we will be once we lose all that money from Ronaldinho shirt sales.
I think that any good striker, in our system, will pour in goals. Striker, if Guardiola’s system is properly working, is the least critical position. I can hear it now: “Just run into the box, take the pass and put the ball into the net, dummy. Don’t worry about those defenders….they’ll be worrying about Messi, Xavi, Henry, Keita and Alves.”
I do want whoever that striker is to be big, with a good head to take advantage of those crosses that will undoubtedly be coming in from the right wing.
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United States
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damn..even BBC says that Chelski have signed Deco for 8 million pounds (11mil euros)…and here we are thinking of paying 30 million euros for Ade…can we sell our players for any less??
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United States -
It would make sense to sign Arshavin in or around €15-20million. Money well spent I would think. Add Huntelaar for around the same and we would have the forward line finished. Well unless Pep wants Arshavin as the CM.
We would have our choice of three from Messi, Iniesta, Arshavin, Henry, Bojan and Huntelaar. Sounds very diverse and talented.
If Arshavin is signed as the attacking midfielder then probably add Palacio to that list. I don’t expect this but it’s another possibility.
If an additional attacking midfielder like Hernanes, Hleb or Lucho Gonzalez is bought then our midfield options are any combination of Toure, Keita, Pique, Marquez, Xavi, Iniesta, Arshavin and Hernanes etc. Again a lot of quality and more size that the prus seasons.Things are looking up?
Well at least they should be. We have a lot of players that can play in a few positions which should make us well equipped for any injuries that may crop up during the long season.
The best part of the squad being this balanced will be when it comes to crunch in the Champions League against the bigger teams at the later part of the season, we should have more options than most. Even if we need to go to a modified 4-4-2 we would have the option that we haven’t previously.
Think Huntelaar and Henry upfront, Iniesta and Messi on the wings and Xavi and Keita in the middle for example. If necessary we could even go to a 3-4-3 than Rijkaard failed miserably on a few occassions, with Alves, Xavi, Keita and Iniesta accross the centre and Messi, Huntelaar and Arshavin/Henry upfront.
Finally, we could do the most common formation in La Liga 4-2-3-1, with Xavi and Keita holding, Messi infront and Henry, Huntelaar and Arshavin upfront.
Don’t read too much into the players named in the formations, it was just an example. I expect Yaya to start most games but in a two-man central midfield Keita is more balanced, methinks.For those who want to add David Silva to the squad, I would suggest he may be more effective as an attacking midfielder than the winger. I don’t know if I would spend the €30million that would probably be required for what would be our 5th choice central midfielder where we could save around €10-12million on Hernanes or Lucho. Either way I don’t want Hleb as he does not give us anything that we don’t already have. He is similar to Iniesta but not as good at anything as Andres. Whilst Silva is also a similar type of player to Iniesta, there is a definite quality difference between Silva and Hleb. And Silva has the ability to score goals from outside the box (although I will accept that he doesn’t really score enough).
Now all we need is the announcements of Henrique, Alves, Arshavin, Huntelaar and that other midfielder. If Henrique stays, Marquez goes and that should add more balance to our books.
Posted from
Ireland -
Finally, Deco has completed his move to Chelsea.
Thanks for the football and thanks for the trophies. He was genuinely the best midfielder in Europe over the past 5 seasons.
You’ll be missed…Chelseafc.com
Mon, 30th Jun 2008
Chelsea Football Club is delighted to confirm the signing of Deco from FC Barcelona.The Portuguese midfielder becomes our first signing under Luiz Felipe Scolari since the Brazilian’s appointment as manager on June 11.
Deco, who won the Champions League and UEFA Cup with FC Porto, spoke to Chelsea TV after officially signing and said: ‘It is good for me to be here and first of all I am very happy to be here.’
The former Barcelona player has further Champions League success as one of his main ambitions with Chelsea and, after playing in Euro 2008 alongside a strong Chelsea contingent, now feels the time was right to join his former national coach in west London.
‘I am sure I have come at the right time to do great things and be able to help Chelsea go back to the way it was and come back to being the first one, not only in England but also to win the Champions League that has been their dream for so long.
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Ireland -
That coment of Deco`s “About not playing for Madrid once you play for Barca” was very heartwarming.
Weren`t we interested in Berbatov for a while? If Pep has his mind set on a hulk of a centre forward and Adebayor is out of orbits on the transfer fees, cant we go for someone who has that bit of flair which we see in Barca. Berbatov is a decent striker. Even Ibrahimovic is pretty tall. Why only Adebayor?
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Germany -
Kxevin, I have to say there’s something very heartwarming about your staunch defense of Henry — all his poor performances are down to somebody or something else. You are a true fan. My hand to my heart, I would have loved to have had Henry in the team … in 2004 and 2006. Now? Not so much. At best, he can do for us what Henrik Larsen did (and I’d LOVE it if he did!) but his legs and back won’t take him through the entire season.
Speaking of injuries, does anybody know if we’ve made some changes in our medical team? Seems to me we’ve been weak in that department these past couple of years — too many of our key players have been injured for too long. Our medics have to share the blame.
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United States -
http://fcbtransfers.blogspot.com/2008/06/guardiola-has-his-team-in-place.html
New this season is the setting up of the physiology applied to top level sport department, led by physiologist Esteban Gorostiaga’s team.
So I guess there is something happening on this side…but the main docs seem to be the same…Pruna from A team and Medina from B team…I don’t know, we’ll have to wait till Feb to end of season to see if those mysterious injuries start coming back or not!
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United States -
Mat, thanks for the info.
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United States -
deco, 10 million euros. seems low.
maybe its hard to get money for a player when it’s known that you don’t even consider him part of your plans.
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United States -
thuram and ezquerro are officially gone, per the FCB website. i think we knew about thuram (the latest, his deal with PSG has been held up by the discovery of a heart problem) but there was some…..concern…about whether or not santi would be coming back. a space on the squad is freed up.
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United States -
Deco is a risk for a club, frankly. 10 million is about right for that kind of player. Might he be brilliant? Yup. Might he be the sullen, card-generating person that he was for us? You bet. Around 10 mil is right for that kind of risk.
I wish Thuram well. Ezquerro….well, I’m just glad that he’s gone. Lordy.
And I was going to do a “welcome” post for the new medicos, and still might. But the link to Pep’s space is as comprehensive as anything that Isaiah or I could do. So let’s let that stand.
Bobby G, my defense of Henry isn’t as much a defense as a realization that even at his diminished skill level, he was one of our better producers last season. This season, healthy and committed, he should be even better. We were getting glimpses of it toward the end of last season.
And even Messi couldn’t shine in the Domenech system. I’ve been watching Les Bleus for some time now, and Raymond Domenech could mess up sex.
When Henry is poor, I’ve called him on it. I just think that when you stick a striker out of position on the wing, or in the case of Les Bleus, put him in a spot that makes it easy for him to be marked off the pitch by two or more defenders….it’s no surprise he won’t excel. At least it still takes more than one. Don’t forget that Zambrotta all by his lonesome marked “the greatest player on the planet,” one Cristiano Ronaldo, off the pitch.
I’m just saying let’s give Henry a chance. Last season was a mess. Everyone is going to be better, I think. Or I should say the folks who are going to be left from last season.
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United States -
I’m definately with you, Kxevin. Henry deserves a chance. Personally, I think that if he were physically up to it, he could have dominated Spain like he did (or even more so)in England. To be played out of position and still be one of the top performers in one of the best teams in the world means that you have some serious talent.
And yes, Domenech is shit. Just leave. Honestly.
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Australia -
Was just watching the Fox Soccer Report and they mentioned that the Champions League qualifying round draw is tomorrow. It’ll be nice to know who we’re up against, not that it should be a huge obstacle or anything..
Posted from
Canada -
im not sure if we will be learning anything july 1. this is only for the first two qualifying rounds. we will be entering later, i think. see
http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/news/kind=1/newsid=728337.html
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United States -
Something to note from peps phenomenal blog: Marc Valiente (Barca B captain, central defender) is apparently going to Sevilla B. Another future star out the door for almost nothing?
Also, Arsene Wenger seems a bit bitter by the fact that Arshavin is all Barca, not Arsenal, saying that Arshavin is not strong enough for top class football. Sore loser?
I have to say, it is pretty emotional seeing Deco go. We all knew it was happening though.
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Australia -
Alves is in barcelona for a medical check before he becomes blaugrana, according to the FCB website.
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Germany -
So Alves is offically presented after a routine medical tommorrow. That potentially leaves 4 days to complete any further deals should Laporta receive a no confidence vote, however unlikely.
It seems unlikely that Ronaldinho and Eto’os future will be sorted out before then so I expect maybe Arshavin to arrive but no more. If it happens that Laporta is unsuccessful then Ronaldinho and Eto’o stay… at least til January. Very possible but not that bad a result. I think that for football reasons everyone still wants Eto’o in the squad.
Ronaldinho is a different kettle of fish. If he is still here maybe he will do a sit-up or two between here and christmas. He would have to work as Kxevin hopes and maybe prove himself as a useful sub or something.Posted from
Ireland -
Kxevin, I’m not averse to giving Henry a chance — but judging by his declining performance over the past three seasons (including at the World Cup and Euro08), I think it is a folly to expect he will be a season-long striker. Prudence dictates that we get a top-notch goalscorer to cover for him.
Yes, Henry showed some flashes of ability at the end of last season, but it was in very short bursts. And there have ben plenty of reports that his back condition is now permanent.
That’s why I can’t see him be more than a supersub. With Ronnie, Eto’o gone (or practically gone), we’ve lost the people who scored the majority of our goals over the past three seasons. To expect Messi, Henry and Bojan to carry that burden is too big a gamble for my liking.
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United States -
Oh I still think that we should sign a striker, Bobby. You’ve probably missed my “Adebayor would be good” comments. Henry can’t carry the full-time striker burden, but I would argue that he never could. He was at his best at Arsenal working with another striker, first Bergkamp, then Adebayor….someone to create space.
He couldn’t work well with Eto’o because of that simple notion that there can’t be two No. 1s. So both were trying to do the same stuff, essentially.
It will be interesting to see how Guardiola deals with all of this next season.
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United States -
… and, btw, Henry has always favored the left side of the field, even during his glory days at Arsenal. I vividly remember countless goals where he collected the ball out on the wing, then darted into the center. He was never, but never, a centerforward.
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United States -
I do agree that he never worked with Eto’o — note least, I think, because Sammy also likes to come in from the left. Adebayor? I worry about his attitude.
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United States -
If we want a striker with an attitude problem we could just get Adriano from Inter… He’d cost a lot, like Adebayor, He can be brilliant, like Adebayor, but in all likelihood would cause problems because of his attitude, like you guessed it, Adebayor.
Berbatov, whilst still seems temperamental, would cost less and could teach Bojan a few tricks. His technique is outstanding has scored against all the big teams which is probably a good sign. His 4 goal performance against Reading was the best solo performance I’ve seen for a long time (with the obviouse exception of R10 and Messi’s respective performances against EE).
AC Milan have ruled themselves out of a move for Adebayor because he is too expensive. I would say bad value at €40million. I wouldn’t sign him for anything near that so MOVE ON TXIKI.
Same for Hleb, at €10million I’d accept his transfer but would you lose money swapping Deco for Hleb??? I can’t imagine anyone would choose Hleb over Deco and neither should we pay above what we sold Deco for unless we are getting as much as we lost with Deco’s departure. Make Sense?
At least Hernanes has age on his side being 24. Same for V.d.Vaart. Joao Moutinho is 21 I think. All have much more potential than Hleb.If it happens that Eto’o stays for one more season, by the time he leaves Bojan should be first choice anyway so it shouldn’t be too bad. If we do sign a striker, I really just want 2/3 good years for Bojan’s development and growth.
Is Eto’o’s hunger really a good thing to take from our locker room? I don’t know what’s going on in their but a cohesive unit is more important than talent and ego messing things up.Posted from
Ireland -
I think that Ciaran’s last comment about a cohesive unit being more important than talent and ego messing things up is what’s behind certain favorites going on sale. Interesting. I also wonder if, absent the likes of Deco and Ronaldinho, Eto’o will be a better citizen.
Hey, kids, the 08/09 kits are on sale, complete with a 10% discount for us socis. I got long-sleeved home, away and keeper’s shirts, plus one of the going, going, gone short-sleeved 3rd shirts. Suh-weet!
Look for a welcome, Dani Alves post outta me if it happens tomorrow. There might even be a picture if I can figure out this whole Vista/new blogging template business.
Also, I am definitely planning a politics post, just before the big vote, so that everyone understands what’s going on and the potential import on our beloved club.
Meanwhile, we offered 30 million for Silva and Valencia said no??!! Screw them. 40 million for Adebayor is so crazy that if we did it, I just might fly to Barcelona just to chain myself to the gates of the Nou Camp in protest. Craziness. I think we’re desperate, but not crazy. That just won’t fly.
Guiza is still looking like the best alternative. Eto’ is also under contract until 2010 like Ronaldinho. So we either sell him now, or really get rooked for him. Who wants to see these guys go on a free transfer? Not I. Deco was relatively cheap, but cheaper than a free transfer.
So. Eto’o stays, has a great season, and we open the pocketbook to keep him. Or he stays, has a great season, and everyone else opens the pocketbook, and he skedaddles on a free transfer for mega-mega bucks. Or he has a crap season, and we can’t give him away in the January transfer window because he’s a risk, and everyone might as well until he comes off contract.
With two years to go, now is the time to sell. With one year to go, teams can hold us over a barrel, as Spurs did with Dos Santos.
Ah, the modern game.
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United States -
Finally, Dani Alves is official!!!
Posted from
United Arab Emirates -
Heh, nice article, especially for an American!
I just met Caceres tonight in a restaurant in the Port Olimpic. I said Benvenidos! He looks able and willing. I told him to watch out for Diego Capel…
g
Posted from
Spain
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