Gareth Bale: Overhyped or The Real Deal?

Pro. F

Potentially the Real Deal

MD1990 wrote: »

well it is against Farfan who is very quick
so it throws your myth out of the equation

It's one 10 second clip. Anything could have been going on with Farfan.

Mr Blobby

The Real Deal Now

Pro. F wrote: »

It's one 10 second clip. Anything could have been going on with Farfan.

Look he has 93 Pace in FIFA so he must be fast :cool:

DyldeBrill

As a spurs fan I would say he could potentially be the real deal, first of all he needs to cut out this diving! Not good for his rep nor for the game!

Delighted to see he's showing what he's capable of again after a slow start to the season and he is only going to get better.

Speed between all these players is a much of a muchness tbh! Sure look at Walcott and Lennon...not near Bales level!

Remember he is still young! Most of the players named have a few years on him and trust me...he will come good:cool: COYS!

Pro. F

Potentially the Real Deal

greendom wrote: »

He did brilliantly to pick out Giroud's movement tonight although he rarely turns it on for France.

With Bayern Munich though he has 45 goals and 65 assists in 134 matches. Bale 's good but he'll be doing very well to match that sort of record.

It's a good record all right. But Ribery has been playing in a much better team in a weaker league. Also Ribery has been playing through the peak of his career at Bayern to get those numbers whereas Bale has only been coming into his current level over the last two years.

Edit: Forgot Bale's numbers - Appearances: 120, Goals: 24, Assists: 40.

kryogen

Took potential to be the real deal as it seems to fit my opinion on him best.

He is not all hype, but he is very much over hyped and given a nice cushy time by the British media for no other reason then where he was born, some of his cheating is disgraceful and certainly on a par with, if not worse then plenty of the foreign imports who are lambasted for their antics.

He is a bit of a one trick pony imo right now, but if he develops his game to be more rounded and more productive he could be up there as an elite player of the game, but he will never be in the same catagory as Ronaldo or Messi, I would stake my savings on that

mixed up

I guess if harry redknapp said it it must be true He's not even the best player in the premier league and people trying to compare him to ronaldo and messi :rolleyes:

Giggsy11

Pro. F wrote: »

No I didn't forget him. I don't rate him that highly. Severe lack of pace for the position.

If we are talking about acceleration then Ribery is one of the best at it.

He has pace, very good dribbling ability, two footed, can play on both wings, creates plenty of goals and scores a lot (for a winger). He is up there with the best wingers in the world and surely better than Bale.

Pro. F wrote: »

It's a good record all right. But Ribery has been playing in a much better team in a weaker league. Also Ribery has been playing through the peak of his career at Bayern to get those numbers whereas Bale has only been coming into his current level over the last two years.

Edit: Forgot Bale's numbers - Appearances: 120, Goals: 24, Assists: 40.

Where is Robben playing? In the same league. Bold part just shows why Ribery is better, we are talking about how good the player is, not will be.

Also Bundesliga is not a weaker league, it might be weaker than PL but there are many good teams which will give any PL team run for their money. (again can anyone post Bale record against top teams?)

Giggsy11

Pro. F wrote: »

He's the real deal now imo. Not nearly as good as Ronaldo or Messi obviously, but still up there near the best wingers in the world.

Like all wingers he gets a lot of stick because most people just won't accept that wingers only do a very limited number of things with the ball. Beating defenders, crossing and shooting - that's all he does and he does it excellently.

Himself, Lennon, Nani and Stirling are all top quality, but they will always get stick because people expect them to transform the position into something more. Lavezzi, di Maria, Robben and Alexis Sanches would be the four who I would put as the absolute best wingers in the world. Ronaldo and Messi being something different to wingers.

Edit: Mata and Silva I don't really think of as wingers because they like to come inside more. Hazard I just forgot about, he's very special too.

You don't rate Ribery then go on to say Lennon, Sterling, Lavezzi are top class? Arguable about Lavezzi as he was class with Napoli but Lennon and Sterling?

Edit: Ribery was overrated few years back and now he is so underrated. Even when he was hyped, he was very very good player and better than Bale, Sterling, Lennon, Lavezzi ever was.

greendom

Pro. F wrote: »

It's a good record all right. But Ribery has been playing in a much better team in a weaker league. Also Ribery has been playing through the peak of his career at Bayern to get those numbers whereas Bale has only been coming into his current level over the last two years.

Edit: Forgot Bale's numbers - Appearances: 120, Goals: 24, Assists: 40.

A weaker German league? - how do you work that out? Is the average Bundesliga defence worse than the average Premier League one. Be interested in the evidence for this.

As for his stats yes excellent but a level below Ribery's. Bale may become World Class but he's not quite there yet.

Kirby

People need to stop commenting on leagues they don't watch. Weaker German League? Give me a break. Most of the German "also ran" teams would hammer their english and spanish equivalents.

Regarding Bale, he has electric pace which is invaluable in todays game. He has a good shot and whips in a good cross. But his cheating is so ridiculous that it nullifies alot of the good things about him. Until this culture of "there was slight contact, he was entitled to go down" is knocked on the head, we will continue to see cheats in every league in the world.....Bale being one of the worst. Dives like his last week and the similar Suarez one shouldn't be talked about. Action should've been taken.

Start retrospective banning. 3 game ban for a first offence, 5 game ban for a second, and a 12 game ban for a third. No appeals process.

GavRedKing

Ribery for what its worth is better then Robben and Robben is better then Bale.

Saying Ribery lacks pace is mad, you must have not watched much of Ribery at all if you come to that conclusion, hes lighting across the ground and not just in a sprint but with the ball at his feet, which is a very tricky thing to do.

Ribery is playing for a much better side in a league that is very close to in level with the EPL.

The only thing Bale has over Ribery at this stage is he has a good few years on Ribery and he may become a better player but he isnt at the moment.

Big Knox

Ribery doesn't have pace? This a joke? Anyone who has watched the man for more than 15 minutes can see he has tonnes of pace and has had for a long time!

Beefy78

I don't get this over-rated/under-rated thing. Gareth Bale is what he is - an exceptional athlete, quick, powerful, good end-product when played out wide (and not allowed to tuck inside like he has tended to do for Spurs the last 12 months), decent technical ability, a great strike on him from open play and set pieces and a terrible diver.

He's not Messi. He's not Ronaldo.

I first saw Gareth Bale at 17 playing for Southampton in a Championship match at Southend. He dominated the game from fullback in a way that I've never seen a fullback do other than Cafu in his pomp. It was so obvious to anyone watching him back then that the guy could go on to be a top Premier League player that the surprise wasn't that he came through at Spurs it was that he took so long to come through at Spurs.

I wish he was English.

Oregano_State

Pro. F wrote: »

One clip? Yeah that proves it so.

Yes it does prove it. Stop being stubborn.

Pro. F wrote: »

I would disagree on both counts. Although to be fair to Ribery his crossing is hindered by playing on the wrong wing.

His crossing may not be as good as Bale's, but he can still cross and make a pass. Look at his chipped cross/cut back for Giroud last night.

Oregano_State

Pro. F wrote: »

It's a good record all right. But Ribery has been playing in a much better team in a weaker league. Also Ribery has been playing through the peak of his career at Bayern to get those numbers whereas Bale has only been coming into his current level over the last two years.

Edit: Forgot Bale's numbers - Appearances: 120, Goals: 24, Assists: 40.

Am, did you see the Dortmund v City game a couple of weeks ago?

Beefy78

Oregano_State wrote: »

Am, did you see the Dortmund v City game a couple of weeks ago?

That doesn't really mean anything though, as I'm sure you know. It's a one-off match and City are ****ting the bed defensively at the moment.

I follow Schalke so keep an eye on the Bundesliga most weeks. Personally, I think the Premier League has more depth to it than the top flights in Germany or Spain do.

GavRedKing

Now that I've slated Bale, watch him win the game for Spurs against us on Satruday.

Giggsy11

GavRedKing wrote: »

Now that I've slated Bale, watch him win the game for Spurs against us on Satruday.

I dont think you have Sgt powers.

Very good player and a massive cheat.

Oregano_State

Beefy78 wrote: »

That doesn't really mean anything though, as I'm sure you know. It's a one-off match and City are ****ting the bed defensively at the moment.

I follow Schalke so keep an eye on the Bundesliga most weeks. Personally, I think the Premier League has more depth to it than the top flights in Germany or Spain do.

Yeah I'd agree the EPL has more depth, just that the difference isn't stark enough to warrant saying Ribery's performances don't count because the playing field isn't level.

Riberey has shown that he's a world class winger on many occasions, to say that he's not is ridiculous, especially when you include Lennon on the list of those who are.

Also, Dortmund are a quality team. I hope they go far in the CL, very good to watch.

Pro. F

Potentially the Real Deal

Giggsy11 wrote: »

If we are talking about acceleration then Ribery is one of the best at it.

He has pace, very good dribbling ability, two footed, can play on both wings, creates plenty of goals and scores a lot (for a winger). He is up there with the best wingers in the world and surely better than Bale.

I'm talking about footballing pace. A lot of that is acceleration yes. He doesn't have much pace for a winger. People see him running with the ball at his feet and how impressive his dribbling is, that's good but it's not the pace that he is using it's the dribbling skills. Combine that with him preferring to play on the left and he has problems with the basic winger task of beating the fullback and whipping in a cross.

Giggsy11 wrote: »

Where is Robben playing? In the same league. Bold part just shows why Ribery is better, we are talking about how good the player is, not will be.

The only reason I mentioned the quality of the league was to put Ribery's goal and assist numbers in context. I think Robben is a better winger because he can do a lot of things that Ribery can't do. Although to be fair Robben is a very disruptive influence in a team so if you wanted to argue that against Robben that would be reasonable.

Exactly, we are talking about how good the player is now. Bale's goals and assists record is adversely affected by how relatively not good he used to be.

Giggsy11 wrote: »

Also Bundesliga is not a weaker league, it might be weaker than PL but there are many good teams which will give any PL team run for their money. (again can anyone post Bale record against top teams?)

As you say the Bundesliga is weaker then the premier league.

Also Bayern have been a much better team than Spurs over the last number of years.

Giggsy11 wrote: »

You don't rate Ribery then go on to say Lennon, Sterling, Lavezzi are top class? Arguable about Lavezzi as he was class with Napoli but Lennon and Sterling?

Edit: Ribery was overrated few years back and now he is so underrated. Even when he was hyped, he was very very good player and better than Bale, Sterling, Lennon, Lavezzi ever was.

Yeah I didn't mean to dismiss Ribery as not in the same class as Bale, Lennon, Nani and Sterling. I would actually put a shìt load of wingers in that category, there is never a shortage of quality wingers in club football.
I do think Bale is now better than Ribery, but what I was dismissing Ribery as was amongst the few very best in the world. Bale isn't among those either imo.

Lavezzi I had in the other category of the few best wingers in the world. I know he is having a nightmare at PSG (I haven't watched any, I've just heard about it), but I was blown away with him at Napoli. It's not unusual for good players to struggle at over crowded sugar daddy clubs and Ancelotti plays his teams very narrow, so Lavezzi might need to get out of there if he's ever to get back into form. He's a bit interesting because I also think he lacks a little pace, but he seems to overcome it better in my view. If you want to discount Levazzi that's fine I can't really argue his case currently.

Giggsy11

Pro. F wrote: »

I'm talking about footballing pace. A lot of that is acceleration yes. He doesn't have much pace for a winger. People see him running with the ball at his feet and how impressive his dribbling is, that's good but it's not the pace that he is using it's the dribbling skills. Combine that with him preferring to play on the left and he has problems with the basic winger task of beating the fullback and whipping in a cross.
.

I don't think winger's task is to beat the fullback and whip in a cross, gone are those days. Now all you see is winger playing one twos and create goal scoring chances, cut in and shoot and even playing play maker role from wide areas.

Ribery beats fullbacks with ease (better than Bale anyday who just relies on kick and run to beat a fullback), but he is not just a byline winger who whips in a cross, he plays like a modern day winger.

Pro. F

Potentially the Real Deal

greendom wrote: »

A weaker German league? - how do you work that out? Is the average Bundesliga defence worse than the average Premier League one. Be interested in the evidence for this.

Yes from what I have seen the Bundesliga is the weaker league overall. And yes the defences are weaker. I have no evidence other than to say watch games in the two leagues. Not that I watch every Bundesliga game, but I watch enough that I'm confident in my opinion.

greendom wrote: »

As for his stats yes excellent but a level below Ribery's. Bale may become World Class but he's not quite there yet.

You are forgetting that Ribery is 29 and has been at the top of his game for years. Bale is only 23 and is much better now than he was a few years ago. This does not mean I am talking about Bales potential, I'm talking about what has gone on over the last few years and how that would affect his stats.

Pro. F

Potentially the Real Deal

Kirby wrote: »

People need to stop commenting on leagues they don't watch. Weaker German League? Give me a break. Most of the German "also ran" teams would hammer their english and spanish equivalents.

I watch plenty of the German league. The PL is a stronger league.

Big Knox wrote: »

Ribery doesn't have pace? This a joke? Anyone who has watched the man for more than 15 minutes can see he has tonnes of pace and has had for a long time!

I have watched a shìt load of Ribery over the years.

Cienciano

Potentially the Real Deal

mixed up wrote: »

I guess if harry redknapp said it it must be true He's not even the best player in the premier league and people trying to compare him to ronaldo and messi :rolleyes:

Arry must have really rated him, he tried to sell him for piss all when he took over from Jol.

Pro. F

Potentially the Real Deal

Oregano_State wrote: »

Yes it does prove it. Stop being stubborn.


His crossing may not be as good as Bale's, but he can still cross and make a pass. Look at his chipped cross/cut back for Giroud last night.

Oregano_State wrote: »

Am, did you see the Dortmund v City game a couple of weeks ago?

Ok so you clearly think single examples prove these kinds of points. I disagree with your world view.

Giggsy11

Pro. F wrote: »

The only reason I mentioned the quality of the league was to put Ribery's goal and assist numbers in context. I think Robben is a better winger because he can do a lot of things that Ribery can't do. Although to be fair Robben is a very disruptive influence in a team so if you wanted to argue that against Robben that would be reasonable.

Exactly, we are talking about how good the player is now. Bale's goals and assists record is adversely affected by how relatively not good he used to be.

Then we can consider last 2 seasons only.

Bale-84 games- 23 goals and 17 assists
Ribery - 78 games - 27 goals and 29 assists

Also Bayern have been a much better team than Spurs over the last number of years.

You can also argue that Bayern have players like Robben, Kroos, Bastian who likes to have possession which means not everything flows though Ribery, whereas for Spurs Bale is the main attacking player?

Yeah I didn't mean to dismiss Ribery as not in the same class as Bale, Lennon, Nani and Sterling. I would actually put a shìt load of wingers in that category, there is never a shortage of quality wingers in club football.
I do think Bale is now better than Ribery, but what I was dismissing Ribery as was amongst the few very best in the world. Bale isn't among those either imo.

Ribery was and is one of the best wingers in the world. Stats might not prove everything but it shows how good Ribery is in scoring and creating goals.

Pro. F

Potentially the Real Deal

GavRedKing wrote: »

Ribery for what its worth is better then Robben and Robben is better then Bale.

Saying Ribery lacks pace is mad, you must have not watched much of Ribery at all if you come to that conclusion, hes lighting across the ground and not just in a sprint but with the ball at his feet, which is a very tricky thing to do.

I have watched lots and lots and lots of Ribery over the years.

Ribery is not better than Robben. Not when you are talking about the top of their game anyway. I agree that Robben can lose interest because he is a ridiculous prima donna, so he is not always at it. But when he's interested he is unstoppable. I don't think Ribery is ever that good.

Even when you are talking about Ribery's pace you have to mention his dribbling. Yes he is good running with the ball at his feet, but that's because his dribbling is good, not his raw pace. Unless he completely bamboozles the defender, which he is well capable of doing, they can usually keep up with him.

everdead.ie

I think Harry has been mus-quoted a lot on Bale what he said was that Bale was right up there after Ronaldo and Messi so not quiet saying he's the third best player in the world like some of the papers have tried to spin it.

I think he is definitely the real deal he's definetly going down a lot easier now then he was which I think is because he's afraid of getting hurt it all kicked off after Adam broke his ankle.

That dive two weeks ago was so bad though so so cringe it was really disappointing hopefully he learns from it and stays on his feet as much as possible.

Pro. F

Potentially the Real Deal

Giggsy11 wrote: »

I don't think winger's task is to beat the fullback and whip in a cross, gone are those days. Now all you see is winger playing one twos and create goal scoring chances, cut in and shoot and even playing play maker role from wide areas.

Ribery beats fullbacks with ease (better than Bale anyday who just relies on kick and run to beat a fullback), but he is not just a byline winger who whips in a cross, he plays like a modern day winger.

People have been saying that the days of *insert aspect of football* are gone for as long as football has been around. It's nonsense imo. People were saying that wingers were a thing of the past when the PL started 20 years ago. Souness pursued his management career ruining clubs by convincing them that wingers didn't exist anymore.

If a winger can't beat a fullback in a race to the byline and whip in a cross then he is missing an important aspect of the position. Ribery can make a fool of defenders with his dribbling and his willingness to run at them, but because he plays on the wrong wing, combined with his lack of pace, it means that he is weaker in an important part of his job.

Giggsy11

Pro. F wrote: »

People have been saying that the days of *insert aspect of football* are gone for as long as football has been around. It's nonsense imo. People were saying that wingers were a thing of the past when the PL started 20 years ago. Souness pursued his management career ruining clubs by convincing them that wingers didn't exist anymore.

If a winger can't beat a fullback in a race to the byline and whip in a cross then he is missing an important aspect of the position. Ribery can make a fool of defenders with his dribbling and his willingness to run at them, but because he plays on the wrong wing, combined with his lack of pace, it means that he is weaker in an important part of his job.

Di Maria plays as RW, Sanchez never whips in a cross, Robben, Lavezzi hardly does it.

Not all winger beats fullback and whips in a cross, I don't think any winger does it apart from the ones playing in the PL. They can cut in and create chances (Like Ribery, Robben, Hazard, Messi when played as RW/RF).

How many times Hazard beat his full back and whipped in a cross this season?

All the wingers you mentioned won't play as you said Ribery should. Not sure what the arguement is about now.

markesmith

Potentially the Real Deal

Bale is the real deal. Doesn't need to be compared to Ribery or Robben, he's got a few years on both. Good to see he's added strength to his overall game in close season, looks a lot more filled-out.

He's a top top player. Maybe not a top top top player yet. :rolleyes:

I also like the fact that he seems to constantly strive to improve, and comes across as quite humble. Also like his 'heart' celebration.

Pro. F

Potentially the Real Deal

Giggsy11 wrote: »

Then we can consider last 2 seasons only.

Bale-84 games- 23 goals and 17 assists
Ribery - 78 games - 27 goals and 29 assists

Yeah cool. Those numbers are quite close. Much closer than the overall numbers. Like I argued they would be.

Giggsy11 wrote: »

You can also argue that Bayern have players like Robben, Kroos, Bastian who likes to have possession which means not everything flows though Ribery, whereas for Spurs Bale is the main attacking player?

You could argue that but it would be an awful argument. Spurs have had VDV, Lennon and Modric. And even if it was true that all Spurs creativity came through Bale that would mean that he had it even harder, not easier.

Bayern have been a miles better team over the last few years that we are talking about. They have been miles better at controlling possession. The creative players in teams that control possession better have more of a chance to do their thing.

Giggsy11 wrote: »

Ribery was and is one of the best wingers in the world. Stats might not prove everything but it shows how good Ribery is in scoring and creating goals.

Yeah he's good. I didn't mean to say he's not good.

MD1990

The Real Deal Now

has Bale been Spurs best winger this season?
Lennon has played a bit better imo
bith have played well though

Pro. F

Potentially the Real Deal

Giggsy11 wrote: »

Di Maria plays as RW, Sanchez never whips in a cross, Robben, Lavezzi hardly does it.

Not all winger beats fullback and whips in a cross, I don't think any winger does it apart from the ones playing in the PL. They can cut in and create chances (Like Ribery, Robben, Hazard, Messi when played as RW/RF).

How many times Hazard beat his full back and whipped in a cross this season?

All the wingers you mentioned won't play as you said Ribery should. Not sure what the arguement is about now.

Sanchez has been subsumed by the Barca collective and he doesn't play as a winger for them. Nobody does, even the guys who start out wide. Before he went to Barca and also for his national team he has shown how good he is when allowed to play as a winger - freaking awesome. I know he played in other positions a lot at Udinese and moves around a lot in the national side, but I think he is best on the right wing.

Robben has the pace to beat anyone and he uses it. He beats fullbacks around the outside all the time, he just beats them by so much that he ends up in the box with no one in front of him. He usually shoots, which is fine since he has a cannon in his foot, but he crosses as well sometimes. The thing is a race to the byline and beating the defender for pace is always an option with Robben. It isn't for Ribery. If Ribery can't bamboozle them with his dribbling he doesn't have another alternative and in coming inside he doesn't have a shot like Robben to make him as dangerous there either.

Di Maria does play on the wrong side now for Real, but I have seen him play on the left side plenty of times and he is lethal out there. He whips in dangerous crosses constantly.

Lavezzi is the most similar to Ribery. I just think he makes it work better. I'm willing to admit that my man crush on Lavezzi might be illogical. I just think he is class when in form.

Hazard would be better in the centre imo. Chelsea have a lot of players in that situation at the club and they are always trying to cram them in where they can.

Pro. F

Potentially the Real Deal

MD1990 wrote: »

has Bale been Spurs best winger this season?
Lennon has played a bit better imo
bith have played well though

About the same I would say. Lennon is extremely underrated by most imo.

Mr Blobby

The Real Deal Now

Trying to compare Bale and Ribery is pointless.

They are two different types of wingers. Bale need lots of space to run or he's useless ( Watch him against Sagna ) but if he has space he's a monster ( against Maicon ).

Now Ribery is the Total opposite. He is unreal in tight spaces but also equally good in the sprinting department.

I'd personally prefer Ribery.

MD1990

The Real Deal Now

Pro. F wrote: »

Sanchez has been subsumed by the Barca collective and he doesn't play as a winger for them. Nobody does, even the guys who start out wide. Before he went to Barca and also for his national team he has shown how good he is when allowed to play as a winger - freaking awesome. I know he played in other positions a lot at Udinese and moves around a lot in the national side, but I think he is best on the right wing.

Robben has the pace to beat anyone and he uses it. He beats fullbacks around the outside all the time, he just beats them by so much that he ends up in the box with no one in front of him. He usually shoots, which is fine since he has a cannon in his foot, but he crosses as well sometimes. The thing is a race to the byline and beating the defender for pace is always an option with Robben. It isn't for Ribery. If Ribery can't bamboozle them with his dribbling he doesn't have another alternative and in coming inside he doesn't have a shot like Robben to make him as dangerous there either.

Di Maria does play on the wrong side now for Real, but I have seen him play on the left side plenty of times and he is lethal out there. He whips in dangerous crosses constantly.

Lavezzi is the most similar to Ribery. I just think he makes it work better. I'm willing to admit that my man crush on Lavezzi might be illogical. I just think he is class when in form.

Hazard would be better in the centre imo. Chelsea have a lot of players in that situation at the club and they are always trying to cram them in where they can.

Lavezzi would be quicker than Ribery & Bale for me
great player hasn't hit it off at PSG yet though

Oregano_State

Pro. F wrote: »

Ok so you clearly think single examples prove these kinds of points. I disagree with your world view.

Fair enough about the city game as a one-off, they haven't been playing well, but neither have Dortmund in the Bundesliga either, judging by them being 9 points off the top after 7 games...

Anyway, on the other point I think if there's a clear example of Ribery out-sprinting a full back, with the ball then that shows that he is capable of out-sprinting a full back. That requires a bit of pace as far as I know.

willowthewisp

Diver

Pro. F

Potentially the Real Deal

Oregano_State wrote: »

Anyway, on the other point I think if there's a clear example of Ribery out-sprinting a full back, with the ball then that shows that he is capable of out-sprinting a full back. That requires a bit of pace as far as I know.

I find it extremely odd that somebody would think that one instance of him burning an opposition player for pace proves anything conclusively. I think you must have never paid attention in science class.

LuckyLloyd

Pro. F, pace is not subject to variance. You have your pace. It will fluctuate over the course of your life obviously, and things like fitness and health will affect it. But fundamentally, your potential when it comes to running flat out is a matter of genetics.

That clip shows Ribery has a serious amount of pace. If he didn't have pace, no such clip would exist.

Ribery is a better player now, but he's 29. Bale is the better long term prospect.

Oregano_State

Pro. F wrote: »

I find it extremely odd that somebody would think that one instance of him burning an opposition player for pace proves anything conclusively. I think you must have never paid attention in science class.

I have a degree in chemistry and compete in athletics.

Your point is that just because something is shown to happen once, doesn't mean it's statistically significant or repeatable. Scientifically speaking yes that's true. I'm sure I could spend 20mins going through youtube clips looking for more proof of his pace, which I'm sure I'll find, but frankly I don't think it's necessary. I doubt it would satisfy you 'conclusively' in any case, because you've already made up your mind.

Pace is something you can tell instantly about a player, and Ribery has more than most.

clsmooth

Bale is an extremely effective player at the moment. Tons of pace and very direct. He relies on his pace too much though. He is in his prime as realistically as he gets older or if he gets a serious injury he's going to lose a bit of his pace and when that happens he'll be half the player he is now going forward and probably will return to playing left back.

Pro. F

Potentially the Real Deal

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Pro. F, pace is not subject to variance. You have your pace. It will fluctuate over the course of your life obviously, and things like fitness and health will affect it. But fundamentally, your potential when it comes to running flat out is a matter of genetics.

That clip shows Ribery has a serious amount of pace. If he didn't have pace, no such clip would exist.

For all you know Farfan (the player he was running away from in the vid) had just gotten a knock, had a tight calf, loose boot, or any other thing like that. One clip where he manages to out speed one player, when all the other times I have seen him he can't do it, does not prove anything.

Oregano_State wrote: »

I have a degree in chemistry and compete in athletics.

Well then I find your attitude even more odd. And I'm not talking about scientifically proving it with statistically significant results or anything like that, only about having an awareness of the fact that out of the ordinary things can happen and it's foolish to believe a generality based off one instance.

MD1990

The Real Deal Now

i remember seeing Ribery in the Euro's against Ukraine
he was causing Ukraine loads of problems running in behind defenders chasing through balls
he is very quick
i would say Ribery is quicker over 20 Metres than Bale
over a longer distance i would say Bale
Bale is a very good player but he needs to add things to his game
if he is without space he lacks the creativity of a top player but he is still only 23 so he could develop

Oregano_State

Pro. F wrote: »

For all you know Farfan (the player he was running away from in the vid) had just gotten a knock, had a tight calf, loose boot, or any other thing like that. One clip where he manages to out speed one player, when all the other times I have seen him he can't do it, does not prove anything.



Well then I find your attitude even more odd. And I'm not talking about scientifically proving it with statistically significant results or anything like that, only about having an awareness of the fact that out of the ordinary things can happen and it's foolish to believe a generality based off one instance.

I've seen Ribery play a good few times, and nothing I saw ever made me question the fact that he has plenty of pace. So when something you have already seen to be true is displayed on a video clip, then it is hardly out of the ordinary, is it?

If we were here arguing whether Richard Dunne has the pace of a world class winger, then yes I would want more evidence than a short clip to support it.

But when the issue is something that every other poster here apart from you believes to be true, I think the onus is on you to provide evidence of his lack of pace, because quite frankly I think you're spouting garbage at this stage.

Pro. F

Potentially the Real Deal

Oregano_State wrote: »

I've seen Ribery play a good few times, and nothing I saw ever made me question the fact that he has plenty of pace. So when something you have already seen to be true is displayed on a video clip, then it is hardly out of the ordinary, is it?

I'm not trying to convince you with one 10 second video clip am I? You are the one telling me that I should be convinced by the video clip.

I have seen him playing many times and my view on his pace is different to yours. I'm ok with that. If the roles were reversed I wouldn't expect you to change your mind based on one very short video clip.

Oregano_State wrote: »

If we were here arguing whether Richard Dunne has the pace of a world class winger, then yes I would want more evidence than a short clip to support it.

But when the issue is something that every other poster here apart from you believes to be true, I think the onus is on you to provide evidence of his lack of pace,

I don't care in the slightest if my opinion is different to the everybody else's on here. It wouldn't be the first time. I am confident enough in my own opinions. If you don't agree with what I say based on watching him play there is nothing else I can do. I am comfortable with that situation.

Oregano_State wrote: »

because quite frankly I think you're spouting garbage at this stage.

Fight_Night

Not really on topic but I think Severo Meza looks really like Bale(a mexican version obviously)

Jimmy Iovine

He's a good player. Don't think he'll ever reach the heights of the Messi's and the Ronaldo's though.

One trick pony. Those goals he got against Milan were all the same. Kick the ball past the defender and out run him, and then kick the ball across the keeper. It was a good finish but the only breath-taking thing about them was the pace. Theo Walcott has crazy pace. It doesn't mean that he is as good as Ronaldo.

Anyone that genuinely thinks that Bale is near to Messi/Ronaldo's level needs to get their head checked. Bale is 23. Last season he got 9 goals in the league. When Messi was 23 he got 34 goals. I hate using statistics when talking about something like this but it's the easiest way to negate the argument for me.

Bale may well get to that level and it'd be great to see him manage to do it, but I really don't think he'll do it. He's a horrible diver. Fair enough if he dives, but he can't even do it right. Doesn't score enough goals. I don't think he has it in him to beat a couple of men with a bit of trickery. If you can match him for pace then that's it really.

Messi and Ronaldo have so much more in their locker. It's men against a very small boy at this moment in time.