Best Striker in the world?....Eto'o

[GiNDEV]

Berbatov was superb last season. Now he is going to bigger club than Tottenham and he will be even better!

[TheGodEmperor]

I don't care what poet you know, you still can't spell mate. You also don't seem to know very much about football. I saw your post on "soccer strategy." A diamond in defense? What on earth are you talking about? You should go and read my response to your garbage post, I hammer you.

When were we comparing Riquelme and Beckham in 2006? You didn't give a specific year, eggbert. I don't care what year it was anyway, Beckham would always get my vote. He has had a far more illustrious career than Riquelme.

So apparently I have no football knowledge because I think Eto'o is better than Torres. What a terrible statement. I say that you know nothing as you talk about playing a diamond in defense formation with a center back, 2 full backs and a player in front of them. I really, really hope that you mean 3 center backs, because if you don't then I'm worried you are taking the piss by calling that the best formation in the world.

in 2006 Beckham was on Real Madrid, a better club than Riquelme was on, so the comparison applies then. And you can't honestly say that Beckham was better than Riquelme in 2006. I'm not saying you have no football knowledge...that was a backhanded attempt to bring the fact that Torres is a better all around player than Eto'o to tour attentions. Total Football is all about all around players, even at striker. Also, even though you piss me off, I'm loving this debate, so lets keep it up.

[TheKingNut]

I don't care what poet you know, you still can't spell mate. You also don't seem to know very much about football. I saw your post on "soccer strategy." A diamond in defense? What on earth are you talking about? You should go and read my response to your garbage post, I hammer you.

When were we comparing Riquelme and Beckham in 2006? You didn't give a specific year, eggbert. I don't care what year it was anyway, Beckham would always get my vote. He has had a far more illustrious career than Riquelme.

So apparently I have no football knowledge because I think Eto'o is better than Torres. What a terrible statement. I say that you know nothing as you talk about playing a diamond in defense formation with a center back, 2 full backs and a player in front of them. I really, really hope that you mean 3 center backs, because if you don't then I'm worried you are taking the piss by calling that the best formation in the world.

in 2006 Beckham was on Real Madrid, a better club than Riquelme was on, so the comparison applies then. And you can't honestly say that Beckham was better than Riquelme in 2006. I'm not saying you have no football knowledge...that was a backhanded attempt to bring the fact that Torres is a better all around player than Eto'o to tour attentions. Total Football is all about all around players, even at striker. Also, even though you piss me off, I'm loving this debate, so lets keep it up.

Ok, with regards to the whole "better club" debate, I merely said that to highlight the flaw of Adi's argument. He was saying Torres is better because he does well on a worse team than Eto'o. For the most part, players play on better teams than others because they are better players. It is not an exact science but the whole point shouldn't really come into the argument. The fact that Eto'o plays for Barca and Athletico struggled to get a great deal of money off anybody apart from Liverpool shows that Torres wasn't that highly thought of before this season.

I actually think that Eto'o and Torres are both well rounded strikers, Eto'o is more well rounded for me though. He has proved it in the champions league final as well when he drifted out wide against Arsenal and made the difference. He has great pace, awesome movement, two feet, he's a finisher, decent in the air, strong...the list goes on. He has the experience over Torres right now. Maybe Torres will prove to be the best in the world but as it stands, Eto'o is still the best.

Form is temporary, class is permanent

[Adi]

Ok, with regards to the whole "better club" debate, I merely said that to highlight the flaw of Adi's argument. He was saying Torres is better because he does well on a worse team than Eto'o. For the most part, players play on better teams than others because they are better players. It is not an exact science but the whole point shouldn't really come into the argument. The fact that Eto'o plays for Barca and Athletico struggled to get a great deal of money off anybody apart from Liverpool shows that Torres wasn't that highly thought of before this season.

You misunderstood me. I don't think Barcelona is necessarily the better team right now. All I was saying is that the playmakers in Barcelona are better at setting up their strikers than those at Liverpool. I think Eto'o gets better passes and through balls than Torres does, hence making it easier for him to finish. Gerrard and Alonso are great midfielder but I'd rather have an in-form Ronaldinho, Deco, and Xavi setting me up. That's all I was hinting at.

[TheGodEmperor]

I don't care what poet you know, you still can't spell mate. You also don't seem to know very much about football. I saw your post on "soccer strategy." A diamond in defense? What on earth are you talking about? You should go and read my response to your garbage post, I hammer you.

When were we comparing Riquelme and Beckham in 2006? You didn't give a specific year, eggbert. I don't care what year it was anyway, Beckham would always get my vote. He has had a far more illustrious career than Riquelme.

So apparently I have no football knowledge because I think Eto'o is better than Torres. What a terrible statement. I say that you know nothing as you talk about playing a diamond in defense formation with a center back, 2 full backs and a player in front of them. I really, really hope that you mean 3 center backs, because if you don't then I'm worried you are taking the piss by calling that the best formation in the world.

in 2006 Beckham was on Real Madrid, a better club than Riquelme was on, so the comparison applies then. And you can't honestly say that Beckham was better than Riquelme in 2006. I'm not saying you have no football knowledge...that was a backhanded attempt to bring the fact that Torres is a better all around player than Eto'o to tour attentions. Total Football is all about all around players, even at striker. Also, even though you piss me off, I'm loving this debate, so lets keep it up.

Form is temporary, class is permanent

great statement.

but you just proved my point: Torres is in form right now, and Eto'o is not playing as well as he could. That means that at this very moment, Torres is better. Overall, career-wise, there is no qustion of who is better at this point: Eto'o. 

[TheKingNut]

Adi, I understand you a little more now but I don't think it's fair to bring that into the argument. Xavi, Iniesta, Ronny etc. are cultured players that can slip a pass beautifully but remember Gerrard sets up opportunities just as well with the way he runs at defenders and with his delivery. Crouch wins numerous flick ons and Alonso and Maschareno are both very astute passers of the ball. Whats also important to note is that Liverpool have less selfish players than Barca, thus meaning Torres sees more of the ball. It's a fair point but Eto'o is at Barca for his own reason and Torres is at Liverpool for another so I don't think that comes into it.

Totalfootball, I think we have slightly different criteria in our own heads of what makes up the best striker in the world. I need to see Torres do it at Champions League level for another season, and in the Premiership before I can start calling him the best in the world. I just think naming him that is far too premature.

[TheGodEmperor]

the thing is, torres has proved himself. Note WC 2006. He scored a ridiculous amount of goals for the number of games he played.

[TheKingNut]

Hang on though, he scored against two fairly nondescript sides in the group stages if my memory serves me right. He didn't score against France in the knockout stages did he? Fair enough he is scoring at the world cup, but did he make a lasting impression? I don't think so.

[TheGodEmperor]

yeah but the fact that he scored a good amount of goals in few games (he definitely scored more than 2...he was leading the WC in goals until Spain got eliminated) is impressive. I was hoping that you wouldn't bring up him getting shut down by France, but the fact is that he was young and he didn't release the ball quite early enough so he got driven into corners. Mind you, all the Brazilian players did significantly worse, so...

[TheKingNut]

Sorry, he got 3 in total but they were not against tough opposition. I am very interested to see what he does at the European Championships, it could change the way I look at the player, but it could also reaffirm my belief that he isn't the greatest striker in the world yet. He could take a huge step towards this, this summer though, we'll see.

[TheGodEmperor]

and so we shall. I have a sneaking suspician that I will be proved right, though.

[TheKingNut]

If he turns it on this summer then I'll hold my hands up, maybe he can be called the worlds best, but we shall see