Ali's weekly football debate.

Hello everyone,

Once a week I am going to start a football debate over here.

Rules:
*No un-related talk (Ex: Real vs Barcelona on a RvP discussion)
*No insults
*No trolling
*No mocking of opinion unless it is incredibly idiotic (Ex: Faubert > Ronaldo)

Failing to follow through with the rules will provoke the wrath of the Justice League of Goal Legacy, THE JLGL.

Now,

The debate for this week is:

Which player this year, so far, has done the most unexpected impact?

Just as an example to get this thread I'll throw the name Alex the Ox Chamberlain. We signed him but no one even expected him to play much games this season, but with incredible ability he has made his name become common in Wenger's first 11 and took Arshavin's place!

Love this idea, Ali, will post sometime.

My vote is Torres, the fact he has managed not to score in 2012, is taking the unexpected to new heights

For us I would say Nocerino. Most of our fans including me were disappointed with his signing but he has really turned into a fan favourite. He is truly becoming one of the first names on the team sheet for Allegri.

Nocerino...Almost all the milan fans were unsure of his signing and he has come out as our second highest scorer and has been an integrale part of the midfield...Allegri even set a goal 15 goals this season for him and at this moment he is on 9 which is more than triple what hes scored in his entire serie A career.

Also special mention to Mesbah and SES

I think if Santos did not get injured he would have been one of the players of the season for us. He was playing great before he got injured in a meaningless game.

Ox is a good shout.

I would add Tello and Cuenca as a joint effort for Barcelona. Tello has been better but hasnt played as much as Cuenca, then again neither has Oxlade. Point is though, both of these have come up from relatively obscurity in the B team and provided a jolt of energy and youth while we were desperately lacking forwards due to injury. Tello with his speed and goals, Cuenca with his crossing and dribbling have been a surprise for me.

I think a surprise for me also has been the form of Kaboul and Lescott. Neither I thought very highly of coming into the season, but both have done very wellI feel.

By this year do you mean 2012 or this season?

Obviously, he means this season...

II Capitano wrote:Obviously, he means this season...

Indeed I do.

bumpity bump bump

Well in that case I think we could make a serious case for Podolski. While he is much loved in this board, I don't think many rationally expected him to shine so much at a team like Koln. 16 goals and 4 goals in 20 games is a fantastic return for someone playing in the 14th placed team of the Bundesliga.

Got to be Ox...

While plenty of people rated him quite highly, we were potentially looking at another Walcott case, given that the young age and the sum involved in the transfer.

Glad that he has found his footing and hope he continues to develop.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:Well in that case I think we could make a serious case for Podolski. While he is much loved in this board, I don't think many rationally expected him to shine so much at a team like Koln. 16 goals and 4 goals in 20 games is a fantastic return for someone playing in the 14th placed team of the Bundesliga.

Podolski <3

Callejon, Ox, Tello & Cuenca

Pirlo?

milanfan7 wrote: Pirlo?

Fantastic shout

This week I'll be talking about the Champions League.

The premium football competition. Do you think it is being ruined by poor referees or do you think that the quality of teams has decreased?

Once again, I remind you...NO TROLLING.

Referee decisions

I think its a good thing that the smaller clubs like APOEL and Basel can knock out the giants of the tournament. It adds more interest and variety to the competition.