Illarramendi hype

Mr Nick09 wrote:Arq, how does Illarra compares to Thiago for u?

They are too considerably different to compare but at the moment Thiago has the edge. Thiago I've seen works better within advanced positions, has the better eye for a final ball and works harder than Illara.

Yet Illara is the more complete midfielder. Where Thiago hasn't shown, Illara can carry a midfield when all the chips are down. I've yet to see him fail in some aspects bar his sloppy slide tackling and awful finishing. Yet how he stomps his authority on the game with his ambidexterity, how he never gets phased out through pressing, big game presence or his wonderful vision has me see him as Thiago's equal.

Thiago is the superior talent yet Illaramendi arguably has proven more and in better situations.

From what I'm reading he is coming to Madrid and that the transfer is done

I watched a lot of their games and I will give you my opinion as to why I am so excited about this signing and why I was calling for it a long time before Madrid got interested.

First of all the comparisons in this thread to a lot of players mentioned are very wrong. Illarra is not a box to box nor is he a CM in the mould of Modric, Thiago or Xavi.

He is DM, or deep lying playmaker in the mold of Pirlo and Xabi. Now to whether he can be nearly as good as those two I do not know, what I do know is he is a damn good footballer at this point in time.

His passing range is good but no where near that of Alonso at this point in time, what he does surpass Xabi in though is his defensive abilities and ability to play in tight closed spaces.

He is an excellent tackler, great at reading inbetween the lines, intercepting the ball and clearing up passes in deep. I do believe with more time his passing range can develop to the level required for Real Madrid.

I do not believe he was Real Sociedad's best player but one of a few who over performed this past season, with the likes of Vela, Martinez and Prieto .

Real Sociedad mostly played a 4-2-3-1 this past season for those who watched, Illarramendi playing the Xabi role, I think I only ever saw them play the 4-3-3 on one occasion.

As I said he has all the talent in the world to succeed, he is a honest hard working player who racked up some of the best defensive stats in the league this past season while helping propel Real Sociedad to one of thier best league results in over 10 years.

If you watched the U21 Euros just gone by you would of seen a glimse of what he is capable of, his work in tight spaces especially when boxed in tactically by the opposition is remarkable, something I have rarely ever seen from Xabi. Like Xabi as well he is an intelligent player, a brain in the midfield which from what I have seen all too many players seem to lack these days.

Give him a chance for those saying he is all hype, he just may surprise you.

You have the premise of this thread wrong, Crim as it only asks questions on the hype of Illaramendi along with his subsequent praise.

You are spot on in his praise as the formation was closer to a 4-1-2-3 at the end of the year and Illara definitely was among the best players along with Vela, Preito & Inigo.

Was the heart of all their plays for us within the U-21 Euros and is improving by the month. A very complete midfielder who has surprised all of us Basques as to the player he has transformed into

The hype is unwarranted. Overrated. If/when he joins Madrid no doubt he will become world class in the next few months.

Overrated? as if any body other than La liga followers knew about him to rate him.I very much doubt peeps have seen 10 games of him.

He's definitely extremely good and talented.  I have 2 concerns:
-  I don't think it'll work in a 2-man midfield if he's paired with Modric.  You need a super defensive athlete to make it work with Modric imo.
-  Sociedad play much closer lines than Carlo did at PSG.  If you watched PSG, Matuidi had to run a marathon in each game to cover the midfield.  With Marcelo, i fear that whoever is on that side will need to do the same.

If we bought Gundogan/Pogba/Kondogbia, Illara is perfect imo to pair with any of those guys.  Even with Khedira it would be ok. But if we're thinking of Modric or similar in a 2 man setup, then i start to worry.

If we play closer lines or a 3 man mid, no worries at all.

3 man mid doesn't suit Ozil, so that's out of question. Gundogan from what I saw is an engine and can run all day(not Khedira level though), so Illarra with him could work.

sportsczy wrote:He's definitely extremely good and talented.  I have 2 concerns:
-  I don't think it'll work in a 2-man midfield if he's paired with Modric.  You need a super defensive athlete to make it work with Modric imo.
-  Sociedad play much closer lines than Carlo did at PSG.  If you watched PSG, Matuidi had to run a marathon in each game to cover the midfield.  With Marcelo, i fear that whoever is on that side will need to do the same.

If we bought Gundogan/Pogba/Kondogbia, Illara is perfect imo to pair with any of those guys.  Even with Khedira it would be ok.  But if we're thinking of Modric or similar in a 2 man setup, then i start to worry.

If we play closer lines or a 3 man mid, no worries at all.

This.

Rebaño Sagrado wrote:Lol Vela has been Sociedads best player. He is top scorer and assister. He has been consistent through out the seaon.

Illara has been good and done his job well. But like sports said there are better and younger players out there. Maybe I'm just blind but I dont see all the hype.

unreal insight by gl's best scout.