Zinedine Zidane: I regret not playing with Manchester United star Paul Scholes

[Joss]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1355726/Xavi-Scholes-best-midfield-player-20-years.html

Why did the Daily Mail pinch Sid Lowe's interview with Xavi for the Guardian?

Anyways, obviously a great player - he had everything, passing, goals.. He just can't tackle.

Don't particularly want him in the England squad, playing the holding role nowadays means more than just getting stuck in and making long range passes forward. For one thing, if we continue with Bent and Rooney, his long passes may well get slightly wasted without a Target Man (That said, Carrol or Crouch are around, I guess). It requires athleticism, Eriksen would have ripped him apart - quick, skilful, agile - until Scholes took him out of the game..

 

[Mike.]

Why did the Daily Mail pinch Sid Lowe's interview with Xavi for the Guardian?

Anyways, obviously a great player - he had everything, passing, goals.. He just can't tackle.

Don't particularly want him in the England squad, playing the holding role nowadays means more than just getting stuck in and making long range passes forward. For one thing, if we continue with Bent and Rooney, his long passes may well get slightly wasted without a Target Man (That said, Carrol or Crouch are around, I guess). It requires athleticism, Eriksen would have ripped him apart - quick, skilful, agile - until Scholes took him out of the game..

your bit about long ranges passes isnt quite true, we dont play with one at united. long ranges passes dont need to be to a targetman, nor does he needs to be a holding mid. think pirlo, raking passes to the flanks, or short intricate passing. still shouldnt be in the england squad though

 

[Jay Pricey]

nope, in his prime yes but not now

So why do United always play better when he's on the pitch even at his age now?

 

[Joss]

your bit about long ranges passes isnt quite true, we dont play with one at united. long ranges passes dont need to be to a targetman, nor does he needs to be a holding mid. think pirlo, raking passes to the flanks, or short intricate passing. still shouldnt be in the england squad though

Fair point - Thinking about it, it would be pretty useful to have someone play those diagonal lines out to Theo or Johnson or whoever on the wing.

Re: Being a holding mid - where else would he play? He's played there most of his England career, and at 37 or whatever his legs aren't exactly going to be ideal for going box-to-box or surging forward from the centre.

 

[Mike.]

Fair point - Thinking about it, it would be pretty useful to have someone play those diagonal lines out to Theo or Johnson or whoever on the wing.

Re: Being a holding mid - where else would he play? He's played there most of his England career, and at 37 or whatever his legs aren't exactly going to be ideal for going box-to-box or surging forward from the centre.

you play him the same way you play pirlo, with someone like parker alongside him (we use fletcher, milain use gattuso etc) never as a holding player on his own

---------- Post added at 05:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:08 PM ----------

But he was hardly ever called the best passer in the Game, people always thought the likes of Xavi and Iniesta are the greatest of the lot while Scholes was up there with them in his prime

you need to make the distinction between being feted by the media, and feted by other players and managers. Scholes wasnt always the former, but he certainly was the latter

 

[Joss]

you play him the same way you play pirlo, with someone like parker alongside him (we use fletcher, milain use gattuso etc) never as a holding player on his own

WHat about Thud? Thud + Scholes + Wilshere = Dream Team in terms of passing.

Still though, we can't be having a 37 year old ginger man and a yid in that midfield

I still don't want him in the England side - as useful as his experience and passing would be.

Wouldn't mind him coming in and doing some coaching, though. Someone like Thud, Wilshere would really benefit from a bit of advice on long passes - not that they can't do it already - just that he is pretty much the master.

 

[Mike.]

WHat about Thud? Thud + Scholes + Wilshere = Dream Team in terms of passing.

Still though, we can't be having a 37 year old ginger man and a yid in that midfield

I still don't want him in the England side - as useful as his experience and passing would be.

Wouldn't mind him coming in and doing some coaching, though. Someone like Thud, Wilshere would really benefit from a bit of advice on long passes - not that they can't do it already - just that he is pretty much the master.

Is thudd fit, becuase i cannot wait for him to return to the england squad, it should be him or parker in that role alongside wilshere, depending how you need to approach the opposition

agree that scholes shouldnt be in the england side though

 

[AldoKemp-1]

He just can't tackle.

Wrong, He just can't tackle "Cleanly" is the word you missed out on

anyway who's to say England are going to even qualify for the Euro's (6)

 

[Joss]

Is thudd fit, becuase i cannot wait for him to return to the england squad, it should be him or parker in that role alongside wilshere, depending how you need to approach the opposition

agree that scholes shouldnt be in the england side though

We're going slightly OT, so this will be my last post on the matter.. but I have to say I'd rather Parker in that slot - not just as a gooner but because I feel he works harder for his team and never stops running when he's playing for WHU. Thud is a very good DM/CM and is strong etc. but I don't see too much about him that Parker doesn't have + Parker has more exp. (if only he hadn't gone to Cheatski )

---------- Post added at 05:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:32 PM ----------

Wrong, He just can't tackle "Cleanly" is the word you missed out on

anyway who's to say England are going to even qualify for the Euro's (6)

Isn't it the same thing?

 

[curtis290]

The goal.com piece is very poor, it omits all of the interesting stuff from the interview...on his analysis of English football in general and how Scholes was undervalued by the English since they play an aerial game and. Check out the full length interview.

The best long-range passer IMO was Guti on his day...absolutely phenomenal player and very underrated, I think.

The midfielders that I've seen in my life that most impressed me were Zidane (best player I ever saw bar none), Figo, C. Ronaldo, Guti, Riquelme, Rui Costa, Xavi, Veron (great player not suited for the English game), and Iniesta. Scholes is right up there. I don't think you can really compare all of these greats though (IMO though Zidane was a step above everyone), they're all legendary in their own way. There's plenty of other players you could add to this list too, Makelele, Schweinsteiger (I think the German NT and Bayern would be different teams without him), Beckham, Gerrard, Essien, Robben on his day, there's so many great ones over the years you can't really quantify their talents or say who's better.

 

[Mike.]

The goal.com piece is very poor, it omits all of the interesting stuff from the interview...on his analysis of English football in general and how Scholes was undervalued by the English since they play an aerial game and. Check out the full length interview.

The best long-range passer IMO was Guti on his day...absolutely phenomenal player and very underrated, I think.

The midfielders that I've seen in my life that most impressed me were Zidane (best player I ever saw bar none), Figo, C. Ronaldo, Guti, Riquelme, Rui Costa, Xavi, Veron (great player not suited for the English game), and Iniesta. Scholes is right up there. I don't think you can really compare all of these greats though (IMO though Zidane was a step above everyone), they're all legendary in their own way. There's plenty of other players you could add to this list too, Makelele, Schweinsteiger (I think the German NT and Bayern would be different teams without him), Beckham, Gerrard, Essien, Robben on his day, there's so many great ones over the years you can't really quantify their talents or say who's better.

agree with this. scholes arrived 10 years too early for the game in england (in terms of the national side). with the exception of beckham to nistelrooy down the right flank, united largely played on the deck so he hugely prospered with us

 

[Billy]

Thud is a very good DM/CM and is strong etc. but I don't see too much about him that Parker doesn't have + Parker has more exp. (if only he hadn't gone to Cheatski )

Parker is known for driving runs from midfield, and pushing his team forward. Huddlestone is more noticeable when he is sitting just behind his midfield partner, usually Modric, spraying passes from deep.

He's injured still (Huddlestone), unfortunately. I can't wait for him to return to our set-up.

 

[dasty]

People keeps on saying that Scholes isn't underrated or under-appreciated in England, but Scholes at his prime had never been able to displace either Lampard and Gerrard from England's starting eleven throughout his career ever since the latter two explode into the scene, when the duo had been proven time and time again that they couldn't play together. He was even played out of position just to accommodate them. It is evident how underrated he is in England when the Spanish seems to love him more.

To be rated as the best midfielder by Henry, Vieira, Xavi, Zidane, X.Alonso etc is a testimonial of how phenomenal this player is. It is one thing to be rated as the best by your teammates, but when even your rivals rate you as the best, that alone is quite an achievement.

 

[Zquezie]

Zidane, my all time favorite

 

[DM08]

Glad somebody noticed the Daily Mail pinched this from The Guardian. As for Scholes, a truly terrific player and if you are rated as one of the best by, in my opinion, the greatest player ever to grace the sport then that is a fantastic achievement.

 

[*Paul*]

Scholes is an awesome player, I wish we had him at Liverpool (he would never join though ) but I don't think he is worth this. Still, I reckon Zidane wanted a bit of the limelight, this article is pretty much useless (he isn't even playing anymore!).

 

[Mike.]

Glad somebody noticed the Daily Mail pinched this from The Guardian. As for Scholes, a truly terrific player and if you are rated as one of the best by, in my opinion, the greatest player ever to grace the sport then that is a fantastic achievement.

ive already put up the whole article in the rest section, its a quality interview with xavi