Damian_de

Let's hope so.

Arbeloa and Finnan were both fine fullbacks, can't disagree with that, but IMO neither had quite the pedigree of of Aurelio. You have to go back a long way to find a clearly better LB as far as I can see. So in that case the 'one of our best' shout isn't so foolish. The Enrique thing I'll accept. My hatred for his brainlessness clouds judgment to a certain extent. But I'll be delighted the day we sign a left back that we could get back to the top with.

Not having all the easy but ill thought out accusations of craziness here folks. Babbel aside, who has been a better fullback in the past 15 years?

Injuries aside of course, but Aurelio has been absolute quality. Just a brilliantly intelligent footballer. He is lightyears ahead of Enrique.

He is? How do you know?

No friggin s***! Aurelio is one of the best fullbacks we have ever had, Enrique one of the worst frequent starters in a long long time. It's almost rude to mention them in the same sentence

That's probably to England's benefit

They introduced exactly this in the Bundesliga to OK effect

Absolutely right. The german 'Royal Family'. Rarely said but.... c'mon Bayern!

Was it 3-4-3 tonight though? Looked more like 3-3-4, or even 2-3-5, that's a proper pre-WWII type formation!

Kagawa at a club going nowhere is he?

I think the hardest thing about his job is keeping players who have won absolutely everything and been performing at very high intensity for years to keep being motivated, and I see his 3-4-3 move at least partly in that context, almost like setting the likes of Iniesta, Xavi, Messi, Alves etc a puzzle or challenge. What he has already done which sets him apart as a coach is to create an iconic team that people will include in their all time greatest teams for the foreseeable future, and that is something that basically none of the other top coaches today have done, and happens really pretty rarely.

For the rest of my life I am going to say that we won this game comfortably. There is no way that one of the men who was happy to preside over the destruction of the soul of one of the world's most iconic clubs can stroll back in and be allowed to win. It's against all reason. Just as well such things don't happen in reality. Phew.

He did

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He's the worst. And will be the first to go.

Can see this thread going downhill

Thought their game plan was more Mourinho's Inter than Rafa tbh, they weren't even trying to pass it out

Defo, so long as Messi isn't crocked

Totally agree. But he's foreign. And they owe the UK money.

I propose we keep this thread for rimming Messi, and maybe start up another one for the CR hatred?

He's just a numbskull. A fast numbskull, granted, but a numbskull nonetheless

I believe that, but there's a lot more to be discussed than just write it off as irrational hatred by rafa fanboys

is he b******s

Are you sure it's all? Nothing to do with the fact that we have tend to end up with a massive gap between attack and midfield when he plays?