Overreaction Monday ft the Greedy Premier League, Philippe 'flat-track bully' Coutinho and Yaya Toure
Overthinking and over-reacting to situations is the human way but when it comes to football something clicks in a person that makes things comical, ludicrous and rarely sensible. That being said after an empty weekend of hysterical fans in England, there were bound to be a few hare-brained ideas.
Nemanja Vidic the most overrated defender in Premier League history
Somehow in a void without football, a thread about Nemanja Vidic being the most overrated defender in history was the one thing people agreed with.
SC Take: This is the Serbian killer we’re talking about. The man had strikers, attackers, forwards and anyone who stood in front of him trembling with fear. No ignoring the fact that he took some time to adapt but once he did, few defenders have made as much as an impact as him. Ignore the five league titles, the three league cups and a Champions League trophy.
But the sheer fact that he’s been arguably one of the best defenders in the history of the Premier League, should say everything. It took Manchester United years to replace him and some say that they still haven’t done it, while others say they may never do it.
Yaya Toure should be a part of the Gerard, Lampard and Scholes debate
There seems to be something about Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes that ignites a debate and yet this time it’s the interweb claiming that Yaya Toure should be a part of the debate.
SC Take: There was certainly something about Yaya Toure. In his prime, there seemed to be no-one on the planet, let alone in the Premier League, who could touch him. The man was a beast and could score like it was nobody’s business. In his prime, there was nothing he couldn’t do. Complete midfielders never came as complete as Toure did and in his prime Toure was Manchester City’s best player by a mile.
The only problem with that was the fact that his prime last a single year. One whole season which happened to be the 2013/14 one and then nothingness. He disappeared into mediocrity. He wasn’t the worst player in the other seasons but comparing him to the above trio is simply an overreaction especially when longevity counts the most.
Premier League are greedy idiots for wanting to restart the season
With project restart leaked onto the web, the world is mad against the Premier League with a few calling England’s top tier greedy idiots for wanting to restart things.
SC Take: Are they greedy idiots? Yes, they most definitely are. But are they greedy idiots for wanting to restart the season? They aren’t because what they are doing is helping football clubs survive what is obviously a really tough time. Take a look at the Premier League table. Ignore the points, the games played and everything else. Just look at the teams and ask yourself how many could survive about six months to a year without football?
Five, maybe six sides and all of them are the top six sides? That’s the way the league has been shaped, and while that is where the greedy idiots part comes in, which will hurt the smaller sides. They simply cannot afford a suspension and that even includes the newly promoted sides. Norwich City have already revealed that they’ve lost about 30 million and are on par to lose a lot more. This is more basic survival for the league rather than money although let’s not kid glove ourselves. That plays an immense part.
Signing a player like Philippe Coutinho will never help a team improve
Former Liverpool forward Stan Collymore has claimed that Philippe Coutinho would never help a side get better and is nothing more than a flat-track bully who stat pads against smaller sides.
SC Take: Now that is kinda true and only kinda true for Coutinho’s spell at Bayern. At Liverpool, he was at times one of the few players that the club had to produce that magical moment. And he did it, especially in the year just before he left with the Brazilian at his very best. That’s why he’s one of the most expensive players in footballing history because he was more than a flat-track bully. While his career has careened off the pathway since, it doesn’t mean that he has nothing to offer.
And as for helping a club get better, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham would definitely benefit by having someone like Coutinho. Is he the player they need, however, that is the question that should be asked and not the other way around.