Con

Dribbling, pace and he also can take freekicks Not convinced. James Ward-Prowse is a fantastic free kick taker. Shaw can take free kicks but is not fantastic at them. As I said, the game has evolved. These days the CB needs to be able to run fast and execute a Cryuff turn effectively. How often does Kompany carry the ball almost to the edge of opponent's penalty box? He loves that, and it causes havoc because he creates the extra man. For teams that have a lot of possession who find it difficult to break down an encamped defence, the charging CB and element of surprise it causes could be a solution.

Netherlands have a very interesting defensive corps. Average age 23. Vlaar will feel right at home. Pretty astonishing. Like an open door. Maybe they have some great quality that will come through this tournament and we could buy. Four come from Feyenoord, three others from Holland and one from Germany.

I've watched him on youtube. Why didn't Wilshere nutmeg him at 2:36? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6rHcF05uOc#t=156 I admit the new Paolo Maldini argument is the strongest one for Shaw continuing at LB - at least until he loses his pace. My response to this is that pacey and skillful CBs are more important today than they were when Maldini was playing and that Shaw isn't good enough offensively, so the cost-benefit equation will push him into the centre of the defence.

He is a LB you don't buy LB's based on the number of assists they get. Yet people are using his supposed offensive threat to justify the price. Why spend £27m for a tall, lumbering LB who is going to be nutmegged all the time.

Only 7 ties since 1989 in American football. Effectively there are no draws... very offence orientated game, which makes the QB the key man. In football draws are very frequent (15-30% games) so an effective defence is important for the result of a majority of the games played. CB is the key position in the team because obviously it's in the middle of the park and the CB position has the best view of the other players to organize them. The CB is also always close to the ball whether in possession or out of it. If Shaw is actually any good then and worth this £27 million Man Utd reportedly want to spend on him he should be converted into a CB. I'm sure Man Utd will have thought about this possibility. Otherwise, why spend so much money for 1 assist in 35 games.

I'll be there in person at Wembley hoping he gets some game time. Not watching on the TV. Well you could just admit you never watch the Sacchi AC Milan side because its fairly obvious you didn't. Sacchi left Milan in 1991 the pass back rule was introduced a year later in 92, Sacchi returned for a second unsuccessful spell at AC in 1996-97 but that wasn't the era of his great side and their rigid 4-4-2. You don't know what you are talking about no matter what stats you've seen or how much time you've spent on You tube because you clearly never actually saw the team you are referring to. CB is no more influential now than its ever been, Maldini was an immense player but he was a LB not a CB. Your point on if Maldini emerged today is little more than your own little theory based on nothing at all much like your claim United will pay £27m for a LB only to convert him to CB. I don't know. It seems to me LB and CB share many similarities in terms of physical and technical requirements. There is no reason why Man Utd won't at least try him out at CB just in case he is good there. In my opinion CB is the most important position in the team so they will play their best defender there if they can do so (in football games can be drawn, so the organizer of the defence is the key individual, whereas in American football in which games are only won or lost the organizer of the offense, the QB, is the key man). This is a nice clip. Shows how the Milan defence just rush out like a tsunami catching all the Real forward players offside.

Too many cooks? The tika-taka style hasn't been too successful in European competition recently. I suspect Spain might be a big flop. This tournament may be more about freedom of expression than collectivist effort (the Spanish style). Possibly... but you could say an embarrassment of riches too. Barcelona may have been found out a bit but they're not Spain are they? Spain have won the last 3 major tournaments they have been in (2x Euro, 1x WC) and are certainly the pick of the Euro teams. I'd be very surprised if they didn't make the final. I'm not a massive fan of how they play but it works for them The Barcelona players have been the most influential, why the Spanish team plays the tippy-tappy passing game. Pique, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Pedro, Villa (before his move)... and up until this Championship, Puyol. Actually, the absence of Puyol is going to be a big factor in Spain's poor performance because he was a great defender in the pre-tika taka mould. The current defenders Spain have are not World Class defensive defenders. Highly skilful players yes but they make unpredictable errors and teams will find it possible to pick them off, if they are not careful. Barcelona is not quite the impossible threat they once were and I reckon that will repeat with the Spanish team that plays in a similar style. Xavi and Iniesta are over 30 and a bit slower and if they do get out of the group stage (I'm not so sure... Chile might beat them) then they won't last the pace.

I'll be scouting Luke Shaw at the end of this month when England plays Peru at Wembley.

Okay fine! It's the best I can do. It was a very good team and it was fascinating what Arrigo Sacchi did with the 442. However, when they changed the rules on off-side and pass back to the keeper the system became less effective and ball-playing, pacey CBs have become more and more prevalent. CB is a hugely influential position and as a truly World Class defender if Paolo Maldini emerged today there would be a reason for him to be a CB from the very start of his career.

I watched some Italian football in '90s when it was on C4. At that time I didn't think about 442s or Catenaccios. That doesn't answer my question, I didn't ask if you watched Italian football I asked if you watched Sacchi's Milan side in the late 1980's given that is what you are referring to. Did you? I don't know if I did. I would say I probably did but I don't remember anything about it. I have since seen some youtube clips.

I watched some Italian football in '90s when it was on C4. At that time I didn't think about 442s or Catenaccios. But you knew about pushing your defenders up the pitch and playing the offside trap? I closed my eyes and using special meditative techniques pulled that information directly from the universal football knowledge library using only the power of my mind. Alright I'm winging it. But nobody noticed did they.

I watched some Italian football in '90s when it was on C4. At that time I didn't think about 442s or Catenaccios.

Ferdinand, Kompany, Vermaelen, Ramos. The modern CB drives with the ball deep into the opposition territory creating the extra man before releasing it.

Okay, so I was wrong about that in the specific case of Maldini's club, Milan (although he may have played different for Italy?). Milan's CBs would be higher up the pitch, playing the offside trap instead. However, they still would not have needed the pace they do today. The offside trap was easier to maintain for that Milan side (none of that interfering with play rule lark). Also there was less panic when they had the ball because the goalkeeper could pick up the ball on a pass back from the CB, so they didn't need so much skill on the ball.

Shaw's got ball skill but any more-so than John Stones at Everton (and on the England stand-by list)? Just because he has ball-skill doesn't mean he is too good for CB. Paolo Maldini wasn't CB at the start of his career because of the Catenaccio system that was dominant in Italy in the '90s. The CBs held a deep line, didn't have far to retreat so didn't need a lot of pace. Now nobody plays old-style Catenaccio, not even in Italy, and today the modern CB is screwed without a lot of pace. So it is the idea position for Shaw.

Rich old guy wants to live the dream, tries to buy football club but doesn't want to his wife to know... "don't be silly" ... "stupid waste of money that is" etc. news leaked means she gets to know about it and can put a stop to it.

Or... we can create a breakaway league with Newcastle, Celtic and Rangers and not allow the unfair 4 to play in it.

Online... Neymar and Falcao in the same pack!

1. Shaw has a powerful physique and is still growing. Soon he will be too big for the fullback position. This will compromise his ability to defend e.g. against fast, agile, smaller wingers. Albrighton's recent nutmeg sums this up. 2. Shaw is not good enough offensively to play as a wingback. In 35 games just 1 assist and barely 1 key pass a game. Southampton's other fullback Clyne has better offensive stats from fewer games, yet he is not cited as a super-star like Shaw. Why? Unlike Shaw he doesn't have a future at centre-back. 3. Shaw has all the talent and attributes to be a World Class centre-back.

So shit that pretty much every country other than England has most clubs employing them? im not saying the concept is shit its the fact Levy has no idea what he is doing and has hired shit Director of Footballs (Pleat, Comolli and baldini) and the fact it has failed for him so much that he keeps reverting back to it. no coincidence his best manager in charge didn't have one I would have liked Villa to have failed in the same way Tottenham has over the last five seasons.

true Con, that 2014 all Spanish Champions League final really has sent them backwards or that all Spanish 2012 Europa League final. don't know how they will ever recover Not all Spanish players, are they, and they play a different style to the national team. Spanish players in the Atletico and Real sides do not dictate the style of play of the Spanish national side. Eight players in total, 2 strikers, 2 defenders and 1 goalkeeper. Only midfielders in the squad of 30 are Koke, Juanfran and Xabi and they might not make the final cut.

It will be a shock when Spain are eliminated but not an unexpected one given what has happened to the Spanish teams in Europe since the last World Cup. Spain, Chile and Netherlands all in the same group. Spain might even fall at the first hurdle. Agree but he only understands Scottish, remember?

true and Spain don't have any World Class defensive defenders. they are good on the ball and going forward but at the back they are a shambles. managers have figured out they can tailor their line up to be comfortable without possession and stifle the Spanish attack, and use a clone team of Jay Rodriguez to score tackle-goals.

the manager of Premier League teams changes, on average, every 11 months. the Director of Football provides a necessary continuity. if a DOF picks 90% of the transfers you don't get the problem where the next manager has to come in and bring in his own players for his own style. which gets prohibitively expensive if you need to do that every 11 months. the club should choose the next manager based on the players they have and the style of football they play. fact is, our club may be well-run but it hasn't got a clue about football, which is why we have left that side of things entirely up to the manager for so long, and all the team can manage is hoofball.

I would take David Villa or Torres over Welbeck. Wouldn't drop Lambert for either of them. Not convinced by the Spanish team this World Cup. So many World Class players in midfield but they all lack power and pace. Also, how great is the Spanish defence - I mean, at defending? Since the last World Cup the tiki-taka style has been found out. Teams will defend deep and score tackle-goals - nick the ball of their defenders and break with pace, that sort of thing.