simonjassy:
Lampard overall is a better player than iniesta is(no offense to barca fans.) but i think the reason why people wont see this is because one played for chelsea(a not so great team) and the other played for barca.personally i feel iniesta has been given more credit than he deserves when compared to lampard.
Sadly,football is a team sport and players who cant boast of tangible deeds can also be winners,morata is a good case here.If I were to pick my favorite barca midfield players, Iniesta Would be 3rd sitting behind xavi and the quiet but highly efficient busquets.

Haba bros. We get eyes and we the watch ball oh. Forget statistics abeg. Iniesta is the better player.


Is a shame that Iniesta didn't get to win the Ballon D'or.

simonjassy:
Lampard overall is a better player than iniesta is(no offense to barca fans.) but i think the reason why people wont see this is because one played for chelsea(a not so great team) and the other played for barca.personally i feel iniesta has been given more credit than he deserves when compared to lampard.
Sadly,football is a team sport and players who cant boast of tangible deeds can also be winners,morata is a good case here.If I were to pick my favorite barca midfield players, Iniesta Would be 3rd sitting behind xavi and the quiet but highly efficient busquets.

Between 1998 and 2007,Xavi wasn't so efficient and was overshadowed by players like Ronaldinho, Deco, Thiago freaking Motta and even Marc Van Bommel had more impact than Xavi in the single 2005/06 season he spent with us.

Iniesta brought out the beauty of Xavi's play. I can boldly say without Iniesta, there was no Xavi. But without Xavi, there was Iniesta.

2006 and 2015 finals say so.

monerozi5590:





Haba bros. We get eyes and we the watch ball oh. Forget statistics abeg. Iniesta is the better player.


Is a shame that Iniesta didn't get to win the Ballon D'or.

The way Ibime don brainwash this thread ehn... The guy has huge cult following.

Everybody just peddling fallacy like wetin!

Without Iniesta there was no Xavi? Shoro niyen?

afrodoc2:

Everybody just peddling fallacy like wetin!

Without Iniesta there was no Xavi? Shoro niyen?

Debroslink:


The way Ibime don brainwash this thread ehn... The guy has huge cult following.

So without Iniesta there was no Xavi?

Upnepaa:
Throughout my journey in life, it is only on Nairaland will I ever read the opinion that Iniesta is a fraud. And perhaps, this is gonna be the only place in the whole 7 continents of the world. Such a bizarre assumption.

interestingly this is one of the things that drew me to this part of nairaland and ultimately prolonged my stay here on this platform in general.

I wandered here from my former base and met coogar in the middle of some batshit crazy arguments, the rest.. History

monerozi5590:





Haba bros. We get eyes and we the watch ball oh. Forget statistics abeg. Iniesta is the better player.


Is a shame that Iniesta didn't get to win the Ballon D'or.

Some people here no get eyes..so they bank on sentiment using stats as yardstick....

afrodoc2:

Everybody just peddling fallacy like wetin!

Without Iniesta there was no Xavi? Shoro niyen?

I wonder whether people they post 4 post sake or jst 2 shook mouth 4 mata thereby posting absolute nonsense

Unlimited22:

So without Iniesta there was no Xavi?

Tell me any major trophy that Xavi won for my team before Iniesta came up?

homesteady:


According to Whoscored.com, Messi was the best player, so isn't it just natural for a 'Technical' team to pick him as the best player?

OK, let's buy your Whoscored argument and assume Whoscored is a valid aggregator of players performance.

The same Whoscored had Iniesta as the lowest scoring Spanish player in Euros final. So on what basis did UEFA Technical team pick Iniesta? Did they use Lindaikeji.com?

Debroslink:


The way Ibime don brainwash this thread ehn... The guy has huge cult following.

One does not need to be brainwashed to know that an AM with the career attacking returns of John Terry is a fraud.

At some point, reasoning people will start to ask valid questions and look beyond the hype and the highlights.

If Iniesta was the central attacking midfielder for a team flanked by Malouda and Joe Cole instead of Messi/Henry/Villa, would he not lead his team to midtable or even relegation sef?

They said he was controlling possession, we cannot find any evidence of that in his passing stats. What was his function in the midfield apart from dribbling?

afrodoc2:

Everybody just peddling fallacy like wetin!

Without Iniesta there was no Xavi? Shoro niyen?

Ronaldinho should be called Ibime, henceforth. Just as Rivaldo should be called airmark, for saying Hazard would perform better in laliga, cos it's not as strong as epl.

The result is that Fabregas will be remembered as more of a Premier League legend than a legend of any one club. Perhaps that is the way it should be for a player who has provided so much entertainment for the neutrals in his 350 appearances in the competition.His own assessment of his assist record sums it up well. "I'm not the fastest, I'm not the strongest, I'm not the most flexible and I don't jump high," he explained. "But to achieve this record in my career is one of the proudest things in my job, because it is my job and I did it well."Of that there can be no argument.



https://www.skysports.com/transfer/news/11096/11600864/cesc-fabregas-leaving-chelsea-his-premier-league-legacy-assessed?_e_pi_=7%2CPAGE_ID10%2C4760040393


raumdeuter, with this, can we say that fabregas is one of the greatest midfielders ever?

It depends on the team and the preference of the coach in question.
In a team like Chelsea where the front 3 don't score often, I'll take Lampard over Iniesta every day and all day but in a team like Barca and Madrid where the front 3 are lethal and can shoulder the goal scoring burden of the team, I'd opt for Iniesta who is more at ease with the ball at his feet gliding through challenges and releasing the attackers to do damage.
The argument here is non existent but guys just want to argue.

Debroslink:


Tell me any major trophy that Xavi won for my team before Iniesta came up?

How many UCL's has Iniesta won since Xavi left?

monerozi5590:





Haba bros. We get eyes and we the watch ball oh. Forget statistics abeg. Iniesta is the better player.


Is a shame that Iniesta didn't get to win the Ballon D'or.

But he won carryalong d'or

Debroslink:


Between 1998 and 2007,Xavi wasn't so efficient and was overshadowed by players like Ronaldinho, Deco, Thiago freaking Motta and even Marc Van Bommel had more impact than Xavi in the single 2005/06 season he spent with us.

Iniesta brought out the beauty of Xavi's play. I can boldly say without Iniesta, there was no Xavi. But without Xavi, there was Iniesta.

2006 and 2015 finals say so.

Truth is, Iniesta perfected the act of being carried along, he's the best in the business. Xavi is the fire that cooks the soup, Iniesta will jump in and start forming steam coming out of the pot.

Ibime:


Did Bayern control possession or not with just two midfielders? Was Muller needed to join hands with them?

Does David Silva not play the same role in same 4-3-3 under the same manager and produce attacking returns?

The 3rd midfielder, just like Silva, just like Muller is free to seek goals and assists according to his ability. Iniesta does not have that ability.

Who called Iniesta to go and join hands with Xavi and Busquets?

How did his 60 passes per game add to Barcas possession game? Is it any more than the 84 passes per game that Silva recorded under Pep last season whilst still scoring and assisting?

Your lie will find you out today.

The Eunuch is incapable of scoring or assisting, and he is incapable of running possession game. Stop telling lies.

Actually iniesta and Silva don't play d same roles.. Silva plays behind Sane who hugs d touch line, affording Silva d space and opportunity to make runs inside d box on a constant basis...

Iniesta on the other hand played behind natural goalscorers like Henry and Villa who make more runs into the box to score compared to Sane who's major role is to stretch d play

monerozi5590:

Is a shame that Iniesta didn't get to win the Ballon D'or.

Thank God EPL small boy Modric who could never raise mouth to Lampard, Gerrard and co as an AM in EPL still managed to win Ballon D'or by tapping into Iniestas carryalong blessing.

Modric > Iniesta.

randomperson:


Actually iniesta and Silva don't play d same roles.. Silva plays behind Sane who hugs d touch line, affording Silva d space and opportunity to make runs inside d box on a constant basis...

Iniesta on the other hand played behind natural goalscorers like Henry and Villa who make more runs into the box to score compared to Sane who's major role is to stretch d play

Story for the gods.

Which Henry was holding Iniestas leg for Spain that made him only score one goal every 12 games.

When Iniesta played left attacking mid for Spain in Euro 2012, shebi Leroy Sane abi Henry were the ones stopping him from producing attacking returns.

The same Silva was scoring and assisting from the opposite wing in the same tournament, but Henry must have still been holding Iniestas leg.

Iniesta is incapable of doing his basic job as an AM, in any setting, with any combination of wingers or forwards whether it was Guily, Pedro, Messi or Henry. Quit the excuses.

simonjassy:
Lampard overall is a better player than iniesta is(no offense to barca fans.) but i think the reason why people wont see this is because one played for chelsea(a not so great team) and the other played for barca.personally i feel iniesta has been given more credit than he deserves when compared to lampard.
Sadly,football is a team sport and players who cant boast of tangible deeds can also be winners,morata is a good case here.If I were to pick my favorite barca midfield players, Iniesta Would be 3rd sitting behind xavi and the quiet but highly efficient busquets.

Well, by virtue of their INDIVIDUAL awards alone, iniesta is greater than lampard. Let's not even get started on their trophies.

randomperson:


Well, by virtue of their INDIVIDUAL awards alone, iniesta is greater than lampard. Let's not even get started on their trophies.

By virtue of Individual awards, Modric is greater than Iniesta, and Modric was Lampards junior in EPL

Carryalong D'or awards.

obainojazz:
Truth is, Iniesta perfected the act of being carried along, he's the best in the business. Xavi is the fire that cooks the soup, Iniesta will jump in and start forming steam coming out of the pot.

Flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but the Holy spirit.

Ibime:


Story for the gods.

Which Henry was holding Iniestas leg for Spain that made him only score one goal every 12 games.

When Iniesta played left attacking mid for Spain in Euro 2012, shebi Leroy Sane abi Henry were the ones stopping him from producing attacking returns.

The same Silva was scoring and assisting from the opposite wing in the same tournament, but Henry must have still been holding Iniestas leg.

Iniesta is incapable of doing his basic job as an AM, in any setting, with any combination of wingers or forwards whether it was Guily, Pedro, Messi or Henry. Quit the excuses.

It's not excuses, it's tactical analysis which you can't disprove... The Euro 2012 you're talking about, Iniesta was d best player in the tournament. And the only reason he didn't win ballon d'or that year was because of messi's insane goal scoring stats that year...

And that's the thing, when you have goalscorers like Suarez,henry, eto and villa in front of you, and then add Messi, perhaps d most consistent goalscorer in history, your goal stats can't be that impressive...

Lampard was charged with the duty of scoring because the only consistent goalscoring attacker was drogba.

Unlimited22:

My broda, I tire for both groups.
One side is saying Iniesta was useless and the other side is trying to prove Iniesta was great by claiming Xavi was useless.

Telling us Iniesta brought out the beauty in Xavi’s game. When did he become a makeup artist?

Ibime:


By virtue of Individual awards, Modric is greater than Iniesta, and Modric was Lampards junior in EPL

Carryalong D'or awards.

Modric was lampard's junior in EPL because he was playing for an inferior team... Modric won world cup golden ball for Croatia, something Lampard couldn't dream off...

Yes, modric was lucky to win that ballon d'or because frankly, Messi and Ronaldo were not at their best this year...

Lampard played in an era when cannavaro won world best, iniesta played in the messi-ronaldo era

Till tomorrow, acclaimed pundits, managers and footballers- both active and retired still lament that iniesta never won d ballon d or. But nobody expresses that sentiment in relation to Lampard.... because he is simply not that good

Debroslink:


Between 1998 and 2007,Xavi wasn't so efficient and was overshadowed by players like Ronaldinho, Deco, Thiago freaking Motta and even Marc Van Bommel had more impact than Xavi in the single 2005/06 season he spent with us.

Iniesta brought out the beauty of Xavi's play. I can boldly say without Iniesta, there was no Xavi. But without Xavi, there was Iniesta.

2006 and 2015 finals say so.

It is finished

I quit naira land.


without iniesta there won't be any Xavi

words from a wise barkabots

randomperson:

And that's the thing, when you have goalscorers like Suarez,henry, eto and villa in front of you, and then add Messi, perhaps d most consistent goalscorer in history, your goal stats can't be that impressive...

Lampard was charged with the duty of scoring because the only consistent goalscoring attacker was drogba.

In other words, Iniesta was a carryalong while Lampard was a carrier.

Don't compare drummer boy who dance behind Masquerade to the Masquerade please.

Even as a left winger tasked with making the difference, he was still a drummer boy that couldn't provide the winning impetus.

simonjassy:
Lampard overall is a better player than iniesta is(no offense to barca fans.) but i think the reason why people wont see this is because one played for chelsea(a not so great team) and the other played for barca.personally i feel iniesta has been given more credit than he deserves when compared to lampard.
Sadly,football is a team sport and players who cant boast of tangible deeds can also be winners,morata is a good case here.If I were to pick my favorite barca midfield players, Iniesta Would be 3rd sitting behind xavi and the quiet but highly efficient busquets.

It seems i will like to know apari raumdeuter's opinion on this, if it's in tandem with mine.

randomperson:


Modric was lampard's junior in EPL because he was playing for an inferior team... Modric won world cup golden ball for Croatia, something Lampard couldn't dream off...

Yes, modric was lucky to win that ballon d'or because frankly, Messi and Ronaldo were not at their best this year...

Modric was not just Lampards junior, he was everyones junior including Gerrard, Fabregas and in his own team Van Der Vaart chased him away from AM position after he played AM for a year and couldn't produce any attacking returns.

The difference between Liverpool and Spurs could be boiled down to the difference between Gerrard and Modric. They often finish in not too dissimilar league positions, but Gerrard's incisiveness could take them deep into competitions while Modric was waiting for Carryalong.

Gareth Bale became World most expensive player playing for the same team because he was not waiting for any carryalong. Van Der Vaart pushed Modric out of AM position and immediately started hitting double figures for goals and assists where Modric was struggling to put even 5 together.

Modric simply followed the Iniesta route and tapped into carryalong blessings that Iniesta has been profiting from his whole career. Ronaldo has now taken those blessings to Italy, Modric cannot even carry himself anymore.

If Modric see Lampard, Gerrard, Fabregas or even Van Der Vaart today, he will still dobale for them cos shoe get size. I am happy he is greater than Iniesta today though. Much respect to him for out-Iniesta-ing Iniesta.