Recently alot of people in here have been slagging Figo off as "garbage" or past his best. While I agree he isn't as effective with the ball as he used to be he is far from useless and here is why:

1. The guy plays out on the wing, which can be an easy place to make your living as you'll usually only have to beat the full-back to put in a cross or head to goal. However, in Figo's case as soon as he touches the ball there are immediately 2 defenders on him and this is ALWAYS the case. Would a manager defend a poor player with 2 men?

2. Being double teamed on the wing eliminates about %59 of where you can dribble assuming that you don't try to get around the 2 defenders, so generally a pass is the best option (how many midfield players in the world are actually ever double teamed? Not even Zidane often, b/c there is so much space in the middle and there are other things to worry about).

3. This double teaming frees up space in the defense for people like Raul and co. to score.

So, with the ball or not he still can cause problems for the defense and he has a great shot even still (deadly from the penalty spot as well). Still one of the best crossers of the ball. And try this, next time you see him play and he is running at a defender, watch the defenders body and face, they often look very, very worried that Figo is coming at them. (Watch the Super Cup against Feyenoord in the first half and you will see what I am talking about best)

Originally posted by Swerve
(Watch the Super Cup against Feyenoord in the first half and you will see what I am talking about best)

Exactly, the Super Cup, that is long gone.... Ask yourself this, can you say the same thing about the Milan game.....

Figo can still play well, just on rare occasions. A player of his wage should be showing a great performance in every match.

Originally posted by Swerve
Recently alot of people in here have been slagging Figo off as "garbage" or past his best. While I agree he isn't as effective with the ball as he used to be he is far from useless and here is why:

1. The guy plays out on the wing, which can be an easy place to make your living as you'll usually only have to beat the full-back to put in a cross or head to goal. However, in Figo's case as soon as he touches the ball there are immediately 2 defenders on him and this is ALWAYS the case. Would a manager defend a poor player with 2 men?

2. Being double teamed on the wing eliminates about %59 of where you can dribble assuming that you don't try to get around the 2 defenders, so generally a pass is the best option (how many midfield players in the world are actually ever double teamed? Not even Zidane often, b/c there is so much space in the middle and there are other things to worry about).

3. This double teaming frees up space in the defense for people like Raul and co. to score.

So, with the ball or not he still can cause problems for the defense and he has a great shot even still (deadly from the penalty spot as well). Still one of the best crossers of the ball. And try this, next time you see him play and he is running at a defender, watch the defenders body and face, they often look very, very worried that Figo is coming at them. (Watch the Super Cup against Feyenoord in the first half and you will see what I am talking about best)

I'm sorry but this is probably the weakest defence I've heard in a long while. Figo is agreat player, but he's been playing ****e since he joined Real. Do you think all of Figo's troubles are because he's being marked by two players. Alongside him, they have somebody called Zidane, how many players does he have to beat? Just one? Beckham has two people watching him, Rivaldo has, Henry has, Ruud has....... they are all extremely succesful at what they do. Figo is just isn't feeling well I guess. His place is not at Real, he's not happy there.

Originally posted by Swerve


2. Being double teamed on the wing eliminates about %59
59%, is that so? How'd you come up with that figure?

Don't you think he had just as much attention to him when he was playing great? He seemed to overcome it fine.

Your defense of him lacks big-time.

Originally posted by LaBrujita
59%, is that so? How'd you come up with that figure?

Don't you think he had just as much attention to him when he was playing great? He seemed to overcome it fine.

Your defense of him lacks big-time.

hey man, u dont have to say so much since ur avatar already answered!:o :p (H)

yep ur defense is poor ... u think figo wouldve cared about how many markers he had at EURO 2000? i think he's taking in too much of the media & fans & not concentrating enough on just playing & more importantly ENJOYING his football ... he looks burnt out ... ive been there before ... against milan he couldnt even stand on his 2 feet ... ive been there .. he's just gotta shut himself out & get back to enjoying his football n thats all there is to it

i hope he regains his great form or its a great loss :kader:

Hehehehehe, now no where did I say that he is a golden booter or as good as he was (honest). But don't you think that 2 defenders on a winger helps everyone else out? Plus, it is MUCH easier for forwards to lose markers than wingers (usually) as there is more space and more going on. And I love Beckham, but he is VERY RARELY double teamed as if you can play him onto his left he is considerably less effective (or close him done before his service, I know easier said then done). And as for my coming up with the percentage of field he has left after being double teamed hear is what I am saying:

I play on the wing alot and I defend fairly well, so this is the thing, the sideline helps alot. So, you got one guy shading him to the sideline, and another guy playing cover, it academic, the ball is yours unless your marking Giggs or the like. But that leaves you with passing square (maybe) or back (unless you beat your men).

So, you guys say my defense is suspect and it is a bit light weight, but if you guys feel he is bad say so and tell me why, this stuff makes us better footy fans. The best argument so far is that he isn't worth his wages, I agree, but I wouldn't tell him no if he wanted to play for my team (unfortunately I could only offer him a ride to the game for his wages).

P.S.- Super Cup was a couple of days ago though wasn't it:)

I think he'll be back. We'll talk again at the end of the season (or after his 2 goals in the champion's league final in a 4-3 loss to United:).

Originally posted by mhflierman
. Alongside him, they have somebody called Zidane, how many players does he have to beat? Just one? Beckham has two people watching him, Rivaldo has, Henry has, Ruud has....... they are all extremely succesful at what they do.

I agree that Figo isn't doing very well lately and that in the past he flew above 2 or 3 defenders at ease, no matter if they were Roberto Carlos or Secretário( :|).

Now, I don't think Zizou is being that great lately, although he has scored a couple of great goals this season (but so has Figo). You just need to watch a couple Real's games to understand that Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo and even Raul are far from hat they used to do. You can include Rivaldo in that lot, too.
I have a theory for this, based on past WC experiences. I remember that after the WCs, a huge lot of our star players had difficult seasons. Lack of resting time?

You claim that Becks, Rivaldo and others re frequently double-teamed, but I don't think that's the case. Some teams, not all, often assing ONE player to mark a specific player of the other team, their star. I've heard some arguments between coaches about whether that is the correct option or maybe teams should give a bit more freedom to the star player and concentrate on blocking the rest of the team (they would be more effective on a full court pressure, for instance).
All of this to say that double-teaming in football is extremely RARE, and Figo is one of the few players that gets this type of attention from defences on a regular basis. Like Swerve said, it makes more sense to double-team a winger than a guy ho plays on the middle.

Originally posted by mhflierman
he's not happy there.

Is that a fact?

Maybe he was too fired up with his national side's performance..
He once said that the national side is pissing him off.....
He even considered retiring from international soccer.....

Originally posted by Swerve
And as for my coming up with the percentage of field he has left after being double teamed hear is what I am saying:

I play on the wing alot and I defend fairly well, so this is the thing, the sideline helps alot. So, you got one guy shading him to the sideline, and another guy playing cover, it academic, the ball is yours unless your marking Giggs or the like. But that leaves you with passing square (maybe) or back (unless you beat your men).


are you saying that the 59% u calculated or assumed is based on ur own experience while playing football...?

is this some kinda joke ?

you've never seen me play ace.

Originally posted by Eliatamby
anyway, since when have wingers and widemen ever carried a team? too much is expected of Figo, considering that he is a winger, which was a similar problem to what Denilson faced. Figo took too much of the blame for Portugal's WC failure, when in reality the heart of the Portuguese play is Rui Costa, and it was his lack of form more the Figo's lack of form which caused the WC debacle

What are you saying? Did you see Rui at the WC? Even the game against USA he didn't play too bad. The game against Poland he did really good (3 of the 4 goals were somehow set up by Rui) and he didn't even play against Korea.... It wasn't Rui....or Figo, it was our whole team and their attitude....

Originally posted by calve11
What are you saying? Did you see Rui at the WC? Even the game against USA he didn't play too bad. The game against Poland he did really good (3 of the 4 goals were somehow set up by Rui) and he didn't even play against Korea.... It wasn't Rui....or Figo, it was our whole team and their attitude....


Hmm.....I can't recall the game very well (ive basically erased WC 2002 from my memory) but didn't Rui come on after it was 3-0?!? I am 75% certain of that.

Oh and I agree. The team is to blame for the failure, however I do think Mr.Figo should take the brunt of the blame. At E2000 he was our best player (and still is, even though I loathe the man) and we perched him on a pedastal above the rest...after WC 2002 we should put him a lower toilet seat than the rest of the team. You expect more from your "marquee" guys.

Originally posted by MarcoCanada
Hmm.....I can't recall the game very well (ive basically erased WC 2002 from my memory) but didn't Rui come on after it was 3-0?!? I am 75% certain of that.

Oh and I agree. The team is to blame for the failure, however I do think Mr.Figo should take the brunt of the blame. At E2000 he was our best player (and still is, even though I loathe the man) and we perched him on a pedastal above the rest...after WC 2002 we should put him a lower toilet seat than the rest of the team. You expect more from your "marquee" guys.

I erased WC 2002 from my memory too.... Except for the Poland game. Rui Costa came on when it was 1-0....

I just watched the USA v. Portugal game today for like the 10th time since WC 2002 :) Figo didn't play like crap or anything but he was outshined by pretty much everyone on the US team and a few Portugal players as well. Ah... I never get tired of watching that game :D :) :shades: ;)

Originally posted by Run DMB
I just watched the USA v. Portugal game today for like the 10th time since WC 2002 :) Figo didn't play like crap or anything but he was outshined by pretty much everyone on the US team and a few Portugal players as well. Ah... I never get tired of watching that game :D :) :shades: ;)

Don't flatter youself. That was one of the worst games I've ever seen Portugal play....

Let's see,,,Figo was born in 1972,,,,
how old is he at the moment,,30
He could be in twilight of his career and slowing a bit down...
while Rui just 26 if I m not getting wrong wif his age,,,

age here is not the important thing
its the fitness which counts

Originally posted by Mulder
Let's see,,,Figo was born in 1972,,,,
how old is he at the moment,,30
He could be in twilight of his career and slowing a bit down...
while Rui just 26 if I m not getting wrong wif his age,,,

Rui Costa is also around 30yo, but yeah, I agree with Dhruv, being 30 really doesn't mean crap. Hell, John Stockton is 40yo!! and he can still play in the NBA.:confused:

how old is alan sherear?

Originally posted by ryan_goal
how old is alan sherear?

Shearer is 32,,,,okie I m not saying age should be obstacle,,
there's a perioud of age that every player have to gone through..

early teens --.> 24/25
period of maturing into decent players,,highest energy

26--> 29/30 peak of career,,,

31/32--> ...... slowing down,,play mostly base on their experience,,and twilight of a career,,,

Okie,,,Quality counts better then AGE

look at Zola , i mean hes well over 30 and still can outrun owen in pace...

another good example...DAVID SEAMAN!!!:mrpimp: