For those interested in learning more about Robinho, Sid Lowe has written a very good article about him here.
Lowe is The Guardian's Spanish football expert and last week he talked on the Football Weekly podcast about Robinho, in a discussion of how well he would do for Chelsea. He said that although "there have been periods when he’s looked absolutely fantastic...like a really really great player", in his time at Madrid he has made only season's worth of good performances. Nor has never quite done it in the big games. He has been deployed on the left hand side of midfield which is not really his position, and that "the increased physical condition of Premier League players might be problematic for him." Lowe concluded: "He could be great. But he hasn't been yet."
(Update 18.52. BBC's South American football expert Tim Vickery has a good article about Robinho here).
Robinho's coming to City has caused a stir in Brazil. Pele has said that Robinho "needs some serious counselling." The President of Santos (where Robinho started his career), Marcelo Teixeira, described the move as "one of the most disgraceful episodes in Brazilian football." Brazilian teammates Roberto Carlos and Gilberto Silva have both weighed in, sounding rather ambivalent about the move. Given the emotional investment in Robinho in Brazil, seeing him move to a unfashionalbe, unsuccesful club over a disagreement with the board must be quite a let down.
Some interesting information from Sky Sports' Spanish football correspondants Guillem Balague and Graham Hunter regarding the events that led to Robinho's move here.
All of Robinho's goals from the 2007/08 season
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4 comments:
I read that Sid Lowe article. Surely he made a bit much about how troubled Robinho is, but if Robinho had a feeling that he was underpaid relative to his teammates, that could be a nagging annoyance. He's sorted out that problem now, sounds like. Another Guardian article by Daniel Taylor said Robinho's now the world's best player on 160,000 pounds a week.
Normally that kind of money, on top of the 30 million pound plus transfer fee would put a player under enormous pressure to produce the goods from day one, but with Al-Fahim's resources, it feels like the money involved is no big deal.
It's incredible really. As an Arsenal supporter, I was hoping Man United would be running into some kind of financial difficulties at some point resulting from Malcolm Glazer's leveraged buyout and the finance charges on the debt, but if Al-Fahim is going to give them 135 million pounds for Christiano Ronaldo, Glazer is going to make out like a bandit.
Seriously. Why do people care if Robinho chooses to go to Manchester City. The EPL is certainly still exciting without this move but it's all the more interesting now.
Perhaps we will see Man City break into the top and challenge for the Champions League. As a team, don't they have the right to strive to achieve that success? And how else could they possibly do it in today's environment? It starts with world-class players.
Sounds like Robinho is only the 1st..
robinho may be 'troubled', but at least he's not fat and lazy like ronaldinho. i think, except for the obvious reason that i love city, that he's made a good move. at city, robinho will be played as often as possible in his preferred postion with players he likes. i'm sure jo and elano will make him feel at home in manchester and form a formidable trio on the pitch too. i mean, it's been proven that in order for a foreign master to truely be brilliant, he needs a countryman or two help him settle on and off the pitch, hence why arsenal have always been successful (henry/pires/veira) or (berkgamp/overmars/helder). i also think that robinhos arrival will aid jos progress too. further to this, surely if citys long term ambition is to sign worldclass players, then surely robinho will attract the bigger names and the hotter talents. i want sergio aguero, lionel messi, and maschareno next.... so overall i think that the only ones who are 'troubled' are the opposing defenders who are gonna have to deeal with this shit. i pity them. and i cant wait till chelski come to eastlands.
It is brilliant to have somebody to beat on Chelsea in the transfer market. Definitely sign anyone they're in for.
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