38% of the goals against Espanyol.

Quincy Abeyie wrote:

Swapping out Suarez for Ronaldo would improve Barcelonas attack? I see absolutely nothing that suggests such a thing.

I didn't say it would improve Barcelona's attack, I said it would increase the talent level. Unless you're implying Suarez has more talent/ability than Cristiano Ronaldo, I'm guessing we don't disagree?

Depends on what you mean by talent/ability. Can't see Ronaldo pulling that Liverpool side up like Suarez did.

Ronaldo would make any team he was in 10 times better. It might have become fashionable to make out he's not that good, but in truth he's absolutely phenomenal. Probably the best goalscorer I've ever seen, or at least right up there. So much better than Suarez in just about every respect that they can't really be compared.

Ricky1985 wrote:

Quincy Abeyie wrote:

Swapping out Suarez for Ronaldo would improve Barcelonas attack? I see absolutely nothing that suggests such a thing.

I didn't say it would improve Barcelona's attack

Ricky1985 wrote:

Ronaldo would make any team he was in 10 times better. It might have become fashionable to make out he's not that good, but in truth he's absolutely phenomenal. Probably the best goalscorer I've ever seen, or at least right up there. So much better than Suarez in just about every respect that they can't really be compared.

So you're not saying it would improve Barcelona's attack, but he would make any team he was in 10 times better?

It's got nothing to do with what's fashionable or not. Ronaldo is a talented guy, but this season he's not that good. Even Real Madrid supporters wouldn't dare say that Ronaldo is better than either of the three Barcelona forwards, because it would've been a ridiculous thing to say.

Ronaldo is on the decline but peak form he's a good level or two above Suárez at his best.

Post 2008 he was never as good as Messi, even in the latter's "worst" periods. Not as good as a pure goalscorer either imo, Messi in ₂₀₁₂ scored at a rate of about a goal per 55 minutes or something similarly insane for a full season. But Suárez hasn't and will never reach Ronaldo's form between 2011 and 2014.

Of course he won't. But as you say Ronaldo is on the decline, so the question is if he has declined to below Suarez' or Neymar's level.

He's clearly below both of them.

jones wrote:

Messi in ₂₀₁₂ scored at a rate of about a goal per 55 minutes or something similarly insane for a full season.

That's still the most insane thing I've ever seen in football. 91 goals in a calendar year - I doubt anyone's going to break that record in my life time.

jones wrote:

He's clearly below both of them.

Exactly. Not still top 2.

/thread

Mirth wrote:

jones wrote:

Messi in ₂₀₁₂ scored at a rate of about a goal per 55 minutes or something similarly insane for a full season.

That's still the most insane thing I've ever seen in football. 91 goals in a calendar year - I doubt anyone's going to break that record in my life time.

Quincy Abeyie wrote:

Ricky1985 wrote:

I didn't say it would improve Barcelona's attack

Ricky1985 wrote:

Ronaldo would make any team he was in 10 times better. It might have become fashionable to make out he's not that good, but in truth he's absolutely phenomenal. Probably the best goalscorer I've ever seen, or at least right up there. So much better than Suarez in just about every respect that they can't really be compared.

So you're not saying it would improve Barcelona's attack, but he would make any team he was in 10 times better?

It's got nothing to do with what's fashionable or not. Ronaldo is a talented guy, but this season he's not that good. Even Real Madrid supporters wouldn't dare say that Ronaldo is better than either of the three Barcelona forwards, because it would've been a ridiculous thing to say.

You've quoted me out of the order I made the posts.

Suarez works perfectly in that attack, Ronaldo, whilst a far superior footballer when he's anywhere near his best form, wouldn't do the same thankless running that Suarez does for Messi and Neymar. The '10 times better' thing was in response to Dreamlord mentioning Suarez at Liverpool. So that applies to anyone but Barcelona, basically.

Still if you said I could have Ronaldo of today (with all his supposed deterioration) or Suarez at Arsenal, I'd take Ronaldo all day, every day. Ronaldo at even 85% is a much better footballer than Luis Suarez.

Of course he is. Honestly, I find it a bit weird that there is even a debate about that.

Maybe because when someone has a half a season dip in form people start considering that it's a decline rather than just a dip?

That Suarez have been better than Ronaldo this season surely isn't in question?

Suarez has always been massively underrated on this forum.

You shouldn't underestimate that at Barcelona Suarez is mostly the third player opposition focus on closing down. We have all seen how much players on other teams have benefited from not being the main man, and I think the same is true for Suarez at Barcelona. With Ronaldo it is obviously different at Real Madrid, and it always has been.

Quincy Abeyie wrote:

Maybe because when someone has a half a season dip in form people start considering that it's a decline rather than just a dip?

That Suarez have been better than Ronaldo this season surely isn't in question?

Ronaldo's having his first dip in what 8 years? Even then he's still scored more goals than all but a few in all of Europe.

If he's still in this same slump a year from now, maybe we can start talking about him declining. Right now he's still, in my opinion, the second best footballer in the world.

otfgoon wrote:

Suarez has always been massively underrated on this forum.

That's true. It also takes some time before most people notice that a player in another league has declined massively. 

Rex wrote:

You shouldn't underestimate that at Barcelona Suarez is mostly the third player opposition focus on closing down. We have all seen how much players on other teams have benefited from not being the main man, and I think the same is true for Suarez at Barcelona. With Ronaldo it is obviously different at Real Madrid, and it always has been.

What you say is true, however that's not been the case for Barcelona. Strikers since Eto'o have struggled to fit into that system at all. Never mind elevating it to the next level.