As one of the two RM guys here, here's my try
by Irish2003 (2018-07-19 00:46:05)
Edited on 2018-07-19 01:02:23

In reply to: Curious what others think  posted by HTownND


-Ronaldo is irreplaceable, but at the same time it was also a whole-scale changing of the guard with Lopetegui taking over from Zidane, and IMO moving toward more of a balanced team vs. a team built around one of the all-time greats. As a small digression, I think RM is up for a very rude awakening next year - CL 16's, 3rd in La Liga (Barca, Atleti) at best, with the potential to fall further before rebounding - and I wouldn't shed a tear if Rubiales was eaten alive by fire ants for what he did to La Furia Roja by unfairly firing Lope when they were red-hot coming in - but at the same time I could see the latter being the one person who could transition the team *over the long run* given what he did with the national team's transition from tiki-taka (which was admittedly a joy in '06-13 but you & I could literally have done better since)

-Courtois for 35 is a steal. To cross sports, I don't think this is like Kahwi Leonard to Toronto at all given that TC has family in Madrid, and I do see him being Navas' heir.

-Hazard is the big discussion one! I'd personally prefer a pure poacher like Lewa as a 1-2 year rental given RM's midfield strength (I wouldn't trade Luka & Cyborg for any other midfield on the planet, and there are major political issues with Isco, IMO), but Eden is the sort of talent you bring in at a low price and figure out how to work them in after.

-As for Chelsea, I was shocked by Conte's early firing. While I had Sarri on my RM shortlist once Zidane retired, I still thought Conte would rampaged through the EPL like he did post-Middling One. I still think Sarri is a decent fit, and I would love to have Kante as a USMNT or RM engine, but if y'all lose Courtois & Hazard due to the CL miss, all bets may be off.


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