re: EPL Transfer Window Winners & Losers

quote:

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I think his agent said it best when he said, he wanted to find a club where he didn't have to be the leader... he could just play! And the LFC faithful will coddle his ego and give him tons of adulation as long as he gives his all...

Again, I don't care about all the silly stuff he does, my main reservation about signing him was his on the pitch behavior... He's ours now, so I just hope for his best!

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I hadn't heard that from his agent but it makes sense just from observing. The more I think about it, I suppose it may simply that he needs to escape the pressure he puts on himself.

At Milan, Kaka and Montolivo were the captains and clear team leaders in dealing with the press, fans etc etc. The Italian NT is almost too filled with legends in Buffon, Pirlo, De Rossi and veterans like Chiellini and Barzagli.

I hope it's that winning at Milan / Italian NT were his supposedly his boyhood dreams that's where the pressure derived and being away in England makes him simply feel it's less "heavy" and more a game.

God knows Italian fans are the last ones to make you feel that every match isn't life or death and the weight of all history is always on your shoulders.


However, it's precisely his on the pitch problems that have been the issue at Milan and with the Italian NT in the WC.
Not to diminish his legend, but I actually believe Mario when he says the British tabloids outright made up 90% of the stories about him. When he moved to Milan, almost all the crazy stories died down and his Milan/Italy team mates always spoke well of him, well,up until the blowup in the locker room at the WC after his meltdown in the Uruguay match.