African players = More trophies

"In order to win trophies you need an African powerhouse, not a 5 ft flamboyent Spaniard"

Let me explain.

The Premier League used to be the most physical league in the world and African players (or players of African descent) have a history of dominating it. In recent years we have started to slightly move away from these types of players and we're moving towards weak, 5 ft Spanish/South American play-makers in order to win games. It's not the way to go.

The best English teams in the Premier League always had a bunch of black powerhouses in their starting XI.

Let's see: the classic Arsenal - Sol Campbell, Lauren, Viera, Kanu, Toure, Henry

Wenger was on the right track when he played 10 outfield black players in a PL game and guess what - they won that game too.

Now look at them missing out on the CL. Iwobi I reckon will be their best player next season though

Chelsea: Essien, Drogba, Malouda, Kalou, Cole, Bertnand

Basically the reason why they won the CL in 2012

Man Utd: Yorke & Cole

Best partnership by far and has remained unparallel since.

Leicester: Kante & Mahrez

The unstoppable African duo that powered Leicester to the title last season.

It's all very noble having the Mata's, Silva's and Hazard’s in the premier league but I personally would rather have more Toure's, Pogba’s and Benteke's.

Manchester City are almost destined for the league title with the way their team is set up – Kompany, Fernandinho, Sterling, Sane, Yaya Toure. Manchester United’s young talents are all black too – Tuanzebe, Martial, Rashford, Bailly, Pogba, Fosu Mensah. Coincidence? I think not. And let’s not even think about how good a Bakayoko/Kante midfield would be for Chelsea.

My PL team would look like this. It would be invincible.

Mandanda
Valencia Kompany Bailly Rose
Kante Dembele Pogba
Mane Lukaku Sterling

Try getting past this team? Pure stamina, strength, aerial ability, tackling masterclass and collectively will tear apart any team in La Liga or the PL.

Thoughts?

Lol

Okechukwu, can you imagine the intense physical battle between 11 sweaty, muscular African men and 11 perspiring, tough-as-nails Slavic brutes?

Hazard would just mug them off.

Stevencc said:

Okechukwu, can you imagine the intense physical battle between 11 sweaty, muscular African men and 11 perspiring, tough-as-nails Slavic brutes?

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I'm foaming at the mouth at the prospect of such an occurrence. The closest thing we have had this season is Chelsea against Manchester City.

I have undertaken a lot of research into this, perhaps thousands of hours, and it is too close to call.

I think the conditions would have a significant effect. A sunny afternoon on a crisp, well cut pitch like The Emirates would undoubtedly suit a team with Pogba, Mane, Lukaku etc who like to juggle the ball like a circus clown and blow teams away with their direct running and quick passing. Whereas a cold, wet night in January would undoubtedly favour the Slavs who could sit back and nick a goal from a set piece.

It is no coincidence that every team to win the Premier League recently has had a mix of both.

Wilshere would lead the Slavs to an easy victory.

Stevencc said:

Okechukwu, can you imagine the intense physical battle between 11 sweaty, muscular African men and 11 perspiring, tough-as-nails Slavic brutes?

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You wrote that with a semi, didn't you?

There are a lot of bad things in this thread, but I'll address just one.

Dwight Yorke was Caribbean not African...

You sure he wasn't Slavic?

MagpieBee said:

There are a lot of bad things in this thread, but I'll address just one.

Dwight Yorke was Caribbean not African...

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he did say african descent tbf

Okechukwu said:

I'm foaming at the mouth at the prospect of such an occurrence.

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Penny for your thoughts on the Joshua-Klitschko bout?

Ah, the "racist guy" from Lagos, Nigeria again.Last time it was about the Slaves (or was it Slavics).

At least you are not one of those Nigerians who are constantly spamming one of my email accounts and asking me if they can deposit millions of dollars on my bank account (and promising me a fair share of it for doing so)

Thousand of hours research? Maybe your next research should be why African teams don't win anything at World Cups?

Dirk said:

Ah, the "racist guy" from Lagos, Nigeria again.Last time it was about the Slaves (or was it Slavics).

At least you are not one of those Nigerians who are constantly spamming one of my email accounts and asking me if they can deposit millions of dollars on my bank account (and promising me a fair share of it for doing so)

Thousand of hours research? Maybe your next research should be why African teams don't win anything at World Cups?

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Or why the AFCON is genuinely the shittest international tournament around. The standard is so so shite.

Dirk said:

Thousand of hours research? Maybe your next research should be why African teams don't win anything at World Cups?

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Because all of their best players get pinched by European nations.

The two best teams in European football, France and Germany, frequently pinch Africans & Slavs, and in recent years others have copied them. Imagine if the Congo had Benteke, Mandanda, Kompany and Lukaku. Kante is from Mali. Zinedine Zidane was Algerian, Pogba Guinean, Benzema Algerian.

The most successful French team was full of African players, and this is the reason why France are one of the best teams in the world right now. They are the team to watch in Russia 2018.

Delivered.

Okechukwu said:

Zinedine Zidane was Algerian, Pogba Guinean, Benzema Algerian.

The most successful French team was full of African players, and this is the reason why France are one of the best teams in the world right now. They are the team to watch in Russia 2018.

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Zidane, born in Marseille, France.
Pogba born in Lagny sur Marne, France
Benzema born in Lyon France

They may of African descent, but they are born and bred in France and learned the France school of football.

Technique always trumps Physique.

some next level racism going on in this thread and i aint talking about okechukwu

As with everything it's about a balance. It's no coincidence Brazil is the greatest footballing nation in history and the most racially diverse country in the world.

Technically everyone is of African descent.

Ergo, I am amazing at football.

Humongous Fungus said:

Hazard would just mug them off.

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Hazard is also of African descent.

Abertawe said:

As with everything it's about a balance. It's no coincidence Brazil is the greatest footballing nation in history and the most racially diverse country in the world.

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Correct, well that and having the biggest population of a country that plays football as well.

Whilst this thread is a bit of a disaster it does raise a relevant point. In the current climate that is so bizarrely anti immigrant, sports demonstrates the very best of integration. Specifically, people of West African descent produce far more footballers than the national average - and this is abundantly demonstrated throughout many leagues around Europe. The strongest footballing nations with have teams full of 2nd and 3rd generation and even 1st generation immigrants. It's a positive thing that should be celebrated.

Indeed, one of the biggest problems Scotland has is a lack of immigration and a very homogenised society. It's something that's obvious through Scotland but no where as pronounced as our national football team - there is no logical reason why it should be so dramatically different from, say, England, but they are clearly attracting far more immigrants (even proportionally) than ourselves. I hope it's something that we are able to rectify naturally, but can't help but feel it will take a radical step such as independence.

St. Juste said:

Whilst this thread is a bit of a disaster it does raise a relevant point. In the current climate that is so bizarrely anti immigrant, sports demonstrates the very best of integration. Specifically, people of West African descent produce far more footballers than the national average - and this is abundantly demonstrated throughout many leagues around Europe. The strongest footballing nations with have teams full of 2nd and 3rd generation and even 1st generation immigrants. It's a positive thing that should be celebrated.

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@St.Juste: Absolutely right.

I read here about "next level racism", maybe my first post was one of those the post (jocknell) meant. I want to say sorry for my sarcasm about nigerian thugs. It wasn't aimed at the T.O it was just a silly sentence. Again sorry for that. Just in case someone here thinks I am "racist", you couldn't be further from the truth. I absolutely agree to the above quote from St. Juste. I don't give a damn if a player in the german national team is black, yellow, red or cheesy white. He's eligible to play for Germany because he's born here or has a german father/mother. That's all that counts for me. Germany doesn't "pinch" foreign players as I read here.

Just an example: The brothers Boateng: Jerome and Kevin Prince. Both are born in Berlin, Germany. Their father is from Ghana and their mother is German. Kevin Prince played at the age of 7 for Hertha BSC Berlin and he played in Youth National teams for Germany. But later he decided to play for Ghana at Adult Level because he saw no future for himself to play in the German National team. His brother Jerome played at Hertha BSC too in his childhood days. So from the age of 7 they played football in German clubs and were formed here. Jerome decided to play for Germany and he has the right to do it because he's a German born player with a German mother and his perspective to play for Germany was better than his brothers. Nobody in the German FA "pinched" him away.
And there are other examples of German National players of foreign descent. But again, either they have a German father/mother or they were born in Germany by foreign parents but choose to get the German citizenship because they are born and bred here. It's their own free will (or the parents decided it for them). But never has the German FA pinched them or made some digging to find a German relative from generations ago (like other countries did).

Germans do steal players, you can't dispute the facts.