Taybha
Whalewhine
He’s a lumberjack and he’s ok
I don't dispute that, but not being remotely near is not the same as not making a squad, otherwise you would say Lewis Dunk is not remotely near the England squad, whereas he probably is in Southgate's mind and consideration, just not making the actual squads yet.
otherwise you would say Lewis Dunk is not remotely near the England squad
Not sure how you know he is 'not even remotely near international selection', certainly been talked about in Germany, mind you, if Leroy Sane can't get in then you can see the quality they must have. I suspect if Ozil wasn't available, Gross would be on the radar.
Also, not a fair way to judge him. Germany have insane depth. If he was from about 28 of the other 31 countries, he'd be at the tournament. If he was at a team of the ability of Sweden downwards, he'd probably be their best player.
That's completely irrelevant, he's not Swedish he's German. When I say he's a long way from making his national squad, the fact that he could get into another team's squad doesn't count.
Really? The big 6 are packed with internationals - Gross is not even remotely near international selection. I agree that he could be a fourth choic squad member - but look at how unhappy Drinkwater is with that role at Chelsea. IMO, Gross would rather have regular football, with is why I specified "regularly" when considering other clubs.
Example - Ahmed Heghazi - the West Brom defender - IS going to the World Cup, as he is one of the better Egyptian players. However, if he was born German, he almost certainly wouldn't be going. By your bizarre logic, Heghazi is therefore a better player than Gross.
I don't think Gross will have had any option of playing for any of the Top Clubs in any country around Europe.
I think he is at his ''optimum level'' - He is limited in certain parts of his game. His stats are so good because in advanced areas of the pitch he is clever and thinks fast which is where the goals and assists come from. His physical abilities and skills are not as expansive as the really top players.
He has been Brighton's best signing last year and he will continue to be a brilliant asset to us but he is not a top Champions League Club level player
You're completely rewriting what I said. I was specifically talking about the top 6 clubs - since when have West Brom been a top 6 club? Internationals at these clubs don't tend to be Egyptian (with one glorious exception) but English, German, Spanish, French, etc. So, therefore, it's entirely relevant to talk about Germany in that context.
You're the one comparing Germans with other internationals though, it's not me. I specifically said that's irrelevant.But using the word "international" is a nonsense when comparing the qualities of players though, isn't it? It's complete luck which country they are born in, nothing to do with ability. Baffling argument.
Gross does a very good impression of Chris Eubank!
You mean he has a speech impediment. It doesn't affect his football, thankfully.
Try and make it sound worse than it is, Its just a lisp.
He can Cryuff turn me anyday.
You're the one comparing Germans with other internationals though, it's not me. I specifically said that's irrelevant.
A German international is not necessarily the same as an Egyptian or a Scottish or a Latvian, it's a meaningless comparison: Gross is German and can only be stacked against Germans.
Here are the over-age Germans in the Top 6 teams
Can - full international
Sane - full international
Gundogan - full international
Ozil - full international
Mustafi - full international
Ruediger - full international
All are full internationals, so that's the calibre of Germans that these teams are buying. There's no measure for comparing internationals of different countries but you can generally say that if there are two players from one country then the international will be better than the non-capped player. It doesn't matter whether we're talking about Germany, Egypt, Sweden or wherever ... the rule of the thumb is that the international would be the better player. It seems obvious to me, I'm not quite sure why you disagree with this
This is the most baffling argument I've ever heard!
Right - I'll say this slowly and clearly - what bearing does someone's place of birth have on their ability as a footballer? (Hint: The answer is none).
The fact he is from Germany - a country with many, many, many good footballers - does not therefore mean he isn't good enough for a Top 6 side, as proven by my long list of examples of players from smaller countries who play for Top 6 sides. Your linking of nationality to ability is really odd. If anything, the fact he is from such a strong nation as Germany shows that you absolutely should not judge his ability on whether he is an international or not, in fact the exact opposite!