[Albion] "He could play at another level"

[Stato]

My latest bugbear from lazy pundits is this stupid statement. It's become another 'Teams Like Brighton' for me. We heard it rolled out about Cucurella last season and about Bissouma for the last few years. It was used about Trossard at the weekend and will be used about any player at a team outside of the uber rich seven who has a run of decent form.

Let's get this straight. Trossard is playing in the EPL. If he signs for one of the monied teams. HE'LL STILL BE PLAYING IN THE EPL! He doesn't go up a level like he's just beaten a video game boss.

Yes, the other 14 (now 13) have less chance of success in this league, but we are not actually playing at a different level. We play league games against all of the same teams that they do.

What they are really saying is that Trossard could play for a richer and more successful team at the same level, get paid more money and have a greater chance of getting a few European games. Don't try to tell me that European football is a higher level than the EPL. Perhaps some of the games in the last sixteen of the ECL might be, but the majority of it consists of meaningless, money making strolls against teams, quite a few of which would struggle to compete even at the right end of the Championship in England. (Scotland's an obvious target, but nobody would argue that Goldson left us to play at a higher level. If that was the case, Rangers would have signed Dunk and Goldson would have got in our team). English football has dozens of graduates of top six academies who have acheived very little so far in their careers, but who have Champions League experience in the same way that our U21s have League Cup experience.

Finally, even if you buy into European football being 'a higher level', Trossard's going to the World bleedin' Cup. What level would you consider above the World Cup? You lazy, cliche ridden, bunch of chancers?

And.... breathe.....

 

[monty uk]

There's also the aspect that Trossard could perform at a higher level - equally as trite. Implying that he needs better team behind him to shine. That's also bollox as we create as many - even more - goalscoring chances than most top 6 clubs and he's our finisher.

'Teams like' is interchangeable with 'only'. As in "match next week - yeah but it's onlyBrighton". And Trossard plays in the EPL, but onlyforBrighton.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Quality rant and 100% right.

 

[brightn'ove]

Top teams regularly come up against teams that sit back and put 10 men behind the ball. All they need to do is watch ONE GAME where a team does that to us to see how Trossard's career would go at a bigger club.

 

[Swansman]

Agree.

I'd argue that the average World Cup-game is on a significantly lower level quality wise than the average PL-game as well.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I suppose the above does ignore that the "level" being referred to is less about quality and more about glamour.

So yes, the CL and world cup group stages contain a few low "level" games, but overall footballers know that their legacy will be defined and remembered, primarily in major international football tournaments and they will always gravitate towards clubs which allow them to perform internationally

 

[raymondo]

My latest bugbear from lazy pundits is this stupid statement. It's become another 'Teams Like Brighton' for me. We heard it rolled out about Cucurella last season and about Bissouma for the last few years. It was used about Trossard at the weekend and will be used about any player at a team outside of the uber rich seven who has a run of decent form.

Let's get this straight. Trossard is playing in the EPL. If he signs for one of the monied teams. HE'LL STILL BE PLAYING IN THE EPL! He doesn't go up a level like he's just beaten a video game boss.

Yes, the other 14 (now 13) have less chance of success in this league, but we are not actually playing at a different level. We play league games against all of the same teams that they do.

What they are really saying is that Trossard could play for a richer and more successful team at the same level, get paid more money and have a greater chance of getting a few European games. Don't try to tell me that European football is a higher level than the EPL. Perhaps some of the games in the last sixteen of the ECL might be, but the majority of it consists of meaningless, money making strolls against teams, quite a few of which would struggle to compete even at the right end of the Championship in England. (Scotland's an obvious target, but nobody would argue that Goldson left us to play at a higher level. If that was the case, Rangers would have signed Dunk and Goldson would have got in our team). English football has dozens of graduates of top six academies who have acheived very little so far in their careers, but who have Champions League experience in the same way that our U21s have League Cup experience.

Finally, even if you buy into European football being 'a higher level', Trossard's going to the World bleedin' Cup. What level would you consider above the World Cup? You lazy, cliche ridden, bunch of chancers?

And.... breathe.....

Brilliant @Stato, so many lazy, stupid pundits and journos just stealing a living

 

[raymondo]

Top teams regularly come up against teams that sit back and put 10 men behind the ball. All they need to do is watch ONE GAME where a team does that to us to see how Trossard's career would go at a bigger club.

That is a risk for him, yes. But City, Arsenal (and last season, Liverpool) did/will often find a way. Trossard could be part of that imo.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Playing in the CL regularly is another level, there is no way of dressing that up or down.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Playing in the CL regularly is another level, there is no way of dressing that up or down.

Except there are teams who play in the CL “regularly” as in they get knocked out of qualifying every summer.

Quality rant @Stato

Edit - and if we’d been in Spurs’ group this season I think we’d have done very similarly to Spurs and played better football

 

[Machiavelli]

How about: 'playing in the CL last 16s regularly is a different level, and there's no arguing about that'?

 

[Bold Seagull]

Except there are teams who play in the CL “regularly” as in they get knocked out of qualifying every summer.

Quality rant @Stato

Edit - and if we’d been in Spurs’ group this season I think we’d have done very similarly to Spurs and played better football

Don't disagree with that.

Playing European football from a player's perspective is testing yourself against different tactics, styles and ways of playing from different leagues that will be different from your own. It is a string to a player's bow in terms of approach, mentality, and experience. Doesn't mean the games themselves are of high quality, or the teams involved are much better, but the experience is gained nevertheless.

 

[Questions]

Playing in the CL regularly is another level, there is no way of dressing that up or down.

I think it’s only at another level when you hit the last 16 or maybe 8. Unless you regard Rangers and Celtic as a step up.

 

[Eric the meek]

'He could play at another level'.

Did anyone say that about Bissouma and Cucurella before they left Brighton?

Consider what is happening to them. Both are struggling to perform for Spurs and Chelsea respectively.

So it could be true that they are 'playing at another level'; it's just that it's a lower level than their performances for Brighton.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I think it’s only at another level when you hit the last 16 or maybe 8. Unless you regard Rangers and Celtic as a step up.

I haven't taken 'another level' to equal 'higher quality level', it is just another level.

Players get used to being in a domestic league playing to that style, pace and tactics coming up against sides they play regularly against, it is why players who come into the league take time to settle. Mac A is a great example of taking his game to another level through adapting to the demands of the PL.

Playing in Europe is similar, doesn't mean the opposition or the games are higher quality, but the challenges are. Teams have different technical, tactical approaches, so the players gain experience, mind and skill sets to cope.

Sometimes a Europa game is like an FA Cup 3rd Round tie against an 8th tier side who's manager also runs the tea bar and sells 2nd hand cars from the car park - it might not be higher quality but it's definitely an experience and an altogether different level.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Not related particularly but the 2 players who were identified as "Could go and play at a higher level" this time last year have been a) Subbed regularly and is generally regarded as the 2nd best behind the old Leicester LB in his primary position and b) Bench warmer behind an upmarket Vinny Jones in the pecking order.

Trossard, for instance, may well leave us and go onto be a world beater at his next club but it is striking how poorly 90 million quids worth has been outside of BHAFC. (I'd be the first to admit Ben White has been quality at Arsenal on the flip side)

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

I think people might be going a bit too deep into this. Doesn't it just mean they are able to play for a team higher up the pecking order? As in they could play regularly for a team challenging for the title and probably thus the latter stages of the champions league.

The requirements and expectations at that 'level' is different to playing for a mid table or relegation fodder team, no?

 

[dazzer6666]

I think people might be going a bit too deep into this. Doesn't it just mean they are able to play for a team higher up the pecking order? As in they could play regularly for a team challenging for the title and probably thus the latter stages of the champions league.

The requirements and expectations at that 'level' is different to playing for a mid table or relegation fodder team, no?

Yep. Much overcomplication going on.

 

[chaileyjem]

My latest bugbear from lazy pundits is this stupid statement. It's become another 'Teams Like Brighton' for me.

Agreed about the potential of Trossard . But My bugbear is painting all the "lazy pundits" as one. Who do we mean ? Can you cite or link to someone who has actually said this ? There's some excellent pundits, journalists and broadcasters who report on the Albion and have a far morenuanced view of Trossard, Caicedo , Potter., Bloom and all of it. They aren't all "lazy" with limited knowledge of the club.

 

[Swansman]

I think when it comes to "another level", there isn't one really when it comes to quality (other than, as a lot of you say, the later rounds of CL) but I think from some kind of dream-fulfillment perspective, every player wants to play at Camp Nou, Santiago Bernabeu and (arguably) San Siro. While English clubs are at the same and sometimes better level today, there has been a lot of power shifts in English football throughout the decades while Barcelona, Real and Milan have always been... special. United and Liverpool are obviously big, big clubs - now and historically - but facing (or playing for) Real Madrid or Barcelona is probably part of any footballers (except maybe in England and Italy) dream. In that sense you could argue it is a step up.