Xabi Alonso

[_00_deathscar]

I was reading some b******s about 'blue chip players' and how these players are not only match winners themselves, but raise the games of others in the team - all fair enough, except it was in reference to Mikel Arteta. Good player, but blue chip? Anyway, I digress.

 

It made me think - just how influential was Alonso to that Soceidad team that finished 2nd? I remember following La Liga that season and thinking Soceidad had quite a few good players (Alonso was one) - Nihat, Karpin, Kovacevic to name a few.

 

But it got me thinking again - none of those players really did much in their careers past that season - apart from Xabi Alonso (Karpin was already in his mid-30s then).

 

Was it Xabi Alonso having a sensational season (which he did) and thus made the players look better than they really were?

[ManxRed]

Re: Arteta

 

Are you sure it doesn't say 'blue sh*t'??

[épieur]

Nihat and Kovacevic were f***ing deadly together. Didn't need anyone to 'make them look good'.

Nihat I think was just ravaged by injuries and never quite recovered.

 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2011 by epieur

[jimmylibel]

If memory serves, Nihat picked up a bad injury the following season but he's shown it in flashes since for Villareal.

 

Alonso was the star player and probably dictated a huge amount of their play. I'm sure his loss had an even bigger impact on their team than it did on ours.

[Foo]

I remember seeing them and thinking 'that Alonso looks like a decent player'. He became one of my fav players in Spain after that.

[Damian_de]

He played further up the pitch in that side than he did for us.

[Stevie H]

did any other sociedad player get presented with a sword on the pitch when they left?

[Leo No.8]

Is Nihat still playing? Always liked him a lot, really skilful forward with fantastic technique and a great finisher. Shame he suffered with injuries, but he wouldn't be that old now would he? Around 30-32 I would have thought.

Edited March 9, 2011 by Leo No.8

[Benzo-13]

Is Nihat still playing? Always liked him a lot, really skilful forward with fantastic technique and a great finisher. Shame he suffered with injuries, but he wouldn't be that old now would he? Around 30-32 I would have thought.

Back home with Besiktas.

[yellow jumper]

karpin was still a very influential player at that time. and had been an important figure at celta (along with mostovoi) and their run in the champions' league. they faded in a similar way after he left.

 

think they had a good mix of the young and old/basque and foreign and were lucky with injuries. think gabilondo and de pedro are/were both decent players. and arranburru and rekarte were both solid defenders.

 

they finished 15th the following season with more or less the same squad.

[_00_deathscar]

He played further up the pitch in that side than he did for us.

 

Yea he did. I wouldn't say he played 'behnd the striker' but sort of in more of a Fabregas type role.

[madaboutlfc]

Nihat and Kovacevic were f***ing deadly together. Didn't need anyone to 'make them look good'.

Nihat I think was just ravaged by injuries and never quite recovered.

is right.. Sociedad bottled though in the last furlong as they were a lot better than any team in the league for 75% of the season

[_00_deathscar]

Nihat and Kovacevic were f***ing deadly together. Didn't need anyone to 'make them look good'.

 

What has happened since says otherwise surely.