Has The Modern Game Killed Football!?

[@Reuben_GH]

The absence of Geordie noise behind camera is so peaceful

[@Fromthelane93]

Probably the best debate they’ve had too. No coincidence.

[@mikelitorous5570]

Not even a geordie he’s a Durham mag which is fifty times worse

[@theydidntsaythisai]

Makes it boring

[@leebinyon5916]

Now to get rid of the bald lad then it could be a decent podcast!

[@VWR7.5]

@@mikelitorous5570dirty mackem who isn’t welcome above the Tyne

[@jackgould1]

Grealish at Villa vs Grealish at city is the perfect case study for this

[@Cameron0548]

Grealish was literally one of the main reasons city won the treble

[@elliscox2179]

@@Cameron0548as a system player he was great, but hes less exciting hes lost his flair and hes overall declined since

[@kenzieclark3714]

@@Cameron0548 not the point mate, no ons saying he doesn't help city, but he's a completely different and less exciting player now

[@DunniBoi]

@@kenzieclark3714 100%, Isn't that the exact point he is making? Not sure how people are getting confused by this.

[@calvinwilson1022]

​@@elliscox2179 that's his own doing. He's openly said in a lot of interviews, he reins himself in to not lose the ball and upset pep, but he's evolved and become a world class ball retainer

[@reecetomm]

Tom’s argument can basically be summed up by the fact that he values players who can do things that regular footballers can’t do. The way Foden can dribble past players, the way Vinicius can control the ball, the way a Ronaldinho would do tricks that would make people go “how tf did he even do that?”. Meanwhile players like Rodri, Haaland, etc don’t have any particular attributes that make people shocked. Both Haaland and Rodri are extreme athletes who know how to use their athleticism to the absolute best of their ability, they’re freaks of nature, but they don’t do anything with the ball that a regular professional footballer can’t do, and as a result they don’t come across as exciting as a Foden, Palmer, Vinicius, etc.

[@dixieenormis]

which is exactly why he hates salah

[@davidjakobs4948]

It would be a valid argument its just his examples were shit. Foden and Palmer are both not exciting players. If they weren‘t English he wouldn‘t even mention them. Vini is exciting, Yamal is exciting, Mbappe is exciting.

[@matthewmcculloch9320]

@@davidjakobs4948 How is Palmer not exciting jfc

[@TripleB_05]

@davidjakobs4948 I belive you might be a little thick in the head .

[@emilevangheem6165]

I still think it’s personal because for me the way Rodri dictates play and consistently plays the right pass long/short/medium/linebreaking… at any moment is what excites me. Xavi, iniesta and Busquets didn’t consistently excite like Tom wants but to some people really like to watch football in that way. I am a defender so one of my favourite players ever is Stones 22/23. Football is a game of opinions which it seems like Tom acknowledges

[@GeorgeHFC]

An actual balanced conversation for once. Not having Lewis shouting this ep was so good. Try to keep it more like this in future.

[@jacobjerlesfilms]

Tom hit the nail on the head. But we also got spoiled in the recent decades with the amount of quality & talent we had. Might take a bit to find talent like that. You see glimpses of it with Yamal, etc.

[@lgc9652]

Apart from Theo’s opinion on messi not impacting games this was a really good listen.

[@samblake1902]

He’ll say anything to defend his pookie bear mbappe…

[@evankeatts2818]

Enjoyed this. A real conversation about ball. Thanks guys

[@nizarnor5763]

I agree with alot of what tom said, he stated his opinion in a very convincing way and alot of his takes on players and the ballon are spot on.

[@cjm_0439]

Tom is spot on. I watched a James Laurence Alcott podcast (The Ripple Effect) a couple of weeks ago, and he had some coaches on taking about how players are being developed to be apart of a system, which is making players less individualistic.

[@henrymorganx]

yeah agreed, I watched the same episode it was quality. Deffo would recommend

[@Shnipe1]

That must be how the City academy produced Foden and Palmer. People have been saying this shite for years. It’s bollox. We have always taught players to play as part of a system, but coaches also focus on developing individual skills and the best, like Foden, Palmer, Yamal and so on, rise to the top. Everyone looking to cry about shit all the time now because they’re getting old and they don’t like it.

[@rohandhesi]

Which vid? That sounds interesting I like James’s opinion

[@cjm_0439]

@@rohandhesi I can’t remember the episode name, but it had Harry Brooks on it.

[@GJ-dv8uq]

@@Shnipe1oh no the Man City propaganda machine has got you 😔 unlucky pal, get well soon

[@a.c8355]

Completely right about Southampton. They're trying to play out the back with the same CB's who lost 9-0 to Utd 3 years ago, it's horrendous 🤣

[@hartgillyt1202]

that has nothing to do with why rodri can win the balon dor

[@LB-sp7qe]

Why should a team be mocked for trying to play good football? Isn’t that the opposite of the argument

[@JJM04]

Tom speaking facts. Rodri deserving to win the Balon D’Or sums up the drop off in quality we’re witnessing.

[@adam-z9e2j]

thats a garbage point that doesnt prove anything. modric who wasnt quite as good as rodri the past year won a ballon d'or while messi, ronaldo and lewa were still in their primes. i guess 2018 was a drop off in quality? lmao

[@ketgremlin8776]

@@adam-z9e2jwas Modric a defensive midfielder ?

[@ms8ff153]

I think we were spoilt with CR7, Messi, Suarez, Bale, and so on. Now we have Salah (who at his best probably should off won) vini, Saka, rodrygo, Palmer and so on

[@JJM04]

@@adam-z9e2j The difference is Modric didn’t deserve to win when he did Rodri does

[@woody19995]

@@JJM04 neither do

[@Js-iu7nr]

Toms completely correct with the money and risk. Too much money is involved in the game now, so players are scared to take a risk which could be a huge financial burden to the team. Managers coach players to be safe and wait for the perfect moment to score, instead of trying new things and going for it

[@Oraclles_]

This is why I love international and have never had the same passion for club games. When you look at an international team they have a star player or "maverick" like Tom was saying and when you think of the country you automatically think about which player is that guy for them, but when you look at a club you think of the well-roundness or system of a team which is just less exciting.

[@macca1626]

You just repeated what he said, great insight

[@BeJaminYeh]

Been saying for time Man City are like surgeons. Are they brilliant? Yes. Are they clinical and precise and talented? Yes. Are they extremely successful like that? Yes. Is surgery boring to watch? YES. It's DULL AF to watch. And that's Man City. So good and tactical they're mind-numbingly boring.

[@DavidRegaL-lw5xz]

True but the hypocrisy with that is if everyone else won that much they wouldn't care about style of play

[@moesback]

common Theo Mbappe glaze

[@Fmfcg]

Best part of the pod was Tom saying Neymar > Ronaldinho, finally someone said it

[@crispouk3070]

Such a dumb opinion it hurts. Football hipsters always trying to sound smart. Ronaldinho was just different gravy.

[@SteviePeters-x3u]

neymar had like 3 great champions league game and a handful in world cup 2014 apart from his career is at best mane

[@SirMonkeySuit]

Ronaldinho was next level, you'd struggle to find anybody who had more influence culturally. He had to do it in a harder period and he never shirked his career. Neymar doesn't deserve any credit because he is known for shirking the challenge.

[@notsqmi2334]

@@SirMonkeySuit lol neymar has never shrunk mbappe let him down during the 2020 ucl final

[@SirMonkeySuit]

@@notsqmi2334 I'm not bothered about Mbappe because I don't think he is as good as people think. My point is Neymar's career was a waste because he decided to go to Ligue 1 to get out of Messi's shadow because he didn't want the fight. Even in Ligue 1 he didn't pull it up. Lad got his hotel chain and hasn't done anything since. Got no respect for players that aren't willing to challenge themselves especially when you have that amount of talent.

[@frazzle2511]

Completely agree with Tom, there are no “streets won’t forget” players anymore like a Taarabt as no one gets the chance to take risks and shine due to being locked into a system

[@SarahBrown-b4x]

I fully get what Tom is saying. I am 32 and I remember dying to watch Messi in a Barca vs Real derby. I remember dying to watch Rooney for United or Neymar to turn out for Barcelona. I remember watching Messi score that mad goal against Real where he ran past 4 or 5 players and scored and I ran into my mum and dad's room asking if they saw it and they had it on the tv. Football isn't the same any more. I have nephews who are 10 and 12. They don't care that much. They're both 'massive' Arsenal fans and they tune in 10/15 minutes into the game.

[@macauleyhill2896]

Totally agree with the point Tom is making, great chat👍🏻

[@CarrotGodz]

I think it’s the opposite. The overall level of players has improved and so it’s harder to stand out. You’ve got CBs now who are all rapid. Hard for attackers to stand out.

[@adam-z9e2j]

finally someone with a brain

[@emilevangheem6165]

Yup but I also think that managers/players are constantly weighing risk vs reward and trying to find a balance within this. People want players to take more risks but get very annoyed when they lose the ball even once so it’s a difficult predicament. Risk management is where modern football is heading. How much risk is too much. Some people find it interesting some don’t. It can make for pretty dull big games at times though

[@CarrotGodz]

@@emilevangheem6165 good point, I agree. Its more data driven and therefore becomes a mathematical model of optimisation which in turns drives teams to play within a rigid system. That being said, if all teams follow this model it will lead to more stale mates and we could eventually see random events becoming the differential to a teams success. As such this could lead to an increased want for creativity. So perhaps football is just currently on the boring/methodical point in this curve

[@cdchanger5]

100%

[@James-bd1ew]

How does making defenders quicker mean they’re better?? So John Terry wouldn’t look good in today’s game??

[@LewisBWhite]

I don’t think it’s ruined football but I do miss mavericks and stylish/unpredictable players, it’s all very system based now

[@SirMonkeySuit]

It has ruined it, It's not Pep's fault but you have managers just copy and pasting him in League One. Russell Martin and Kompany coming up from the Championship thinking they can just play that way when they don't have the players to do it. It's become so overly saturated, Different tactics and formations should be common place, figure out ways around opposition but most managers now don't have the knack or minerals to spend time actually creating a different system to break opposition down.

[@adam-z9e2j]

@@SirMonkeySuit yeah so stupid of kompany to copy peps style of play that got him one of the best championship seasons of all time and a move to bayern where theyve had the best start in their clubs history 😂😂gee i wonder why managers copy the most successful style of play

[@SirMonkeySuit]

@@adam-z9e2j So managers are copying Pep in hopes of getting a move to Bayern? Dunno, maybe just be a good enough manager to understand what wins football matches with your player base? Muppet.

[@ketgremlin8776]

The fact Theo wasn’t understanding what Tom was saying was really annoying. 3:08 can see the tiny little cogs turning and failing

[@notionvids2935]

I agree with tom, football is an entertainment sport but the sad reality that every team wants to win and do better and to do better you have to play in a system because it is more effective which makes the game boring. There are very few players that have flair and even less that have flair and output. Players like rafeal leao and doku are players that are exciting but they don't have much output. I don't agree with what theo said that younger people will think that the new generation of players are betterl. Mbappe did nothing the first 80mins of the game and got 2 pens and the one goal was outstanding but he wasn't enfluential for the whole game and if you compared that to neymar's loss against argentina in copa america final or loss against croatia in 2022 world cup he was the main target of all defenders and it looked he ran the show and could score any moment. Also what theo didn't understand was players like leao,doku,mbappe and vini use their speed to win one on one duels and they mostly never do outrageous passes or amazing finishes and that's not the type of players tom likes. Players like foden, palmer and maybe even musiala have more WOW to them and that's what a great player should have.

[@bois8219]

Tom completely right about the lack of "maverick" or stand out individual from mid/lower table teams because risk averse football is the way to increase your chances of staying up. Who can honestly say that any of the bottom half sides have a player that was truly exciting, akin to players such as Le Tissier, Okocha, Michu, Asprilla, Zola, Payet, Gamst Pedersen, Huckerby, Juninho Paulista etc etc.

[@risi712]

The fact that they didn't even mentioned Yamal is crazy, like he's 17 and all, still he's performing 100 times better than Mbappe and Vini combined. Really suggest to Tom to watch him and find out if he surpass his eye test.

[@jcflores1774]

I think you are high mate. Yamal didnt nearly put the numberstthey did last year. And only has 1 goal this season.

[@conbz5613]

toms right, if i see any of my players nowadays do a couple step overs and and nice solo run it sends me over the moon and that’s all nice, but back in the day that’s how so many attacks came through with that system and that’s the system i miss personally

[@Ryan-vr2gb]

palmer is a true 10 thats allowed to do what he wants. pure creativity

[@garn5t]

tom is absolutely right and ill explain it better for him than he could. people dont get excited to watch haaland play, they get excited about whether or not he maintains his goal tally, or is on par with his record season, or if he grabs another hat trick. no one gets excited about or enjoys how he gets there because quite honestly why would you, they get excited for the 90th minute and whether or not he gets the amount of goals hes gotten prior, before that whistle. even lamine yamal for example, no excitement, no entertainment, no wow factor, its just the world being like “wow i wonder if this 16-17 year old can maintain this unheard of number of goal contributions at the biggest world stages consistently.” which is an exciting storyline and all the best to him but the football isnt exciting. i dont know why exactly, maybe its a lack of player ego to try things with lower xg or for no other reason than flair because they are afraid of being shipped out by managers labeling them unruly. maybe its more systematic and coaching driven, or maybe players like neymar are a once a generation type player now instead of the beautiful football of the 90s and 00s with numerous players per team trying to embarass others with moves and freestyling and beauty in their game.

[@thejayofalltrades]

It’s not necessarily about whether it excites you. It’s just as simple as a lack of creativity at the highest level, as a result of tactics / systems evolving to make the most of average players and physical attributes. Those maverick players are still there but they’re not signed by top teams because they don’t fit systems that prioritise ball retention or it’s coached out of them (Grealish). Palmer is an anomaly because he’s in a team that is transitioning from one old fashioned system, to a newer modern one. Poch’s system was a throwback to 10 years ago (same as Southgate), reliant on individualism and physicality. Hence Palmer and Gallagher flourishing but injuring half the Chelsea squad. It also didn’t get consistent results because football has moved on and even bottom half teams have a system that can stifle individuals and overpower the physical. Chelsea are still playing a hybrid of Poch & Maresca’s systems at the moment so only time will tell if Palmer will still be able to perform as he does, the longer the season goes on.

[@CleanShirt-96]

Incredibly patient from Tom when these two just didn't get it or seemed scared to say that individual attacking players have declined in football. Makes it for great content as Tom explains it really clearly

[@Magnus-k3n]

Tom has the most ball knowledge out of football influencers

[@kylescott8313]

I’m only 20 and completely agree Tom football isn’t the same anymore

[@sherbertlemons7393]

Can I just say this podcast episode was 10/10 IMO, this would be a episode I would recommend to someone to listen to an interesting football conversation. Not hating on the other episodes but sometimes they become a bit of a shouting competition.

[@AndyBartolo2]

I fully hear Toms point, the games changed and its more tactical based, individual brilliance is what fans want to see, seeing one player be a game changer is what inspires fans. But in todays game where its all stat based, and systematic it changes the top 3 best players, and who wins its solely based on a team effort rather than one talent standing out.

[@Anonuser8236]

It’s impressive how Theo somehow never understands the point of any of these debates. Happens every single time.

[@ShaneRiceTV]

"we get it, you've filmed with him" 😂

[@stevenbaker8443]

Football is on it's arse compared to 10 plus years ago. All players are robots to systems rather than expressing themselves

[@VWR7.5]

Newcastle under Eddie Howe vs Ben Arfa Cisse era Newcastle. The latter was more exciting

[@notionvids2935]

Absolutely loved this episode, would love if tom speaks more than anyone. He is more correct and his arguments make more sense.

[@jimjogger306]

The era of exciting players was between 1992-2010, Football hasnt always had expressive and exciting players, That was just a era spanning two decades, It was the Brazil era, Brazil started the expressive football, And then that expanded through TV and Media, Nike adverts ect, Anyone who grew up in the 90s is a product of that, and 2000 when Futsal was accessible to watch, And it levelled up with the internet because people could express themselves and the world would see it with a click of a button, If you speak to the much older generation, 50+ and ask them if football isnt as exciting they wont have half the opinion you do, Because they grew up with less exciting football, Exciting football is a product of the 90s and early 2000s and thats it, People are too narrow minded and have short memories, Really look into where it started and why and this is the answer, You all need to get over it, Football wont get back to how it was in that era with expressive players in every team, It just wont, Ever, Messi and Ronaldo was the end evolution of that era, They were the final product of having the 90s influence combined with modern football.

[@sandraroilfd3336]

This actually makes allot of sense when you take time to think about the progression of football with the internet, tv and media. It did start with Brazil, and then you combined that with the progression of the internet and social media and the timing of messi and ronaldo its actually very logical 👍 I remember around 2000-2001 with all the Nike adverts, Ronaldo, Ronaldihno, Even players like Roberto carlos was doing tricks, Jay jay okocha, All kids wanted to do at the park was express themselves with tricks and this had never happened before and i think its exactly what you said, The internet. All of this then changed from 2010 onwards due to stat padding, Everything came about stats, Pep obviously had a huge influence on this.

[@jackbutler3594]

Theo doesn’t speak facts often but he was spot on at 11:35

[@Eqoze]

This is like watching a normal person explain football to two people that went to a private school and think they're always right 😂

[@pmackie123]

Haaland will never have a game in his life like the ones Suarez had every other week. I do get what Tom is saying.

[@GalaxyLuxray]

actually loved this convo

[@peternolan8971]

I understood Tom's point in about 30 seconds, what took Theo and Reev so long?

[@ws6629]

This is the prime example that Lewis just ruins the pod, I hate to say it, his rage baiting and shit opinions drag every conversation down, make Theo harder to listen to aswell, just becomes Newcastle vs Arsenal

[@Panda-iu4pn]

Toms point about Rodri actually is pretty accurate. In the past many players better than Rodri would not have even been close to the top 10 due to all the world class players in the world. Probably because we are in a transition to a new era of world class players that are still on their way to the top (apart from vini mbappe haaland)

[@deanjohnston4918]

Tom is bang on the money, the individualism is near extinct throughout football for the most part. Growing up for myself, even clubs like Middlesbrough had a player like Juninho, guys like kinkladze at derby and in a shit Man City team, di canio at West Ham, ginola at Villa and Everton, Gazza at rangers, le tissier at Southampton, I’m talking about super exciting players at mid level clubs, that’s before you looked at the exciting players at top level clubs. There were mavericks everywhere, they have largely disappeared to be replaced with tactically astute, system based players that have to run 11, 12, 13 km a match and opta measures their high intensity sprints. It’s a shame to say the least. As a Newcastle fan, for a few seasons the only reason to turn up and watch our games with any interest was to watch a guy like Alain saint maximim, he got you on the edge of your seat. Don’t get me wrong there was nothing at the end of it normally, but there was nothing at the end of anyone else’s play in the team either so it was fun at least to watch him turn a man inside out 3 time before he hit a shit ball in the box rather than watch someone else hit a shit ball in the box first time. But every once in a while, it’d work out for ASM and you had something to talk about on the way home pissed in what was otherwise a shitty home defeat 😂😂

[@kjthirty3]

I don't understand why it was so hard for them to comprehend Tom's point about lack of exciting world class players and quality of ballon d'or list

[@vietdang6836]

If we watch a match back in the days in full, not many matches can be as exciting as today, with skills, goals, shithousing. All the time we remind ourselves abt the good old days is just moments, that's it....

[@OrionInSpace]

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like this conversation can be made for just about anything. We ask these questions because we feel like we were spoiled at a time where we got everything at a younger age. I think we as a society now ask way too much of people because we’ve seen great examples come from the past. I truly don’t know if we are ever going to see another player that rivals the popularity and accomplishments of Messi and Ronaldo, personally speaking I don’t really think we need that. We need to support the players who are coming up now in their own way without making the comparisons.

[@SChapps]

Tom is spot on.

[@Luke_1705]

Tom is absolutely spot on especially the part at the end about teams like Southampton playing in that way, their players simply aren’t good enough to do that. There is more than one way to win games of football and this obsession of playing like that is making football far less enjoyable.

[@EA-hz9mg]

It doesn’t matter what style they play, their team isn’t good enough so the manager can implement whatever he wants

[@Luke_1705]

@@EA-hz9mg true but there’s no way the players or fans are enjoying persisting with it, it’s embarrassing for them

[@benjc2842]

I get what’s Tom’s saying the issue is nowadays we put more emphasis on a player’s importance to the system/team rather than raw ability. How can Rodri be the best player in the world when he’s probably not even the best player in his team ie De Bruyne.

[@michaelshoemonster563]

Tom is spot on football is so much worse nowadays. Not enough mavericks. Vini jr is nowhere as fun to watch as neymar/hazard/bale even Sanchez

[@alexandermason3421]

It’s mental how Tom has to explain a simple point about six times 😂

[@bradley4706]

Not too much money involved. Ultimately, winning will always get the most money available and everyone will always want to win. So as sports science and coaching progresses the teams will follow it. Currently the best way to win is control than back and forth attack. This is just the natural evolution of the sport

[@aakhilgohain0770]

Tom is speaking my mind. I 100% agree

[@SandDune11]

It’s a case of effectiveness versus entertainment. Nowadays effectiveness is the most important factor of any player, and I think we should appreciate these highly affective players (Rodri, Mbappe, Bellingham) as football adapts. But I do get what Tom means, but someone who can do both like messi and ronaldo is a once in a lifetime event

[@DANE89]

The last old school kinda player who tom is relating to , would be Wayne rooney.

[@ellis-lowe]

Morgan Rodgers and duran have me out my seat like prime Barclays

[@FerociousMrWolf]

R9, Cristiano, Messi, Rooney, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Catona, Maradonna ect. in their pomp all had this thing where as soon as they got the ball. The whole stadium/people watching on tv whatever would just hold their breath and could not wait for what they were going to do next. You could hear it. Thats pretty much almost gone, everyone's just looking at parterns of play now.

[@julianwelm5435]

Tom ist auch a nostalgia merchant. Current Rodri is absolutely on the same level as prime Pirlo

[@VWR7.5]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@jakearnold5601]

Finally some decent football chat

[@mfcchris499]

TL;DR - not everyone is messi or ronaldo.

[@SirMonkeySuit]

The reason I don't want anyone other than Eddie Howe at Newcastle, he doesn't copy paste other managers.

[@haddock1306]

I think we are in a bit of a slump in terms of world class players atm. We basically have no world class players in their primes around 25-29 besides Mbappe and most amazing players over the last few years are 30+ and starting to move on. However, we have an AMAZING pool of talent coming up. Like Jude, Musiala, Yamal, Wirtz, Haaland, Palmer, Vini, Mainoo, Saka and many more and they will all be entering their primes in around 3-4 years. Its a bit dry atm but im very hopeful for the future.

[@globalfrank9557]

While I agree with Tom's point about tactical advancements killing some of the individual talents in this era, the Ballon D'or has always been heavily influenced by team achievements as well as technical ability.

[@Nathan-rq1nv]

Well said Tom

[@MethGoldblum]

This was actually an interesting discussion for once, aside from Theo’s lack of a basic understanding. Tom’s right regarding Rodri - 20 years ago Claude Makelele was the best in the world at the same sort of position and he never got close to a Ballon D’or.

[@adam-z9e2j]

because makelele was nowhere near rodri at the whole other side of the game - when in possession

[@amstadam8964]

I would say Yamal and Williams have that old school magic

[@noahhunt3334]

As a saints fan I can confirm- it is a truly depressive time to be watching football

[@TheGoatFooty]

Why wouldn't Rodri win the Ballon'dor?

[@hancholoo1389]

legitimately a better show with only the three hosts talking

[@iliagorev1819]

Tom's argument is quite interesting. I'm wondering how mudded footy was in 2005 when Cannavaro won the Balon d'Or

[@beansonbeans]

Theo “You’re being incredibly harsh” Baker

[@mybigmouth97]

I get Tom. When I was a kid I used to watch footy and couldn’t wait to go out and try something I’d seen a player do. Now it’s just boring and passing side ways. Just no street footballers anymore, just academy robots.

[@SamTurtonsamsamsam999]

I agree with Tom's point entirely that football has become more risk-averse, with money the driving force behind this. But, I don't think that this means footballers are "worse" now than they were 20 years ago, I think they are just coached far more strictly. I also think his point that players like Mbappe are worse because they don't dictate games for 90 mins is a bit harsh, does Tom genuinley think Zidane, for example, would run 90 every game, every week, for 90 mins? Most of the best players in history are "moments" players.

[@tomfurlong3491]

Where was palmer when chelsea got beat by city drew with palace 1-1 and got a last min winner against Bournemouth

[@woody19995]

he hadnt had a pre season because of the euros so wasnt fully fit. not a difficult concept to understand

[@tomfurlong3491]

@@woody19995 seemed fine when he played in the 2nd game of the season against wolves when he got 3 assists

[@woody19995]

@@tomfurlong3491 Bournemouth was his only bad game, he was really good against crystal palace, I beg people start watching football rather than just see if a player scored or assisted and if not claim he was ghosting

[@nkenny49]

100% agree with Tom.

[@SandDune11]

I get toms point of view, but I think as football adapts the way you view it has to adapt as well, and I think watching players like Rodri is still as interesting. Just watching how he affects the game and how he contributes to his teams performance is exciting in its own sense, even if it won’t get you off your edge of your seat. Realistically the likelihood is that we won’t see a player like messi again; a player that is so exciting to watch but also affects the game at a level above the rest. It’s harsh to compare players to messi. I do agree that football is moving more in a direction of effectiveness over entertainment, but that is only natural in an industry that generates so munch revenue. But I think we should be appreciating these players of effectiveness (like Rodri) as more than just talent is needed

[@JasonWilliams89]

Why does he say that Rodri isn't as good as Pirlo? How would you even begin to compare two players who never played in the same eras like that?

[@thechosenhobo]

Tom just dropped a gem

[@hcnza]

I Dont think individual ability has gone down. I think defensive ability has gone up by miles, limiting potency of attackers .

[@fugaziishime]

Vini with lamine and luis diaz are maybe the last wingers that play like wingers.

[@Tomza_T]

Tom is 100% right

[@fragtige4143]

Imagine if FIFA came out and said “this world cup we’re getting rid of every african team bc they aren’t as important and don’t draw in as big of a crowd so therefore they don’t deserve the chance at the trophy” like imagine working your whole life to become the best GK or Defensive mid or Center back and not even have the chance at a ballon dor bc “other positions are more important interesting”

[@antoniosawma8301]

Tom is spot on with football being boring. Players used to shoot from absurd angles whereas now they’ll pass inside the box so they don’t get benched the next game Rodri winning a ballon dor would be the final nail in the coffin for the entertaining era of football

[@TeheWehe786]

Ballon d'or needs to be split into categories in terms of position now

[@starr2618]

Sooooo TOTY?

[@mr.gnome60foe53]

Tom has been cooking here

[@FlamesLFC]

Palmer at the level of Neymar? Hilarious

[@julianwelm5435]

The average individual ability of footballers is way better than 15-20 years ago, the problem is, the top 20 in the world aren't allowed to show their individual ability because they have to fit into the systems

[@VWR7.5]

Wrong

[@elijahslocombe2335]

Why was Tom cooking in this clip😍😍 the Neymar take 😫😫

[@charliewaller5870]

before ronaldo and messi were winning the ballon dor every year there was players that won it and werent exciting and didnt have stand out attributes like nedved, figo, cannavaro, owen, shevchenko all brilliant players but nowhere near as exciting as other winners its not just a recent thing

[@bruh-jj4xj]

no way you think nedved and figo werent exciting, even owen was incredible

[@bruh-jj4xj]

Even still there were several incredible exciting players at the time

[@farrelshaw373]

How rodri is winning it is beyond me, amazing player and best player in that position but it is nuts how he is winning it

[@VWR7.5]

Good video for once

[@stanley7223]

you can argue it only seems like footballs changed so much coz of the absence of messi/ronaldo who were complete freaks of nature - remove them from existence and you'd see a much more diverse set of ballon dor winners over the years - it would still be attacker heavy but I bet there would be more more midfielder nominations in the past

[@alextromagnetic]

Tom yet again refusing to take an L

[@Thwze]

Comparing Palmer with Neymar after a few pens is insane

[@PlayerAyte]

This debate just illustrates Tom's ball knowledge. Everything he's saying is fair sans the Jude comment. He's a maverick that does things on the ball that others can't. I do think we're seeing a correction in world football, however. The likes of Lamine, Vini and Rodrygo, Palmer are the types of individual talents that many managers are beginning to find room for in their systems.

[@nonofyourbuisness8373]

Slightly off topic but the way the ballon dor is judged nowadays is a complete waste of time, it’s an award but the best individual player in the world but you can only winning if your team win the ucl, the moment Jorginho finished 3rd the whole ranking system should’ve been re-evaluating

[@puffin7285]

Rodri winning the Ballon dor is like Roy Keane or Patrick Viera winning it, totally absurd reardless of how important they were for their teams