[Bandiera]

did it ever occur to you why he flopped so badly at Lazio?was this the wrong team for him or was he just so overrated?I could'nt certainly believe how poor he was in the capital after all that hype.

 

[Boyo]

Actually I think his decline already started at Valencia, in the months before he came to Lazio. I remember him playing very badly in the last CL final he played with them, and that level of play is what he continued at Lazio. Keep in mind that he never again played the sort of football that made him one of Europe's best, also not after leaving Lazio. So I don't think him losing his touch is something that is connected to Lazio. I agree it's quite strange for a player to go from being a superstar to being a below average player in such a short time, but stranger things have happened before.

 

[Bandiera]

No doubt Boyo my friend I would attribute anything to Lazio :smileani: ,To me it just proved that Mendieta is'nt the player that everyone made him out to be.He struggled in Italy and is'nt setting the world on fire at Middlesbrough either.

 

[Mago]

This may sound far-fetched, but for some reason Spaniards always fail in Serie A.

 

[Rob]

He's injured at Middlesbrough. When he was fit he was actually playing very well for them.

 

[Del Piero]

He wasn't overrated. I think it was a combination of that curse on Spaniards playing in Italy (did Jose Mari or Javi Moreno do any better at Milan? ) , perhaps some personal crisis on his behalf, and also Lazio's fault, they should take some blame in it. But it's not a such a huge loss for Serie A.... there were plenty of others that's why he wasn't that important for Lazio at the end of the day. But he did regain form and showed some brilliance after he left Lazio. You can't deny that.

 

[Bandiera]

Jose Mari was a complete waste and Javi Moreno could've had a fairer go,But both were overrated IMo.Especially Jose Mari a player that Milan paid far to much for.

 

[Kafka]

There was one factor above everyhing else...Mendieta came to Lazio overweight and in a bad shape. Add to that the fact that he was overrated (a good player but never worth all that money), it's not that big a mystery.

Or one might want to believe in a curse. Whichever...

 

[Del Piero]

Portillo is the latest Spanish victim.

 

[Andy]

I think that the tactics is what kills Spanish players when playing in Italy. It takes them more than a season to get used to the different tactics, and Mendieta was only there for a season but he failed so miserably that Lazio offloaded him. Before Mendieta went to Lazio I thought he was a world-class right midfielder, much better of a player than David Beckham, but he was misused by Zaccheroni and the fans did not get behind him at Stadio Olimpico. I will never forget the match when Mendieta had a horrible game against Milan, and was substituted after about 70 minutes. As soon as the fans saw him walking off the pitch, they started to boo and mock his name to no end. The amount of slander and booing that Mendieta recieved must have been unbearable, and watching a few tears run down from Gaizka's eyes made me feel sorry for him. I wish fans would not be so harsh on their new players. :depress:

 

[gogol]

Zac and Dino should be partially blamed for not nurturing him into Serie A like what Milan did with Kaka. In the end, his whole situation at Lazio represented Cargnotti's whim and what one man's decisions can do to a club which affects so many people.

 

[gogol]

Portillo is the latest Spanish victim.

in his case, it wasn't even 1% of his own fault. He wasn't started ahead of the likes of Fantini . ughhhhh..............

 

[Kafka]

I wish fans would not be so harsh on their new players. :depress:

I hear what you're saying, but he was extremely expensive and still did not bother to get in shape for the first season in his new team. I can't feel a least bit sorry for him. If you don't show respect for the fans, you're not bound to get any in return.

Cragnotti made a stupid and rushed deal to get him so it's his fault, of course. But Mendi should have given a better effort.

Kaka situation is very different...he came straight from Brazil as a young boy. Mendi was an experienced player who had played Champions league finals and everything. You're not supposed to be required to nurture a player like that.

 

[Bandiera]

Basically Mendieta was never the player that he was so hyped up to be,Lazio paid a rediculous amount for an extremely overrated player.

 

[Andy]

Dude, he was not that overrated. He was the best right midfielder in the world during 2001 when Valencia reached the Finals of the CL. He was the captian of the side and was simply amazing.

 

[Bandiera]

Dude, he was not that overrated. He was the best right midfielder in the world during 2001 when Valencia reached the Finals of the CL. He was the captian of the side and was simply amazing.

And then what happened,proved that he was overrrated IMo,he then flopped big time in Italy no matter what you say he was a dissapointment big time.certainly overpaid by a fluctuated market and a Lazio team just insistant on spending big dollars.

 

[Andy]

He was not overrated at all before he joined Lazio. The fact is that the Serie A is the toughest league in the world. Most players do have trouble adapting to it.

 

[Bandiera]

He was not overrated at all before he joined Lazio. The fact is that the Serie A is the toughest league in the world. Most players do have trouble adapting to it.

He did'nt even have one good game at Lazio not one so he did'nt justify that huge price tag paid for him.