The Court of Arbitrary Arbitration - Random Facts, Thoughts, Etc.

You've said something along those lines previously and just as before, I just don't get where it's coming from. Why, because those are players from just over 20yrs ago? That argument is just not valid to me. Talent is talent and there was class/elite level players all over the pitch. I have absolutely no doubt that placed in today's environment, they'd be successful.
Agree however that the 08 team was superb as well and not much would separate those sides (or the other teams of the Prem era). Your repeated dissing of the 99 team though is frankly odd, almost to the point of risible. No offense...

 

Well a 442 in that style would get overrun

your strikers were good 9s but neither elite imo

beckham lack of pace would be an issue. Your cbs and gk would stand the test of time and the cms but I don’t see how that team stands up

I do t think the invincibles would either

 

So the 99 team faced and beat pretty much all the top teams in Europe at the time and they'd be overrun today? Interesting... And I assume there is no room for adaptability and/or tweaks in tactics from teams and managers in your line of thinking (whether it's from SAF and that team or from the teams facing them)?
Stacking teams like the United from 99 or the Invincibles against the best teams of today would produce interesting matchups, but I don't see them being overrun especially when we consider the talent available in both those teams...

 

Man said Yorke & Cole weren't elite.

 

I watched football back then as I had access unlike a lot of non Europeans on here at that time (no internet)

u had one team that was any good in the league and look how close the table was

the cl run was amazing but a lot of luck involved etc

I just think your 08 team would blow them away

 

Whole Mourinho's legacy is based on a wrongly called offside goal.

 

I like this.

 

Real won 3 Cl on trot with fair bit of luck..

 

I’m talking about a side being dominant. Like Liverpool this year or city. I just feel like the 442 would get blown away by other premier league all time teams as like arsenal 98 etc they are a thing of their time that would get dominated in midfield nowadays the way football has changed

 

Like SAF said great players can play in any era, Football was diff back then but this is how its always been, thing evolves. If you think Giggs Scholes Keane Beckham would get walked over by current Liverpool midfield i wont be arguing further.

 

I’m not saying the Liverpool players are better individuals, what I’m saying is, tactically they would get pressed to death

keane and scholes are much better individuals than the Liverpool players in the middle for sure

 

And once again, don't you think that SAF would have dealt with that? He switched the formation to a 5 men midfield in Europe, when the majority of the fans were vocally against it.
Keane was a very press resistant CM and so was Scholes so Pool's press would have been a concern, yes but it's highly doubtful that the 99 team would have been 'run over' as you keep on claiming. A simple example of a tweak would have been to add Butt in midfield, just to name one.
It's absolutely amazing that you can't give 2 of the greatest football managers in recent years any kind of credit, espcially given the studs at their disposal both in that Treble winning team or in the Invincibles. I'm no Arsenal fan but I wouldn't dare disrespect/dispute the quality of: Vieira, Henry, Cole, Lauren, Campbell, Pires, et al. Come on now...

 

And have York or Cole vs vvd? On their own? Neither really played as a solo striker

also beckham would get overloaded with mane and Robertson

Neville would be isolated. Irwin and Giggs with taa and salah with firminho pulling your cbs about

I think the 04 arsenal side wouldn’t compete either. Football evolves

 

I watched plenty, did you? If you think your team minus either Cole or Yorke with butt in the middle wouldn’t get beaten by Liverpool or last seasons city your mad

football has evolved and changed so much. Players are fitter and quicker these days and guys like keane and vieira would be yellow carded within the first ten minutes

I see it the way 2011 went back Barca, Utd were out dated and stale and got a footballig lesson, much like arsenal in any meaningful cl tie under wenger post 2006

the
Movement of your 08 side with carrick and scholes who would
Play through a press with a better cb pairing and forwards is so much better, but it’s just my opinion

 

Another opinion, one I'm definitely more in line with compared to Fox Sports' rankings.

And eventhough, it dates from last year, doesn't make much difference as far as this current Pool team is concerned (still 4-5th placed team at best as far as I'm concerned).

 

Let's just all agree the Invincibles side that Arsenal fans love to drool over wouldn't even crack the top 5.

 

I don’t think they are as good as some arsenal fans think

vieira and Gilberto were excellent at the time but they were not creative players

kolo toure was also suspect at times

the pairing up top is the best in premier league history for me but I don’t think they are the best

 

Imagine thinking that prime Giggs and Irwin were outmatched by ANY pair of players. You are talking ATG LW and Prem Great LB. Utter madness to suggest that Salah and Trent would be superior AT ALL. Giggs put the fear of god in every team we faced. Juventus trembled at the mention of his name.

 

Agreed. When it comes to all time great PL players, Mo Salah isn't anywhere near the top.

 

Cristiano Ronaldo's 2007-08 season is the single greatest season by a player in English football history.

 

Giggs wasn’t a prolific scorer like salah. Liverpool’s system is completely different. Giggs was a more traditional winger who came inside (His brothers wife) when he got older

salah plays off the right as a false 9

mane is also more prolific than Giggs was. The 2 striker system would get beaten comfortably these days by Liverpool or city imo