[Football] Top Premier League players

[Seagull58]

You are joking, right? Unless you're talking about the Invincibles at the age they are now, all of them would walk into the present team. For one thing, they had a winning mentality, and the defenders could defend. And guess what? They would be as fit as the present crop of prima donnas because they would be training at today's level.

In other news, Didier Drogba deserves consideration among the greats. Unplayable on his day, and he won things. Just imagine him at the sharp end of the present Albion side ...

Exactly. This reminds me of when Shane Warne went to visit Don Bradman on the occasion of his 90th Birthday and asked him what he thought his batting average would be if he was playing today. Bradman said about 60 and Warne asked him why so low. "Well, I am 90 years old" was the reply.

 

[Seagull58]

He might well, although I don't think it's as obvious as peak Henry. But this rather misses the point that generally footballers from 20 years ago were not of the overall fitness and quality of those currently. If you exclude Bergkamp and Henry, how many of that Arsenal "Invincibles" side get into the current Arsenal team? How many of the Man Utd "Treble" team get into their current first XI? One or two absolute tops, and that's despite them not being anything like as successful now.

I don't think many would pick Granit Xhaka ahead of Patrick Viera. Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell might squeeze in the back line, unless you'd prefer David Luiz? Of course, you can go back a bit further and bring Dixon, Adams, Keown, Bould and Winterburn into the discussion. I'm not sure there would be any of today's Arsenal in the team.

 

[zefarelly]

Alan Shearer managed to do the same to Keane years back, managed to provoke Keane in to swinging a punch that Shearer easily avoided and the ref had to send him off for.

Yes, Alan Shearer was very good at shythousery when required.

Keane is a horrible piece of work and a nasty man I've no doubt, but extremely effective and successful as a player.

 

[Ecosse Exile]

Yaya Toure? Edin Hazard?

 

[banjo]

Eric the flying kick Cantona.

 

[The Fits]

Ederson (redefined what is possible from a GK)
Ferdinand Vidic Van Dijk
Viera
Gerrard De Bruyne
Cantona Bergkamp Henry
Drogba

Weird formation but you simply don't beat that team.

 

[Jim Van Winkle]

Yeah he was the bigger psychopath, kudos to him, winning that player tunnel. But out on the pitch, were football is played, they were leaders, fantastic ball-winners... the difference being Vieira was also technically excellent.

United were good with Keane and turned better when he left. Vieira? Irreplacable.

You’re doing a disservice and undervaluing his technical ability. If you want to see how great Keane was watch United’s away semi-final leg against Juventus in the 98-99 season. I never saw Viera have a game as good as that.

As for United being better after he left, that’s ludicrous. They never won a treble after he left.