Im 42 and...

Dotrel

losthorizon wrote: »

Onside? Clearly and very clearly offside!

I actually taped those Brazilian matchs again when they were repeated on Eurosport about ten years ago. I must watch them again if I can find them in my attic.

Fair enough. The camera work isn't as good back in those days and he seems offside from the play angle but it's hard to judge. I'm going by the replay at 5:10. He looks very onside to me.

ironbluedun

the arsenal team of aug/sept 2011

parker kent

daithijjj wrote: »

3 European cups (*when you had to actually be champions to get in) dont lie.

Just on that, I know it is a tired argument but modern teams can't be blamed for changes to the rules. Sure some teams have won Champions Leagues when they would not have been in it under the old system, but other teams have missed out. Think of teams that were league champions but lost out to say the Barcelona team in 2009. Under the old system Barcelona would not even have been in the tournament, so it would have been easier to win once you won the league. So it is swings and roundabouts.

Anyway, the current Barcelona team and the Milan team of 1989-94 are the best teams I have seen. Difficult to say who is better but both maximize their abilities according to the rules of the era they are in. The Sacchi Milan team used the offside rules to full effect and so do Barcelona with the much more lax rules. If I was pushed, I'd say Barcelona because of Messi, Xavi and Iniensta. I have never seen a team so dominant in practically every game they play.

fryup

losthorizon wrote: »

It still bugs me that Brazil in 1982 didnt win the World Cup.

that 82 Brazil team were breathtaking > Socrates, Zico, Junior, Eder etc all superstars but they cocked it up against a more cunning Italy that day.

For my twopence worth it still bugs me that the French team of the 80s (Platini, Tigana, Girese) didn't win the world cup, beaten by W.Germany in the semis in 82 & 86

the 1986 final would have been...

Argentina vs France Maradona vs Platini

great shame it didn't happen:(

Mr. Incognito

Current Barca team

- For their work rate- they harass and chase when they don't have the ball
- For their unselfishness all over the pitch
- For their attitude- they don't dive, bitch and moan to the ref, they just get on with it
- For their intelligence, possession game, passing, incisive running and passing
- For their touch
- For making other great teams and players seem ordinary. Arsenal games just showed the gulf in class for me.
- For their humility, after winning everything and going for his third player of the year Messi still is talking about the team first

The Swordsman

losthorizon wrote: »

I think its the Brazilian team of 1982 followed by Milan with their trio of Dutch players (guillet, Van Basten & Rikjaard) and the Current Barcelona team.

So if you are 10 or 75 whats the best team you have seen?

BTW I think Milan edge out Barcelona because Milan had a great defence as well.

Substitute 1982 with 1970 and I'd agree with all of the above.

That Milan team was owned by the former Italian PM and I remember him saying at the time that he wanted to build a squad where they could put a different team out in Europe to the one in La Liga and still win both. Anyone remember the European Cup Semi Final when they hammered Real Madrid 5-0 (around 1990, I think)?

The Swordsman

chughes wrote: »

I'm a bit older than OP so here's my best team ever :
Gary Sprake
Paul Reaney
Terry Cooper
Billy Bremner
Jack Charlton
Norman Hunter
Peter Lorimer
Allan Clarke
Mick Jones
John Giles
Eddie Gray

Sub Paul Madeley

What a team............................

Great team but they under achieved. Though in their defence, they was robbed in the European Cup final in 75.

KaiserGunner

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

Current Barca team

- For their work rate- they harass and chase when they don't have the ball
- For their unselfishness all over the pitch
- For their attitude- they don't dive, bitch and moan to the ref, they just get on with it
- For their intelligence, possession game, passing, incisive running and passing
- For their touch
- For making other great teams and players seem ordinary. Arsenal games just showed the gulf in class for me.
- For their humility, after winning everything and going for his third player of the year Messi still is talking about the team first

I agree with everything in your post apart from the bolded part. This Barcelona team are one of the worst culprits for diving and moaning at refs.

Luap

Crawley Town last season.

Top notch.

bullvine

KaiserGunner wrote: »

I agree with everything in your post apart from the bolded part. This Barcelona team are one of the worst culprits for diving and moaning at refs.

so true!!

Warper

The current Barca team of the past 3 years for me. They are head and shoulders above any other team i have seen in my lifetime and arguably the greatest team of all-time. A joy to watch.

tommyhaas

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

Current Barca team

- For their work rate- they harass and chase when they don't have the ball
- For their unselfishness all over the pitch
- For their attitude- they don't dive, bitch and moan to the ref, they just get on with it
- For their intelligence, possession game, passing, incisive running and passing
- For their touch
- For making other great teams and players seem ordinary. Arsenal games just showed the gulf in class for me.
- For their humility, after winning everything and going for his third player of the year Messi still is talking about the team first

Agree with most of your points, but..

They don't dive, bitch or moan?



Had you seen even 30 seconds of the El Classico marathon last season, you'd know this to be untrue

I wouldn't agree with the humility part either. The stuff a few of their players came out with during the Fabregas/Mascherano transfer saga's was pretty poor form, as was their defence of Busquets behaviour towards Marcelo

Bodhisopha

Barcelona. Best team i've ever seen and all model pros to boot. Good role models for the children.

jive

Warper wrote: »

The current Barca team of the past 3 years for me. They are head and shoulders above any other team i have seen in my lifetime and arguably the greatest team of all-time. A joy to watch.

This. Play sexy football and won all 6 trophies on offer to them. Can't comment on anything pre-1998 really as my brain was too small to comprehend. I don't think the treble winning United team are one of the greatest teams tbh. They were obviously good but they weren't head and shoulders above the rest like Barcelona appear to be (although Madrid appear to be catching up, Mourinho too good / 10)

ollaetta

losthorizon wrote: »

It stll bugs me that Brazil in 1982 didnt win the World Cup.

Me too. Couldn't watch highlights of the Italy game for ages afterwards and I still want to kick Junior's hole for staying on the line and keeping Rossi onside.

flahavaj

Current Barca side, has to be really. Still pretty young too in the main.

stovelid

KaiserGunner wrote: »

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

Current Barca team

- For their work rate- they harass and chase when they don't have the ball
- For their unselfishness all over the pitch
- For their attitude- they don't dive, bitch and moan to the ref, they just get on with it
- For their intelligence, possession game, passing, incisive running and passing
- For their touch
- For making other great teams and players seem ordinary. Arsenal games just showed the gulf in class for me.
- For their humility, after winning everything and going for his third player of the year Messi still is talking about the team first

I agree with everything in your post apart from the bolded part. This Barcelona team are one of the worst culprits for diving and moaning at refs.

The humility point is a little off too. Do you not get the regular celestial football communiques from planet Barcelona like everybody else?

jem

fryup wrote: »

that 82 Brazil team were breathtaking > Socrates, Zico, Junior, Eder etc all superstars but they cocked it up against a more cunning Italy that day.

For my twopence worth it still bugs me that the French team of the 80s (Platini, Tigana, Girese) didn't win the world cup, beaten by W.Germany in the semis in 82 & 86

the 1986 final would have been...

Argentina vs France Maradona vs Platini

great shame it didn't happen:(

Dont falco from the 82/86 team. their main goalscorer broke his leg just before the finals in 82 and in 86 something simular happened.
They played some of the best attacking football I have ever seen however they couldn't defend for nuts. the attitude was if you score 1 we will score 2 , if you score 2 we will score 3, however they met one of the most balanced teams ever to win the world cup in the Italy 82 team with Rossi just back from a ban for match fixing, Ah I remember it well.
The 82 and particularly the 86 french teams were brilliant as well, beat Brazil in 86 with zico missing a peno just after comming on.

Remember the shumaker "tackel"/assult on battiston nearly killed him.

For me thye Liverpool team that won the double under Kenny Dalglish and the team that contained barnes,bearldley and aldridge was the best to come out of England.

The dutch team that won the EC with gullitt, van basten, rikard, wouters etc were the best I have seen in in the EC with the French team of 1984 there or thereabouts with palatini, tigana, gireast, battiston, boissis etc.

The milan team of gullitt, van basten, maldini, barrise etc were the best Italian team I hav seen while the current Barca team is the best to come out of Spain.

Think it is impossible to compair club v country teams.

And for me Maradonna was the best player of all time, basically winning a WC with a very very ordinary team with him, Pele had great players around him as did Zidane

( sorry about spelling of some of the names)

Cool Running

For me the best team ive seen is the Barcelona team. Absolutely unreal to watch and so successful. The Arsenal unbeatables are also up there and also the Ajax 95 team. I was only 9 but I remember seeing Ajax win the European cup against AC and thinking what a team. These are the only teams around in my lifetime.

However though ive heard so may people say Barcelona are the best ever and they are surely up there but I think if they want to be go down in history as the best ever then they HAVE to win back to back Champions League's. No one has evr done it in the Champions league but Ajax, Bayern Munich, Nottingham forest, AC and Inter Milan, Liverpool have all done it in the European Cup so thats why i think Barca need to do it. It will be a real test to retain it.

Marty McFly

For me as an Arsenal fan it would have to be the Invincibles really was some achievment.

In my living memory of football teams it would have to be Barcelona as much as it pains me to say it as its one club im not a fan off there a lot of there players antics on the pitch or there directors off it. I also wouldnt buy into thee the best team ever just the best i can remember in my lifetime.


As for Spain no way, there like Barcelona slowed down a hundred times most the time i find them boring as hell to watch.

Honorable mention for Del Bosques Real Madrid side which had some amazing players such Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo, Raul, Roberto Carlos etc.

jamsieboy86

As an Inter fan it pains me to say but the Juve team of the mid 90's is the best team I've seen, I know they only won one CL out of 3 finals, but still an amazing team. Players like Deschamps, Zidane, Del Piero, Peruzzi, Inzaghi, Davids, Di Livio, Vialli, Ravenelli. They were the first great team I can really remember from being a child so it could just be nostalgia.

Davaeo09

tommyhaas wrote: »

Agree with most of your points, but..

They don't dive, bitch or moan?



Had you seen even 30 seconds of the El Classico marathon last season, you'd know this to be untrue

I wouldn't agree with the humility part either. The stuff a few of their players came out with during the Fabregas/Mascherano transfer saga's was pretty poor form, as was their defence of Busquets behaviour towards Marcelo

Defence of Busquets? When was that? Who defended him from what? I remember him defending himself..


It bugs me when people use the Madrid games to accuse Barca of diving, if you had watched it from a Barca point of view Madrid were again, out played and proceeded to kick lumps out of players.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK-IFLGt9xY&feature=related
At times Madrid were so classless it was humiliating!

Now I don't condone diving, but I definitely don't agree with the cynical side of tackling and competitiveness, both are as bad as each other, and Barca had to get as ugly with Madrid to reach the finals last year. If they hadn't Madrid would have physically forced Barca off the field.

Another thing.. All this focus on the ugly, allot of people forget the draw at the Camp Nou when Madrid came to actually play football! That was a fascinating match and it showed that Mou needed to put more faith in his players!

Dotrel

Barca do a lot of play acting but I think they generally do it on a foul rather than simply always conning the ref into giving them one . This mainly down to the fact that you can't get the ball off them without fouling. I'd really wish they'd stop the theatrics it but I guess they feel it's necessary and why not do it since more or less everyone else is too to some extent or other. They'd honestly be the best side ever no questions if they'd remove this element of their play. I think if we lived in a perfect world where a correct foul was called every time then they'd probably stop as the need to 'ensure' the foul would be removed. Either way I don't like and I think it's harming their legendary reputation to a small extent.

Madrid's attitude in the various El Classico's last season was disgraceful. They'd basically play ball until they realised time after time that they were up against a team who were a class above them, then they'd give up and just spend the rest of the game kicking the **** out of Barca up and down the pitch.

tommyhaas

Davaeo09 wrote: »

Defence of Busquets? When was that? Who defended him from what? I remember him defending himself..

It bugs me when people use the Madrid games to accuse Barca of diving, if you had watched it from a Barca point of view Madrid were again, out played and proceeded to kick lumps out of players.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK-IFLGt9xY&feature=related
At times Madrid were so classless it was humiliating!

Now I don't condone diving, but I definitely don't agree with the cynical side of tackling and competitiveness, both are as bad as each other, and Barca had to get as ugly with Madrid to reach the finals last year. If they hadn't Madrid would have physically forced Barca off the field.

Another thing.. All this focus on the ugly, allot of people forget the draw at the Camp Nou when Madrid came to actually play football! That was a fascinating match and it showed that Mou needed to put more faith in his players!

I thought they had defended him, I can't find it on google so perhaps I was wrong, however they didn't take any action against him when he blatantly racially abused an opponent, which all the same, is pretty poor form

I haven't watched that link you posted because I remember watching the game. Yes, there were time Real went in hard, but at the same time there were numerous incidents of Barca either diving or making far too much of challenges. What annoyed me the most though, was that it wasn't just to try win freekicks etc, it was deliberate attempts to get opponents sent off

Barca didn't have to act like that as you suggest. It was hardly like they were facing Leeds under Don Revie

I've alot of respect for Barca as a club, and particularly their style of play, I think along with alot of people though, I lost respect for quiet a few of them as players following the Real farce last season

The Swordsman

jem wrote: »

Remember the shumaker "tackel"/assult on battiston nearly killed him.

What a game that was :eek::eek:. Schumacher didn't even get a yellow card IIRC. Apparently, they became best mates afterwards with one acting as Best Man at the other's wedding (not sure wihch was the groom/best man

jem wrote: »

And for me Maradonna was the best player of all time, baically winning a WC with a very very ordinary team with him, Pele had great players around him as did Zidane

Was definitely the best since Pele and wasn't matched until Messi came along. For me, the three best players in my lifetime - I dont think I could pick one at this time.

Paparazzo

Seaneh wrote: »

Milan 1988 - 1994, best clubs side ever, that spanking they gave Barca in 94 was the best display of football by any team in a major final ever, they were almost flawless.

As much as I hate Milan, that was some display. Eurosport do extended highlites of old european cups around christmas, and a couple of years ago they showed that 94 final. Never mind 4-0, it could have been 10 Milan were that dominant, it was attack after attack after attack from Milan. Savićević was unbelievable. All against a Barca team with Nadal, Koeman, Bakero, guardiola, Sergi, Romario and Stoichkov

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

Juventus 1995-1998 were brilliant. Best side in Europe at the time even though they only won the Champions League in one final out of three in a row.

That was a great Juve side but their best ever has to be from the 80's.
Juventus in the 80's were some team too.
Zoff, Gentile, Cabrini, Bonini, Biro, Scirea, Bettaga, Rossi, Platini, Boniek. All under the management of Trap!

Trippie

It is the Milan side for me. The newer generation of barca is fitter, faster etc etc but if they were to play the milan side of the late 80's early 90´s who were allowed to tackle and play like they did in the 90's then barca would be kicked off the park simple as that. The physicality they had would be no match imo.

Paparazzo

tommyhaas wrote: »

Agree with most of your points, but..

They don't dive, bitch or moan?

Had you seen even 30 seconds of the El Classico marathon last season, you'd know this to be untrue

I wouldn't agree with the humility part either. The stuff a few of their players came out with during the Fabregas/Mascherano transfer saga's was pretty poor form, as was their defence of Busquets behaviour towards Marcelo

Don't forget about the sprinklers going on after Inter knocked them out a few years ago.
Barca have a fantastic team, but the diving that goes on with them is unreal, I know a lot of people who used to really respect them that now despise them. Dani Alves and Sergio Busquets make me feel ill with their diving.

Dotrel

I'd say Alves is the worst on Barca and Marcelo/Pepe are the worst at Madrid. I really hate the Brazilian attitude to the game generally. For example celebrating after they *win* a penalty. Mind, they haven't even scored it yet. The celebration seems even bigger in instances where it's a conjob.