Ac early 90's would give them a hell of a game. Baresi, Maldini, Costacurta at the back.... proper quality
Club team for me would be Ajax team in the early seventies. I was only a kid, but they were from a different planet. Cryuff, Neeskens, Rep and the rest. Rhinus Michels like an orchestra conductor. Mesmerising. International team 1982 Italian side. The great Enzo Bearzot, dragging Italy from a dark age and eschewing the all out defence and catenaccio. Blistering attacking play, often with seven players scorching up the pitch on the counter. Rossi, Conti, Tardelli. Surprising everyone, and winning me a lot of cash!
Great debate. I will be putting up a team to beat Pep's Barca too, but not right now. Aresnal's invincibles were quite the team I thought. A real achievement at the team. Funnily enough not necessarily built on Arsenal's best defence imo, but still elite. Lehman was a hell of a good keeper and Cole probably the best full back anywhere at ths time. Sol and Kolo were a good partnership. Lauren played a really solid part too. Then the midfiled was so well balanced. Silva played such a classy role alongside Viera. So understated but absolutely foot perfecf. Viera was becoming that dominant force and outside Ljungberg and Pires were too of the most intelligent wide midfielders you could wish to see. Neither shirked the defenaive stuff either. But maybe it was up top where they are best remembered. Henry and Bergkamp. What a pair they were. Henry bagged 30 league goals that campaign. They were so fluid when attacking with Henry often swapping with Pires and Bergkamp popping up all over the place. Wenger created not just a side to win a title, but a mentality that was unreal. The desire at times went too far, but it was undeniabke. 49 games unbeaten across league seasons. They deserve a place in footballing history for me.
Best side I’ve ever seen live that Arsenal team. Absolute telepathic partnerships all over the park. Seen some great sides when I was a young buck and we used to have lads trips to go to games, but they were such a machine. Not greatest side ever material but due to family ties been to a fair few Fiorentina games over the years and the side with Batistuta and Rui Costa was filth. Toldo in goal, Baiano who never got credit he deserved but was perfect foil for Batigol, Nintendo and 7-up kits. They should have won something. They should have won Serie A at least once. They had proper warriors and leaders through that side a whole bunch of them are big end gaffers now like Pioli and Tedesco. When we make Europe I’ll be praying we pull out the Viola
This! The best footballers ever assembled into a functioning,cohesive international team in living memory! Outstanding ....simply the best.
They were terrific. Only one team worried them, and that was England. Pele once told a story about how, after watching England somehow manage to lose against West Germany in the quarter finals, they celebrated heartily even though it was in the middle of a competition. In his words "Only England could have beaten us, we knew we had won the Cup". Pele by the way, had to be "persuaded" to come out of international retirement by the military junta of the time, or he would not have played in 1970. He had grown disillusioned and had bulked up a bit He seemed to manage!
