Is there a modern candidate to go up against the All-Gullit xi?

Fortitude

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Some believe the game is better than ever now and has shown exponential growth. If that is the case, there should be a candidate to take on the All Gullit XI by now, no?

It's generally agreed upon that the Gullit xi wins against all given his eclectic nature and brilliance as well as size, athleticism, tactical and physical intelligence and so on and so forth, but those all 1-player xi discussion kind of died out some time back; perhaps there's been a shift in the last 10 years?

If I present:

-----------------------------------------Gullit
------------------------Gullit-------------------------Gullit
Gullit------------------------------------------------------------------Gullit
---------------------------------------Gullit
-----------------------Gullit------------------------Gullit
Gullit-------------------------------Gullit---------------------------Gullit

In a 4-3-3, which hero do you have that can give Gullit a game? You probably need to show your working out to make it feasible... :confused:
 
Fortitude said:
Some believe the game is better than ever now and has shown exponential growth. If that is the case, there should be a candidate to take on the All Gullit XI by now, no?
Click to expand...

I don't really think that math checks out, but Bellingham will very likely fit eventually.

Otherwise, Toure, Nedved, Gerrard, and Luis Enrique are all more recent footballers who get roped into these discussions fairly regularly.
 
Not really.

You can’t compete with Gullit in terms of completeness and quality — a few in history could realistically try to (Beckenbauer, Cruyff, Di Stéfano) and none of them are modern. Griezmann is probably your best bet and he’s widely inferior. Or someone like Bellingham from a younger generation. Still, they’re not that versatile (and not quite as good). Valverde too.

What you can try to do is bet on an individual genius, say, a team of XI Messis… but it’ll likely be a very entertaining but completely unfeasible mess, not sure how they’re supposed to defend or to compete physically. He’s not the most eager to run player either. Or, a better scenario if you allow recently retired players, bet on 100% possession with the team of XI Xavi’s (alternatively Iniesta would work too). Maybe having Neuer everywhere would make some difference — I would imagine that Gullit wouldn’t be brilliant in goal… but I also can’t imagine Neuer creating enough chances on the other end.
 
Fortitude said:
Some believe the game is better than ever now and has shown exponential growth. If that is the case, there should be a candidate to take on the All Gullit XI by now, no?

It's generally agreed upon that the Gullit xi wins against all given his eclectic nature and brilliance as well as size, athleticism, tactical and physical intelligence and so on and so forth, but those all 1-player xi discussion kind of died out some time back; perhaps there's been a shift in the last 10 years?

If I present:

-----------------------------------------Gullit
------------------------Gullit-------------------------Gullit
Gullit------------------------------------------------------------------Gullit
---------------------------------------Gullit
-----------------------Gullit------------------------Gullit
Gullit-------------------------------Gullit---------------------------Gullit

In a 4-3-3, which hero do you have that can give Gullit a game? You probably need to show your working out to make it feasible... :confused:
Click to expand...
Lukaku

Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku

Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku

Lukaku

Coach: Mourinho/Conte

Explanation: I know some have argued that Mourinho’s tactics have become obsolete, but I think this is imprecise - he is just poorly matched to a world of too few Romelu Lukaku’s.

Physical strength and speed is all that is needed for a back nine to park The Bus, and reach and size is enough in a GK to pick up the futile attempts to lob the ball over The Bus from 40 yards out. A goal a game will be enough to win, and is ensured by a three-Lukaku-counterattack or a goalmouth scramble from a corner ensueing from a three-Lukaku-counterattack.

Some (Ruud Gullit in particular) will argue that Sexy Football will be able to penetrate such an insensitive and un-nimble-feeted defense, but I think Mourinho showed at Chelsea he could do more with eleven John Terry’s than Gullit could with ten Gianfranco Zola’s and an Erland Johnsen.
 
Grande said:
Lukaku

Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku

Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku

Lukaku

Coach: Mourinho/Conte

Explanation: I know some have argued that Mourinho’s tactics have become obsolete, but I think this is imprecise - he is just poorly matched to a world of too few Romelu Lukaku’s.

Physical strength and speed is all that is needed for a back nine to park The Bus, and reach and size is enough in a GK to pick up the futile attempts to lob the ball over The Bus from 40 yards out. A goal a game will be enough to win, and is ensured by a three-Lukaku-counterattack or a goalmouth scramble from a corner ensueing from a three-Lukaku-counterattack.

Some (Ruud Gullit in particular) will argue that Sexy Football will be able to penetrate such an insensitive and un-nimble-feeted defense, but I think Mourinho showed at Chelsea he could do more with eleven John Terry’s than Gullit could with ten Gianfranco Zola’s and an Erland Johnsen.
Click to expand...
But he doesn’t have the strength? He’s so soft for his size.
 
harms said:
What you can try to do is bet on an individual genius, say, a team of XI Messis… but it’ll likely be a very entertaining but completely unfeasible mess, not sure how they’re supposed to defend or to compete physically. He’s not the most eager to run player either.
Click to expand...

Eleven Messis'd be a trainwreck, but Neymars or Di Marias could at least be entertaining. Both taller players who could run all day and were exceptionally unselfish for their roles and status.
 
Grande said:
Lukaku

Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku

Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku

Lukaku

Coach: Mourinho/Conte

Explanation: I know some have argued that Mourinho’s tactics have become obsolete, but I think this is imprecise - he is just poorly matched to a world of too few Romelu Lukaku’s.

Physical strength and speed is all that is needed for a back nine to park The Bus, and reach and size is enough in a GK to pick up the futile attempts to lob the ball over The Bus from 40 yards out. A goal a game will be enough to win, and is ensured by a three-Lukaku-counterattack or a goalmouth scramble from a corner ensueing from a three-Lukaku-counterattack.

Some (Ruud Gullit in particular) will argue that Sexy Football will be able to penetrate such an insensitive and un-nimble-feeted defense, but I think Mourinho showed at Chelsea he could do more with eleven John Terry’s than Gullit could with ten Gianfranco Zola’s and an Erland Johnsen.
Click to expand...
Lukaku

Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku

Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku Lukaku

Lukaku

Coach: Lukaku

Gullit batters this team.
 
Messi XI wins. As it stands, he’d probably be the best player ever in about half of the positions on a football pitch anyway.
 
Rozay said:
Messi XI wins. As it stands, he’d probably be the best player ever in about half of the positions on a football pitch anyway.
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A Messi XI gets destroyed by any XI of big physical engines who can run.

Long Ball forward, 6ft 4 Ruud Guillet vs 5ft 7 Messi in an aerial battle - good luck with that.
 
AfonsoAlves said:
A Messi XI gets destroyed by any XI of big physical engines who can run.

Long Ball forward, 6ft 4 Ruud Guillet vs 5ft 7 Messi in an aerial battle - good luck with that.
Click to expand...

They didn’t get destroyed by them 12 years ago, when Messi and friends were basically him plus inferior versions of him.

Gullit can have long balls, while Messi clones would run rings around him and his. I’d back Team Messi to take more of their chances than Team Gullit in a shootout, and it likely wouldn’t be anyway, as Team Messi would probably have 70% of the ball in any given game.
 
My immediate thought was Rooney if that’s modern enough. Just the pure fight and determination and pretty good all rounder. Would put up more of a fight than a Messi eleven imo
 
Rozay said:
They didn’t get destroyed by them 12 years ago, when Messi and friends were basically him plus inferior versions of him.

Gullit can have long balls, while Messi clones would run rings around him and his. I’d back Team Messi to take more of their chances than Team Gullit in a shootout, and it likely wouldn’t be anyway, as Team Messi would probably have 70% of the ball in any given game.
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That's an extremely simplified vision of what that Barcelona team was. Because it wasn't. It was a well-oiled machine where everyone had their own role, not all of which Messi, for all of his genius, could fulfill.

Messi also relies on others to run — not just defensively but offensively as well. He himself doesn't make a lot of these off the ball runs, he usually receives the ball deep & straight into his feet. Be it Pedro, Alves, Alba, Henry, Villa, Suárez, he always had runners around him that allowed Messi to showcase his creativity (on top of dribbling and goalscoring). He also got extremely frustrated when he hadn't been able to touch the ball for a couple of minutes (a lot of his teammates said so, Xavi included), I'd imagine that it'd be an enormous problem with 11 of them on the pitch at the same time.
 
The all eleven Laurent Blanc? Blanc was a good attacking midfielder and international up until 23-24 years old.

It's not modern though.
 
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harms said:
That's an extremely simplified vision of what that Barcelona team was. Because it wasn't. It was a well-oiled machine where everyone had their own role, not all of which Messi, for all of his genius, could fulfill.

Messi also relies on others to run — not just defensively but offensively as well. He himself doesn't make a lot of these off the ball runs, he usually receives the ball deep & straight into his feet. Be it Pedro, Alves, Alba, Henry, Villa, Suárez, he always had runners around him that allowed Messi to showcase his creativity (on top of dribbling and goalscoring). He also got extremely frustrated when he hadn't been able to touch the ball for a couple of minutes (a lot of his teammates said so, Xavi included), I'd imagine that it'd be an enormous problem with 11 of them on the pitch at the same time.
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Of course it’s a simplified vision.
 
This reminds me of a Spurs supporting mate - who was pretty stupid TBH - trying to convince a bunch of us, back in the late 90s, that a team of Gazzas would beat any other side in the world. He couldn’t accept that a Gazza 11 would have weaknesses. We all agreed it would make for an entertaining watch with plenty of goals at both ends.
 
He's not beating Gullit, but Yaya Toure would probably come the closest out of recent players. Played CB and striker when he was young, and had all the physical and technical attributes you'd want to do well anywhere.
 
Bryan Robson / Steven Gerrard / Glenn Hoddle / Ballack / Johan Neeskens / Yaya Toure 11s would all do well.

Edit: I just see the word 'modern'. In that case Gerrard, Toure and Bellingham.
 
I think Rooney 11 could beat him in a one off game. You have the tenacity, fight, explosiveness and excellent passing, but you also have someone with quality delivery and the capacity to score a 30 goal season as a centre forward.

That mix of people able to challenge for possession consistently, compete for a full 90 minutes and outwork the opposition, provide a delivery and possess a proven world class goalscoring threat? That can beat anyone on its day.
 
Gerrard, Nedved, Bellingham, Luis Enrique would be my shortlist.

Gullit still wins at a canter though. Amazing player.
 
harms said:
That's an extremely simplified vision of what that Barcelona team was. Because it wasn't. It was a well-oiled machine where everyone had their own role, not all of which Messi, for all of his genius, could fulfill.

Messi also relies on others to run — not just defensively but offensively as well. He himself doesn't make a lot of these off the ball runs, he usually receives the ball deep & straight into his feet. Be it Pedro, Alves, Alba, Henry, Villa, Suárez, he always had runners around him that allowed Messi to showcase his creativity (on top of dribbling and goalscoring). He also got extremely frustrated when he hadn't been able to touch the ball for a couple of minutes (a lot of his teammates said so, Xavi included), I'd imagine that it'd be an enormous problem with 11 of them on the pitch at the same time.
Click to expand...

Silly games and all, Maradona in his time dealt with him pretty great (and some of the best specialists ever on every role in that Milan team). So 11 of them could do it, specially when he was in ball of fire mode.

I agree a lot of with Messi's main (and maybe only) issue it's that if he lacks of contact with the ball he might disconnect from the game. Yet this a team of 11 of them, he'll be obviosuly pretty much connected. Also we all know also how electrfying and annoying he was in his youth and how he sometimes got triggered with some coaches or players talking too much, sthg that Gullit did regarding him quite a few times, he'll be pretty damn focus.

PD: Gullit's closer in time predecessors like Kempes and lads like R9 on a non lazy task (perhaps he'll need some carrot to incentivate him like 100 Top models per day for a week) can deal with them Ruds too.
 
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