Rooney is a good shout but as much as I hate to admit it, Gerrard was excellent at all parts of the game
Is there a modern candidate to go up against the All-Gullit xi?
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The key is defensive attributes and enough physical attributes (pace, strength, not too short). This favours midfielders, and maybe more so defensive midfielders or at least box-to-box midfielders.
Focusing on recent United players, I'd say Rooney XI, Park XI (height is an issue though), Antonio Valencia XI, and Roy Keane XI are good shouts.
Focusing on recent United players, I'd say Rooney XI, Park XI (height is an issue though), Antonio Valencia XI, and Roy Keane XI are good shouts.
Gerrard and perhaps J. Zanetti.
What about 11 Rodris? Would probably dominate possession and have the size to defend long balls against Gullit
Agree with that
Agree with that
Probably Bale.
That’s a good shout, actually. I mean, he’d still lose in all likelihood but he’s comfortable in most central roles, he’s a good goalthreat (although, ideally, in the second wave of attack) and it’s going to be extremely hard to get the ball of him. He’d probably lack a bit of pace, especially on the wings (Gullit was absolutely rapid), but you’re it gonna get a perfect candidate anyway.
People thinking that 11 Gullits will trash 11 dedicated 11 R9s, Peles, Diegos or Messis, sometimes do not realize that those are also physical mavericks that simply had more licenses when getting older to be more lazy/pragmatic in certain stages of their carreers because of that level of talent tobe focus mostly in the offensidve side and to prevent recurrent injuries.
Also it's really hard to go past a Pele, Diego, Messi when those actually focus on defending and the extreme demand it's for a player to dribble constantly while being hacked like those fellas did, not saying Rudd didn't faced that, he had his big share of slaloms himself, that's why he was so special as a polivalent player. Yet even in his time and with the help of a certain Rikjaard suffered many times against Diego, imagine agsint 11 of them.
You are focusing too much on height, size, power and not remembering that any 11 of the fellas mentioned in the first sentence would be hardly missing a pass or a dribble, it's too much talent. In many ways it's like when Henry talked about the times Messi got anguered and went full throtle against everyone without even passing the ball and in this imaginary match there would not even need that (playing alone agaisnt everyone), there will be 11 of them.
Finally it's all imaginary and the young versions of those geniuses were relentless, electric, tireless.
The more pragmatic approaches came later after suffering constant hacking, physical demand and such, on their absolute prime and like in the hood for coke and the hot dog, everything changes, the only real edges (that hardly means trashing) the Di Stefanos, Gullits, Zanettis; Nedveds, Rodris, Toures, Rikjaards and such have its' if the Geniuses do not take it seriously or in 90 times at one point they became more lazy and of course if taller, as keepers.
Nobody actually knows what would happen, yet to think a trash for any side and to think it would be incline to fall more with the "less talented player side" (I feel dirty saying that ALfredo or Rudd are less talenmetd) just because they had a carreer with more focus on the defensive side or where bigger, it doesn't seem that clear as water, this would be the ultimate game, like in the park, the hood, we all played against that little fecking mofo that we couldn't get the ball out of him, he won't be alone, there would be another 10 of them.
Also it's really hard to go past a Pele, Diego, Messi when those actually focus on defending and the extreme demand it's for a player to dribble constantly while being hacked like those fellas did, not saying Rudd didn't faced that, he had his big share of slaloms himself, that's why he was so special as a polivalent player. Yet even in his time and with the help of a certain Rikjaard suffered many times against Diego, imagine agsint 11 of them.
You are focusing too much on height, size, power and not remembering that any 11 of the fellas mentioned in the first sentence would be hardly missing a pass or a dribble, it's too much talent. In many ways it's like when Henry talked about the times Messi got anguered and went full throtle against everyone without even passing the ball and in this imaginary match there would not even need that (playing alone agaisnt everyone), there will be 11 of them.
Finally it's all imaginary and the young versions of those geniuses were relentless, electric, tireless.
The more pragmatic approaches came later after suffering constant hacking, physical demand and such, on their absolute prime and like in the hood for coke and the hot dog, everything changes, the only real edges (that hardly means trashing) the Di Stefanos, Gullits, Zanettis; Nedveds, Rodris, Toures, Rikjaards and such have its' if the Geniuses do not take it seriously or in 90 times at one point they became more lazy and of course if taller, as keepers.
Nobody actually knows what would happen, yet to think a trash for any side and to think it would be incline to fall more with the "less talented player side" (I feel dirty saying that ALfredo or Rudd are less talenmetd) just because they had a carreer with more focus on the defensive side or where bigger, it doesn't seem that clear as water, this would be the ultimate game, like in the park, the hood, we all played against that little fecking mofo that we couldn't get the ball out of him, he won't be alone, there would be another 10 of them.
A Beckenbauer XI would probably work well
Nope.
Great shout.
Only 2 positions that he never played were CB and GK.
For the physicality merchants, he is 5"11 so not small, but still very mobile, strong and energetic. Great stamina.
He had meaningful stints at full back on both sides, was player of the season under Robson at RB. Finished that season as Left Wing, and alternated between LW and CM then under LVG. He was their captain at 10 / striker by the time he retired.
1 Amad Beats 11 Gullit’s
I’ve read this 6 times and still haven’t got a clue what you’re on about
As loathe as everyone is to admit it, the correct answer might be 11 Van Dijks. Unlikely to concede much and would be basically impossible to deal with on set pieces. Excellent on the ball and there is the inherent safety net of winning pretty much every header if it has to be played long.
Actually there is one answer here and that is 11 * Peak Luke shaws
Scott McTominay 11 would do pretty well I'd say
I would never bet against an all-Rooney XI. Imagine having to put up with that for 90 minutes.
Keane/Luis Enrique would run it close, mind, but with all of them being shite goalkeepers I'd bank on Wayne scoring every time he has a go from anywhere.
Keane/Luis Enrique would run it close, mind, but with all of them being shite goalkeepers I'd bank on Wayne scoring every time he has a go from anywhere.
11 Ngolo Kantes would be quite interesting
11 Yaya Toures will be brutal
11 Henry in a 433. He played all 3 forward roles at a higher level than Ruud. Ireland knows how good he is with his hands. And I believe he's smart enough to be a decent defender.
Arguably, and if he wasn't dumb and lazy, 11 Nicolas Pepe could do the trick, for the simple fact that Pepe played as a GK pretty late in his youth career before switching. And having a better than average GK in those match could be a game changer.
Arguably, and if he wasn't dumb and lazy, 11 Nicolas Pepe could do the trick, for the simple fact that Pepe played as a GK pretty late in his youth career before switching. And having a better than average GK in those match could be a game changer.
11 Jack Grealishes and I’d bet on a 0-0 draw. Gullit fouls Grealish who plays a short kick to Grealish who shields the ball and gets fouled again, plays it short to Grealish who goes back and gets fouled again etc.
Nah he’d be awful at dribbling/shooting - on the ball would look well out place in attacking areas. Gerrard - as much as it pains me - is a good shout.
Only one would come out the tunnel, the other ten would be sulking that there was only one birthday cake.
That's probably the only thing that I have issue with. First of all, you can pass around them and those players (some less so, like Maradona, some a bit more like Messi) simply aren't that used to defending — be it individually or as a collective. They can do a passable job (again, Maradona better than Messi, Pelé was also nothing special) that will work if you have excellent defenders in your team... but when everyone's top defensive level is passable, your team is, well, easy to pass by. Especially since someone like Gullit can simply kick is straight forward and ran past you Bale-style (Messi has a great acceleration but Gullit was significantly faster on a distance... and the best thing about Messi's speed is that it doesn't change that much with or without the ball — he's not extremely rapid but because of his technique with the ball he's one of the fastest attackers around, or at least was at his athletic peak).
While Gullit spent a whole chunk of his career (early on as well as at Chelsea — and I actually much prefer his PSV stint as he was still at his athletic peak) playing in defense, so he has infinitely more understanding of how to defend the space as well as against a player. Messi is amazing, godly and, obviously, a better player, but he's never gonna give a performance like this (below). While on the other side of the pitch Gullit isn't going to be quite as good as Messi attacking-wise but he's still a Ballon d'Or winning attacker.
Also, while set pieces often get overrated in these type of scenarios, Gullit is certainly capable of winning a few corners... and he has to score at least from half of them — every Gullit is going to outjump even the keeper Messi that's allowed (but doesn't know how in all likelihood) to use his hands. There's 21 cm difference in height between them with Gullit being a better jumper to boot.
While the individual genius of Messi/Maradona/Pelé on the ball gradually diminishes as you get more and more of them as there's just one ball. I'd watch a team of XI Maradonas though... he was way more feisty and suited for such scenarios. But while I can theoretically see a team of Maradonas beating (or coming close) against a team of Gullits in a 5x5 on a smaller pitch, I doubt that on a full-sized pitch they're going to cope with him.
Although, as usual, with those kind of players that defy every expectation, you never know.
I'd like to see an Antony XI. It'd be like playing Fussball