I was gonna reply to you on that other thread but the donkey OP has filtered me. I fully agree with you, the quality of football players 10 years ago was far better.

The United 1999 and 2008 side
Chelsea 05 & 06 side
Arsenal 04 side

All would beat anything in the premier league right now hands down

football has massively regressed imo. Technically in the PL we have fallen so far behind the continent. I think our acadamies are a big reason for this. Our youth teams compete in the under 20s european leagues etc but our acadamies choose powerful athletic players with lack of ability. By the time the other countries catch up physically they are still technically great and have better players.

Chelsea and utd through the 00s had the perfect mix of flair and athleticism. Nowadays most teams choose hit and rush players and you see some of the most wasteful football going.

The quality of English teams has definitely dropped over the last 5 years. From 2005 to 2012 we had an English team in the CL final every year except 2010. Now our teams struggle to make the semi finals

The quality of centre backs has certainly regressed. Many top teams have average or poor centre backs and I can't think of one current centre back that would get in anyone's world eleven say 10 years ago.

Lower level managers and players have gotten better over last 10-15 years, don't think you could put any of the teams Manc Python mentioned in the current PL and they'd run away with it, they'd be getting 85-95 points like the best teams do now.

Plus the current Madrid side, MSN Barce and Guardiola's Barce (as examples of the broader arguement that football quality has regressed all over the shop) are definitely of similar quality to the best teams of whatever era.

Not just the quality of the players but the game itself. Its hardly a contact sport anymore, yellow cards for the slightest things, cant see a good tackle or 50/50 with some pr!ck stopping the game.

I don't think the increased pace that the athleticism has naturally brought to the table has done the quality any favours at all

comment by Kunta Kinte Kante Conte (U1641)
posted 30 seconds ago
Lower level managers and players have gotten better over last 10-15 years, don't think you could put any of the teams Manc Python mentioned in the current PL and they'd run away with it, they'd be getting 85-95 points like the best teams do now.
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Disagree
A midfield of Beckham Scholes Keane and Giggs
Ronaldo Scholes Carrick Giggs
Makelele, essien and Lampard
Ljungberg, Petit, vieira and Pires

All them would run rings round anything in the prem now IMO

Part of it is a lack of characters in football these days imo. There are less mavericks, leaders, artists and disciplinaries.

10 years ago PL was stronger, CL results showed that. But in general, football isn't weaker. In the past decade we've seen the greatest teams of all time in Barca and Spain which indicate football has been at its peak.
The current top 2 players will go down as the best two in history. In fact with Neymar it's potentially top 5 ever just from this era.

Defenders have regressed but the attackers have not. The game now is more suited to attackers. As for the midfield, again you had Xavi and Iniesta playing at their peak not too long ago, and their quality and consistency is higher than any one else's in history. Though now only really Modric stands out as good, there are several others who in the next couple of years will become top notch.

Yes, a side as ordinary as Liverpool 2017 would not get top 4 back in the day

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Also can't remember the league runners up (Spurs) performing so poorly at the Group CL stage.

Worst English performance at the group stage since Everton and Blackburn

Premier League has regressed in many areas, but not drastically as others have been saying.

The smaller teams are a lot better, and the rise of Tottenham and Man City, has made the the top more competitive.

I feel the league really lacks any world class central midfielders, and arguably in central defence. The top teams central midfielders like Herrera, Kante, Henderson, Dembele, Pogba, are all not nearly as good as the midfielders of previous years. This probably has contributed to our decline in Europe over the years, as I would argue the league does have great talent in attack; with great strikers, CAMS and wingers.

50
You need to calm down with Neymar talk being top 5. He is an amazing player, no doubt. But chill your beans.
You really believe attackers have improved? Seriously? Freaking Lewandowski would be just a good player in any other era.
Modric the same.

The top isn't rlthat competitive, even though it seems so. Last season Chelsea won the league quite clearly, and Leciester the season before.

It's likely to happen again even if we don't know who exactly it will be.

A few years ago you have Aguero winning last game, in fact loads of titles in the 90s went to the last game.

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comment by DubbedTheNewWenger90 (U19529)
posted 1 minute ago
50
You need to calm down with Neymar talk being top 5. He is an amazing player, no doubt. But chill your beans.
You really believe attackers have improved? Seriously? Freaking Lewandowski would be just a good player in any other era.
Modric the same.
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I think supporters have come to appreciate the likes of Modric since Xavi ruled the roost. Just like Kante and co since Makelele.

The issue is comparing eras is dam near impossoble. Ronaldo and Messi numbers special but players like falcao, Griezmann, Lewandowski etc have hit great numbers now and again. They aren't numbers that existed decades ago.

But what would Henry, van Nistelrooy, Romario, Ronaldo, Shevchenko etc do in this era though?
C'mon mate. None of those guys are a patch.

The original Ronaldo against the more athletic and pacey cbs we see today?

Leicester city won the title two seasons ago ffs

Fergie would have got a team of shop dummy's to finish above that lot

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