who has the best first team in the preimership (sp) player for player

[Guest The Genetic Jackhammer]

i didnt put a poll up because i feel theres only 3 choices for this man united, chelsea and arsenal. personally i feel player for player man united have the best first team in the league

van nistelrooy

rooney

Giggs

Keane

Scholes (still better than lampard)

Ronaldo

G.Neville (underrated by some people)

ferdinand

silvestre

Heinze

whats your opinions??

[Guest Ravenmark]

I notice you didn't name a goalkeeper...

 

Neither Man Utd, Arsenal or Chelsea have the best goalkeeper in the league at the moment.

 

Nigel Martyn, Paul Robinson, Robert Green and Jussi Jaaskelinen(sp?) are all contenders, but Robinson edges that for me.

 

I don't think I could pick a best 'first team' but maybe a Premiership XI?

 

Here goes... (442)

 

GK. Robinson (Spurs)

DR. Neville (Man Utd)

DL. Cole (Arsenal)

DC. King (Spurs)

DC. Ferdinand (Man Utd)

MC. Gerrard (Liverpool)

MC. Lampard (Chelsea)

MR. Ronaldo (Man Utd)

ML. Robben (Chelsea)

FC. Henry (Arsenal)

FC. Nistelrooy (Man Utd)

 

Any thoughts?

[Guest Walshy]

Playing 4312

 

GK: Cech (Chelsea)

DR: Neville Man Utd)

DL: Cole (arsenal)

DC: Terry (Chelsea)

DC: Ferdinand (Man Utd)

MC: Gerrard (Liverpool)

MC: Lampard (Chelsea)

MC: Robben (Chelsea)

AM: Rooney (Man Utd)

FC: Henry (Arsenal)

FC: Gudjohnson (Chelsea)

[Guest Nicole]

GK: Cech (Chelsea)

DR: Mario Melchiot (Birmingham)

DL: Cole (arsenal)

DC: Terry (Chelsea)

DC: Upson (Birmingham)

MC: Gerrard (Liverpool)

MC: Lampard (Chelsea)

MC: Robben (Chelsea)

AM: David Dunn (Birmingham)

FC: Henry (Arsenal)

FC: Van Nistelrooy (Manchester United)

[Evil Gringo 279]

I agree by and large with Walshy's formation and line up with two exceptions... Gerrard out for Scholes and Eider being swapped for Ruud. Thats the best team at the moment in the league.

 

GK: Cech (Chelsea)

DR: Neville Man Utd)

DL: Cole (arsenal)

DC: Terry (Chelsea)

DC: Ferdinand (Man Utd)

MC: Scholes (Man Utd)

MC: Lampard (Chelsea)

MC: Robben (Chelsea)

AM: Rooney (Man Utd)

FC: Henry (Arsenal)

FC: Van Nistelrooy (Man Utd)

[Guest Kane Fan]

GK. Robinson (Spurs)

DR. Neville (Man Utd)

DL. Cole (Arsenal)

DC. King (Spurs)

DC. Ferdinand (Man Utd)

MC. Gerrard (Liverpool)

MC. Lampard (Chelsea)

MR. S Wright-Phillips (Man City) :worship

ML. Duff (Chelsea)

FC. Henry (Arsenal)

FC. Johnson (Palace)

[Guest JC]

GK.Cech (Chelski)

LB.Heinze (Man U)

RB.G.Neville (Man U)

CB.Ferdinand (Man U)

CB.Terry (Chelski)

MC.Gerrard (Lpool)

MC.Lampard (Chelski)

MR. Ronaldo (Man U)

ML. Robben (Chelski)

FC. Henry (Arsenal)

FC. V.Nistelrooy (Man U)

[Guest Jack]

I thik HH meant who has the best team. Not who are the best players who would make the best team.

 

And I would say Chelsea. They have too much depth and overrall quality Man U or Arsenal cant match. Look at their strikers who are top quality, there midfiled is phenomenal for goal scoring and creating and their defense speaks for its self.

[Guest Boyo]

Chelsea have the best squad, Arsenal have the best first XI, Man Utd used to have both.

 

As for a Premiership XI, playing a 4-4-2:

 

GK: Given (Newcastle)

LB: Cole (Arsenal)

CB: Terry (Chelsea)

CB: Campbell (Arsenal)

RB: Gallas (Chelsea)

LM: Reyes (Arsenal)

CM: Gerrard (Liverpewel)

CM: Vieira (Arsenal)

RM: Mendieta (Middlesborough)

ST: Henry (Arsenal)

ST: Drogba (Chelsea)

 

Subs:

1. Cech (Chelsea)

2. C.Ronaldo (Man Utd)

3. Ferdinand (Man Utd)

4. Pires (Arsenal)

5. Lampard (Chelsea)

6. Anelka (Man City)

 

Cheers!

[BRM 220]

GK Robinson

RB G Neville

CB Terry

CB R. Ferdinand

LB Bridge

RM Shaun Wright Phillips

CM Gerrard

CM Lampard

LM Robben (Man United fans must be gutted)

ST Henry

ST Johnson

 

subs

1 Cech

2 A Cole

3 Alonso

4 Campbell

5 Baros

6 Carsley

[Evil Gringo 279]

Its true, Man Utd fans are indeed gutted that our tight and stupid board have no idea what is need as far as cash go's to win cups and titles....

 

They give Fergie the money to buy players like Kleberson, Djemba Djemba, Bellion etc etc yet when he asks for a little bit more to grab Ronaldino and Roebben they say no. They tried playing PSV for fools over the Roebben transfer and ruined any previous good relationship we had with them.

 

We got Jaap Stam and Ruud from them, they provide us with quality signings and the prices we paid for those players was fair for there talent. Yet we took the mick and lose the best new player in the Premier League...

 

Same with Ronaldino, we tried stiffing PSG and now Barca have him and are running the show at the top of La Leiga...

 

And before I go, why the lack of love for Ruud?

 

He's got 8 goals in the Champions League this season, scored 30 goals in all compitions back to back and is forming a great partnership with Rooney. Yet Andy Johnson is ahead? Johnson is an average player whose worked hard and took a few defenses by suprise.

 

Ruud is a world class striker who by the end of the season will have twice as many goals as him bar injury IMO.

[BRM 220]

And before I go, why the lack of love for Ruud?

 

He's got 8 goals in the Champions League this season, scored 30 goals in all compitions back to back and is forming a great partnership with Rooney. Yet Andy Johnson is ahead? Johnson is an average player whose worked hard and took a few defenses by suprise.

 

Ruud is a world class striker who by the end of the season will have twice as many goals as him bar injury IMO.

 

 

Or would it be that Johnson would have twice as many goals if he was at Man United?

 

Don't get me wrong Ruud is indeed a World class striker, but unlike a Henry or Rooney i don't feel he catches people imagination he's a fox in the box these types of players are loved by fans of the team and loathed by followers of other teams (robbie fowler at liverpool). people see johnson as a hard working forward plugging away at a team battling at the bottom of the league and are like hey that guy must be good.

[Guest Boyo]

I too am one of those people who just am not impressed by Ruud van Nistelrooy at all. I will admit that if Arsenal were to sign the guy (and don't forget, Wenger had first dibs on Ruud but Ruud failed a medical...so it's not like Wenger isn't a fan) then I would be delighted.

 

However, as happy as I am to say he is a very effective striker with a staggering goals tally, when you start compiling lists of the best strikers in the world, then he is lacking.

 

As Russ said, his ability to find space and be found is second to none - and if all you need to do to score lots of goals is just be around for a tap-in then why can't Heskey or Phillips do it?

 

But you judge strikers by goals, and Ruud is rightfully feared worldwide on his goals tallyalone. But you don't judge great players by their ability to get tap-ins, whether they miraculously found a couple of yards or not, you jusge great players by what they can do with a ball at their feet. You also judge them by their awareness of the dynamics of the game - in other words, their vision.

 

The greatest players in the world are all attackers, and more specifically, all attackers with great vision. Don't get me wrong, Nesta, Ferdinand and Puyol all have great vision and can read the game, but that verb is the key.

 

Reading is done with hindsight. Great players have the vision to be able to write the game.

 

To be a great player you have to be what Boyo is coining "an author of the game". You've got to be able to write what your team does on the pitch. To sculpt, to craft and to influence, to create.

 

Ronaldo, Zidane, Raul, Ronaldinho, Henry, Rooney, Gerrard, Kaka, Aimar, Lampard, Adriano, Ibrahimavic. These are the great artisans of the game, the great players.

 

Ruud van Nistelrooy lacks the vision to write a game for Man Utd, but he can read one very well. If he was able to tackle fairly I think he would make an excellent sweeper, something that Henry could never do.

 

Cheers!

[Evil Gringo 279]

But Boyo Ruud in a way does write his own particualr kind of game for Man U...

 

Against Lyon in France we where dire, truely dire... He came on, half fit and scored two goals... Thay weren't the greatest, he did help kick start the move with a beautiful cross field ball nor did he take it past three people...

 

But what he do's is simple and effective and works. Why and try and rewrite the beautiful game when you can read so well that its just as good?

 

Wolves proved that simplicity and greatness can be the same in the 1950's and it often works now. Ruud for me is the same as was Van Basten. Great strikers because they could always arrive on time and find the right finish from anywhere in or around the box.

 

Its true that all those players you mentioned are fantastic but I feel Ruud deserves to be spoken of in the same breath for how he plays and what he brings when he does...

 

Holland would have been nothing without him in Euro 2004, no of their other players appeared really, even the supposed great Edgar Davids and Van der Vaart...

 

And as now he's back and scoring for Man U our season has taken off again...

 

It's the same for Arsenal with Henry and thats why I feel those two are the best front two in the League right now, if not the world.

[Guest JC]

I too am one of those people who just am not impressed by Ruud van Nistelrooy at all. I will admit that if Arsenal were to sign the guy (and don't forget, Wenger had first dibs on Ruud but Ruud failed a medical...so it's not like Wenger isn't a fan) then I would be delighted.

 

However, as happy as I am to say he is a very effective striker with a staggering goals tally, when you start compiling lists of the best strikers in the world, then he is lacking.

 

As Russ said, his ability to find space and be found is second to none - and if all you need to do to score lots of goals is just be around for a tap-in then why can't Heskey or Phillips do it?

 

But you judge strikers by goals, and Ruud is rightfully feared worldwide on his goals tallyalone. But you don't judge great players by their ability to get tap-ins, whether they miraculously found a couple of yards or not, you jusge great players by what they can do with a ball at their feet. You also judge them by their awareness of the dynamics of the game - in other words, their vision.

 

The greatest players in the world are all attackers, and more specifically, all attackers with great vision. Don't get me wrong, Nesta, Ferdinand and Puyol all have great vision and can read the game, but that verb is the key.

 

Reading is done with hindsight. Great players have the vision to be able to write the game.

 

To be a great player you have to be what Boyo is coining "an author of the game". You've got to be able to write what your team does on the pitch. To sculpt, to craft and to influence, to create.

 

Ronaldo, Zidane, Raul, Ronaldinho, Henry, Rooney, Gerrard, Kaka, Aimar, Lampard, Adriano, Ibrahimavic. These are the great artisans of the game, the great players.

 

Ruud van Nistelrooy lacks the vision to write a game for Man Utd, but he can read one very well. If he was able to tackle fairly I think he would make an excellent sweeper, something that Henry could never do.

 

Cheers!

 

 

Can I just say as a United supporter I totally agree, Ruud as an overall player isn't as great as some as the other strikers and yes only United fans adore him and everyone else hates his guts and calls him a horse and all the rest of it. But can I just say (not in anyway replying to your post, just making my statement), people who actually watch Ruud Van Nistelrooy can see HE DOES HAVE IT ALL, he just doesn't play that way. I'm serious, I'm not just sticking up for him, but the guy is as good as anyone IF HE WANTS TO BE , not saying he's going to do the tricks of Ronaldinho or Henry or whatever but you talk about vision? the guy has it, I'm sorry but for a lone striker which he has grown himself into being, he does have vision. So he isn't a zidane of this world or Steven Gerrard when it comes to hitting a cross field ball, but let's face it, have you ever seen him really mess up in doin so? I always get angry aswell when they say he doesn't have any ball control or skill, I'm sorry but am I the only one who on countless occasions (in the champion's league especially) where you see ruud with the ball and 2-3 players all around him and ruud using quick feet side-steps/spins off the 2-3 players and away on up the field he goes. Bottom line is, THE GUY IS A LEGEND, and I'm not sayin he's the greatest striker ever or even the best striker in the world today, although I would argue and his tally would argue he's the best goalscorer in the world today, but that isn't a fact. He will be the greatest Man U striker ever, maybe even player without a doubt though.

His game tactics are simple in all honestly, use his strength well, get into the right positions, be sure to finish whatever he can get.

Ruud = Power+Agility+Lethal-Finishing