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3 best teams ever, Arsenal/International/other

Macho

In search of Pure Profit 💸
Dusted 🔻

Country: England
I have such fond memories of Arsenal 2007/08, our football was magnificent, even though we won **** all. The likes of Cesc, RvP, Hleb dancing on the pitch, I'll never forget that.
I hated that period :lol:
Everytime those losers get brought up like they goats I feel a way I can’t even lie. Too much is made of their nice football, we developed them - the end.

Invincibles - grown men, athleticism, grace and some toughness, now that was more like it.
 

Keplaz

Well-Known Member
For me the Brazil side which won the World Cup in 1994 is the best international squad I've ever seen. I remember we were all arguing about who was Romario and who was Bebeto on the playground. England also didn't qualify so I had to pick a squad.

I love the invincibles but again the Man Utd team from 94/95 onwards, with Cantona was ridiculous. I even had a Roy Keane poster courtesy of my dad, who was trying desperately to sway me.

Last other team is the Zimbabwe team which came second in the All Africa Games of 1995. My family is from Zimbabwe and we were in Harare at the time. The games were being held there.

It was magical. You could feel the whole country beginning to belive only to lose in the final to Egypt. Only other feeling that's comparable was watching England at Euro 96. And I'll never forget Gareth Southgate's miss as long as I'll live.
 

Football Manager

Copy & Paste Merchant
Brazil 2002
Barcelona 2009
Arsenal 2004

France 2018 minus the tactics
Arsenal 2007 minus walcott, adebayor, the defence (except Toure), plus squad depth.
 

2Smokeyy

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Country: England
Spain in 2008 to 2012 were juggernauts but in 2010 I felt they rode their luck a bit and in the Euros as well they looked beatable before clicking later in the tournaments.

I do agree with you but that Spain squad in 2010 was absolutely unreal, I think the problem came from Del Bosque finding it hard to know what his best squad which is why they improved later on in the competition.

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In terms of midfield depth, they had so much quality there and most of those players were showing it for their clubs too. Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, D.Silva, Busquets, Alonso, Mata and Javi Martinez...a lot of talent for a few positions.
 

MikelHadADream

Established Member
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Arsenal 2004, not much more needs to be said.

Spain 2008-2012, absolutely dominted international football like no team has done before.

Real Madrid 2014-2018, to win 4/5 Champions Leagues, with 3 in a row in the modern game is unparalleled. That team literally had everything. I put them above Peps Barca for this reason.
 

Bloodbather

Established Member

Country: Turkey
Best international team I’ve seen is Brazil 2002 simply because they had quality flair players but played in such a pragmatic, counter heavy way they didn’t really come close to dropping any points except maybe the England game.

They did, in the opening game of the group stage. Beat Turkey 2-1 coming from 1-0 down with a penalty awarded in the 86th minute despite the foul being outside the box. They weren't very convincing against them in the Semis, either, 1-0 grind-out win.

That being said I'm on the same page as you about them being the best international side I've ever seen. They were loaded with talent and played great football.
 

Rex Stone

Long live the fighters
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Country: Wales
They did, in the opening game of the group stage. Beat Turkey 2-1 coming from 1-0 down with a penalty awarded in the 86th minute despite the foul being outside the box. They weren't very convincing against them in the Semis, either, 1-0 grind-out win.

That being said I'm on the same page as you about them being the best international side I've ever seen. They were loaded with talent and played great football.

Yeah they weren’t really a Samba side at all but they played such a pragmatic style of football but had Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Ronaldo who could sneak a goal or two in any game.

I look at Spain especially in 2010 and they should’ve been beaten in the final if Robben scores, got very lucky against Chile I remember as well.
 

Bloodbather

Established Member

Country: Turkey
The greatest team ever for me has to be one of the dominant tiki taka Barcelona sides.

'09 Barcelona, '11 Barcelona and '15 Barcelona are all good shouts for greatest team ever. '09 Barcelona won everything but really should have lost against Chelsea in the CL Semis. Their defense could be shaky at times. '11 Barcelona failed to win the Copa del Rey but they were unplayable all-around by this point with Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Dani Alves, Piqué being at the height of their powers and Busquets coming in. '15 Barcelona won everything and looked utterly dominant the entire way, they weren't challenged for any title. It feels blasphemous to pick a non-Guardiola side as the greatest Barcelona team ever, but MSN was the most potent attacking force in the history of football.

What really moves the needle for me is the fact that '09 Barcelona should've lost to Chelsea had it not been for the shocking refereeing, '11 Barcelona could've lost to Arsenal had it not been for the ridiculous RVP sending off, whereas '15 Barcelona wasn't challenged in any way. That's in spite of the fact that '15 Barcelona had a much tougher path to the Champions League title, they dismantled Man City, PSG, Bayern and Juventus in the knock-out stages.

I look at Spain especially in 2010 and they should’ve been beaten in the final if Robben scores, got very lucky against Chile I remember as well.

The most dominant title-winning Spain side was Euro 2008, really. Unbeaten for the entire thing, it looked a formality that they'd win by the time the group stages were completed. They had prime David Villa and Fernando Torres on that team, that probably gave them a potency that the 2010 and 2012 sides didn't quite have.
 
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Bloodbather

Established Member

Country: Turkey
Yeah they weren’t really a Samba side at all but they played such a pragmatic style of football but had Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Ronaldo who could sneak a goal or two in any game.

An anecdote about this: that style of play was actually constructed to accommodate Cafu and Roberto Carlos. Scolari looked at Capello's Serie A winning 2000-01 AS Roma side that featured Cafu and Vincent Candela. They played 3-5-2 to accommodate the world-class attacking full-backs and used Totti as a creative hub with Batistuta and Montella as the goalscorers. Brazil basically used the same approach in the World Cup.
 

Rex Stone

Long live the fighters
Trusted ⭐

Country: Wales
It was Paraguay and they weren’t lucky to win that tournament at all IMO.

Chile wasted a lot of chances and Bravo gifted David Villa a goal when they up against it.

They came a lot closer to losing than Brazil as in they actually lost a game.
 

Shalmaneser V

Active Member
Chile wasted a lot of chances and Bravo gifted David Villa a goal when they up against it.

They came a lot closer to losing than Brazil as in they actually lost a game.

Ah yes I forgot Chile were in the same group.

Brazil rode their luck a few times in 2002 aswell tbf.
 

Macho

In search of Pure Profit 💸
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Country: England
Iniesta, Xavi, D. Silva, Cazorla, Fabregas, Alonso, Villa, Busquets.

France pip them for flair? Excuse me?!
They did, Spain just had all the possession.

France defo trumps for individual talent their whole approach is based on that.
 
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