And welcome back to the PD Football Podcast.
My name is Presh. My name is Darren. And how
are you doing today? I'm good, I'm good. Not
too fatigued today, so a little bit of a different
answer. Things are off, things are off. Everything
is off balance now. Everything is off balance.
I don't know if it's the coffee. I didn't get
much sleep, so it can't be the sleep. I feel
okay. What about you? I'm good. My granddad has
been having some problems with his eyes. Oh,
I mean, they wouldn't know. Yeah, the listeners
wouldn't know. But yes, so I took him to the
surgery and I've just been chilling in the hospital
all day. Not like for surgery. Is he back home
now? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll go have a chat with
him when we're done here. Yes, but so yeah, it's
been quite a boring day for me. I've just been
walking around the hospital. No, I mean, that's
not... It's boring, I guess, but you're taking
care of your family. You're doing the important
stuff. Yeah, sure, sure, sure. But I'm just saying,
you know, just because it's important doesn't
mean it's fun. It's not entertaining. Yeah. To
have a sick granddad. Yeah, definitely not. We're
still on the international break. Therefore,
we're doing another Evergreen episode. That means
you can listen to it anytime and it will still
be largely how we feel as opposed to our regular
episodes where opinions can change on a week
-to -week basis. For this little exercise, the
rules we imposed when making the list is that
we can only have one player per club. however
with this rule we did some let's call it creative
accounting bending yeah rule bending just to
fit certain people in so uh we'll see how that
plays out and i think especially in my list i
haven't heard or seen your list but there's going
to be a bias towards newer players because i
believe that the sport has moved on since the
90s I think I also had a balance of new and old.
I do as well. I have older players, but I'm just
trying to say that if you're thinking, oh, wow,
this list is very new, or there's a bias, I'm
explaining why. Yeah, I would agree that the
level is harder now, but I also selected a lot
of players based on how I think they would have
been coached in the modern game if they had come
around. All right. So do you want to start or
is there anything else you want to say before
we begin? No, not much. We can start. Okay. I
assume we're going to do the same thing as last
week where I give one pick, you give one pick.
But if we have the same pick, we'll just speak
about it together. Yeah, we'll speak about it
together. But I guess... First of all, which
formation did you set your team up in? 4 -3 -3.
Yeah, pretty much the same for me. Just regular
back four, a CDM, 2 -8, and a front three. Yeah,
pretty much. I went with an 8 and a... Yeah,
probably two 8s, but I guess... You can say an
8 and a 10, whatever. Like Pep Guardiola said,
formations are just phone numbers. They don't
mean much when the game starts. In attack, you
can be in a certain way. In defense, you can
be in a certain way. Saying 4 -4 -2 doesn't really
give you any information. I mean, it does give
you information, but I mean, anyway, let's just
carry on, right? So, do you want to start with
goalkeeper? I mean, my goalkeeper pick, he played
for Fulham and Man United, but I selected him
with Fulham because I wanted more Man United
picks. I picked Edwin van der Sar. I was told,
Alisson, for me, is the greatest goalkeeper in
Premier League history, but I wanted to use my
Liverpool pick elsewhere, you know. So yeah,
Edwin van der Sar, I think. Do you want to give
us some basic... I think he was probably like...
I think him and Peter Trek, maybe. I didn't watch
much of Peter Schmeichel, but I think from the
formative years where I began watching the Premier
League, they were the two standout keepers, you
know. I guess with Peter Trek, I couldn't really
fit him in based on the two clubs he played for,
and I wanted other players from those clubs,
you know. So I think van der Sar, like, you know,
he was probably one of the best. I think in his
time, probably very similar to David De Gea later
on, I think there were times where his shot -stopping
could win a game on its own. I think his shot
-stopping and cross -claiming was probably the
standout feature in his game, from what I remember.
He was a traditional goalkeeper, so I think he
had a lot of traits that could have translated
to the modern game. I mean, if you go back and
watch Van der Sar, a lot of his clearances are
targeted. When he clears out from the back. So
I guess if he played in a more modern system.
I guess coming from a Dutch school of thought
as well. Maybe he would have been a bit better
at playing out. There's no saying. But I think
he had good passing technique. And yeah. Was
one of the best goalkeepers of his time. I think.
Cool. Similarly I went with a United keeper.
But not Van der Sar. I went with Peter Schmeichel.
Yeah. Again, so with last week when we were speaking
about our underrated, overrated players, I completely
ignored players that I've never watched. And
I have to be honest, I've barely watched Peter
Schmeichel, you know, maybe once or twice when
he was very old. But from what I've heard from
older fans and from what I've read, he's just
simply the most commanding, domineering presence
in the area that there's ever been. Did you use
him as your man? No, no, no, sorry. He's my Aston
Villa pick. Oh, Aston Villa, okay. That's why
when I call it creative accounting, that's exactly
what it is. I'm moving things around in the back.
I'm guessing you have no room for Philip Coutinho
in your team. Absolutely not. Absolutely. Well,
I could fit in the players that he funded in
this list, but not him himself. But yeah. So
five league titles, domineering, commanding presence,
like I mentioned. How many league titles did
Fender saw? Probably around the same, eh? uh
he joined in like 2004 -5 for united also probably
four three yeah so not as i don't think as much
as michael but i don't the amount of winning
played a small part in my decision but uh it's
more about how people speak about him and how
he changed the goalkeeper role a lot more goalkeepers
they just focused on uh you know just saving
and stuff but he's him like he was a leader as
well Yeah, he took initiative. Yes, and he...
Who commanded the back four. The stability he
provided to the back four was huge. Again, this
is all just what I've heard about him. So, from
my research, the only person who comes close
is Peter Cech. I mean, I would make an argument
for Alisson, but... He's still playing, that's
the issue. But yeah, Schmeichel just... From
the way people talk about him, I think he's just
the number one goalkeeper of all... Of Premier
League all time. Yeah, I mean, obviously, I think
the... Like you said, titles will come into it.
But I think if we're talking about purely a goalkeeper
as being the best, I think Alisson is probably
the most commanding figure. Yeah, that's the
thing. Because time has moved on. And because
he can do both very good distribution as well
as... Yeah, but then that's the thing. I mean,
we couldn't have known what Schmeichel or Van
der Sar would have been like. In this era, yes.
Yeah, that's true. So, yeah. My pick for right
back is Kieran Trappier. which is my Newcastle
pick. I used my Liverpool pick at right back,
obviously. I went for Trent. We've kind of had
the same discussion in the past couple of weeks,
but just very briefly, let's just recount it
and then move on. I just believe, the case I'm
making for Trippier is that I would say that
the four of his generation is the best four in
the history of the league. Okay, we're totally
discounting Gary Neville because neither of us
rate him that much. So yeah, Walker, Trent, James,
Trippier. Those were the four of their generation.
And I believe Trippier is the most balanced.
And he got into the PFA Team of the Year once.
So that's my argument for Trippier. I think Trippier
is probably... We discussed it last week, obviously.
We put him in your underrated list. I think he
is one of the most... Traditionally speaking,
he's a lot like Ben White. Like Ben White today,
I guess you would say he's probably, in terms
of a complete profile at right back, probably
the best in the league right now. In that, he's
a defender first. But he still has a wicked cross
on him. He got quite a few assists. Yeah, and
his dead ball distribution was really good as
well. He scored quite a few free kicks. I think
he's a good pick. Just me, Trent is one of my
favourite footballers ever. I think if I had
come around watching football now, he's the type
of player that would have made me want to play.
So it could be a personal decision. I know there's
been games where he's shocking defensively. You
would know better than anyone, but I just love
him as a player. So that's the basis of my decision.
I love his passing. I think the amount of...
gameplay he can generate with within like seconds
or a moment even if he's done nothing in the
whole game it's really uh it's only probably
matched by a player who'll probably be in both
of our midfields but uh i think uh yeah he's
one of my favorite footballers of all time so
i used my liverpool pick for trent at right back
all right do you want to give us your center
by your first center back pick my first center
back pick i used southampton And I went with,
for me, the best defender I've ever seen in my
life, Virgil van Dijk. So I would say I've watched,
I mean, you know, I watched maybe... Nesta and
Maldini at the end of their career, so I wouldn't
have seen their prime where everyone spoke about
them. I watched a lot of John Terry, I watched
a lot of Rio Ferdinand. Everyone has their own
opinions, even Vidic, but for me, him and Ramos
are the best I've seen, and he's just consistent,
he's the most complete, and maybe he doesn't
have the same big moments as Ramos, like we speak
about all the time. Maybe Gabriel has big moments.
Still not on the level of Ramos, but I'm saying
he's a player who's probably not as polished
defensively, but has big moments. But for me,
I don't think there's been a better defender
that I've seen. with my eyes than Virgil van
Dijk. So I did exactly the same as you, Van Dijk,
Southampton. Again, possibly the best centre
-back in the history of the game even, not just
the Premier League. You know, his trophy cabinet
is not as decorated as a lot of his peers, but
just in terms of play, overall play, his distribution
from a centre -back to just, you know, ping the
ball out 70 -odd metres to Salah. Salah will
get in in good areas. His domination... aerially
in the opponent's box he has quite a few goals
yeah just he's such a leader and if we talk about
impact when we when he signed him from Southampton
even though I know we I called him a Southampton
player but when we signed him I thought 75 million
that's ridiculous we shouldn't be paying that
much for a defender now it's like a bargain yes
in hindsight it looks like an absolute bargain
I think both him and Allison people were questioning
the valuation and I think It turned out to be
more than worth it. Time has proven that the
investment was worth it. And that's exactly how
I feel about Van Dijk. He took us from like a
good top four challenging team to a title challenging
team, almost single -handedly. Yeah, I mean,
I think, you know, the season where I think Messi
maybe edged him to the ball and all people would
argue either way. Some people think he deserved
it. Some people think Messi deserved it. But
that season, I'd never seen a defender -carrier
team like that where you could say almost in
every game he was the most impactful player in
the game. Even in the two legs against Barcelona,
I'd say him. And obviously in the second leg,
I think the players taking the initiative, using
the moments at different times. Everyone came
together. But I'd say in that Premier League
and Champions League campaign, okay, you guys
came close, didn't win the Premier League. But
that season, he was sensational. I don't think
I've... His consistency, he's always been at
that level, but I think that season was something
I'd never seen. I didn't know a defender could
have that much impact on a football pitch, a
central defender especially. And similarly, we
spoke about Santi Cazorla last week, about injuries
hampering his career. Van Dijk had a really bad
injury, which he did recover from, but he's not
as dominant. as good as he used to be after post
-injury. Yeah, I'd still say that probably on
his day, I mean, maybe this season, you'd say
Saliba has edged ahead of him. But you'd say
generally, if he's on, there's still no better
defender in the world than him. Absolutely. So
for my other centre -back, I went for John Terry.
He's my Chelsea pick. won five league titles,
four -time PFA Team of the Year player. I mean,
in the Team of the Year, not Playoff the Year.
That's what I mean. Just captain, leader, legend.
Now, he started playing, like, before I was,
you know, watching football regularly. So, you
know, there might be people who kind of discount
his earlier years or, you know, whatever. So
I didn't get the full picture of him. But to
me, he was much better than Ferdinand and Vidic.
I mean, I like Vidic more, but everyone has their
arguments. Alright, so who's your other centre
-back pick? My other centre -back pick? I was
trying to save my big team picks for the midfield
and the attack, so I went with a Portsmouth player,
but actually he's an Arsenal legend. He joined
us from Tottenham, so I'm going for Saul Campbell.
Wow. The Judas himself on the other end of North
London. But yeah, again, obviously as an Arsenal
fan, you have a personal affinity to him. I think
in the season, maybe prior to us being invincibles
for two or three years, a lot of people in that
time speak of him as probably one of the top
two or three defenders in the world for that
period. So when I watched him, I remember I used
to play centre -back. because of my height and
a lot of the videos coaches would tell me to
study would be based on Sol Campbell so it's
like I think he was obviously in that day and
age Wenger's team were considered the team that
made the most play you know generally played
out not to the degree of Pep Guardiola but they
were considered the team that were playing out
or holding on to the ball the most. I think he
was a part of that. His passing was sensational.
I think some of his carrying of the ball was
sensational. Again, one of those players who
you think, OK, if he came around under Guardiola,
what could he have been like? Perhaps the error
prevented him from reaching his full potential
because we see, especially athletic centre -backs
now, their talent is used a lot more. He's very
similar to Gabriel Lo Celiba, I think. So, yeah,
that's my second centre -back pick, Saul Campbell.
All right, pretty good. Who is your left -back
pick? My left -back pick, I went with Hull City,
so I went with Andy Robertson. Oh, nice. Probably,
I mean, generally when it comes to Premier League
left -backs, the debate is between Ashley Cole
and Andy Robertson these days, but I'm not going
anywhere near Ashley Cole just because I don't
like him. Cashly Cole. Although, as a neutral,
I understood why he made the decision he did,
but as an Arsenal fan, I'm not putting him in
my team. So I didn't want to waste a pick off
Chelsea and Arsenal on Ashley Cole either. So,
yeah, my pick. Any other stats or anything you
want to say? No, I mean, obviously, I think there
was the season you guys were challenging Man
City or the three or four seasons where his defensive
and his attacking numbers were crazy. I think
there was a time him and Trent both had over
12 assists in a season, which was, again, crazy,
especially considering... that he had to do a
lot of defensive covering for, you know, I mean,
we speak about how much Trent pushes up and vacates
space, which means a player like Andy Robertson
or one of the midfielders has to constantly make
adjustments and be aware of what's going on.
I mean, it helps, again, playing next to probably
the best defender and goalkeeper in the history
of the league as well, you know. But, yeah, I
think Andy Robertson probably, like you said,
of Trippier, I think he could be the left back.
iteration of Trippier just a very complete profile
in his prime everything you'd want in left back
you know similarly oh not similarly in fact oppositely
I um I didn't know who to pick for this team
I didn't want to use my big team picks for this
and I forgot that Robertson played for Hull so
I would the guy I picked was Leighton Baines
for Everton oh really good I could have mentioned
him in my underrated for last week in underrated
players because you don't realize it, but he
actually got 53 assists in the Premier League,
which is crazy. That's crazy for a left -back.
Yeah, just a defender in general, that's madness.
So he held the record before Trenton Robertson
came along for most assists. Yeah, I mean, sometimes
you'd watch Everton play maybe when he was in
his prime and he was like, even from left -back,
the player that people would watch Everton for,
you know, remember when... Fantasy football was
first starting. He was like, oh, everyone was
like, get Leighton Baines in your team because
he was on set plays, he was on penalties, and
he used to have a wicked cross, you know. Yes.
Yeah, so I think perhaps I would go with Ashley
Cole. I mean, I think he would generally be considered
the best left back. But for the purposes of this
list, I've chosen Leighton Baines. And I think,
you know, all in all, they might give each other
a good run for their money. Probably Ashley Cole
will come out on top, but it's not as big a gap
as you think. It's not as definitive as people
think, yeah. So, CDM, who did you choose? Wait,
sorry, did you choose a left -back? Oh, yeah,
Robertson. Yeah, CDM, who's your choice? My CDM
pick was from Leicester City. For me, the greatest
holding midfielder in the history of this league
in Golokante, I think. I would like, always when
people talk about, oh, Arsenal could have signed
Cristiano Ronaldo, Wenger didn't sign him, or
Wenger could have signed Riyad Mahrez, Wenger
could have signed Yaya Touré. The biggest, the
most regret I have for signings that Wenger didn't
follow through on is N 'Golo Kante, you know.
I think the way he elevated Leicester, and then
Chelsea, and then even the French national team
all in the space of five years, it was a sensational
peak for holding midfield, especially just...
The way that Leicester team popped up, I think
he was, a lot of people say Vardy, a lot of people
say Mahrez, but I think the careers of all three
of them show that he was the vital player in
that team. He was the most important player in
that team. And when he went to Chelsea the next
season, I don't know why Eden Hazard won player
of the season. I keep saying because in that
season N 'Golo Kante was comfortably the best
player in the league. I don't even think there
was another player close to him. even from chelsea
so you know i just love him one of my favorite
footballers of all time as well absolutely i
also pick kante for leicester as my cdm pick
i just think it's an obvious one just a pretty
easy give me but um if we had to think about
other options i don't like older football fans
uh has spoken about makalele about roy keen Vieira
as potential CDM picks and I've seen Kante play
and I don't think any of them would be you know
again I didn't watch the rest of them but based
on how they're spoken about versus what I've
seen with Kante I mean I've watched I've watched
a lot of Vieira games because like you have access
to them you sometimes go back and watch old Arsenal
games but I don't like yeah like I just again
for me In the history of football, at least as
long as I've watched, that position for me is
defined by two players, Sergio Busquets and N
'Golo Kante. They both played in different ways,
but that's the peak of the holding midfield for
me. So I don't think anyone gets close to him
as far as the Premier League is concerned. Absolutely,
absolutely. I 100 % agree with you. Now you're
my number eight. Was the first name on my team
sheet. Simply the best ever player to play in
the history of the league. It was an absolute
pleasure and privilege to watch him play every
week. And that is KDB. Yeah. Just when he...
He didn't retire. He said he was... He's also
my number eight pick, so we can just discuss
him. When he moved to Napoli, you just saw the
tweets coming out that are like... this is what
it must have felt like when Genghis Khan died.
Because he was a conqueror. He came, he destroyed
the league, and then he left. Truly the greatest
player to ever play in the league. There's no,
like... I don't know what else there is to say.
If you were in this era and you actually watched
him play week to week, it was such a pleasure.
He did have quite a few injuries that it didn't
keep him out for the season. It would keep him
out for like maybe 10 games. And then when he
came back, he would go on a crazy run where,
you know... He would score or assist. Yeah, like
there were times when... It was like neck and
neck in the title race. Then he came in and he's
just transformed things. Yeah, and with the quality
of some of the assists and goals, it's like some
of the best goals and assists probably we've
seen, not just in the history of the Premier
League, but probably the history of the sport.
I struggle to think of a player who uses their
ball -striking ability better in the history
of the Premier League. Maybe Cristiano Ronaldo
in his last season at Manchester United. Other
than that, just his usage, his weight of pass,
like his pass selection. I think his ability
to also carry the ball. I think he's good in
transition. He's good whether the team is dominating.
He's good even if your team is on the back foot
because he's one of the hardest working midfielders.
Also in his prime, off the ball. I just think
as a coach, as a fan, he's everything you'd want
in a footballer or midfielder. a bit underappreciated
as well his footballing legacy in general because
I think again coming after the era of the 2010s
it was very hard for anyone to follow up you
know we had Madrid and Barcelona putting together
two of the greatest midfields the game has ever
seen so I think KDB being at the back end of
that, I don't think he got the respect that maybe
he would have got if he had come around in a
different era of the Premier League where there
were more normal midfielders around in world
football generally speaking. But definitely one
of the greatest players of his generation. For
me, comfortably the greatest Belgian player of
his generation. I know people always talk about
Hazard, Lukaku and the golden generation. Some
people even say Moussa Dembele because I think...
how well KDB played for Man City. People expected
that to translate into something for Belgium.
But again, it's like you're cutting the Marjolins
thin. So losing to Argentina is not the worst,
you know. It's like Messi is probably better
than anyone we've ever seen. So I think it was
hard. It was hard for KDB to make the same difference
at Man City that he would have at Belgium. But
I don't know why he got the slack for that. I
think it's more because of how well he did for
Man City, you know. Well, that's some high praise,
and I'm going to go even higher by saying Messi,
Ronaldo, KDB. That's my top three of this generation.
That's your top three? Of this generation. I
mean, I would, yeah, okay. That's a big shout
because people love Neymar, they love Hazard,
even Salah. You know, lots of names can be thrown
out, but to me, KDB is number three. He's so
good. Yeah, I would put him in the top five,
but I think... I like Louis Suarez a lot. Even
Suarez, I think he's ahead of Suarez. But to
each their own. The last thing I want to say
is, just like Messi, there's a lot of times where
he got an assist and you think, not just how
did he play it, how did he even see it? He doesn't
look up and he'll play the ball and Aguero will
pop up there and score. And you think, he didn't
even look up. How did he know? A commentator
was saying, I don't think KDB said it himself,
but a commentator was saying that he probably
has a map in his head that he can visualize the
pitch without having to look and he can probably
just hit it into space where he assumes people
will be and then it works out. Yeah, it's almost
like he's watching the game with the bird's eye
view or watching it on TV. Not that you could
even see it on TV, but I'm saying to see the
gap on a ground level is crazy. So, yeah, KDB,
the best player in the history of the league
for me. Your number, either 8 or slash 10? My
other number 10, I mean, obviously, I said earlier
I put Ashley Cole out of the team because I didn't
like him. But with this pick, I used to not like
him. I mean, he's the player who made me, alongside
I mentioned earlier, clearly a coach who made
me fall in love with football. Oh, you didn't
mention this episode. Yeah, I mean, in the last
episode. Unfortunately, he snaked us in the end,
but my number 10 pick is Cesc Fabregas from Chelsea.
I used him as my Chelsea pick. I think probably
if KDB didn't come along after that, the ability
to create chances from nothing was probably never
seen before Fabregas in that level in the Premier
League. Maybe Thierry Henry, but he wasn't really
a midfielder, and a lot of his chances that he
created came through dribbling. and then passing
the last man, whereas Fabregas was a range of
passing. I guess it was something that was new
to the Premier League in the time, to see a player
who could consistently unlock teams with one
pass. Not just that, he could play in all three
midfield positions to probably an elite standard.
I think that's why Pep Guardiola signed him at
Barcelona, because he said he was the ultimate
cover for all three positions. If Iniesta Xavi
or Busquets got injured, you put Fabregas in
and the level didn't drop off. And again, he's
the player who made me fall in love with football
as much as I ended up not liking what he did
in the end by joining Chelsea. I can understand
it. Now, as an adult, I didn't like it at the
time, but I think he was going to Mourinho at
the time, probably considered the second best
coach in the world. So the team was built kind
of around him for the first two seasons he was
there. So I think all in all for me, I think
it's a good number 10 pick for me. Him and KDB
together, I think the interchangeability, having
Kante to protect them, it makes sense as a midfield.
You know, they can both play eight, they can
both play 10. Something you didn't mention, I
just thought about it as you were speaking. You
said he could play any midfield position. He
also played false nine for the Spanish national
team where they won the Euros in 2012. So that
just shows his versatility even more. He could
just do anything everywhere. Top, top player.
I agree with that. But he wasn't on my list,
so I don't agree with that. I would assume. There's
a Liverpool midfielder. There's a little bit
of bias. I'm not going to say. Yeah, there's
a little bit of bias in here when I pick Steven
Gerrard as my other eight. Just to me, a midfield
dynamo. He could, once again, play most positions.
Sometimes, like, I recall a game where, I think
it was like John Honorista or something. The
left back got a red card and they slotted him
at left back and he did a job. And it's like,
you know. I would say. He is probably the most
complete footballer the Premier League has ever
seen, definitely. Obviously, it's a shame he
never won the league, but he was in the PFA Team
of the Year many times, five times, and he won
PFA Player of the Year one time. A sensational
footballer, again. The only reason I didn't pick
him in my team was just because Trent is another
player who made me consistently watch games to
watch him, so it's a personal thing. Again, I
would say Steven Gerrard is the most complete
midfielder. Again, I think Cesc Fabregas and
Kevin De Bruyne are equally complete. I don't
think they have the same level of athleticism,
but I don't think Gerrard had the same passing
range of either of them. Not power, but ability
to create. Yes, yes, I was going to say that.
Not range, but ability to create. It can be argued
either way, but I think he just missed out because
I love Trent. But definitely for me... Probably
the greatest Premier League midfielder of all
time, definitely. So we were speaking about other
people who might get in. Well, after KDB, sorry.
Yes, yes, yes. So, like with goalkeeper, we said
Schmeichel, but it could also be Cech. Are we
leaving anyone out of the eight argument? I know
Lampard and Scholes, but they don't really come
into my thinking at all. Is there anyone else
that you think we should give a shout -out to
or something? I mean... Like I said, I just think
I really liked Michael Essien's peak as a holding
midfielder. I think 0 -4, 0 -5, 0 -6, that Chelsea
team was probably... the most difficult team
to beat in the history of the league i think
they lost two games over two seasons in the league
so sensational record i think uh yeah i think
he deserves the honorable mention there i would
say there's probably a quite a few players you
know i don't like him but i think bernardo silver
deserves a bit of an honorable mention i think
especially in the big moments i think uh best
ever 11 i don't think yeah i wouldn't say the
best ever 11 i would even put david silver head
off yeah i was gonna say david silver patrick
vera we mentioned I think Roy Keane, I didn't
watch much of him, but I know a lot of coaches
have said he kind of redefined the holding midfield
position in the modern game, and a lot of players
built a blueprint around him. I mean, I'm sure
there's players we're missing out, but I'm pretty
happy with my selection so far. I think Luka
Modric. Could be, but it wasn't really in this
league. Yeah, exactly. So those are our midfields.
And we did our defenses. Now we're getting into
our attacks. And I think based on what we've
both said so far, I think we have the same attack.
Do you want to start with your right wing? My
right wing was Cristiano Ronaldo as my Manchester
United pick. Same. Yeah. So, I mean, obviously,
probably. one of the top six or seven footballers
to ever play the game. I think the infancy of
him becoming a goat level, as people say, was
at Manchester United. I think his last two seasons
were very, very much like everything you'd want
out of a Premier League winger. He was the perfect
Premier League winger. Goals, assists, making
things happen from nothing. I think the double
winning season, a lot of games he... carried
Man United through on his own. I don't think
they were as great as the record books remember
them as. I don't think they were as that. They
managed to stay in games and then Ronaldo tilted
the balance in their favor. Obviously, I think
the speed, especially his speed, his ability,
his technique to control his speed, the way he
manages his body, definitely, I think it'll be
hard to leave him out. You might not like him.
I think neither of us really like him as a person.
So, I mean, we've been here having... Much joy
that in the end, Messi's kind of walked over
him in the debate, but there's no walking over
Ronaldo. What he's done in his career speaks
for itself. I think one of the greatest players
to ever play the game. For me, he deserves a
spot on the team. I had to find a way to put
him in, so I used my Man United pick on him.
Same. I could have done Salah for Liverpool and
Scholes for United, but I chose Gerrard and Ronaldo
because... a little bit of nostalgia played a
part because even though he was against us that
era of the premier league was so fun and so like
yeah that was when i guess everything was like
free -flowing you know just i wouldn't say it's
as fluid like today i guess you get more fluidity
within the structure player swapping positions
But the chaos, the chaos, that was the most chaotic
era. And I think it allowed, like we were saying
earlier, it allowed the individual talents to
come and make a difference, you know. Yes. Now,
you were saying that the infancy of his go -to
-bait was at United. I would say I liked him
more at United than at Real Madrid because he
had a dribbling bag. At Madrid, like maybe early
on he did, but like in his prime years at, not
prime. what would you call it, his most successful
years at Madrid. He wasn't dribbling, he was
just, you know, scoring. And people would say
stat padding. So, whereas at United he was all
over the pitch, he was, you know, dominant, he
was just, he would run down the wing and just
tear you apart. Yeah, I mean, I guess he picked
up a lot of injuries when he got to Madrid. To
be fair, yes. He had to reinvent his game and
he reinvented it well, you know. I mean... To
be fair, that is true, but I'm just saying I
preferred him much more at United. And people...
Just because of his Madrid career, people don't
really remember that United time anymore. Plus,
he came back to United, and that is what people
kind of remember now. But even in that time,
he was the best player for the six months or
so that he was there. I didn't. I actually totally
forgot that he came back to the league when I
was doing my research. I'm like, oh shit, he
did. So maybe... He scored a hat -trick against
Arsenal. Maybe that should be a point against
him, his second stint in the Premier League.
But even then, I still feel he is, you know,
quite... It wasn't a bad stint for a 38 -year
-old. Of course not, yeah. I think in a lot of
ways, he kept them... He was the reason they
managed to get in Europe that season, you know.
Yes. Any special mentions at right wing? I think
the obvious one is Salah. Obviously Mo. And people
are going to be like, oh, he's even more underrated
because you're not putting him on the list or
whatever. Yeah, I mean... Just like we mentioned
last week in the overrated, underrated episode,
I feel he's a little bit overrated because the
system that Klopp played, played to his strengths.
Played to his strengths. Whereas there's other
players who shine despite their... being played
out of position or like you know not having ideal
circumstances so like this season when slot changed
tactics and Salah had to play wider he's been
much worse and that loss in confidence has led
to like a dip in form so you know other players
didn't go through that and it's just because
Ronaldo is so great that's why Salah can't get
in but Yeah, I mean, his numbers also speak for
themselves, I think. Salah's one of those players
who's like, you know, he gives you output or
he doesn't give you anything, but he gives you
output enough for you to consistently... He'll
give you, like, output 70 % of the time, which
is crazy. Yeah, which is... I mean, that's ultimately
what you need in the game, you know. It's like
output matters more than anything. People can
say, where's the big moment, whatever, whatever.
I mean, you can make that argument against anyone
because... like okay what are the big moments
again people always say hazard is a big game
player that's what they define him as but those
big games are exclusively in the league i mean
we said that like last time he well for me the
big games are the champions league yeah that's
what i'll say from the quarters upwards i'm saying
if you're making the argument that he's not a
big game player but People are dividing the line
between him and Hazard when they're debating
both of them by saying that, oh, Hazard was better
in big games. I don't think that's the case because
Salah has a better record against all of the
top six. All right, all right. We're getting
off topic. We're getting to the Salah -Hazard
debate. Yeah, I mean, that's a bit off topic,
but I'm just saying, yeah, I think his numbers
also speak for themselves. But obviously, I mean,
Salah -Ronaldo, I'm going with Ronaldo, you know.
Okay. For me, my striker, Alan Shearer, I just
don't think there was any way we could make this,
or me, I couldn't make this list without having
Shearer on it. Yeah, I mean, I didn't watch a
single Shearer game. Neither did I, but the legacy
is there. We're all aware of the legacy, despite,
and, oh, sorry, he's my Blackburn pick, I should
say, because Shapiro was the Newcastle pick.
Yeah, Shearer, just the best scorer in the history
of the league. 260 goals which is nobody's close
to that Kane was in his like Kane was like 33
and he had 217 so he would have to play like
another like maybe 3 -4 seasons to get what Shearer
got and Shearer played in the old first division
so some of his goals didn't didn't get tallied
up this 260 is only for the Premier League Like,
yeah, it was a different era, so it's hard to
understand what football is like. My centre -forward
pick was Thierry Henry because I didn't watch
much of Alan Shearer. And obviously, I think
for me, Henry was just a joy to watch. I think
he could adapt, he could vacate space, allow.
Especially, I think, if you look at the way Guardiola
signed him and used him at Barcelona. I know
that wasn't in his Arsenal days, but Guardiola
used him as kind of a player that could... drag
the ball like you know create space for Messi
create space for Pedro which was I guess something
that people didn't expect or even Samuel Eto
'o I guess in the long run he proved that he
was the more complete player than Samuel Eto
'o by being able to adapt to that system by being
the player that Pep Guardiola needed I guess
to finish off the the puzzle you know in in winning
everything so I think yeah you know like most
people I think generally the neutral opinion
is that he's the greatest Premier League player.
I mean, we both disagree with that opinion. I
think KDB is above him. I think in time KDB will
get that slot. It's just that he doesn't have
the nostalgia factor yet, you know. but yeah
i think uh and i just think striker of a forward
role is more shiny or flashier than a midfielder
defensive role so it's harder to shine in those
roles than a striker who goals are you know what
gets people out of their seats yeah so and i
mean just i think his ability to play as a traditional
nine or false nine to play on the transition
or in possession i just uh yeah i mean he didn't
have a lot of big game performances as people
say but i think If you look at France, he had
a number of big game performances. So I think
it's more the way Wenger coached him. I think
Wenger didn't coach big games well, generally.
And I think even when he had the Invincibles,
which at the time were probably the best team
in the world, in terms of squad depth, assembled
by, I think it was Pat Rice at the time. But
yeah, they gave him the best team in the world.
He went undefeated. But I still think in the
best moments, someone like Thierry Henry could
have been managed better as he showed at Barcelona
when he went and I think at Barcelona he mostly
performed in the big games the Classico he played
well against Atletico played well in the semi
-finals and scored in the final as well you know
so I think he showed at Barcelona he can he can
produce and score in the big moments I just think
Wenger doesn't manage the big moments well so
that will always be a blot on his record his
semi -finals and final goals for Arsenal but
I think If you look through any of the great
players Arsenal have had, that'll always be a
blot on their record under Wenger because I don't
think Wenger managed the biggest Champions League
game as well. So I've done something a little
bit differently. We'll get back to your left
-wing pick just now, right? My left -wing was
Henry. Yeah, my left -wing pick was Gareth Bale.
For Tottenham. Yes. So we'll get to that just
now. When I was doing the underrated, overrated,
you know, checking stats and doing some research,
the list of people who have scored 100 goals,
when we look at their ratio, Henry has the best
goal -to -game ratio of every player. So it could
be argued that he's better than KDB because,
you know... Best goal -to -game ratio. Again,
it's just, like you said, what would Henry have
been like under Guardiola for his prime years?
That's the... Or Klopp. That's the big question
you'd have to consider. Because I was really
considering Roberto Firmino, maybe, as my other
pick, you know. As my centre -forward pick. Because
I really like his ability to open up space for
the wingers. Because I wanted my wingers to be
my match winners, you know. That's why I went
with Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo. Because
I think... they show it at Real Madrid they just
need one or two moments and they can win the
game on their own you know yes but I feel like
you're taking their time in other places and
I think Gareth Bale won Premier League playoff
the year no no absolutely but I'm saying that
was one year he won it back to back or what PFA
playoff the year yeah he won it in 2011 2010
2011 and 2011 2012 I don't think so. But my point
being, his best years were at Madrid. Similarly,
Ronaldo, even though his best years were at Madrid,
he had like a five, let's say three to four year
stint where he was one of the best in the world.
Bale, I just don't think he had that in the league.
I think his last two or three seasons at Tottenham
were sensational. The fact that he went for world
record fees should tell you that he was sensational
at Spurs. I just don't think... The longevity
argument works for Bale. Especially because I
have Henry as my left wing. Yeah, I mean, I don't
think as a Premier League legacy it could compare
to Henry. But I think in a team, it's like who
you're saying is the best left wing. Okay, you
played Henry at left wing. Yes, and I was also
considering Hewton and Son. I would consider
Son over Bale as a Spurs pick. But I think like
if we're talking, like maybe if we're talking
on legacy. Perhaps. But I don't think Son's peak
was at the same. I think Bale played in a rubbish
Tottenham team. But we're talking about Premier
League level, not... Yeah, no, I'm saying, but
his time to win the PFA Player of the Year, playing
for a team that's not even at Europa League level,
I think he carried them to the Champions League
quarter -finals almost by himself. I think it's
still regarded as one of the best individual
campaigns from a Premier League player. Sure.
But me not picking Bale, is the same reason I
wouldn't pick Luis Suarez. Even though he had
a phenomenal peak. Yeah. He scored the most goals
in the league until Salah came along in one season.
But so, you know, Suarez could be a... Yeah,
he could be a pick. But I just don't think his
longevity is there. In the same way I'm telling
you about Bale. Yeah. No, I mean, I could agree
with that. I just think that peak of Bale, for
me, I based it off of... That was the best left
winger I'd seen in the Premier League, for me
personally. I mean, obviously, I've said he's
overrated, but we should give an honourable mention
to Eden Hazard. I think he's in the top two or
three left wingers of Premier League history
for me, but I wouldn't... I'd just say, like,
if you compare him to Bale or Mane, I think he
falls short. Mane would have been my other honourable
mention, but I used my Liverpool pick elsewhere,
you know. Okay. Let's just go through it and
give honorable mentions for each position. So,
for goalkeeper, I said Peter Cech. What did you
say? Alisson. Okay. For right -back? I mean,
Zabaleta. I think Pablo Zabaleta, obviously.
He wasn't like... I think right -back is like
a struggle position for the Premier League. Absolutely.
That's why I said all the best ones were very
new. I think Rhys James. Yeah, I was going to
mention Reece James as my... He has a couple
titles, definitely. The problem with him is he's
a hospital patient. Even if he... We can all
see his quality. It's just if he could have more
consistency with that, he would be up there as
like... one of the best players in the world.
Based off of talent, he's probably the best right
back, the Premier League scene. But again, how
much can, how long can he, like, even if he kept
that peak going for a season, I might have selected
him, you know, like, or a season or two where
you could say, oh, okay, Rhys James, like, just
fucked it up for that season or something, you
know, but it's like a half season here and then
he comes in and Chelsea are... unplayable for
a little while then he drops out and then he
comes back and he's being played in midfield
and all over which is not his fault but speaks
more to his versatility but definitely he deserves
that's actually a positive yeah so yeah I mean
I really think Rhys James in time if Chelsea
manage their club correctly could probably be
the the long -term pick for the best right back
in this league you know center back I think it's
Ferdinand and Vidic are the two. Ferdinand, Vidic,
you know, who else? I think Ricardo Carvalho
had a top peak as well. I think, who else could
we say? John Stones. Oh, yes, John Stones. I
think John Stones deserves a good mention. I
think Ruben Diaz had a good peak for two years.
No, I'd put Stones way over him. Yeah, no, put
him above him. But I'd say he still deserves
an honorable mention, like in terms of I think
he had a good peak in their treble season the
season before as well. another argument about
longevity because he has been poor for like maybe
two three seasons yeah and i guess we're now
seeing how bad he is so that's like right in
our minds oh okay this is what ruben diaz is
yeah but i do remember when he came in it was
like him and stones it was like a fortress yeah
it was i mean if it wasn't for van dyck it also
would have been like i think we would have noticed
that they would have appreciated their defending
more you know Left back, any honourable mentions?
Patrice Evra, I think. Definitely, yeah. Well,
we said, yeah, Ashley Cole is the obvious pick,
but Evra is the dark horse, you would say. Yeah,
I think consistency, what, like 11, 12 years
playing consistently. Not dark horse, he would
be like the second pick. Yeah, 11, 12 years,
then he went to Juventus, still played well there.
So, yeah, I think Patrice Evra. CDM. We did mention
Makalele, Keane, Vieira, any other... Rodri,
I think Rodri. Yes, Rodri right now. Fabinho.
Again, another longevity argument. Yeah, but
I still think like, you know, but Rodri also,
he's had like two sensational seasons, but...
But I'm just presuming he's going to have...
He's going to continue. He's going to continue,
yeah. yeah i mean but i think like again it's
just the quality of opposition in a different
era fabinho could have been behind three or four
titles you know not not that that's an excuse
but i think at times he was a one -man midfield
as you had to say it's like playing alongside
henderson is not the best, you know? So, yeah,
I think at times he had to carry that midfield
by himself. I think when you guys beat Man City
in the Champions League 3 -0, the midfield was
him, Henderson and Oxlade -Chamberlain, so he
probably had to do a lot of work in possession
to cover for them, you know? Well, I slander
Henderson a lot, but... The thing I can't fault
him is his work rate. And the same thing with
Oxlade -Chamberlain. That midfield used to run
all over the place. They used to do defensive
work. Fabinho had to do a lot in terms of the
technical security on the ball. So I think he
deserves an honourable mention. And maybe Gilberto
Silva as well. People say the invincible season.
I didn't watch every game. I was like 7 or 8,
so I wouldn't remember it too clearly. But people
say he was sensational in that season. For the
8s slash 10s, so Lampard is obviously one. I
think people are going to think we've been too
dismissive of Lampard. But it's not to be rude
to Lampard. It's just to say KDB and Gerrard,
in my mind, and KDB and Cesc, in your mind, are
just ahead of him. So there's no disrespect.
how the the the lists went out obviously we said
david silver yes he's another absolute uh quality
player deserves to be you know in the honorable
mentions anyone else i think we have to we have
to look at the chelsea teams as well because
they've had some great players i think Balak?
I don't know. I don't know about... I don't remember
Balak even playing. I'm just using that as like,
you know, like I said, Shearer, like based off
reputation, I know. I think Balak's legacy came
more at Bayern Munich and then in the national
team, you know. Oh, not even Bayern Munich, Bayern
Leverkusen. Leverkusen, yeah, and in the national
team, sorry. So I think that's... I mean, I didn't
watch much of Balak. I know he's considered one
of the most underrated players of his generation.
So similarly, I didn't watch him. I'm just...
Based on reputation. Any other eights? There's
probably a lot of eights. Obviously, we said
Luka Modric. I think his last season at Tottenham
was very good. Obviously, that's what made Madrid
sign him. Paul Scholes. Paul Scholes, yeah. Incredible
pass off the ball. Fabio Alonso. Not in terms
of his career overall, but I think... Best ever,
I don't think. I wouldn't say best ever, but
I'd say he's one of the greatest midfielders
of his generation and he played in the Premier
League. But who else I would say? I mean, we
mentioned Patrick Vieira. I think there's not
anyone else I could really think of. Danny Drinkwater?
That name did pop in my head just because I was
thinking about Kante and then... That name immediately
went out of there. Yeah. Right wings, we said
Salah as an honorable mention. Any other right
wings that... I think the two of them are so
far ahead of everyone else. It's hard to get
another honourable man. I mean, you know, honestly,
I think, dressed off of me liking them as a player,
but they used to play on either wing. I like
Leroy Sane. I think he deserves an honourable
mention. Sane was another guy I used to be scared
of. When he played at City, he was so... He was
devastating. He was like long shots. And then
his ability to weave through tight spaces. In
the Premier League, I think he was the best at
it for a long time. Maybe, again, people would
say Hazard, but... I have no idea what happened
to him at Bayern, though. Yeah. Like, all his
talent was just stripped away. You know, like,
Space Jam? Yeah. Where those guys, they touch
the ball and they take Michael Jordan's power
away. Oh, yeah. That's what happened to Leroy
Sade. He just faded away. He touched the football
and other monsters touched that football and
took his power away from him. I really thought...
I mean, I still think if he stayed at Man City,
he really goes on to a different level, but can't
live in the past, you know? He's made his choices,
so... Any other right -wings? Jared Bowen? You
didn't bring him up? I mean, I don't know about
the greatest ever, but... Wow. Okay. I mean,
then we'd have to get into, like, looking at
who a Rocket Santa Cruz maybe deserves. Okay,
man, don't be disrespectful. Rocket Santa Cruz
and Jared Bowen are not on the same level. Bowen
is much better than Rocket Santa Cruz. No, I'm
saying, who do we get into who deserves an honorable
mention? Because he still had one of the best
individual seasons in Premier League history.
Okay, whatever, man. Carried Blackburn to the
Europa League. Any honorable mentions for striker?
I would assume Harry Kane. Harry Kane. I mean,
I think I was trying to find a way to get Dennis
Bergkamp in my team, but I couldn't. It came
down to Bergkamp or Henry. So I think Henry was
the better footballer, even if Bergkamp was someone
I had more affinity for. But I think as a false
nine or number 10, maybe he deserves an honorable
mention. I'd say Firmino. We mentioned Firmino.
The thing is he's a false nine. So he doesn't
really fit in this conversation. I would maybe
pay him and say play him as a 10. I mean, I'm
just for the purpose of this list where he would
make more sense to compare him to. Because if
you're comparing him as a striker to, say, a
Shearer or a Kane, he's obviously going to come
out worse because he doesn't have the goals to
compete. I mean, obviously, it wouldn't all be
about the goals. Yes, if you are like a person
who actually watches football, you can see his
quality. But, you know, stat -wise, he's not
going to come out great in this argument. And
then, I mean, obviously... It seems like Haaland
is on track to break the goalscoring records,
so he deserves somewhat of an honourable mention,
even if he has his flaws, you know. We've spoken
about his flaws a lot, but I agree with you.
He is a phenomenal player, a phenomenal striker
of the ball. And then, oh, I think Ruud van Nistelrooy
deserves an honourable mention. We didn't bring
him up. Wayne Rooney. Yes, Wayne Rooney. Who
was in a lot of my thoughts. It's just, Ronaldo
is just, you know. He's Ronaldo. Yeah. Like,
in 2007 -8, nobody was like, oh, I love Wayne
Rooney. Everyone was, you know, about Ronaldo.
Yeah, exactly. So it's ahistorical to go back
and be like, oh, no, Rooney was the actual. I
guess you could look at his entire career and
say he has a bigger Premier League legacy than
Ronaldo. Yeah. But as a player, I would choose
Ronaldo over Rooney nine times out of ten. Yeah,
I mean obviously then also if you're talking
about... importance of goals and importance of
their contribution to the team we mentioned chris
wood i wouldn't say he's one of the greatest
but contextually he's had one of the greatest
impacts you know he's kept a lot of teams in
the league so i think he deserves an honorable
mention for like the lesser teams you know same
as maybe like uh like i mean there's been quite
like someone like danny ings you know he's got
a lot of goals for the lesser team so i wouldn't
say they're the greatest but they just their
consistency deserves uh darren bent remain default
you know they're deserve somewhat of an honorable
mention just for the consistency in, I guess,
goal returns. So left wing, again, I said Henry,
you said Bale. I think the obvious honorable
mention is Heung -Min Son. I was really considering
taking Ronaldo out, putting Henry on the right
wing and putting Son on the left wing. But now
that I'm looking at it, I don't actually have
a Spurs player on my list, which is strange,
yes, because I was... That Spurs slot, I was
really thinking, ooh, this is valuable. I should
use it. And in the end, I didn't use it. I was
thinking about playing 4 -4 -2 and putting Kane
in as the other striker. Spurs striker. Yeah.
But, yeah. Sadio Mane, Eden Hazard, any other
mentions? Because we already spoke about them.
I mean, yeah. I mean, we'd obviously have to,
like... probably go back in time to see how the
Man United front three functioned in the in the
season they won the double but I think Bobetov
or Rooney also played on the left wing interchangeably
so That season, they were all three really good,
you know, so it's hard to see, like, maybe one
of them deserves an honorable mention. I think,
you know, yeah, I can't really think of anyone
else. I think someone who probably just had maybe
an array of big moments, but they weren't really
the most consistent player, but they won a lot
of titles was Nani. Maybe not best, definitely
not best ever. Just honorable mention, Raheem
Sterling. Yeah, right. At Liverpool, I wasn't
impressed by him. I just thought Luis Suarez
and Daniel Saric were putting things on a plate
for him. That's why he was getting some good
stats. People don't remember this now, but he
snaked us to go to City for a big payday. That
did work out very well for him because, you know,
I was saying about, who did I say that like?
I said Salah. I said the conditions were right
for Salah because the tactics and the formation
all were suited towards him. I think... Raheem
Sterling is a very similar position. When he
was at City, his best traits were played towards.
Guardiola, I don't know. The system highlighted
his pros. There was a season where he did nearly
20 goals and nearly 10 assists or something.
He did very good. He was competing with Salah
stats -wise for one season. Yeah, good. Honorable
mention. I think he deserves it. Definite honorable
mention. I'm sure there's a couple of players
we're forgetting. But, yeah, I mean, nothing
intentional, you know. Well, in that case, thank
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