Other Matches 22/23

[danperkins]

I had a think about this earlier and struggled.

If you want to be a bit edgy you could say Osimhen as the 5th pick.

I'm struggling to see any sort of decent argument as to why Kane wouldn't be classed amongst the top 5 strikers in the world.

yeah it's pretty obvious to me there isn't one. I think Oshimen has definitely the potential to become a worldie.

[danperkins]

My ten best in the world in no particular order on current/recent form ( Jan 2022 to Jan 2023 just to narrow it down rather than picking guys who were amazing 12 or 24 months ago but who have faded the past 12 months like Salah for example )


Haaland

Lewandowski

Vinicius Junior (Kvaratskhelia would have made it had he a further six months of form. Saka if he keeps going and improving might get in this time next year)

Alisson (just pipped Courtois)

Mbappe

Pedri

Kimmich

Militao ( Kim Min-Jae might make it next year if he continues the form he has been in since the summer)

Benzema

Hakami


Subjective of course and someone else might pick ten totally different players and think them the ten current best.

It's a really subjective thing. For me in no particular order currently it's:

- KDB
- Mbappe
- Haaland
- Lewandowski
- Modric
- Kane
- Alisson
- Benzema
- Courtois

Now i'm starting to struggle, there isn't that many world class players currently imo. Alot of players have been really good and are hugely talented but that "world class" bracket for me is a hard one to break into. Kane imo is a fairly obvious one and has been for years.

[Doc_Piptorious]

It's a really subjective thing. For me in no particular order currently it's:

- KDB
- Mbappe
- Haaland
- Lewandowski
- Modric
- Kane
- Alisson
- Benzema
- Courtois

Now i'm starting to struggle, there isn't that many world class players currently imo. Alot of players have been really good and are hugely talented but that "world class" bracket for me is a hard one to break into. Kane imo is a fairly obvious one and has been for years.

There are plenty of other world class players imo. Just take keepers. Neitrher made my list but Oblak and Donnarumma are world class imo, just that I rate Alisson and Courtois as being a shade better.

Marquinhos is probably world class, Davies at Bayern is world class imo but the time he missed with injury over the past 12 months is whyt I omitted him from my list of current world class players.


What players did years ago I did not really take into account as said by why the likes of Salah were left out of my list. For me I wanted to only pick players that I think are world class right now not ones who were WC but that are in either a slump of sorts or on the slide now.

Valverde is another guy that has been WC in my eyes over the past year. Modric also. Just that I thought other players where that bit better in their respective positions.

Quite a few players around that might make a current WC list if they continue their form of the past 6 to 9 months and stretch it into form of 12 months or so.


For me World Class is pretty easy to judge, it is simply being one of the very best in a position so probably about four or five genuine world class players in each position though some years you might get a freak number in one position and a drop off in numbers in another position.

Goalkeepers, due to the longeivity of that position, are the one that often have a lot more WC players amongst their ranks compared to say full backs or wingers.

[rudedog]

It's a really subjective thing. For me in no particular order currently it's:

- KDB
- Mbappe
- Haaland
- Lewandowski
- Modric
- Kane
- Alisson
- Benzema
- Courtois

Now i'm starting to struggle, there isn't that many world class players currently imo. Alot of players have been really good and are hugely talented but that "world class" bracket for me is a hard one to break into. Kane imo is a fairly obvious one and has been for years.

Kane isn’t an obvious one for me, as has been already pointed out:

- he’s almost 30 and has won absolutely nothing
- He’s bottled it repeatedly on the big stage
- has a relatively unimpressive record against top sides (eg Salah has more goals against the big 6 despite playing much less games)

Not saying he’s not a great player, just not world class.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I had a think about this earlier and struggled.

If you want to be a bit edgy you could say Osimhen as the 5th pick.

I'm struggling to see any sort of decent argument as to why Kane wouldn't be classed amongst the top 5 strikers in the world.

Neymar was the other player i was thinking of for 5th

Messi was the guy that I had in mind to be my fifth placed striker/forward for the past 12 months. He has just been better and far more influential for both club and country than Kane has in that period imo.


As said already, Kane would make it onto my list of the Top ten strikers in the game based on form over the past 12 months but not my top five and he certainly would not make into a list of the top ten best current players from any position for me.

My main thrust though was to go against what they were saying on Sky that day and that was that Kane was in the top three or four best players (any position) on the planet.


Did chuckle again last night though. The Sky "experts" did not criticize Kane when he was refusing to train when he was trying to force a move to City and again the other day they were saying that Kane might have to do the same again this summer to get a move and they were lauding him for being so proactive.

Then last night they were criticizing Gordon for not training at Everton and saying that it was a very unprofessional way to force a move

[spud_gun]

Is the player who's scored 800+ career goals really a striker

If we're talking about strikers then I'd have Kane ahead of Messi at this stage of their careers.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Is the player who's scored 800+ career goals really a striker

If we're talking about strikers then I'd have Kane ahead of Messi at this stage of their careers.

Both have teams built around them. One still influences games enough to win silverware, one has mastered how to say the word absolutely

[danperkins]

There are plenty of other world class players imo. Just take keepers. Neitrher made my list but Oblak and Donnarumma are world class imo, just that I rate Alisson and Courtois as being a shade better.

Marquinhos is probably world class, Davies at Bayern is world class imo but the time he missed with injury over the past 12 months is whyt I omitted him from my list of current world class players.


What players did years ago I did not really take into account as said by why the likes of Salah were left out of my list. For me I wanted to only pick players that I think are world class right now not ones who were WC but that are in either a slump of sorts or on the slide now.

Valverde is another guy that has been WC in my eyes over the past year. Modric also. Just that I thought other players where that bit better in their respective positions.

Quite a few players around that might make a current WC list if they continue their form of the past 6 to 9 months and stretch it into form of 12 months or so.


For me World Class is pretty easy to judge, it is simply being one of the very best in a position so probably about four or five genuine world class players in each position though some years you might get a freak number in one position and a drop off in numbers in another position.

Goalkeepers, due to the longeivity of that position, are the one that often have a lot more WC players amongst their ranks compared to say full backs or wingers.

World Class for me is sustaining that elite level of performance over a sustained period of time. Many players have burst on the scene and looked amazing or had a ridiculous season and then faded away. It's very subjective of course and it makes it awkward saying "current", as likes of Salah, Messi, Ronaldo would be in there most recent years so I get what you're saying there.

Also, what I have established from this conversation, is my standards are simply just alot higher than yours

[Kenneth]

Anyway, arsenal vs city tonight, what do you reckon?

[Kenneth]

It’s been an extremely dull half of football.

[SB]

It’s been an extremely dull half of football.

City 1 up from Ake

[SB]

Leipzig beat Stuttgart to go within a point of Bayern

[SB]

Come on Arsenal give us a goal & a replay

[Bender]

FT Everton 1-0 Arsenal

[Buzzo]

Wrong thread.