Football: Same Teams 42 years apart

[Junaids]

Today Northern Ireland hosted the Netherlands. The 0-0 draw qualified the Dutch for Euro 2020 and takes the Irish to the Play-Offs.

I like the Dutch. They have 3 top quality defenders and 3 top quality midfielders, and are functional in the other 5 positions. They are going to be a top class team.

But I am 50 years old, and the match brought back memories of the last international match in the UK to feature two all-time greats - the same two teams meeting at Windsor Park in 1977 in a World Cup Qualifier.

Footballers are fitter today. But they face much gentler and less aggressive defending. I decided to look up the team sheets and wow!

Obviously the match was George Best versus Johan Cruyff.

In fact, the Dutch (who reached the 1974 and 1978 World Cup Finals only to lose narrowly) actually sacrificed Johan Neeskens of Barcelona to man-mark Best.

And little Northern Ireland had a host of World Class players. The goalkeeper was Pat Jennings of Arsenal - an ATG. There was Pat Rice and Sammy Nelson from Arsenal, Jimmy Nicholl, David McCreery and Sammy McIlroy from Man Utd and Martin O’Neill from Nottingham Forest!

While only Johan Cruyff and one other Dutch player would not play in the the World Cup Final 9 months later!

And the coaches were immortals too - Ernst Happel and Danny Blanchflower!

We think of football getting stronger with time. Even I do.

But this game suggests that actually today we just have a softer game played by inferior players who are just fitter.

 

[Mamoon]

The aggressive defending of the past is a myth. Look at how Liverpool defend today - the midfielders of the past did not have the fitness, the pace and the agility to press like they do.

Like in other sports, football has improved in terms of pace, power and agility. The technique and the ability to read the game in general have not improved, but there is no evidence that they have regressed.

Messi takes better free-kicks than Maradona. Better balls, better boots and better turf. However, you can also see the visibility superior ball striking qualities.

Some teams are not as good as before, for example Netherlands, but the reverse is also true for several teams. As far as the Dutch are concerned, they have three players who have the talent to get into any Dutch side of any era.

 

[Mamoon]

Speaking of 42 years, the Liverpool of today will comfortably beat the Liverpool of the 1970s that won 4 league titles and two European cups in that decade.

Similarly, Barcelona today (but not coached by Valverde) will beat the Ajax of 1965-1973.

 

[LongHorn]

The aggressive defending of the past is a myth. Look at how Liverpool defend today - the midfielders of the past did not have the fitness, the pace and the agility to press like they do.


Messi takes better free-kicks than Maradona. Better balls, better boots and better turf. However, you can also see the visibility superior ball striking qualities.

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I have not seen football live in the 80s, but looking at highlights, e.g. of league games Maradona played in, it looks like there are many fouls not getting even a yellow card, that today would see a red card given for some of them.

I am sure referees were more lenient back then

 

[Captain caveman]

The aggressive defending of the past is a myth. Look at how Liverpool defend today - the midfielders of the past did not have the fitness, the pace and the agility to press like they do.

Like in other sports, football has improved in terms of pace, power and agility. The technique and the ability to read the game in general have not improved, but there is no evidence that they have regressed.

Messi takes better free-kicks than Maradona. Better balls, better boots and better turf. However, you can also see the visibility superior ball striking qualities.

Some teams are not as good as before, for example Netherlands, but the reverse is also true for several teams. As far as the Dutch are concerned, they have three players who have the talent to get into any Dutch side of any era.

Chopper harris says hi
Watch maradonna get mauled everytime he played for barcelona or pele getting mauled at the '66 wc. If this happened today, the opposition would be down to 5/6 players.

And no one is better than maradonna, messi is a china maradonna!

 

[Bewal Express]

Chopper harris says hi
Watch maradonna get mauled everytime he played for barcelona or pele getting mauled at the '66 wc. If this happened today, the opposition would be down to 5/6 players.

And no one is better than maradonna, messi is a china maradonna!

Maradonna was brilliant and so is Messi. The only difference is that at the international level Maradonna was more successful and just looked better, whereas Messi looks lost when he plays for Argentina.