You say the defenders were skillful, but they were completing half their passes. They were also just getting away with what today would be multiple sending offs a match.
Which makes Maradona’s dominance even more impressive.
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He had a great peak, but in sports we’ve seen so many great athletes be the best for ~5 years. When you’re doing it for 15+ you just get put in another league.
Watching The Last Dance and the Maradonna documentaries to come out lately, one views its subject as the GOAT and the other more of a candle that burned brightly but was extinguished too soon.
Defending was easier in every sport 20+ years ago because clutching/grabbing were allowed. This is the same in basketball, hockey and American football. Of course defending is easier when you can grab guys and there is no VAR.
Put VAR in a Serie A match in 1990 judged to today’s strict following of the laws and neither team has 10 men by the end.
Well yes, and we know the reason why his form declined as he aged. That doesn’t detract from his quality.
Not having Xavi, Iniesta et al to feed him inch perfect passes at the right moment also elevates him imo.
The Argentina team of 1990 was mediocre and cynical, but he still dragged them to the final.
Napoli were nothing when he joined them but he brought them two league titles.
Higuain choking on a chance easier than the one Burrachaga slots in more than makes up for having Iniesta and Xavi, who also haven’t had a good season together for Barca for 8 years now! Way longer than Maradonnas peak.
It is. A goalie, never mind a defender not confident passing is a liability now.
I’m in my early 30s, no football memories before WC98. Have watched documentaries and stuff obviously
I mean… maybe take it from Maradona observers at the time just how good he was.
Messi, sublime footballer that he is, yet to have any impact on a World Cup.
No one is saying Maradona wasn’t amazing. It’s just the basic argument about longevity and how you value it.
Messi was the best player at the last two World Cups and came the closest to beating the eventual champions both times.
Well yeah if it’s a ceiling vs area argument it’s clear who wins which title.
Old guys think the older guy would win. Younger guys think the modern guy would win.
Yeah old people say the same thing about basketball but then you realize how small and unathletic the players actually were back then. Maybe there was more pushing and tackling but Messi would just run by them.
We’re trying to take that into account by running it as if they were both born at the same time.
Hopefully you lot beat them lot today… 
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Did Abby throw the dummy oot?
There’s a fair chance maradonna ODs on fentanyl if he was born in 1985-1995
I saw George Best play at Newcastle in the early 70s when I was very young. He scored in the first minute and did an exaggerated bow to all four corners of the ground to raucous cheers. By far the best player ever I ever saw live
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Saka is more of a winger, Smith Rowe is Rosicky. Finally found someone to replace the stuff he did for us.
Arsenal are 2nd in xG since Xmas. They’re a good team now, just a lot of bad luck and poor decisions canceling out all the good work they do.