Agreed. Qatar winning in 2019 is a case in point I guess.

Japan’s victory would certainly be there if this was a women’s list.

Not trying to compare achievement vs achievement. I know a top 10 list like this is very subjective but if I wanted to list the top 10 greatest titles won in the decade it would include Germany’s World Cup, Uruguay’s Copa America, etc etc. There’s more to the game than what happens on our shores.

Zambia are not a continental power in Africa as Australia are in Asia, especially winning at home. This isn’t to discount what we achieved, but Australia being a giant of Asian football doesn’t give it the requisite shock factor to beat Zambia as a comparison.

This was a list of the best moments in international football in the men’s game. Great achievement for us to win the Asian cup in 2015, but there were more significant achievements throughout the decade if we can overcome our own local bias.

Take your point, but what is fascinating is that the past decade produced a very unique talent in Aaron Mooy that the golden generation failed to produce.

He was definitely a close shout! Especially given how he has carried a considerably poorer side by himself at times. I guess for me, Tammy has just been a little more impressive given it is his first season in the premier league and lead Chelsea into the top 4.

Yeh the real test of this youth policy will be after the ban ends. It would be in abramovich’s best interests to let the talented youth grow and lead chelsea into a new era whilst only spending on world class talent to truly improve the team. Have to be patient with lampard hopefully the goodwill that comes with his legenf status keeps roman trigger shy.

Yeh its a tough one Marty. In the grand scheme of things, the trophies torres won and the contributions he made are hard to overlook and ultimately harsh to consider his time at Chelsea an utter failure.
But on the other hand i totally agree with you that he was some player at his peak. One of the top 2 or 3 players in the world especially after scoring the the winner in Euro 2008 around that time his stock was higher than sanchez ever has been. I hope Sanchez can rediscover some form to maintain his legacy as one of the great players of his generation.

I agree mate. Azpilicueta has been a marvelous servant for the club and this isn’t meant to be a bashing, its just highlighting how far the standards have dropped. The ideal of course is for him to perform and remain in the team and phase reece james into the team gradually. For all we know, James may not make the grade, but at present Chelsea need to give him a chance as its not getting any better for Azpilicueta. Nothing wrong with Lampard’s tactics, its the collective shape of the team and the discipline and awareness in defensive transition that needs work as a team.

If you have watched Chelsea’s games so far, you’d know Azpilicueta has been very poor so far. As for Reece James, showing the versatility to play in midfield can only be a compliment to his overall game (think Philip Lahm for example. Physically and technically he is still tailored made to play as a right back in the premier league.

Cheers mate!

Thats a big call! Can certainly agree their playing styles are uniquely different to their peers thats for sure.

Cheers Andre!

Certainly agree there with the sentiment of being patient in the modern game. I think gone are the days where conte can just come in with a limited budget and fix his predecessors mess and turn 10th into 1st in 1 season. Klopp and Guardiola have been at their clubs for nearly 4 and 3 years respectively and that seems like a lifetime compared to the typical tenure period at other clubs. Genuine rebuilding with a solid mid to long term plan seems like a prerequisite for future competitiveness if not success. It is so tight at the top now and there is so much at stake it is taking remarkable quality, endurance and consistency (as evidenced by this seasons record breaking title race) to ensure success these days.

That is a bloody long time! I am not a Manchester United fan by any stretch of the imagination but I certainly acknowledge that they are among only a handful of clubs in the world who are bounded by unique expectations and a colorful history which is underpinned largely by tragedy. Much like Liverpool and hillsborough and the emotion attached to the club and its supporters, I’ve always felt that with the Munich air disaster and the remarkable story of the 1968 European cup triumph under sir Matt Busby was a seminal moment in United’s history with all the raw emotion surrounding the subsequent years post the busby babes. That has largely helped shape the expectations and requirements of United players and managers where that narrative was further strengthened by Ferguson and United’s fearsome domination of England for such a long time. It is very interesting to find the local manchester lads and the wider English contingent at United such as rashford, lingard, smalling, Jones, Shaw and even pogba who came through the youth system are struggling to live up to United standards in their fight and endeavor. Bryan Robson and Roy Keaneto have been the iconic heartbeats of past United teams and when he is up and about I can see Paul pogba being a natural modern day incarnation of that inspirational, tenacious and charismatic midfield general but unfortunately those moments of stirring optimism have been far to fleeting.

I think Klopp would have made a fantastic United manager. His charisma, charm and sense of fearlessness and adventure in his tactics and mentality would have suited United down to a tee. Can only imagine how different the fortunes of Liverpool and man United would be today if such an appointment materialized.

I think the United board will look back on the permanent appointment of OGS with considerable regret given what has transpired. There was nothing stopping them from making a decision at the conclusion of the summer. The questions of whether the permanent appointment has had any effect on United’s performances or it has just been a very badly timed coincidence is still a mystery.

Chelsea appealed on April 11th, still awaiting a final verdict. Ban could be pushed back pending further investigation or the ban could stand. Ban would be for two windows so would last until European summer 2020. Interesting times ahead.

Yep can’t disagree there. Bale is the biggest gamble out of the lot but when you lose a player like Hazard its vitally important to get a big name in so you couldn’t quite rule out Coutinho or Dybala (even if its unlikely, i personally feel pursuing him would demonstrate real ambition from Chelsea).

Could do a lot worse out there than Insigne and Zaha. Players like Coman, Martial, Lemar and Douglas Costa are out there but can’t imagine Chelsea going for them if they’re being serious about finding a worthy replacement.

No worries mate. Tottenham really are a formidable force under potchettino a total departure from their flaky and soft centered history of coming up short over the last 30 or so years. Now they’re a physically robust and tactically astute team that can defend very by even modern standards and a player like Christian eriksen really gives them fantastic quality on the counter or in possession in the final third with his all round passing and vision. Certainly one of my favorite teams to watch.

It’s amazing how ole has transformed united into a totally different team…..I’m sure it’s not just been as simple as encouraging the players with kind words and an arm around the shoulder. Recent performances certainly prove that mourinho failed to get through to the players with his abrasive and dated approach to man management. They have some top drawer players who have the ability to dominate games and importantly for united entertain the fans. Pogba’s always been the key player- the guy who can carry the ball and deliver the killer pass in transition as well as making late runs into the box to create or score. The understanding that is developing between him and rashford is one of the most exciting prospects for united now that there is pace, dynamism and adventure to United’s approach. Mourinho needed to harness more of this potential and balance it with his game management and defensive stability which have been his traditional strengths.

I absolutely agree with you. There are two sides to the game and sometimes people forget that because defending and organisation is boring and unglamorous. The tactical one off results that Mourinho used to get by packing the midfield or putting a defender into midfield or playing with a compactness that makes it so difficult for the opposition (think Liverpool 2014, Barcelona 2010 etc), at the end of the day is an art. People don’t find that aesthetically pleasing but there has to be a balance and a check to all the graceful attacking aesethics. I believe you need to appreciate this aspect of the game to appreciate the whole game and specifically how hard it is to do what a Guardiola does.

Ultimately for Mourinho his approach to attempting to turn United into a force again was not effective because he is losing touch with what makes a player tick. Players are not perfect they’re people. Their professionalism especially in modern times are going to fluctuate as the player holds so much more power these days. It comes down to compromise and sacrifice and unfortunately Mourinho did none of that to get the best out of his players.

The decline is most painfully a tactical and ideological decline more than anything else. The toothless and abject display against Sevilla is a low point that simply spelled the end for him as far as i was concerned last season. Its one thing to fall out with a couple of players or suffer from an archaic man management style, but if your sending out your team to play ultra reactive , if not negative football with no fluidity or freedom within a very limited and dour tactical framework its going to be a disaster at Man united. His time at Madrid certainly seems to have poisoned his soul as far as his attempts to get one back over Barcelona over his 2008 managerial snubbing is concerned.

I’d like to think that given Real Madrid’s predicament at the moment it may be the most suitable destination. Mourinho will probably find Madrid to be more tactically and ideologically malleable given their lack of a true identity under Zidane. He may just get the best out of Madrid as they need to evolve post Ronaldo and Perez may just give him the time to do so given the unbelievable recent success they had in recen years.

There’s no doubting the monumental achievements over his body of work. But st some point in everyone’s careers the lingering threat of decline and regression looms large. Its going to be fascinating how he responds to this period of underachievement and ignominy. I hope I’m 20 years we don’t reflect on the second half of his career in a similar light to arsene wenger.