Who's got the best XI?

[Captain]

It's regularly written as a truth on here that our starting XI is better than that of the mancs. I can't be arsed going through the respective line-ups, but I think this notion is false.

[hamstrung]

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[Section_31]

We have a better spine than them.

Better centre-mids and a better goalie, central defence is probably on a par and Torres and Rooney are pobably roughly in the same bracket, although Torres is a far better finisher.

It's in attacking play though where they are far, far in advance of us.

They have two world-class attacking players though (Scholes and Ronaldo) and probably four or five other top-class ones (Giggs, Tevez, Anderson and Rooney).

We have two world class attackers, one with potential (Babel) and the rest are average at best.

[Malarkey]

Originally Posted by hamstrung

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Beat me to it.

[StevieH]

Reina is a better keeper than Van Der Sar who I believe is their weak link, but they will probably address that position in the summer

I would say Carargher and Agger are the equal of Ferdinand and Vidic as a central defensive partnership.

Steve Finnan and Alvaro Arbeloa are both as good as if not better than Wes Brown.

Patrice Evra is better than any of our options at left back.

Mascherano & Alonso are as good as if not better than Hargreaves, Carrick, Anderson and an aging Scholes, but Alonso needs to recapture his brilliant best of 18 months ago for that to be the case.

Ronaldo, Nani and Giggs are a lot better than any of our wide players and this is clearly where they have the edge over us.

Gerrard is a better player than Rooney while Torres is a different type of striker to Tevez and more prolific.

[cochcaer]

Originally Posted by Section_31

We have a better spine than them.

I wouldn't go as far as better but certainly on a par. I do think we've a team capable of making more of a fight for the title than this season's effort.

[Neil G]

They have, but it's close.

Our first XI has more room for improvement than theirs though, so with the right couple of signings in the summer I think we can match them whoever they sign.

[loadsoftrophies]

Rooney is better than Gerrard in my opinon. (that was for stevieH)

[Rashid]

We have players on their level but they have players in some positions e.g. Left back, Right wing etc that are on a different planet to ours.

[Neil G]

Originally Posted by Section_31

It's in attacking play though where they are far, far in advance of us.

They have two world-class attacking players though (Scholes and Ronaldo) and probably four or five other top-class ones (Giggs, Tevez, Anderson and Rooney).

We have two world class attackers, one with potential (Babel) and the rest are average at best.

I wouldn't have Scholes down as world-class any more, not in an attacking sense. He plays a lot deeper now and doesn't contribute anywhere near as many goals as he used to.

I think Crouch should be counted as a top attacking player as well, but I know you don't rate him that highly. Opinions etc.

[cochcaer]

Originally Posted by loadsoftrophies

Rooney is better than Gerrard in my opinon. (that was for stevieH)

Think he (Rooney) is dreadfully overrated.

[Section_31]

Originally Posted by cochcaer

I wouldn't go as far as better but certainly on a par. I do think we've a team capable of making more of a fight for the title than this season's effort.

Agree with the second half of that.

Said this before but I don't think this manc side's a patch on their late 90s one, not in a million years.

The easiest way of thinking about it is saying, if we could replace any of our players with any of theirs who would we take? Ronaldo for Kuyt, Giggs for Babel (although he'll be top class in years to come) Evra for Risse.

That's all, ask them who they'd take and I guarantee any of them who really know footy would take Gerrard, Alonso, The Chief, Torres and Reina at the expense of Van Der Sar, Carrick, Hargeaves and Tevez.

[StevieH]

Originally Posted by cochcaer

Think he (Rooney) is dreadfully overrated.

Rooney is a very talented player, but like most English players he is immensely over rated.

[hamstrung]

Originally Posted by loadsoftrophies

Rooney is better than Gerrard in my opinon. (that was for stevieH)

You've got to be shitting me.

[ratcatcher]

People need to take the rose tinted glasses off if they think our best 11 is better than theirs. All this motivation stuff is bollocks too.

The honest truthis more of their best 11 would walk into our team than our best 11 would in theirs.

Accept it until we win number 19.

[cochcaer]

Originally Posted by StevieH

Rooney is a very talented player, but like most English players he is immensely over rated.

A flat-track bully, I've few memories of Rooney turning it on in big games. I think it shows most on the international stage where he can be spectacularly anonymous.

[Ged B]

Originally Posted by Section_31

Agree with the second half of that.

Said this before but I don't think this manc side's a patch on their late 90s one, not in a million years.

The easiest way of thinking about it is saying, if we could replace any of our players with any of theirs who would we take? Ronaldo for Kuyt, Giggs for Babel (although he'll be top class in years to come) Evra for Risse.

That's all, ask them who they'd take and I guarantee any of them who really know footy would take Gerrard, Alonso, The Chief, Torres and Reina at the expense of Van Der Sar, Carrick, Hargeaves and Tevez.

Ferdinand, and to a lesser extent Vidic, would get into out team ahead of Carragher based on the last two years IMO.

[Spy Bee]

They've got a winning mentality.

[Section_31]

Originally Posted by Ged B

Ferdinand, and to a lesser extent Vidic, would get into out team ahead of Carragher based on the last two years IMO.

Debatable, I'd rather have Carra, and Agger for that matter.