Are we really "the best team in the world" right now?

A marker for this isn't winning the CL, too many variables, just look at the dips/Spurs final. Neither team were anywhere near us that season.

The question is would teams fancy their chances against us or Munich? The answer is given the choice I think they'd rather play the Germans so yeah we are the best team in the land and all the world.

NB we always have been to us personally hence the song, none of us ever thought it would actually happen.
 
Are we the best team in the world? - No.

Do we play the best football in the world? - Maybe.

We have had an amazing 3-4 months, possibly the best period in our history. We've done immensely well to be in the position we are in. However, we're just entering the business end of the season.

We have major demons to face in the Champions League. And we have no idea what the international break will throw up. Dias could catch COVID, KDB could pick up a knock, and everyone on international duty will invariably play, and carry fatigue. Particularly since our play is based on chemistry and telepathic movement. This period where our players will have to synchronize with different players, it can kinda disrupt that familiarity.

Best to stay grounded and take it step by step. We are only as good as our next game.
 
Incredible to say this, but even with all the great players and performances we've had since the takeover, this team, without Kompany, Merlin, Zabba and pretty much Aguero, this is the best football we have played. Great though our players are, the team is still somehow MORE than the sum of its parts.

I hear a lot of comments about "total football" - one of the concepts behind this was that the players could operate anywhere on the pitch. If a full-back makes a lung-busting run up the field, and is out of position, it doesn't matter because the players will rotate and fill the gap and he can operate up top for a while until he naturally returns to his starting position.

Surely this is the closest to the Ajax/Netherlands ideal that football has seen since the 70s? Hell, even Ederson could come into this "any position" lark and I'm pretty sure that even Ajax didn't even manage this!
 
bobbyowenquiff said:
We have to prove it by winning the CL.
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We don’t it’s a cup and the best teams don’t always win cups.Are we the best team in the world, not sure but we are up there and there isn’t another team that would go into a games with us that were clear favourites to beat us in say a best of 3 series. Bayern would probably be the nearest.
 
aguero93:20 said:
No, it's not, but consistently beating the top ranked teams in it and reaching the latter stages is. We haven't done that.
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The thread is about 'now' to be fair.

However, I'd suggest that our record of W3 L3 v Munich in the CL would cover your point though.

The latter stages fall into the CL being no yardstick we've seen refs & VAR have a very big involvement against the dips, Spurs and Monaco as well to a degree.
 
We are one of the best teams fact , but i think bayern are a shade better than us . They had an outstanding season last year , teams are shit scared of playing them , until we actually win the champs league it won't mean SFA .
 
No. We’re romping a league where our strongest competitor is ravaged with key injuries, which is equally why they weren’t the best team in the world last season either. We also just disposed of a depleted Everton in a match that was nothing like an FA Cup QF.
We have marshaled our resources well in a season that has seen domestic football played at comparatively low intensity, but to be the best we’ll need to win the CL. And, to do that we’ll have to surpass Dortmund and then beat PSG or Bayern, both of whom are at least our equals. Get through that and win the final, then we’ll deserve all the plaudits we receive. I think we play the best football, but I fear that we will rue not being sufficiently clinical in the coming months.
 
Silva Is Magic said:
Are we the best team in the world? - No.

Do we play the best football in the world? - Maybe.

We have had an amazing 3-4 months, possibly the best period in our history. We've done immensely well to be in the position we are in. However, we're just entering the business end of the season.

We have major demons to face in the Champions League. And we have no idea what the international break will throw up. Dias could catch COVID, KDB could pick up a knock, and everyone on international duty will invariably play, and carry fatigue. Particularly since our play is based on chemistry and telepathic movement. This period where our players will have to synchronize with different players, it can kinda disrupt that familiarity.

Best to stay grounded and take it step by step. We are only as good as our next game.
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Well we're the best side in the best league in the world. No question.

I don't regard the CL as a test of the best side because it's a Cup that rests on one-off games
 
Agree we need to win the CL before we can claim to be, but at the same time winning the CL doesn’t make you the best team in the world (or in Europe) (or even in your own country), as it’s a cup competition at the end of the day.

I mean lads, Spuds got to the final a couple of seasons ago. The refereeing ‘mistakes’ at the Etihad can’t be ironed out over the course of the season as they are in a 38 match league season.

I think if you win a top national league (Spain, Germany I suppose, and the prem) AND the CL in the same season, you can rightfully claim to be the world’s best.
 
Our brilliant consistent form over the last 4 months certainly merits this debate. However, looking at it from a neutral point of view I think we need to win the CL in order to be rightly claimed the best team in Europe/World
 
It's between us and Bayern.

Also, even if we were to win the CL, we'd get no credit for it. It'd be "well you should have won it with all the money you've spent" or "you need to win it twice"

We certainly play the most attractive football, that's for sure.
 
blueparrot said:
We don’t it’s a cup and the best teams don’t always win cups.Are we the best team in the world, not sure but we are up there and there isn’t another team that would go into a games with us that were clear favourites to beat us in say a best of 3 series. Bayern would probably be the nearest.
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The best teams play in the CL. Like it or not it is the most prestigious trophy globally and we have to win it to secure our proper place in history. You could make the same argument about the World Cup. It's not always the best team that wins it but no one cares about the runners-up (not even Holland with Cruyff) We have to get this monkey off our back.
 
bobbyowenquiff said:
The best teams play in the CL. Like it or not it is the most prestigious trophy globally and we have to win it to secure our proper place in history. You could make the same argument about the World Cup. It's not always the best team that wins it but no one cares about the runners-up (not even Holland with Cruyff) We have to get this monkey off our back.
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I would make the same argument about the world cup, and the Euros. The best teams don't always win it. Thake Chelsea the team that won it was nowhere near even the best Chelsea team.
 
bobbyowenquiff said:
The best teams play in the CL. Like it or not it is the most prestigious trophy globally and we have to win it to secure our proper place in history. You could make the same argument about the World Cup. It's not always the best team that wins it but no one cares about the runners-up (not even Holland with Cruyff) We have to get this monkey off our back.
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It's not always the best team that wins it.

We would like to win it but if we don't that doesn't veto our claim to be the best in Europe...providing we win the UK domestic trophies
 
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