Top european football from the 2010s first half was better than the 2010s second half

[matbezlima]

Honestly, I feel like football from 2010-2015 was better technically (at least when it comes to the quality level of the top european teams and the semi-finalists in UCL) and more competitive than 2016-2020 football. I prefer the first half of the 2010s instead of the second, the games also hold up so well tactically and technically. With exception of Chelsea, all semi-finalists in 2012 were better than almost any top european team now. The top european teams now don't have less great players, but almost all are struggling collectively to play great football, look at Real, Barcelona and Juve specially.

Teams playing too safe when having the ball now, collective issues, as I said, or just not knowing what to do in the final third, no chemistry. Lack of creativity to penetrate the defenses, lack of mutual understanding between the players. These problems that the stellar squads of Barcelona, Real and Juventus face (they are just a collection of great players that don't play great as team for some reason even despite changes of coaches) make Klopp's Liverpool and Guardiola's City stand out even more in last years. Though it seems that Bayern was finally recovering their best football and playing great again this year after seasons of lukewarm football, but then coronavirus happened...

 

[Andresito]

My theory is that 1980-1989 had a much better batch of players compared to those born 1990-1999.

There are some former talents that simply haven't lived up to the expectations like Pogba, Neymar and Dybala. Some others are Isco, Thiago, Verratti, Coutinho, G?tze. Too much social media hype maybe.

Where are the good CBs that were/are supposed to replace Thiago Silva, Pique, Ramos, Godin, Chiellini, Vidic, Terry, Kompany? VVD, Varane (was supposed to be the next Maldini) sure but who else?

Look at the goalkeepers of those periods. How many of today's top keepers in their primes (Alisson, ter Stegen, Oblak, Courtois) would have a chance against 2010 Buffon, Neuer, Casillas, Cech?

Right backs Maicon, Alves, Lahm vs ..nobody? TAA in the future maybe.

It would probably look the same for most positions.

 

[RevoTeller]

Been saying it for a while: average football quality is today at an all-time low and it is nosediving compared to the 90s and 00s.
The good few players of today football (who are not as good as the previous ones anyway) all play in the same 3-4 super-gigantic teams, as a consequence so many matches have become jokes nowadays.
Or we do really believe that many players today are capable to score 35-40 goals per season because they are much better than the generation before them? LMAO, please.

In Serie A the all-time goal record of Nordahl resisted many decades (like 40, 50 years) to the likes of:

- Maradona
- Zico
- Platini
- Careca
- Van Basten
- Ronaldo de Lima
- Shevchenko
- Eto'o
- Weah
- Ibrahimovic
- Prime Milito
- Del Piero
- R. Baggio
- Totti
- Batistuta
- Rummenigge
- Crespo
- Vieri
- Prime Adriano
- Zola
- Mancini
- Vialli
- Signori

and I could go on and on.
While in the last few seasons, at first Higuain (very good player in his prime, but not better than any single one of that list) destroyed it, while this year Immobile was about to pulverize it.
Really, Immobile (with all due respect).
TF are we talking about? Come on.

And the same is happening everywhere else.
Role by role, football quality today is a joke compared to 10-15+ years ago. And don't let me start on the 80s.

 

[JohnN]

I feel the same way too, but there is a catch.
What if more and more players nowadays are on the same top level, better than respective older players, but that just makes everyone look average, and less players are able to look top class, because more are on a higher level and the game itself has evolved too much physically and tactically, that technical qualities are hard to shine?
Also, there is the getting older factor, that many of us experience, which makes everything in the past look brighter.
I am sure most of us ( I am around 30 and have seen some old games) would get bored by watching 80s games, and would say were of really low level, but a man in his 60s would say football was much better then.

 

[Mitchell1978]

My theory is that 1980-1989 had a much better batch of players compared to those born 1990-1999.

i'm pretty shure thats one of the reasons, and not just in football, also in other sports, tennis (the big 3 all born in the 80s), basketball (Lebron, Durant, Curry, CP3 etc), cycling etc

i think the generation 2000-09 will also be stronger then those born in the 90s

 

[Mitchell1978]

Been saying it for a while: average football quality is today at an all-time low and it is nosediving compared to the 90s and 00s.
The good few players of today football (who are not as good as the previous ones anyway) all play in the same 3-4 super-gigantic teams, as a consequence so many matches have become jokes nowadays.
Or we do really believe that many players today are capable to score 35-40 goals per season because they are much better than the generation before them? LMAO, please.

In Serie A the all-time goal record of Nordahl resisted many decades (like 40, 50 years) to the likes of:

- Maradona
- Zico
- Platini
- Careca
- Van Basten
- Ronaldo de Lima
- Shevchenko
- Eto'o
- Weah
- Ibrahimovic
- Prime Milito
- Del Piero
- R. Baggio
- Totti
- Batistuta
- Rummenigge
- Crespo
- Vieri
- Prime Adriano
- Zola
- Mancini
- Vialli
- Signori

and I could go on and on.
While in the last few seasons, at first Higuain (very good player in his prime, but not better than any single one of that list) destroyed it, while this year Immobile was about to pulverize it.
Really, Immobile (with all due respect).

one of the reason for the serie a goal increase is penalties: Immobile has scored 12 penalties in the serie a (12 of his 27 goals thats 44 % a massive amount), for CR7 its 9 of his 21 goals (43 %)

other leagues don't have nearly that amount of penalties given

 

[raskolnikov]

Been saying it for a while: average football quality is today at an all-time low and it is nosediving compared to the 90s and 00s.
The good few players of today football (who are not as good as the previous ones anyway) all play in the same 3-4 super-gigantic teams, as a consequence so many matches have become jokes nowadays.
Or we do really believe that many players today are capable to score 35-40 goals per season because they are much better than the generation before them? LMAO, please.

In Serie A the all-time goal record of Nordahl resisted many decades (like 40, 50 years) to the likes of:

- Maradona
- Zico
- Platini
- Careca
- Van Basten
- Ronaldo de Lima
- Shevchenko
- Eto'o
- Weah
- Ibrahimovic
- Prime Milito
- Del Piero
- R. Baggio
- Totti
- Batistuta
- Rummenigge
- Crespo
- Vieri
- Prime Adriano
- Zola
- Mancini
- Vialli
- Signori

and I could go on and on.
While in the last few seasons, at first Higuain (very good player in his prime, but not better than any single one of that list) destroyed it, while this year Immobile was about to pulverize it.
Really, Immobile (with all due respect).
TF are we talking about? Come on.

And the same is happening everywhere else.
Role by role, football quality today is a joke compared to 10-15+ years ago. And don't let me start on the 80s.

Good points, the obsession with stats make Cristiano look greater than he is as well. I feel if Batistuta, Henry, Ronaldo or Sheva played for stacked teams with they would have way better numbers as well.
Its a myth that strikers like Zlatan, Aguero, Cavani and Lewa are way better than before.
For someone who has been watching football since 1994 I would say footballs level has been increasing and was at the highest point around late 90's-2012 after which it dropped.
Maybe its nostalgia? I do feel social media and oil money ruined it in a way.