JohnN
Senior Member
I have seen plenty of old match highlight reels, but never a full match. Decided to watch the 86 WC match between Argentina and England as it was the defining (and arguably best) match of Maradona's legacy and the main talking point in discussions about goats, boats etc..
These are my observations:
1. The overall level of play was literally, and without any hyperbole, way below current segunda level.
2. The speed of play is marginally comparable to a veteran game of 45 year olds today.
3. The field was atrocious, the ball didn't slide like it does today, and even overpowered passes could be reached due to the ball gradually stopping.
4. Only the player with the ball was properly marked. Closing down of passing lanes was almost non existent, runs behind and even crosses were mostly not covered and overall defending can be summarized in this: "slide tackling and countless mistakes".
5. Argentina were a much better team than England and dominated them the whole game. They were at least a class above in technical ability and speed, English players actually look like shepherds and farmers trying to kick a ball and failing.
6. Everyone tried to make back heel passes as much as they could even if they failed 90% of the time.
How can anyone compare teams and players from that era to modern ones? The game was borderline amateur level. I can only imagine what an actual game looked like in the 60s when Pele ruled, and don't really want to waste a minute of my life watching that shit.
Let the old dudes romanticize about that era and the legendary players it had, but do not be fooled. Every single player of today is way beyond better than any player of those times. Not even worth a comparison. Just compare players against others of their own time.
These are my observations:
1. The overall level of play was literally, and without any hyperbole, way below current segunda level.
2. The speed of play is marginally comparable to a veteran game of 45 year olds today.
3. The field was atrocious, the ball didn't slide like it does today, and even overpowered passes could be reached due to the ball gradually stopping.
4. Only the player with the ball was properly marked. Closing down of passing lanes was almost non existent, runs behind and even crosses were mostly not covered and overall defending can be summarized in this: "slide tackling and countless mistakes".
5. Argentina were a much better team than England and dominated them the whole game. They were at least a class above in technical ability and speed, English players actually look like shepherds and farmers trying to kick a ball and failing.
6. Everyone tried to make back heel passes as much as they could even if they failed 90% of the time.
How can anyone compare teams and players from that era to modern ones? The game was borderline amateur level. I can only imagine what an actual game looked like in the 60s when Pele ruled, and don't really want to waste a minute of my life watching that shit.
Let the old dudes romanticize about that era and the legendary players it had, but do not be fooled. Every single player of today is way beyond better than any player of those times. Not even worth a comparison. Just compare players against others of their own time.
