Van Basten on Sacchi Milan vs. current Barca

by gnrfan Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:53 pm

Asked how the Milan team he played in under Arrigo Sacchi would have compared with Guardiola’s Barcelona, van Basten said: “This Barca squad has much more quality than we did. We had good individuals, but we were not a team like Guardiola’s, and we played more physical football. The current Barcelona team is all technique and intelligence and they know how to play with and without the ball.”

Thoughts?

by jibers Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:25 pm

The biggest thing about the two teams is the offside rule. Under today's conditions barca would beat Milan. Barest would struggle to adapt. They would struggle to stop those diagonal balls to the inside forwards.

by Lord Spencer Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:31 pm

different eras have different rules. If either team faces the other at its era's rules it will win.

Although I wonder if the defensive strength of the Milan back four would edge them. Hell, if this Milan team which is the worst Milan team in the last 10 years (apart from 2008-2009 which were shadows of a team) can draw Barca anything can happen. But as jibers said, the change in rules would make the game unplayable.

by Doc Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:33 pm

Also, the refereeing was way different so that should be taken into consideration when talking about the physicality of the Milan side of that time and the result...

by alexjanosik Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:40 pm

Lord Spencer wrote:different eras have different rules. If either team faces the other at its era's rules it will win.

Although I wonder if the defensive strength of the Milan back four would edge them. Hell, if this Milan team which is the worst Milan team in the last 10 years (apart from 2008-2009 which were shadows of a team) can draw Barca anything can happen. But as jibers said, the change in rules would make the game unplayable.

Taking one isolated result and then trying to predict is not exactly correct.

by Lord Spencer Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:47 pm

alexjanosik wrote:
Lord Spencer wrote:different eras have different rules. If either team faces the other at its era's rules it will win.

Although I wonder if the defensive strength of the Milan back four would edge them. Hell, if this Milan team which is the worst Milan team in the last 10 years (apart from 2008-2009 which were shadows of a team) can draw Barca anything can happen. But as jibers said, the change in rules would make the game unplayable.

Taking one isolated result and then trying to predict is not exactly correct.

I am just saying anything can happen, since I believe this Milan team to be really weak and hence drawing is such an unpredictable result. The basic theory that anything can happen in football.

The comparison itself is unplayable. This Barca team would be better compared to the 2003-2007 Milan team than any of the teams of the late 1980's and early 1990's.

by RealGunner Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:55 pm

gnrfan wrote:Asked how the Milan team he played in under Arrigo Sacchi would have compared with Guardiola’s Barcelona, van Basten said: “This Barca squad has much more quality than we did. We had good individuals, but we were not a team like Guardiola’s, and we played more physical football. The current Barcelona team is all technique and intelligence and they know how to play with and without the ball.”

Thoughts?

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