The Top 10 Breathtaking Players Who ‘Defined’ The Premier League

We have seen some of the best players in the world applying their trade over the last 20 years in the Premier League and here are my top 10 breathtaking players to grace these shores.

Peter Schmeichel: I’m going to start in a bit of a different direction, and have a goalkeeper in the list. Schmeichel is one of the best keepers the world has ever seen, pulling off saves most keepers wouldn’t dream of making, while scoring the odd goal at the other end. In his eight years at Old Trafford he won the Premier League five times, three FA Cups, one League Cup and the Champions League in 1999 and he played a key part in all of these successes. The save that sticks out in my mind is the penalty save in the FA cup semi final replay in 1999 against Dennis Bergkamp in the final minutes of the game to take it into extra time. The great Dane still holds the record for clean sheets to game ratio, with a clean sheet every 2.38 games and was elected into the English football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Ryan Giggs: The Welshman has played in every season of the Premier League, and is the only person to score in each. Giggs made his debut for United in 1991 in the old division one, and has terrified full backs for nearly two decades down the left, with his blistering pace and dazzling skills. He has become the most decorated player in English football, winning the league an astonishing 12 times. Even though his role has changed over recent seasons he still plays an integral role at Old Trafford. The goal that I can still see in my mind comes in the same game as Schmeichel’s save. He picked the ball up on the half way line took on a number of Arsenal defenders then blasted it past David Seaman into the roof of the net.

Gianfranco Zola: The little maestro has to be on of the most professional footballers this country has seen. With his tricks and flicks defenders had trouble getting on top of the Italian, but he could also score some spectacular goals setting Stamford Bridge alive. He spent seven years at Chelsea, and has been voted the club’s greatest player, receiving 60% of the votes on Chelsea’s official website.

David Ginola: The Frenchman is one of the most technically gifted players there has been, taking on players at will. He was at his best on Tyneside , he could not only take players on but score with both feet, which isn’t a certainty, even with the best players in the world.   He wasn’t just a tricky winger, he had the build to look after himself, in a very physical league.

Dennis Bergkamp: He has already been mentioned for missing a penalty, but his first touch was out of this world. He could bring any ball under his command and with his vision was a real master around the 18 yard box. He seemed to have more time on the ball than those around him, while having a real eye for goal, scoring some tremendous goals from all angles, one of the best coming against Newcastle. With his back to goal he flicked it over his shoulder and around the back of  Nicos Dabizas before slotting it home in one movement.

Thierry Henry: He arrived at Highbury as a winger but Arsene Wenger quickly transformed him into one of the most feared strikers the English game has seen. He could glide past defenders at will, with sheer pace and real skill, defenders didn’t stand a chance and he seemed able to find the back of the net from most parts of the pitch, with all kinds of shots. He became a club legend at Highbury, being part of the Invincibles scoring a total of 228 goals for Arsenal.

Christiano Ronaldo: He arrived at Old Trafford at the age of 18 and set the place on fire at once. From the very start fans could see he had incredible skill, but what came next was staggering. The amount of goals that the Portuguese scored  is really impressive and in the 2007/2008 season he scored 42 goals in all competitions. In 2008 he became the first United player since George Best in 1968 to win the Ballon d’Or and in January 2009 was United’s first player to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award. He is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball there has been, with a killer free kick. His credentials were shown when he became the world’s most expensive player moving to Real Madrid for £80 million.

Eric Cantona: He could have been put in a list of the most arrogant players to play in the Premier League with his trademark celebration arms aloft centre stage, but he had the skill and quality to back it up. He was a genius on the pitch, lifting the game with his presence while bringing others into the game. He played a central role in Manchester United transforming into a championship winning side, claiming the league title three times in his four and a half seasons at Old Trafford. There were his downsides, leading to him being banned for eight months but on his return he helped his side over turn Newcastle to win the 1995/1996 league.

Paolo Di Canio: Nothing was impossible for the eccentric Italian and he would try nearly anything, which was shown with his scissor kick volley against Wimbledon. He to was highly strung like Cantona and you weren’t quite sure what was going to happen next with him, but you can’t deny that he was an incredible talent, with incredible skill.

Matt Le Tissier: The one club man spent his whole career at his boyhood team Southampton, despite offers from “bigger clubs” and gained the nickname Le God by the fans at The Dell. Between January 1994 and May 1995 he scored an impressive 45 goals in 64 games and won the Match Of The Day Goal of the Season award for his 40 yard lob against friend and Blackburn keeper Tim Flowers. He became the first midfielder to score 100 goals in the Premier League and is well known for his penalty record, converting 47 out of 48. Barcalona’s Xavi can be quoted of saying: “His talent was simply out of the norm. He could simply dribble past seven or eight players but without speed-he just walked past them. For me he was sensational.”

There are a few that didn’t make the list that are in the Premier League still like David Silva, Santi Cazorla and Robin Van Persie but I think you need to make a real mark on the league over a number of years, but they have real potential and may have made the list on another day.

There are also players from the past that came very close with the likes of David Beckham, Alan Shearer  and Michael Owen being a few.

http://threeandin.com/2012/12/09/the-top-10-breathtaking-players-who-defined-the-premier-league/

Man Utd Is The Glaringly Obvious Destination For £30M Man

Clubs around Europe were put on high alert, after Borussia Dortmund’s biggest secret was made public.

The Dail Mail reports that Mario Gotze has a £30 million buy out clause in his contract which needs to activated by April next year.

The 20 year old who has shone in the Champions League this season, has a host of big clubs keeping an eye on him, two of them being Arsenal and Manchester United according to the Daily Mail.

Gotze is one of the brightest up and coming stars in the world and has become a household name all over the globe, with his 20 caps for Germany and appearances for Dortmund.

At the age of 20 the German international has a huge pedigree, helping Dortmund win back to back titles and signed a new contract to stay with the Bundesliga champions until 2016.

Arsenal have been tracking the play-maker for some time and its not surprising. He has all the flicks and tricks that a player (and fans) would want but also has an eye for goal, without forgetting his teammates; setting up five goals in 14 starts for Dortmund, while bagging five for himself. He would fit perfectly alongside Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla at the Emirates, but with the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid pursuing, do Arsenal still have that attraction?

Sir Alex Ferguson will see Gotze as the closest thing to Cristiano Ronaldo available, with the touch, vision and counter attacking threat he posses and we know United are willing to pay the £30 million that would be needed to gain the German, which in the past years Arsenal have not.

The £30 million price tag on his head sounds a lot for a 20 year old who has never experienced English football but in the current climate it seems feasible, especially with the money that has been bouncing around for young players in the premier league in the last couple of transfer windows.

With the likes of Jordan Henderson £16 million, Stewart Downing £20 million and Andy Carroll £35 million, the hottest prospect on the continent is defiantly worth £30 million.

If he is to come to England the club that his club of choice is surely Manchester United. If he wants to add to his trophy cabinet and develop as a player, Manchester United has to be shining bright in front of Arsenal , as it’s the Old Trafford outfit pushing for titles and silverware.

It’s a sad state of  affairs for English football to have to say it will be a backwards step for the German to move to North London from his present employers. Dortmund are currently third in the league and top of the toughest group in the champions league, consisting of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Ajax, putting in some memorable performances against the elite of world football.

If the choice is England for the young German the destination has to be Old Trafford.

http://threeandin.com/2012/11/30/man-utd-is-the-glaringly-obvious-destination-for-30m-man/

The Jury still out on Zaha

Sir Alex Ferguson is lining up a move to capture Crystal Palace winger Wilfred Zaha in January.

Despite a number of clubs chasing the signature of the 20 year old, Manchester United are reported to be willing to do ‘what it takes’ to get Zaha at Old Trafford, which could mean splashing out £20 million, according to the Daily Mail.

The other two clubs that are rumored to be interested are North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham, which could be an added attraction as London has been his home since the age of four after moving from Ivory Coast.

Zaha was recommended to Ferguson by his son and Peterborough manager Darren after the newly capped England international made such an impression in Palace’s 2-1 win over Posh.

Ferguson is hoping, if he claims the signature of Zaha, he will play in a similar fashion to that of Cristiano Ronaldo and we all know the impact he made on the premier league.

Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez, must be licking their lips at the prospect of Zaha pulling on the United shirt, with pace, skill and  vision down either wing they will be looking for goals. Obviously Ronaldo’s level will be hard to reach for Zaha, but with Nani in contractual dispute, he could be the ideal player for United. You only have to look at the impact Raheem Stirling has made at Liverpool this season, pace and raw talent, with a mature head is very influential at the top level.

It is no surprise that Sir Alex has an invested interest in the tricky winger. Since selling Ronaldo in 2009 to Real Madrid, United have bought Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia, whilst already possessing the services of Nani, who are all fast skillful wingers and Zaha fits that pedigree well.

The United manager knows what kind of damage the youngster can do against top class players first hand, as Zaha played an integral role in Palace’s shock win over United in the league Cup quarter final last season.

The only question left to answer is whether  Zaha can live up to the hype and pressure of playing for one of the biggest clubs in world football, but the 2o year old went a long way in answering that, with his brief England appearance against Sweden.

The only thing left for Ferguson to do is meet Zaha and Palace’s demands. Which could, in the circumstances with the predicted frenzy of interest, be quite high.

Read more; http://www.footballtransfertavern.com/2012/11/premiership/the-jury-still-out-on-zaha