Best ever Premier League side? Soccer Saturday pundits have their say on Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City
Following Liverpool's shock Premier League defeat at Watford, Arsenal kept the record as the only side to go unbeaten in a Premier League season.
Talk had previously been about Liverpool surpassing Man City's 2017/18 Centurions' points tally and where they would rank in terms of the best ever Premier League sides.
While their defeat takes the shine off their achievements - for now - Jurgen Klopp's side remain 22 points clear at the top in mid-march, an achievement that will undoubtedly be remembered for years to come.
We asked Soccer Saturday pundits Phil Thompson, Charlie Nicholas and Matt Le Tissier for their thoughts on the best ever side since the league's inception in 1992...
Let us know which side you think is the best ever by tweeting us @SportingLifeFC or voting in the poll at the bottom of this article.
Phil Thompson
- Verdict on current Liverpool, Man United's 98/99 treble winners, Man City’s 17/18 Centurions and Arsenal's 03/04 Invincibles?
I think the thing with all these sides is that they can find a way of winning games when not playing well. Do not think for one minute that the Invincibles were playing great football week in, week out. They drew 12 games, but drawing 12 games still takes a lot of concentration and a lot of work not to be beaten.
Manchester United only got 79 points when they won the Premier League in their treble-winning season, so it was not a great figure, but they made sure they were better than the rest. They all found ways at crucial times to win football matches. It is exactly the same as what Liverpool have done, so they are all quite similar in that way.
As fans of each of these clubs, our minds get clouded with the fact that they have won the title, so that makes them great on a weekly basis.
You look back at individual games and sometimes you have to dig in at points. You look at the Manchester City side when they got 100 points. That was quite astonishing. Other clubs are trying to emulate that now.
To get 100 points was phenomenal, and that was near the depths of perfection with the points they accumulated. They did not get 100 points by being fantastic week in, week out - they had to be win ugly sometimes.
If I had to pick one, at this time, although Liverpool may eclipse this, Manchester City would be the best of the four teams.
If Liverpool can beat them, that would be number one, but I am sticking with City on this one.
Charlie Nicholas
- On...current Liverpool
The best thing about this Liverpool side is their variety. Their variety of play is second-to-none. The full-backs have been a bigger threat than ever, composed and diagonal passing from the back adds to this, with the three up front making the whole process breathtakingly good.
It has not been sparkling football in the past few weeks, but I love Roberto Firmino and his style. Kenny Dalglish was a 10 before the 10 was introduced as the position we know it as. I have always loved these type of players, and I am a massive fan of Firmino.
- On...the Invincibles, treble winners and Centurions - and the verdict
I am biased because of the Arsenal Invincibles. They were the best team I have ever watched at times, but in the last 12 games they looked as though they were going for draws, as they were trying to get the feat. This Premier League is much tougher than what it was when Arsenal won it. The best footballing teams were Arsenal, and Manchester City’s centurions. I find it hard to separate them.
I have no embarrassment about being biased. The Invincibles tag stays for me and wins it. It feels as though there is a crash at Liverpool as they have lost one game, but I am edging towards City and Arsenal.
Man Utd had balance and desire, as well as a never-say-die attitude. Did they get lucky against Bayern Munich? They did, but that was what they had under Sir Alex Ferguson. It was not the silkiest team.
It was a personal style of mine. I followed United that year - they were amazing to watch. To win a final without Paul Scholes and Roy Keane was phenomenal. Two of their best players were out and they got over the line. They were exciting and eye-catching, which is why Arsenal and City are hard to separate.
I am not trying to find a way out of this! United would be third. They were balanced defensively.
Denis Irwin was another favourite of mine in terms of consistency. David Beckham and Ryan Giggs were beyond successful. That team was after Eric Cantona. Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham would partner each other, and then you would have Dwight Yorke and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to throw into the mix and rotate too - it was just dramatic.
The current Liverpool team would be fourth. I am sorry Thommo! The reason I put them fourth is because the midfield is the most average of all the other four.
They are neat and tidy, while Jordan Henderson is having his best season to date. Fabinho is a top footballer, but I would not say he is world class just yet. Georginio Wijnaldum is steady away.
Does the front three work? Yes. They are phenomenal but not the best ever. The full-backs have given them what they need, with speed and accuracy with what they deliver.
For me, it has to be the Arsenal Invincibles. City are better to watch, but Arsenal had balance and physicality, speed and height. The individual reason would be that the Invincibles were the first team I had truly seen where if the opposition had a corner, it would still spell danger. Arsenal did it against Tottenham and against other sides.
Within 15 seconds, Arsenal had scored. It was a team that were structured to play that way and were meant to do it by Arsene Wenger. Those type of things were game changers for me. I had never seen anything like it.
Pundit predictions: Top-five race
Soccer Saturday pundits Charlie Nicholas, Matt Le Tissier and Phil Thompson have their say on the race to finish in the Premier League top five.
Matt Le Tissier
- On...the current Liverpool side
I think the best thing about this team is their mentality. They have won a lot of games by just a single goal, but to have the ability to win those games even when they have not been playing brilliant, is outstanding.
The front three have been exceptional for the last two or three years. They are a very good team to watch, so the strong point Is their mentality and organisation, as well as the front three that have made the real difference.
- On...Arsenal’s Invincibles
That was a pretty special season. In terms of mentality, again what they did was sublime. Going the whole season without getting beaten shows incredible spirit and unity. Arsene Wenger at the time was was at the top of his game.
They may have got lucky - everybody talks about the penalty against Portsmouth that kept the run going, but you need luck at times so who can begrudge them of that, as it was a fantastic achievement.
- On...Man City’s Centurions
It was an unreal football team. I spoke about Liverpool winning games by a goal on many occasions. I cannot remember how many games Manchester City won so comfortably, while playing stunning football at times.
They were very difficult to live with and reached a century of points by scoring in the last minute, against Southampton!
You cannot knock a team who are that good by getting to 100 points, they deserved it.
- On...Man Utd’s treble winners
They were the only team I played against out of the four. They were relentless in their pursuit of goals.
Like all great teams, they had a never-say-die attitude, right up to the Champions League final, and even in the semi-final of the FA Cup against Arsenal too, so it was a team full of wonderful footballers, while they had such great options.
They had four of the best strikers in the league at the time, and they rotated them superbly. They had a fantastic midfield too. There were no weaknesses in the side that won the treble.
- The verdict…
It is hard. They are all classy football teams. It does depend on the criteria.
For me, the way I like to judge things is if you were asking which team was the best to watch, and for which team I would pay the most amount of money to go and watch, as I have always believed football to be an entertainment industry, where the players must put on a show.
City's Centurions would just about get the nod. They are the most entertaining out of the teams.
They were a carefree attacking team - even when they went two or three goals up they wanted five or six.
As a spectator it is breathtakingly exciting, knowing they want more and they are not going to try to see the game out once they go two or three to the good and in my opinion, that is what football is all about!
HAVE YOUR SAY
Pundit predictions: Top-five race
Soccer Saturday pundits Charlie Nicholas, Matt Le Tissier and Phil Thompson have their say on the race to finish in the Premier League top five.
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