At their Absolute Peak for a Must Win Game, who you Got?

[Suiteness]

So a simple game to have some friendly banter going. Name two players who play (or played) relatively the same position, and the next poster will briefly explain his choice of the two that would give him the best chance of winning the match and then suggest another duel. Other posters can obviously chime in on proposed matchups, but similarly to the trivia thread, the first to answer should propose the next matchup.

This is not about who had the better or longer career, we’re talking about two players at the absolute peak of their abilities to win a single game.

Only rules would be to select players from the same era, within reason, just to avoid some silliness like Pélé vs Messi or what have you. Also, the positions of the players should be similar, Peter Cech versus Totti, for example, would just be dumb.

I’ll start, at their absolute peak for a must win game, who you got, Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard?

Click to read more...

 

[ecemleafs]

Lampard, because he's not the manager of rangers.

Rivaldo or Kaka?

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

delete

 

[Evilo]

Lampard, because he's not the manager of rangers.

Rivaldo or Kaka?

Kaka.
Rivaldo was a fantastic player but he never took a whole offense on his back like Kaka IMO.

Baresi or Maldini?

 

[Havre]

Kaka.
Rivaldo was a fantastic player but he never took a whole offense on his back like Kaka IMO.

Baresi or Maldini?

That one is interesting. Feels like Baresi is a bit underrated (or maybe better forgotten) these days?

I would have to pick Baresi. Obviously Maldini was among the best ever himself, but I can't help thinking Baresi would have been bigger outside of Italy if he have had Maldini´s looks. Should be said that I clearly didn't watch a lot of Milan games in the 80s so if we got some "old" Italians on here they might very well tell me I´m wrong.

The others are easier for me. Gerrard could dominate a game Lampard never could. At his peak I would say that is quite easy. Lampard was ridiculously consistent, but never had the peak level Gerrard had. Kaka is also quite easy. He was an absolute force for 90 mins a way Rivaldo never was.

Luis Suarez or Ibrahimovic?

 

[The Abusement Park]

That one is interesting. Feels like Baresi is a bit underrated (or maybe better forgotten) these days?

I would have to pick Baresi. Obviously Maldini was among the best ever himself, but I can't help thinking Baresi would have been bigger outside of Italy if he have had Maldini´s looks. Should be said that I clearly didn't watch a lot of Milan games in the 80s so if we got some "old" Italians on here they might very well tell me I´m wrong.

The others are easier for me. Gerrard could dominate a game Lampard never could. At his peak I would say that is quite easy. Lampard was ridiculously consistent, but never had the peak level Gerrard had. Kaka is also quite easy. He was an absolute force for 90 mins a way Rivaldo never was.

Luis Suarez or Ibrahimovic?

That’s a tough one. I think I lean Suarez here, his peak was special.

Bastian Schweinsteiger or Michael Ballack?

 

[Suiteness]

That’s a tough one. I think I lean Suarez here, his peak was special.

Bastian Schweinsteiger or Michael Ballack?

Ballack was the more dominant player, he had more game breaking ability than Bastian. He was just unfortunate to come around during the worst era of German football in awhile.

Totti or Del Piero?

 

[Evilo]

Del Piero no doubt.
At his peak he was head and shoulders above Totti.

Campos or Chilavert?

 

[Eye of Ra]

Chilavert no doubt. I will never forget how he stood on his head against France in wc 1998...

Van Nistelrooy or Van Persie?

 

[The Abusement Park]

Chilavert no doubt. I will never forget how he stood on his head against France in wc 1998...

Van Nistelrooy or Van Persie?

Van Persie for me.

Carlos Tevez or Gonzalo Higuain?

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Van Persie for me.

Carlos Tevez or Gonzalo Higuain?

Tevez

cesc or iniesta

 

[Mitch nylander]

Van Persie for me.

Carlos Tevez or Gonzalo Higuain?

Tevez for me, I think his peak was better. I also can't forgive Higuain for his play with Argentina.

Salah vs Hazard

 

[The Abusement Park]

Tevez

cesc or iniesta

I mean come on... lol

Berbatov or Mario Gomez?

 

[Suiteness]

Tevez for me, I think his peak was better. I also can't forgive Higuain for his play with Argentina.

Salah vs Hazard

If I can only have one for a big game coming up, I believe Hazard gives me a better shot at winning it. He's more of a match winner than Salah to me.

Vieira or Yaya Touré?

 

[Mitch nylander]

If I can only have one for a big game coming up, I believe Hazard gives me a better shot at winning it. He's more of a match winner than Salah to me.

Vieira or Yaya Touré?

Give me Vieira. He was insane defensively at his peak.

Wayne Rooney or Sergio Aguero

 

[AB13]

Give me Vieira. He was insane defensively at his peak.

Wayne Rooney or Sergio Aguero

Rooney was a much better playmaker and all round player. Better to watch as well. Slightly worse goalscorer but not by much.

Zlatan or Lewandowski?

 

[Mitch nylander]

Rooney was a much better playmaker and all round player. Better to watch as well. Slightly worse goalscorer but not by much.

Zlatan or Lewandowski?

Might upset some people with this one, and it may be recency bias. But lewandowski for me. He has achieved more and I'd feel more comfortable with him finishing in a big setting.

Robben or Ribery

 

[ecemleafs]

I mean come on... lol

Berbatov or Mario Gomez?

the count. could dominate a game with a cigarette in his mouth.

Donovan or Dempsey?

 

[Juve]

That one is interesting. Feels like Baresi is a bit underrated (or maybe better forgotten) these days?

I would have to pick Baresi. Obviously Maldini was among the best ever himself, but I can't help thinking Baresi would have been bigger outside of Italy if he have had Maldini´s looks. Should be said that I clearly didn't watch a lot of Milan games in the 80s so if we got some "old" Italians on here they might very well tell me I´m wrong.

The others are easier for me. Gerrard could dominate a game Lampard never could. At his peak I would say that is quite easy. Lampard was ridiculously consistent, but never had the peak level Gerrard had. Kaka is also quite easy. He was an absolute force for 90 mins a way Rivaldo never was.

Luis Suarez or Ibrahimovic?

I only got to see Maldini near his retirement years. My coworker told me he felt Baresi was the better player.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Tevez for me, I think his peak was better. I also can't forgive Higuain for his play with Argentina.

Salah vs Hazard

Hazard very comfortably for me - very few players could take over a game like that.

Rooney was a much better playmaker and all round player. Better to watch as well. Slightly worse goalscorer but not by much.

Zlatan or Lewandowski?

Lewandowski's ruthless efficiency takes this for me.

Might upset some people with this one, and it may be recency bias. But lewandowski for me. He has achieved more.

Robben or Ribery

This is tough, especially because Robben had a well deserved reputation for bottling in big games until later in his career. But his 2014 WC is, for my money, the best that either of them ever were.

the count. could dominate a game with a cigarette in his mouth.

Donovan or Dempsey?

Dempsey easily.

Santi Cazorla or Tomas Rocisky

 

[Eye of Ra]

that was a hard one. gotta go with cazorla then, he was not as much injured as rosicky was.

Jan Koller or Peter Crouch

 

[S E P H]

that was a hard one. gotta go with cazorla then, he was not as much injured as rosicky was.

Jan Koller or Peter Crouch

Koller easily, achieved so much more on the European spectrum than Crouch who was stuck at Stoke during his prime and wasn't necessarily their best player during that time frame as well.

Nicolas Anelka or Abou Diaby (In their primes and without injury history being taken into account please)????

 

[Havre]

I guess people can answer in whatever way they want of course, but seems like many aren't answering the question - one game for a player in their absolute peak.

It doesn't really matter then does it if a player has been injured a lot etc.?

 

[Juve]

Here's a good one.

Balotelli or Cassano

 

[The Abusement Park]

Here's a good one.

Balotelli or Cassano

Oooh that is a good one. I might go Balotelli but could be persuaded either way.