Alessandro Nesta, how good was he?

Lord SInister said:
I on the contrary think some United fans overrate him. Rio was bloody talented but I will take Vidic 2010/11 over him anyday.
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Rio was the second best CB in EPL history and the best CB England had in the past 30 years. He was the perfect modern CB. He was fast, he was blessed with a rare technic, he was a good leader, he was great in defending and his ball possession was top notch. As said he was a typical modern CB who showed that you don't need to tackle hard or physically bully your opponent to win the ball. When United bought him our defence was an utter mess devoid of any WC players. Blanc, May and Johnsen were former players in all but name, Wes was half decent but he always injured and Serie A reject Silvestre was basically a LB moved as CB. Prior to signing him we ended up 3rd, 10 points away from the champions. That might sound normal today but at the time it was tragic .Rio immediately elevated that defence on his own. We won the league title thanks to him and once he got suspended the defence went to the shitters again.

Vidic was the EPL traditional type of CB. His partnership with Rio created the best defence in EPL history. However one need to be very careful here. Vidic was one of the final pieces of an already top notch defence. He was nowhere near as the complete package as Rio was. I very much doubt that Vidic could walk in our defence back in 2002 and turn it around as Rio did.

Its a shame that the likes of Rio, Carrick, Hoddle and Scholes aren't as rated in the EPL as they would have been if they played elsewhere. If Rio was Italian then he would be rated at least as good as Nesta.
 
11101 said:
Rio was brilliant, he was the perfect pairing for Vidic, but Nesta was both of them rolled into one.
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I disagree. Nesta was world class. However he was always surrounded by excellent players. He also benefits of what I call the injury bias ie the player gets hyped the more time he spent on the treatment room. We've seen that at a greater degree with the likes of the twins, Wes and co. Rio elevated our defence at a time when it was in shambles.
 
GioF said:
Taking my bias of Italy and United into account because I’d be a liar if I didn’t.
I’d rank my top CB’s that iv witnessed as:

Cannavaro
Nesta
Rio
Stam
Vidic
Bonnuci
Chiellini

Maldini was unbelievable at both CB and LB but for me was the best LB Iv ever seen and I’d have him a hair in front of Irwin. R.Carlos, Evra, Cole etc just a notch below those two.
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At their peak i'd rank them as:

Nesta
Stam
Cannavaro
Rio
Vidic
Chiellini
Bonucci

What a list though.
 
Cannavaro is highly overrated it seems from this thread. Fantastic CB for sure but not an all time great. Rio, Vidic, Stam, Maldini, Nesta and Sol Campbell probably the best I've watched play, although Godin, Puyol, Terry and Cannavaro are very close to this list as well. Paul McGrath would be in with a shout but I only remember him on crutches at Villa so can't call it!
 
TwoSheds said:
Cannavaro is highly overrated it seems from this thread. Fantastic CB for sure but not an all time great. Rio, Vidic, Stam, Maldini, Nesta and Sol Campbell probably the best I've watched play, although Godin, Puyol, Terry and Cannavaro are very close to this list as well. Paul McGrath would be in with a shout but I only remember him on crutches at Villa so can't call it!
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The world cup run where he was immense gives him a boost but rightly so imo cause he was incredible. He also had the kind of heart you rarely see in an undersized CB (like puyol) which just makes you admire him more cause he wasn't blessed with the height of most all time great cbs.
 
Yes, I think better than Rio.

him and cannavaro were immense together.

you would struggle to find a better back 4 anywhere than
Zambrotta-nesta-cannavaro-maldini

IMO
 
Desert Eagle said:
The world cup run where he was immense gives him a boost but rightly so imo cause he was incredible. He also had the kind of heart you rarely see in an undersized CB (like puyol) which just makes you admire him more cause he wasn't blessed with the height of most all time great cbs.
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He was blessed with ridiculous reactions and jumping ability though
 
TwoSheds said:
Cannavaro is highly overrated it seems from this thread. Fantastic CB for sure but not an all time great. Rio, Vidic, Stam, Maldini, Nesta and Sol Campbell probably the best I've watched play, although Godin, Puyol, Terry and Cannavaro are very close to this list as well. Paul McGrath would be in with a shout but I only remember him on crutches at Villa so can't call it!
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Couldn’t disagree more. Cannavaro was world class in my opinion. Let’s be real here….to be described as world class you need to do it on the biggest stage. Cannavaro did that.
 
Desert Eagle said:
The world cup run where he was immense gives him a boost but rightly so imo cause he was incredible. He also had the kind of heart you rarely see in an undersized CB (like puyol) which just makes you admire him more cause he wasn't blessed with the height of most all time great cbs.
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Yeah, great to watch. I loved watching Ayala too. Nothing more fun than a small but dominant centre back using intelligence and aggression to make up for lack of stature.
 
GioF said:
Couldn’t disagree more. Cannavaro was world class in my opinion. Let’s be real here….to be described as world class you need to do it on the biggest stage. Cannavaro did that.
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Yeah world class but not an all time great, I agree.
 
One of the best CBs of his generation alongside Rio and others.

Fergie went to watch him play personally for lazio and Nesta had an absolute stinker of a game. Must have known fergie was in the stands. Fergie ended up buying Rio (a great decision).
 
giorno said:
He was blessed with ridiculous reactions and jumping ability though
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Watching the Del Piero goal against Germany and seeing Cannavaro win the two headers to get the ball back is just a thing of beauty.
 
They've produced so many incredible defenders it's almost impossible to pick the best out of the lot but Nesta has to be in the conversation when it comes to the actual best.

So silky on the ball and read the game so well.
 
Costacurta deserves a mention as well, he is being overlooked but he was a brilliant defender.
 
Baresi, Scirea, Nesta, Cannavaro, Vierchowood, Ferri, Burgnich, Maldini...these are best off the top of my head. I mean, not just great but historically great

I'm forgetting a few
 
Nesta and Rio are my two favorite CBs. Nesta in particular had such an elegance to the way he defended.

Defenders like Nesta, Rio, Maldini were all excellent defenders that could play the ball out, without compromising defensive ability. These days you get some CBs who are great on the ball and positionally inept. In my book Nesta is in the top tier of defenders.
 
giorno said:
Baresi, Scirea, Nesta, Cannavaro, Vierchowood, Ferri, Burgnich, Maldini...these are best off the top of my head. I mean, not just great but historically great

I'm forgetting a few
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You can add Rosato, Ferrara, Bergomi, Gentile, Picchi, and Costacurta.
 
How good was Samuel?

Thought he'd have been a great addition circa 99-00 to partner with Stam considering Brown, Johnsen, et al were either crocked or prone to gaffs.
 
daveskimufc said:
Yes, I think better than Rio.

him and cannavaro were immense together.

you would struggle to find a better back 4 anywhere than
Zambrotta-nesta-cannavaro-maldini

IMO
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No Baresi?

The late 80s AC Milan defence of Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta, Mauro Tassotti was pretty good (though Nesta improves it).

And France late 90s, Germany 70s (both WC winners)
 
Lord SInister said:
Cannavaro wasn't even as good as Thuram, let alone Nesta. Cannavaro's legacy is changed and reputation is changed due to that world cup where he was flawless during the knockouts.
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Although Thuram was superb for a decade, Cannavaro was by far the better defender for Juve 04-06 and topped it with his World Cup performance.
 
TwoSheds said:
Cannavaro is highly overrated it seems from this thread. Fantastic CB for sure but not an all time great. Rio, Vidic, Stam, Maldini, Nesta and Sol Campbell probably the best I've watched play, although Godin, Puyol, Terry and Cannavaro are very close to this list as well. Paul McGrath would be in with a shout but I only remember him on crutches at Villa so can't call it!
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I disagree on Cannavaro, think people under rate him from his tough time in Madrid and forget he was in his twilight years at Jventus....i mean who would judge Laurent Blanc from his time here, he was a fantastic defender too
 
Himannv said:
It's between him and Kohler for best pure defender of all time IMO.
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Only ever person I have seen mention Kohler, he would be in my all time eleven, probably the best man marker of a defender I have ever seen. Martin Kewon was a very good centre back in that regard, but Chiellini is on a different level....but Kohler made Chiellini like Keown as he was a level above again, which is a big thing to say as I actually think Chiellini has been criminally over looked as the best centre back conternder over the last decade.

They are the kind of defenders I like personally, proper old fashioned defenders but with quality. Nesta was different, he was far more a graceful and technical defender, I personally preferred Cannavaro as he was more my type of defender, Nesta was excellent though....again Baresi for me is probably the best of the lot as a centre back though as he had both
 
11101 said:
He's one of the best defenders I have ever seen play the game.

Yes, he was better than Rio. In the last 30 years the only centre backs I can think of who might have been above him were Baresi, Cannavaro and Stam.

If he were around now people wouldn't even look twice at players like Ramos and Van Dijk.
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Maldini was better than Nesta imo. He and Baresi was the best defense ive ever seen.
 
The 4th best defender of all time

1) Baresi
2) Beckenbauer
3) Maldini
4) Nesta
5) Moore
 
Seen Terry's name mentioned in here a few times and found this funny take from 2010. Also slaughters Carragher.
https://thisisfutbol.com/2010/11/blogs/world-footballs-overrated-xi-i’m-just-not-that-into-you/

Centre Back: John Terry (c) (Chelsea and England): Overlooking his leanings towards the ‘crap human being’ end of the spectrum, Terry is and has always been overrated. His chest thumping style was always going to earn him plaudits in England, a footballing nation that values perspiration over inspiration. When Jose Mourinho was in charge at Chelsea and they were winning the Premier League at a canter, posting record shattering defensive statistics along the way, it was Terry that was largely credited for that parsimony.
But for me, there are a couple of key caveats: 1) Ricardo Carvalho, who at his best, carried Terry by bailing the former England skipper out with his exceptional pace and reading of the game. As an aside, how much could Chelsea do with the Portuguese now? 2) Chelsea’s generally defensive outlook with Claude Makelele patrolling the area around the back four, meant that their team was compact and exceptionally difficult to break down. Essentially, Terry enjoyed safety in numbers.
Compare this to Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand at Man United, who excelled for a sustained period between 2006 and 2009 despite never being afforded the protection of a destroying midfield player and being part of a cavalier side that habitually left the back four exposed thanks to their attacking travails. Now that Chelsea have regressed somewhat, Terry has been exposed for what he is: a limited, last-ditch merchant with the turning effect of an oil tanker being driven by Rik Waller. That said, he’s better than Paulo Ferreira.
 
NasirTimothy said:
Ronaldo destroyed him in the UEFA Cup final.

But he was good….
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That was prime Ronaldo. R9 also destroyed Rio at OT when he scored a hatrick in that epic 4-3 game

devilish said:
Rio was the second best CB in EPL history and the best CB England had in the past 30 years. He was the perfect modern CB. He was fast, he was blessed with a rare technic, he was a good leader, he was great in defending and his ball possession was top notch. As said he was a typical modern CB who showed that you don't need to tackle hard or physically bully your opponent to win the ball. When United bought him our defence was an utter mess devoid of any WC players. Blanc, May and Johnsen were former players in all but name, Wes was half decent but he always injured and Serie A reject Silvestre was basically a LB moved as CB. Prior to signing him we ended up 3rd, 10 points away from the champions. That might sound normal today but at the time it was tragic .Rio immediately elevated that defence on his own. We won the league title thanks to him and once he got suspended the defence went to the shitters again.

Vidic was the EPL traditional type of CB. His partnership with Rio created the best defence in EPL history. However one need to be very careful here. Vidic was one of the final pieces of an already top notch defence. He was nowhere near as the complete package as Rio was. I very much doubt that Vidic could walk in our defence back in 2002 and turn it around as Rio did.

Its a shame that the likes of Rio, Carrick, Hoddle and Scholes aren't as rated in the EPL as they would have been if they played elsewhere. If Rio was Italian then he would be rated at least as good as Nesta.
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Look, I love Rio as much as the next fan, but let's not overrate him. Rio didn't transform our defense, he just made our abysmal defense look relatively competent. The man was error prone and subject to the occasional brain fart with an own goal in him, but he made up for that with his exceptional reading and positioning. Let's not forget his pace which got him out of trouble a lot of time when he was younger. Still one of the best CBs in the PL. A level below Nesta though.

Also you talk about Vidic like he was Steve Bruce. Vidic was at the heart of the defense that set the record for most minutes without conceding while Rio was out injured. It's also no coincidence that once he became a first teamer for the next five seasons United never conceded more than 30 goals. Before that the least we conceded with just Rio was 32. Not hating on Rio, but some fans tend to overate him while underrating Vidic.
 
He was the captain of Lazio at 19. His excellent composure with the ball was compare to none, let alone Rio.
 
MrMarcello said:
Seen Terry's name mentioned in here a few times and found this funny take from 2010. Also slaughters Carragher.
https://thisisfutbol.com/2010/11/blogs/world-footballs-overrated-xi-i’m-just-not-that-into-you/

Centre Back: John Terry (c) (Chelsea and England): Overlooking his leanings towards the ‘crap human being’ end of the spectrum, Terry is and has always been overrated. His chest thumping style was always going to earn him plaudits in England, a footballing nation that values perspiration over inspiration. When Jose Mourinho was in charge at Chelsea and they were winning the Premier League at a canter, posting record shattering defensive statistics along the way, it was Terry that was largely credited for that parsimony.
But for me, there are a couple of key caveats: 1) Ricardo Carvalho, who at his best, carried Terry by bailing the former England skipper out with his exceptional pace and reading of the game. As an aside, how much could Chelsea do with the Portuguese now? 2) Chelsea’s generally defensive outlook with Claude Makelele patrolling the area around the back four, meant that their team was compact and exceptionally difficult to break down. Essentially, Terry enjoyed safety in numbers.
Compare this to Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand at Man United, who excelled for a sustained period between 2006 and 2009 despite never being afforded the protection of a destroying midfield player and being part of a cavalier side that habitually left the back four exposed thanks to their attacking travails. Now that Chelsea have regressed somewhat, Terry has been exposed for what he is: a limited, last-ditch merchant with the turning effect of an oil tanker being driven by Rik Waller. That said, he’s better than Paulo Ferreira.
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I hate John Terry with a passion but I disagree that he’s overrated. He’s among the best defenders I’ve seen in my lifetime. I don’t think he was carried by anyone. He and carvalho complemented each other just like rio and vidic did. Although I do agree that rio and vidic should be applauded for being such a dominant defensive pairing in such an attacking setup, unlike Chelsea who often played low-block defensive football utilizing makelele and Essien.

Even after carvalho, makelele, and essien left Chelsea terry was still the spine in that team and defense for years afterwards along with cech, Lampard, and drogba. Rarely injured, great tackler, great header at both ends of the pitch, can carry the ball forward comfortably, a genuine goal threat scoring 40 goals as a CB. Voted into the world XI five times. I know it’s often a popularity contest, but still.
 
MrMarcello said:
Ha.

Walter of course.
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Criminally underrated.

To me he was as good as Vidic, and definitely the best man-marker of Serie A during his times.

He gets the piss for one bad season at Real but he didn't earn the nickname The Wall by chance at Roma and Inter.

He made Lucio look reliable in 2010 ffs.
 
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