Manchester United 1999 vs Manchester United 2008 | Poll Added

[11101]

2008 defence
1999 midfield
2008 attack

Irwin and Neville were old school style fullbacks used to playing against proper wingers, I'm not sure how the 99 defence would do against the pace and movement of Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez.

 

[SATA]

Becks was unplayable that year, and that was after coming back to United as England's scapegoat. Had so many assists to Yorke and Cole, a real under-rated performer

 

[LoveFootball]

That 2008 team win 4-0 easily every day of the year. That team won 3 back to back PL, went Unbeaten for a whole CL campaign and should have won 3 CL titles in a row if it weren't for those cheaters from Barcelona. That team have the best defense and the best attack and a Ballon d'Or on his ranks. That team should have done what Madrid did the last 4 years and winning PL trophies at the same time.

What about United 2008 vs Madrid 2017?

 

[devilish]

Both are fantastic sides. However I feel that the 2008 side is built to defeat the 99 side.

A- SAF is far more experienced in 2008 then in 1999
B- Ronaldo would cause all sort of mischief to an ageing Irwin who was the achilles heel of that defence
C- Keane was a beast in 99 however having him play with a converted striker (that was Scholes in 99) against a 3 men midfield made up of Hargreaves, a very experienced Scholes and Carrick would be a bit too much even for the Irish legend to handle. Keane will be out passed by Carrick and Scholes
D- Rooney-Tevez is basically an upgrade of Yorke-Cole. They will cause problems to our 99 defence by dropping deep and create space for Ronaldo who would swarm in and cause the defense all sort of problems
E- Beckham crosses were top notch but Rio-Vidic could keep Cole and Yorke at bay.

Having said that a slight change could turn the tables around

-----------Schmeichel---------
Gaz------Stam-----Johnson----Irwin

Beckham---Butt----Keane--------Giggs

-----------------Scholes----------------

------------------Yorke-----------------------

That CM would win the battle against the 2008 midfield. While Scholes' and Yorke's infiltration might be just enough for Vidic-Rio to break. The duo always tend to struggle against players who were good in air (ex Fellaini) and Yorke was amazingly good considering his size.

 

[harms]

Heart says 1999, head says 2008. 2008 side was brilliant from front to back, Ronaldo and Rooney up front, Scholes orchestrating in the middle and Evra-Vidic-Rio-Brown with van der Sar is one of the greatest modern defensive units. 99’ tactical naivety will show and 08’ side is well-equipped to punish them for it.

On the other hand, on their day 99’ can win against any team. 08’ will win more games out of 10, but in one-off everything can happen.

 

[txred]

I can't say which team was better as I was so young in 1999, but I have a hard time seeing how 1999 Schmeichel was better than 2008 VdS. Over the course of their career, sure, but surely not in these respective seasons.

 

[MrPooni]

That 2008 team win 4-0 easily every day of the year. That team won 3 back to back PL, went Unbeaten for a whole CL campaign and should have won 3 CL titles in a row if it weren't for those cheaters from Barcelona. That team have the best defense and the best attack and a Ballon d'Or on his ranks. That team should have done what Madrid did the last 4 years and winning PL trophies at the same time.

What about United 2008 vs Madrid 2017?

Out of curiosity, how old are you?

 

[LoveFootball]

Out of curiosity, how old are you?

What does this have to do with my point. I watched the 99 CL final live, so you can deduce my range of age with this data. I'm old enough to have watch the two side and I can easily said that 2008 were stronger, much stronger.

And you how old are you?

 

[Web of Bissaka]

Assuming 1998/9 vs 2007/8 (or even vs 2008/9), my money is always on the 1999 team.

Continental Treble Squad 1998/1999
Manager: 1999 Sir Alex Ferguson

Reserve: Brown, May
Subs: Solskjaer, TSheringham, Blomqvist, NButt, PNev, Berg, VDG

Schmeichel
GNev Stam Johnsen Irwin
Beckham Keane Scholes Giggs
Cole Yorke

~vs~

Rooney Tevez Ronaldo
Scholes Carrick Hargreaves
Evra Vidic Ferdinand Brown
VDS

Subs: Nani, Park, Giggs, Anderson, Fletcher, O'Shea, Kuszczak
Reserve: Saha, Pique

Manager: 2008 Sir Alex Ferguson
European Double Squad 2007/2008​

*Subs and reserve depends on their number of appearances.

Spoiler: 2008/2009

~vs~

Rooney Tevez Ronaldo
Scholes Carrick Fletcher
Evra Vidic Ferdinand O'Shea
VDS

Subs: Berbatov, Park, Giggs, Anderson, GNev, Evans, Kuszczak
Reserve: Welbeck, Nani, Gibson, Rafael, Brown

Manager: 2008 Sir Alex Ferguson
English Double Squad 2008/2009​

The 2008 team (either one of both seasons) may be more tactical which helps, but the Treble 1999 team imo will always have the edge -- plenty of leadership, midfield domination, super subs making impacts and overall more attacking threats.

 

[el3mel]

The point with 1999 is they still played much stronger sides in CL too, Bayern and Juve had better teams, but their best quality was they were able to dig something out of every game whatever the situation.

 

[Devils11]

2008. Tactically more adaptable and defensively alot tighter. Also that team could win matches in a variety of ways.

The 1998-1999 Treble season as a whole was a lot more fun to follow though. I still remember the feeling quite vividly. It was a fecking exhilarating ride right up to the last minute. Savoured every match probably started from January '99 when we beat Liverpool in the FA Cup all the way to May. Just amazing. Best season EVER

Yes! That unbelievable season where Utd came back when all seems lost! Even their diehard fans didn't believe they can do it times and times again.

1) Liverpool (FA cup 3rd) losing 1-0 and scored 2 goals in last 85th min and 90th min to win it !

2) Arsenal (FA cup semi) Keane sent off , Big Pete saved a Bergkamp 90th min winning penalty and then Giggs scored the greatest goal of his career to win it in extra time !

3) Juventus (CL semi 1st leg) losing 1-0 , Giggs 90th min goal for 1-1 and gave Utd a fighting chance in the 2nd leg.

4) Juventus (CL semi 2nd leg) losing 2-0 after 10min! Surely no chance of a comeback this time against the Italian giants.

5) Tottenham (EPL last game) losing 1-0 and Utd need to score 2 goals to save their season with Arsenal 1 point behind !!!

6) Bayern (CL Final) losing 1-0 , without Scholes and Keane , 90th mins up , Bayern colors ribbons already tied on the CL trophy for the presentation ceremony.... No way Bloody HELL Utd can do it again....

 

[Idxomer]

I love how many options we had in attack in 1999. It's actually kind of amazing that 2 years after Cantona's retirement, we had 4 players who could play in the areas he used to operate in. Add to them Beckham, Giggs and Scholes who joined them and that's just an incredible force this team had in attack. No wonder they never stopped believing they could win any game.

 

[Cee90]

What does this have to do with my point. I watched the 99 CL final live, so you can deduce my range of age with this data. I'm old enough to have watch the two side and I can easily said that 2008 were stronger, much stronger.

And you how old are you?

To be fair to him, I’d guess that those who pick the 2008 team over 1999 are likely to be younger in general.

Just a hunch.

 

[Random Task]

Schmeichel

Neville
Stam
Johnsen
Irwin

Beckham
Keane
Scholes
Giggs

Yorke
Cole

That is the greatest team of the premier league, possibly of all time, and I think it would comfortably defeat the 2008 team - which is by no means intended as a slight on the latter.

As for a combination of the two sides, I'd go with the following:

Schmeichel

Neville
Stam
Rio
Irwin

Beckham
Keane
Scholes
Giggs

Rooney
Ronaldo

 

[Inter Yer Nan]

I'd give the edge to 2008. Better defense and 2008 Van Der Sar was better than 99 Schmeichel. Midfield of 99 obviously is better but the attack of 2008 better and in a close match-up the individual brilliance of Ronaldo could be the edge. He was unplayable that season and for most of his career.

I'd rate the 99 as such - Schmeichel 8.5 Neville 8.0 Stam 9.0 Johnsen 7.0 Irwin 8.0 Beckham 9.0 Giggs 9.0 Keane 9.0 Scholes 9.0 Yorke 8.0 Cole 8.0 bench 8.5 squad depth 8.0 Fergie 10 so = 119.5

08 - Van Der Sar 9.0 Evra 8.5 Vidic 9.0 Ferdinand 9.0 Brown 7.5 Hargreaves 8.0 Carrick 8.0 Scholes 8.5 Tevez 8 Rooney 8.5 Ronaldo 10.0 bench 8.5 squad depth 8.5 Fergie 10 so = 121

Combined XI I'd pick - VDS, Neville, Ferdinand, Stam, Evra, Beckham, Giggs, Keane, Scholes, Ronaldo, Rooney. I think Irwin and Schmeichel's absolute peaks were perhaps a couple of seasons prior and would likely pick them at their peaks in their respective positions.

 

[Nikelesh Reddy]

I was too young in 1999....And the 2008 team gave me my greatest ever moment as a United supporter.So i cant be entirely objective,i”ll always be biased towards the 2008 team...But even if i objectively analyse the 2 teams,i cant help but feel that the 2008 team was more balanced.

Obviously the 99 midfield was just ridiculous,but i would say that Ferdinand-Vidic were a better CB partnership than Stam/Johnsen....In my view Evra was a better LB than Irwin(the irwin of 99)...And the front 3 of Ronaldo Tevez and Rooney were clearly better than Cole,Yorke and Solskjaer...

So i would go for the 2008 team.,,

 

[2mufc0]

Have more sentimental attachment to the 99 team but the 2008 team would win.

 

[FujiVice]

1999 for sure. The spirit of that side was unbelievable. Beckham, Scholes, Keane and Giggs in the midfield? Arguably the best midfield in English football history. Cole and Yorke who dismantled both Barca and Juventus. Jaap Stam at the back, Schmeichel in goal. I'd back a side with a in his prime Roy Keane against any side in the history of United, to be honest.

Ronny Johsen was first choice, but its arguably had it not been for Henning Berg's injuries if that would have beent he case. Stam and Berg looked like a rock against Inter Milan in both legs. They were fantastic together.

 

[Simon Jones]

Agree 100%

90's Man United were quite naive and straightforward going forward. We often found it hard going when facing teams with a 5 man midfield in Europe

I think that was more to do with Carlos Quieroz being an excellent assistant manager rather than SAF 2008 being better than Alex Ferguson 1999.

 

[Cal?]

2008 side edges it, better defense and attack, would probably score a few on the counter against the 99 side.

 

[EwanI Ted]

07/08 was the near perfect team. Both streetwise and creative, with an iron defence, versatile midfield and able to score every type of goal. As happy dominating possession as sitting back and playing in the counter.

98/99 was much easier to love though. Swashbuckling football with a certain naivety in how it played in Europe. One of those rare times that just saying score two we’ll score three worked.

 

[Raven]

99 is very early in my life, at the time of the final, I would have only been 5. First match I remember though, the final. Bit unfair for me to vote, but for me it's the 2008 team. Defence and attack are just too strong.

In my limited knowledge, the combined XI would be:

Schmeichel

Neville
Rio
Vidic
Evra

Beckham
Scholes
Keane
Giggs

Rooney
Ronaldo

 

[Moonred]

08 will be slightly stronger over a 90 mins match but lose to a late goal.

 

[MadDogg]

Over the course of a season, 2008. It was a machine. A machine with one of the best players of all time just hitting his straps up front, and arguably the best defence of the last 25 years at the back.

But in a one-off game, it's hard to go past 99. They simply were never beaten and no matter what was thrown at them they somehow scraped through in the end.

 

[MrPooni]

What does this have to do with my point. I watched the 99 CL final live, so you can deduce my range of age with this data. I'm old enough to have watch the two side and I can easily said that 2008 were stronger, much stronger.

And you how old are you?

I'm not sure why you're getting so defensive mate, I'm 33 for example and I have no trouble admitting that Regarding your other point, my 20 year old sister is old enough to have watched the 99 final live but that doesn't mean she has a solid grasp of how good that team was over the space of the entire season.

Over the course of a season, 2008. It was a machine. A machine with one of the best players of all time just hitting his straps up front, and arguably the best defence of the last 25 years at the back.

But in a one-off game, it's hard to go past 99. They simply were never beaten and no matter what was thrown at them they somehow scraped through in the end.

My sentiments exactly. People dwell too much on the 99 final as a barometer of that teams quality when they should be looking to the totality of performances over the course of the entire season, including but not limited to those semi-finals against Arsenal and Juve.

 

[Sky1981]

It's a close match but beckham freekick gonna edge it

 

[Fortitude]

We were not good against sides who played systems which added an extra man to midfield in '99 and our tactical naivete is what led to so many of those swashbuckling comebacks and manic games. By 2008, we were a honed, experienced machine that could take teams apart in a number of ways.

The amount of space the '99 team would leave for them to weave their tricks (the extra man of Rooney dropping into midfield and making Keane's life a misery as he has to decide who to track or hold position), the sheer pace of the '08 side on the break, the passing precision through midfield (the '99 midfield is not better contrary to what some have said - Keane was often overworked due to the 4-4-2 with Scholes being both a paced asthmatic and defensively/positionally vulnerable) and the amount of work it would take going backward to stop the trio of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez... it's a hard game for the '99 to get a stranglehold on as all their strengths are met head-on by the '99 side.

Yorke '99, Giggs' '99 and Keane '99 are the biggest big-game players on the pitch, but the pre-occupation they would have with the multi-faceted '08 side would leave them knackered and compromised. Giggs over-commits and plays in his usual gung-ho fashion and the whole left side behind him is totally compromised on the break - Giggs plays a contained game, and he's not being the Giggs that tore through the CL of that era.

'99 Fergie hasn't the tactical nous to outfox '08 Fergie (and Quieroz). We were a very good side in '99 that rode our luck at times and went to the wire due to our own errors in games, but the '08 one was solid, dependable and should have been a dynasty, and would've been if not for Barcelona.

 

[Darius_MUFC1991]

Using a small portion of my mathematical genius we had European success in 91, 8 years later 99, 9 years later in 08 and 8 years later in 2016. A European trophy in 2025-2026 is nailed on lads!

 

[The Midnight Rambler]

Great thread.

2008 is the best United team I've seen.

1999 was of course incredible and had the romance but I think 2008 was the better team. Had more variety and stronger defensively plus the Ronaldo factor. Tevez was superb that season too.

That 2008 team were a bad decision against Portsmouth away from being on for the treble. Football is a low scoring game so not much has to go against you to swing an odd game and I genuinely believe that bit of luck went against them whilst other bits fell for 1999.

Lucky us to be United fans being able to have this debate.

 

[Irwin99]

Ronny Johnsen sticks out like a sore thumb there, thank god for Stam.

He was a good player Ronny, I just remember him being injured too often. Good passer of the ball, can’t remember him making too many mistakes. Stam was undoubtably the star in that defence though.

My heart says the 99 team but my head says 08 and I think Ronaldo might be the ultimate factor. I think the 08 team was tactically more flexible whereas the 99 team played with more passion and aggression.

 

[JK-27]

'99 team wins. Midfield is just too strong. Keane alone would tear the '08 midfield to shreds.

I don't agree the '08 defence is better, Brown was a makeshift right back and VDS was great but he's no Schmeichel.

 

[L1nk]

Arguably Hargreaves instead of Fletcher in that 2008 midfield?

 

[Bobski]

2008 is our best ever team, at the very least our best ever squad. They were immensely flexible in how they could play, picking out the first 11 is a difficult task, people go for the CL starting XI but I think it was the only time that side had started together all season. Massive edge defensively, the 99 team were always chasing the games because they could never trust that backline to hold steady. Neville was a number of years off his peak, Schmeichel and Irwin were in decline, Johnsen was brittle while Berg was similar to what we have now.

It would be decided on 08 defense against the 99 attack, the waves off pressure the treble team could exert on teams. Read earlier someone saying that Tevez/Rooney was an upgraded version of Cole/Yorke, could never agree with that, only on paper, very talented pair but Cole and Yorke had the type of chemistry very rarely seen in strike partnerships.

I preferred 99 of course, and purely for the watching joy the 06/07 team inspired me more than 08, but they were a ruthless machine. Underrated now due to barca but one of the best European teams of the last 25 years.

 

[2cents]

I would go for 1999 probably, but then I think about Ronaldo on the left going up against Gary Neville...tough call. Keane would enjoy that midfield battle though.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

The front 3 wins it for 2008. Otherwise debatable.

Hargreaves for Fletcher by the way, Hargreaves was crucial that season.

 

[Bobski]

I would go for 1999 probably, but then I think about Ronaldo on the left going up against Gary Neville...tough call. Keane would enjoy that midfield battle though.

I don't think Neville in 99 was a world class full back. One of the things i respect most about Neville the player is that he kept improving, adding different things to his game up until the injuries started hindering him. The 2-3 years before those injuries were the highest level he ever reached imo, at that point I think he was at that WC level.

 

[Murder on Zidanes Floor]

With all due respect to GNev, Ronaldo would of had him on toast and most likely we'd win the game from there.

 

[downunder red]

Two fantastic sides; very hard to pick but i'd go 2008 simply because of Ronaldo.

 

[Aloysius's Back 3]

I got to say -

Hargreaves & Carrick
Tevez & Rooney
Vidic & ferdinando are some of the best partnerships I have ever seen during that season.

I feel like whilst Hargreaves was injury prone - the guy was underrated a bit.

 

[2cents]

I feel like whilst Hargreaves was injury prone - the guy was underrated a bit.

Weird, I sometimes think his one proper season with us gets a bit overrated on here. He was decent enough in a certain role, his best games were at right-back and right-midfield. But I thought he was pretty average in the centre where he was signed for.