I have no idea why Baresi, Rijkaard, van Basten, Baggio, Maradona etc. wouldn't be able to play today but to each their own)

@@HarmsFootball Well, I think in terms of athleticism they wouldn't have been able to hack it. Even a footballer as talented as Maradona couldn't juggle performing in a counter-press and a cocaine dependancy.

I think Rijkaard would be great in the modern game and would be able to adapt to the athletic requirements as he has a great game and only needs to adjust to the conditioning. Baresi as a central defender is undersized but again it is not like he didnt have to face tall attackers in his day. I am sure he would have the technical ability as well to pass out of a press. Milan under Arigo Sacci did press so he would have repeated training in this both ways, as did Gullit, Rijkard and Van Basten as pressing as also part of Total Football. Roberto Baggio was a fine player who would need the conditioning to run the press but again I really can't see why they would struggle to adapt to conditioning and game plan elements. Maradona the hardest part would be the cocain withdrawl. Seriously though, just because a player played in a different era doesn't mean they would be bad if you told them to run a little longer and harder and play a possession game. It is never a straight the player can't do this because I never saw them do it. Previous generations had game plans and coaching which dictated play. For large periods playera were left to work things out for themselves so you get habits and patterns. The modern game just imprints different patterns and habits. Example, look at how hard it is to change team play for a new coach when one style has been dominant in a team for years and there is no change in players. It takes time but does happen. On the other hand individuals joining a team adapt to an existing system faster because everyone else is doing what they are supposed to. So if we get Pep Guadiola or Jurgen Klop to take over 90s AC Milan and it will take longer to get them to play like Man City/Liverpool than it would to get any one of the AC Milan players to join those clubs and learn the system.

Kind of amounts to saying Sean Dyches Burnley team of 2019 that ended 7th in the EPL would beat the Brazil 70s team with Pele, Tostao, Jairzinho, Carlos Alberto, Rivelino, Gerson etc...the Dalglish Liverpool of Hansen, Souness, Rush etc would demolish the present Liverpool team...as would the Lisbon Lions destroy the present Celtic team...marginally higher levels of fitness only compensates for skill, creativity and talent to a limited extent...its absolutely moronic to say that Milan team (arguably the greatest ever European club side) of Gullit, Maldini, Bareai, Rijkaard, Van Basten etc would struggle today against the puffed up premadonnas of todays game...Van Basten couldnt play in the present EPL? Paolo Maldini couldn't get a game for Brighton? You need to stay off the cool aid pal

@@craigdevine7904 Craig, there's no need to insult me. Nor is there any need to feel as threatened about this as you clearly do. I spend an inordinate amount of time watching and reading about old football because i enjoy it and it's worth to me isn't measured by whether Shankly's Liverpool would beat Klopp's team or whichever meaningless intergenerational matchup you want to throw at me. But "marginally higher levels of fitness"? Marginally? All the players you've mentioned were fantastically talented and they had to do it with dreadful playing surfaces, next to no sports science or knowledge about how maintain a healthy diet. But sheer technique really doesn't mean anything anymore in professional football if you're not able to accelerate, press, make recovery runs as part of an organised unit as well. Take Brazil - Italy in 70. Great game, love it. But time after time in that game (and numerous others) players pass the ball straight to the opposition and then walk back into position. They'd never get away with it now. They'd be countered in seconds and you know it. There's no "cool-aid" and no one's trying to tarnish your memories of great players/teams of the past. They were still great and whether or not they'd have played today is largely irrelevant.

8 agosto 1992 Dallara, Bologna BOLOGNA vs MILAN 2-4 BOLOGNA: Cervellati, List, Pessotto (46' Tarozzi), Porro (70' Albasini), Iuliano, Sottil, Bellotti (46' Troscè), Gerolin (46' Anaclerio), Turkylmaz, Catanese, Incocciati - All.: Borsellini MILAN: Antonioli, Tassotti, P. Maldini, Donadoni (46' Eranio), Costacurta, Baresi II (46' Gambaro), Lentini (46' Evani), Rijkaard, Van Basten, Gullit (72' Albertini), Massaro - All.: Capello Arbitro: Tombolini

@@HarmsFootball well, I stand corrected!!! Thank You mate ;)