Manchester United are currently the only Premier League club to complete the treble however after Arsenal's slip up against Nottingham Forest their arch rivals at the other side of the city are edging ever closer to matching the originals. Manchester City now only have Inter Milan and Manchester United in their way to them becoming the second Premier League club to complete the treble. City's dominance of the last decade is now prominent in the Premier League's history and they have a great opportunity to further that.
With that said I'm sure that you will have seen the recent debate of who would win in a match Manchester United's 99 team or Manchester City's 2023 team- it has well and truly caused a huge stir on the internet. With that said I'm going to make a combined 11 of the 99 treble winning team and the potential treble winning side of 2023. I will admit I wasn't alive during the 99 season however I have seen lots of footage and watched the players career's following the win - let's delve into it!
The Hot Debate
In this 11 there is some very obvious picks that aren't really up for debate however on first glance some may seem controversial so let's delve into those ones...
Goalkeeper
Peter Schmeichel for me is the only correct choice to be between the sticks. As much as Ederson is a top well respected keeper I feel that Schmeichel was levels above him throughout his career. Controversially I believe that Ederson is one of the most overrated goalkeepers in the league, as much as I appreciate his ability and can see that he is a high level player I feel that the fact he gets compared to the likes of Alisson is criminal. On that note Schmeichel gets in there for me.
Defence
This position is potentially one of the most difficult to decide upon, it is very easy to look at minutes these players have had. Neville played 4718 minutes where as Walker only provided 2486. It is very easy to look at this statistic on face value and say that Neville provided more of an impact due to the minutes he had on the pitch however as we know football has evolved since then. Guardiola is well known for his 'Pep Roulette' and regularly rotating players due to the strength of depth that they are fortunate to have. With this in mind and the fact they can use more substitutes I feel that minutes isn't the most valuable factor I believe Walker has had more of an impact on this team hover this choice is the most difficult in the squad.
This is potentially the only controversial position left in the defence I believe that Irwin and Stam are nailed on starters for this 11 due to their impact however the addition of John Stones is potentially the only one for debate. This pick for me was between John Stones and his teammate Ruben Dias. Granted Stones' position has fluctuated throughout the season and he has played a more positive attacking role I still believe that he has revolutionised Manchester City this season and should start in this 11. However Dias' dominance in the defence and his leading role can not go unnoticed but saying this yet again its a very difficult to decide between the two- but for me Stones edges this purely for the aesthetics of his game.
Midfield
The midfield is evidently very Manchester United heavy and for a good reason too. If someone was asked to name Manchester United's best ever Premier League midfield four it is very likely that these would be the first names down on the teamsheet - with maybe an exception of Ronaldo. With a combination of 15,982 individual minutes on the pitch the Manchester United midfield formed an integral part of their treble winning season. Although the likes of Gundogan, Grealish and Rodri have shown an immense amount of quality this season I find it impossible to leave any of the chosen four out.
Attack
Respectively Cole, Yorke, Ole Gunner Solskjaer and Sheringham had impressive seasons providing an important role for the team but it is impossible to ignore the record breaking goal scorer and his magical sidekick from the the squad. After scoring 52 goals so far this season it is impossible to ignore the Norweigan as he provides us with possibly the best debutant Premier League season of all time. As for Kevin De Bruyne, he has yet again provided us with a sterling season and one that will be helping him continue to solidify his place as one of the all time Premier League greats.
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Harry Lucas
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