The best Arsenal side ever vs the Best Tottenham side ever

Who are the best, Arsenal or Tottenham?

Today I choose my best Arsenal team vs the best Spurs team. When I set out on this journey I had a feeling that Arsenal would be clear winners but Tottenham have had some super duper players, although some on this list had their best years elsewhere. This is not so true of Arsenal as most had their best time with the Gunners. It has turned out to be much harder to pick the best Spurs players as there were many candidates for several positions and I really found it hard to choose. I deviated slightly from my normal timeframe as the best ever Spurs side were in 1961 but I was a little young for them. I included them in my calculations in the interest of fairness. I have also tried to be as objective as I can. For instance I am sure a lot of Spuds are astonished that Paul Gascoigne is not there but I didn't choose him as I felt that the guys I put in midfield played better for the team as a whole. Gascoigne was incredibly skilled but played for himself.

First though I will give you my criteria:

1.      The players must have played a substantial amount of games for the side

2.      They must have been within my time of watching football although with reference to my comments above

3.      National team caps are to be reckoned as, if you weren’t the best player for your country, you will struggle to get on this list

4.      I have decided to give a draw to 2 players who have played for both

5.      I will take into account time played elsewhere as long as they have had a good career with the club

We both had the best goalkeeper

Pat Jennings

Welcome in both homes

And so the choices. I have gone, as regular readers would guess for Pat Jennings in goal. Now there is an argument that Jennings should get the nod for Spurs in this one as he had more games and trophies for them, but for Arsenal he defied age and logic, keeping out keeper after keeper, and had his miraculous days with Northern Ireland while playing for Arsenal.

0-0   A draw

Who had the best fullbacks?

Next up Chris Hughton vs Ashley Cole. Both superb players with strong international careers. I think we have to accept though, that Cole was widely regarded as one of the best fullbacks in the world at his peak and he has a lot more trophies to boot. I love Chris Hughton and Spurs or Ireland have rarely had a better servant but I am narrowly going to give it to Cole. Arsenal had stronger candidates in my opinion overall for this role with Kenny Sansom as my second choice but honestly for full backs Tottenham didn’t have many legends.

Ashley played well for us

1-0  to the Arsenal Ashley Cole

This was a toughie – Lee Dixon vs Kyle Walker. Both England internationals, both plenty of trophies. Walker had his best days away from White Hart Lane but he has proved resilient and I love the way he plays. The very narrow swaying point is that he has lots more appearances for England and has kept pushing his way back into an extraordinary City side.

Went on to have a great career

1-1 Kyle Walker

Centre backs vs centre backs

Jan Vertonghen vs Tony Adams. Again tough but I would be lynched by Arsenal fans if I didn’t choose Tony Adams. Both with long careers for their clubs but Vertonghen has racked up an extraordinary 148 for what surely is Belgium’s best ever side. However Adams has garnered far more trophies and battled huge setbacks to achieve legendary status within football.

Mr Arsenal

2-1 Tony Adams

Sol Campbell.

Again there is an argument both ways but he won trophies at Arsenal despite having a longer time at Spurs. I doubt if many Spurs fans would pick him as he is seen as a traitor unlike Pat Jennings who Spurs decided was past his best when shunting him to Arsenal. I could not see a better centre back than him for either side as I have always been a huge admirer.

No Spud would have picked him now

Still 2-1 Sol Campbell

A frightening decision in midfield

Midfield was a nightmare for both sides as there are legend after legend. I have had to leave out so many incredible players. But that is why ASCB and the Kroenkes pay me my huge salary, to make the tough decisions.

I will start with Patrick Vieira vs Danny Blanchflower as defensive midfielder. Incredibly difficult to choose because Blanchflower was regarded as a true great. When I first started work a colleague had played professional football in England and he raved about Blanchflower and from what I saw he was superb. We all know what Patrick achieved and how vital he was to what made Arsenal a great team again but I am, by a whisker, going to give it to Blanchflower.

Captain of Spurs best ever side

2-2 Danny Blanchflower

Robert Pires vs Luka Modric. I am trying to be objective and Modric has had an unbelievable career. Croatia and Real Madrid have had so many results where he was the difference between the sides, garnering unlikely wins. I am just about going to put him in front of Pires although his best years were at Madrid.

The magician that is Luka

2-3 Luka Modric

Ossie Ardiles vs Liam Brady. Both players played at the same time. Both had top careers outside these clubs but Brady was our best player 3 years in a row. He gets my vote.

Liam Brady number 7

3-3 Liam Brady

All scoring superstars

Harry Kane vs Thierry Henry. I guess Spud fans would go for Kane but I truly do not see him in the class of Henry. The type of solo goals he could score is beyond Kane. It seemed like he could never score a scruffy goal. Kane needs suppliers so I will go Henry.

The best ever

4-3 Thierry Henry

And now Greaves vs Bergkamp. A very difficult choice as I always loved Greavsie. He brightened up my life as a kid as a player and a pundit. But to me Bergkamp was world class and beyond. That Newcastle goal is something I could watch forever. Bergkamp it is.

The ball puppeteer

5-3 Dennis Bergkamp

Saka vs Bale

This one is a young kid against a guy who has won it all and it is a big battle for me to choose the winner. I feel I have to go with the body of work that Bale achieved – experience over youth but this one is there to be turned around over the next few years. Just watch this Saka boy go like the Doppler effect over the next few years.

Our boy could beat him in time

5-4 Gareth Bale

One goal win to the Arsenal

And so a narrow win for the Arsenal similar to White Hart Lane in 2004.  But very tight. I was well aware as are all you Gooners out there as to who our heroes are but the Spuds have had some very exceptional players too. It seems that they struggled to have enough of them at the same time whereas we did. Yes, in this time frame we have had 3 doubles to their one, 6 titles to their one, 11 FA cups to their six and yet it would be a brave man who would bet on the outcome of a match between the above players in their prime.

There is only one conclusion, Spurs are a good side with many legends. They have given us many epic battles but like my team picked above, they are below the Arsenal and long may that continue!