EPL Team of the Decade: 1990's
The Premier League era started in 1992, and has since earned its’ name as one of the best football leagues in the world. Today, we’ve picked for you the best team of the 1990’s, and it’s much harder than it sounds. The 90’s are known as the golden generation of Premier League, as top players from England and rest of the world showcased their tremendous talent and class to the entire world.
Strikers were in abundance in the 90’s, and all of them were top class- be it Liverpool’s Robbie Fowler, Chelsea’s Gianfranco Zola, or Arsenal’s Ian Wright, among many others. There were some exceptional midfielders too – Machester United legend, Paul Scholes, the Saints’ Matt Le Tissier, among a host of superstars in the middle of the park. The team was definitely hard to pick with so many legends to choose from, but after a lot of deliberation, we’ve selected what we think is the best of the best.
Also Read: EPL 2016-17: Matchweek 2 Round-up
Let’s take a look at EPL’s team of the 90’s:
#1 Goalkeepers and Defenders
Peter Schmeichel (Goalkeeper)
The Great Dane is one of the best goalkeepers in the history of Premier League. Schmeichel signed from Brondby in 1991 and won IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper in 1992 and 1993. He was a nightmare for every opposition to score against- whether an attacker was one-on-one with the keeper or executed a perfect header towards goal, there was a huge 6’4” barrier to overcome, who more often than not came out on top.
The Great Dane was also the captain of the famous United side of 1999, which won the European treble to write Manchester United’s name as one of the biggest clubs in world football. Born in Copenhagen, Schmeichel won Euro 1992 with Denmark and was the most capped player in Denmark’s history. He won five Premier Leagues, three FA Cups, and a League Cup before departing Old Trafford and joining Sporting Lisbon after United’s treble glory.
Denis Irwin (Left-back)
The Irish and Manchester United defender, Denis Irwin, will fill in the spot of left-back. Sir Alex Ferguson regarded him as, pound for pound, his best signing ever- and for a man who’s brought some of the best players to Old Trafford, it speaks volumes about Irwin’s class.
Irwin was named the PFA Player of the Year in 1994 and 1999, and was the joint most successful Irish footballer in history, along with Roy Keane. He was also a regular in the Irish team, capped 56 times and netted 4 goals in the process.
Tony Adams (Centre-back)
The Arsenal and English skipper was one of the best defenders of the 90’s and completely deserves to find a place in this team. He guided Arsenal to a domestic double in 1992-93, and also captained the national side which progressed to the semis of Euro 1996.
He faced his problems with alcohol, but Adams returned to guide Arsenal to a PL and Cup double once again in 1997-98. One of the best moments of his footballing career was when he scored a stunner against Everton to help Arsenal lift the 97/98 PL title.
Sol Campbell (Centre-back)
The 90’s wasn’t exactly the golden decade for Spurs, but one player that stood out was Sol Campbell. Impressive performances for Spurs earned him an England call-up and established himself as one of the best defenders of the era.
Born to Jamaican parents, Campbell made his professional debut at Spurs in 1992 and captained his side to a 1999 Football League Cup victory. Campbell was the hero of Spurs’ fans, but they were left heartbroken and angry when the Englishman left White Hart Lane to join arch-rivals, Arsenal, on a free transfer.
Lee Dixon (Right-back)
Despite brilliant performances from Gary Neville, the Arsenal full-back gets the nod ahead of him. Dixon was a very consistent defender and executed the duties of a full-back perfectly. Solid in defense and threatening in attacks, Dixon was a fundamental part of Arsenal in the 90’s.
Dixon was named in the PFA Team of the year in 1990 and 1991, and during his 14 years stay at Arsenal, Dixon won 4 PL titles and 3 FA Cups. The Englishman completes the back 4 of our team.