Former Wolves midfielder Simon Osborn discusses how he would fare if he was at the peak of his footballing career in the modern-day game.
Team most like to play against | Manchester City
You'd always like to play against and test yourself against the best, and this Man City team is probably be the one that I'd like to play against. If it was a European type tie, it would obviously be Real Madrid, but that never happened for me when I was a player. I did get to play against Man City when I was at Wolves, but it was a slightly different Man City team then!
Team least like to play against | None
I think the game's changed an awful lot. There's a lot of protection now out there for players and it has changed from my era. But I don't think there's anyone I particularly wouldn't want to play against. Everything's got 100 times better nowadays, from pitches to preparation, to everything. So, I don't think there's anyone that I would particularly fear. There are some teams that are around our area of the table that play a bit more direct football, a bit more physical, but I think football’s evening itself out nowadays for most teams.
Player most like to face | Martin Odegaard
I mentioned Haaland before, and I never got the chance to play against Cristiano Ronaldo, even though I was at Wolves when we played against United when he was there, I never got the chance to play in those ones, but just because I want to face the best and my little boy would be absolutely buzzing if he watched me play against Mbappe – although he might disown me if I stopped him scoring! I love Mbappe, I think he’s awesome, so if I made a save off Mbappe and could show that to my little boy, I’d be buzzing.
Manager most like to play for | Pep Guardiola
Everyone's going to say Pep, aren’t they? He seems to make everybody better and he's the main reason Man City are where they are. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to do well at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but now at Man City, he’s shown how he improves players and makes him better. As a player, I liked to get on the ball, so the way he sets his team’s up, I'd get plenty of the ball. He likes to keep the ball, he likes to keep things moving, and in those midfield areas, you get a lot of touches of the ball, while also having the freedom to get into the box at time.
Wolves player most like to play with | Tommy Doyle
In the programme previously, I’ve spoken about my love of Joao Moutinho when he was at Wolves, but the guys that are there now, the Brazilian guys [Joao Gomes & Andre], Tommy Doyle, there's lots of good midfielders in there now. But as I’ve said, it’s a completely different game now, if you are to compare my era to theirs, but technically, you can see how the quality of players has improved over time.
Competition most like to win | Premier League
Leagues were always what I wanted to win, so if you're in the Premier League, then that's the one I’d most like to win. That shows you the most consistent over a whole season of competition. The Champions League is a fantastic trophy to win, but you're basing it upon individual games. I know it’s now a league structure, and then you're going to knock out competition, so it’s slightly different, but the league shows what you are as a team over the full season.
Stadium most like to play at | Wembley Stadium
The new Wembley is one. I obviously managed to play at the old Wembley, but the new Wembley has got to be one as it’s just the pinnacle of English football and our national stadium, but some of the newer stadiums you see out there now, they're great. Tottenham looks a fantastic stadium. It was always a good pitch, but the stadium itself looks like it creates a fantastic atmosphere, and they've clearly designed it around keeping atmosphere, so that’s another I’d like to have played at.
Aspect most like to have | Player protection
The laws have changed and moved on since I played, so I think you get a bit more protection from referees. For some of us slighter players – the likes of myself, not the biggest in the world – would get a little bit of protection. We had to mix it when we were there, but you certainly get a little bit more protection from referees nowadays and I think that would enable myself as a sort of a ball playing midfielder, to be able to express myself more.
Aspect least like to have | VAR
I'm going obvious and saying VAR, but not so much as a player, I think it's more as a supporter. It's a great feeling to score a goal, whether you've won a game or just got an equalizer, even just put a team in front, it's a great feeling to score a goal. The fans are going crazy, and now it's almost like, what you do? Do you celebrate, do you not celebrate, do you wait, but sometimes it can take three or four minutes. It's almost like the moment is gone. Football is a spectator sport, it always has been, and I think VAR is taking away from it the most. That's the bit that needs to get a little bit slicker.
This article originally featured in Wolves' official 2024/25 matchday programme. Last season's programmes are still available to purchase online through retailers Curtis Sports.
