Who Is On Your All-European Squad?

By: Darren_v | October 12th, 2011

So Inter-lull is a fun time isn’t it? No Arsenal matches to moan about, no news from Arsenal from two weeks for fans world-wide to digest and and create stories of illusion around, and the long-awaited injury list to pile up even more. It’s a great time to shut off from Arsenal and spend time with family, as we all love to do right?

Euro-2012

As the European qualifiers take the headlines for now, it got me to thinking how you could build the best European side taking one player only from each country. This is by no means a new idea as many people have done this before in the past, and I had a friendly chat on twitter over the summer on this subject over the summer, but I had never actually put my thoughts to the test in this little adventure.
Europeteam

As you can see, this little game has actually been done before in real life, way back in 1997. The two keepers were very good in their prime, while Hierro and Costacurta were very good defenders back in the day. Paul Ince was a terrific midfielder and it’s a shame his managerial career never took off. Patrick Kluivert was my brother’s all time favorite player and I have seen more goals from him in my lifetime than any other player, and Zinedine Zidane is a top three player that has ever player with Messi and Ronaldo hot on his heels. The other names on this list I am not familiar enough to with to pass judgment on, so anyone with knowledge of these players are more than welcome to enlighten the masses in the comments.

So I started to assemble my team by players and quickly realized a whole lot of truly world class players would be getting left off the list, and in some positions it was criminally unfair to have to choose one player over another. Eventually though, players were sacrificed and I created my team with seven substitutes, even if I had to choose a player I dislike on the grounds of being massively over-hyped. Ten points if you can pick this player out.

The coach was an interesting dilemma as Europe has so many quality managers to pick from. Pep Guardiola, Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho would be the first names coming to mind, as well as the highly-touted Guus Hiddink, Dick Advocaat, Bert van Marwijk, Fabio Capello, Joachim Low, and Vicente del Bosque. While the club managers are all great managers, they all have the benefit of being able to train week in and week out with their players, and in a one-off game it is harder to determine if they could get what they needed out of unfamiliar players. Bert van Marwijk is a personal favorite of mine with how he has handled the prima-donas that is dutch players, but that has been a longevity project and baby-sitting at times and so is discarded. Del Bosque ‘manages’ Team Barcelona plus Ramos and Casillas and not a real option. Dick Advocaat is really a Guus Hiddink clone, just not as well known or as good at the job, leaving us with Hiddink and Joachim Low. Joachim Low is a highly tactical coach and was known as the ‘tactical genius’ behind the World Cup 2006 German third-place squad which was coached by Jurgen Klinsmann, and he puts emphasis on the holding on to the ball attacking. Guus Hiddink is the managerial version of a mercenary, having managed six different nations. Everywhere Hiddink has managed, he has brought the most out of every squad he assembles, and is simply a genius who cannot stay in one place very long. There is quite simply no other manager you would want for a one-off match as his brilliance is well-documented.

Goalkeepers were the easiest two positions to fill in all honesty. There are plenty of quality keepers in Europe, Iker Casillas, Gigi Buffon, Ricardo Pereira, Joe Hart and Manuel Neuer are just some of the high end names in the game at this time. The problem for these men is that their are so many other players in front of them that could get into an All-European squad and Petr Cech is from the Czech Republic, and the best outfield player for the Czechs is Tomas Rosicky. I love Rosicky probably more than anyone else that reads this blog, but Rosicky is never getting anywhere close to an all-European squad, and the next best Czech is Milan Baros, which basically tells you all you need to know of the state of the Czech national football. Besides that, Petr Cech has been one of the best goal keepers in the world since 2004 and despite his hideous helmet, he remains a great keeper. He has been named UEFA keeper of the year in 2005 and 2007, and was Chelsea’s player of the year last season, showing he still has the top level ability that some have doubted since he returned from a skull fracture in 2006; an injury which Cech claims he has no recollection of.

German Philip Lahm has been one of my favorite players for a long time now, and while fully comfortable at both fullback positions, he gets the nod as the Right-Back. The current captain of the Germany national squad is solid in every facet of the game, and is a typical German player. Smart tactically, professional and able to get up and down the flank he I have always felt he is under-rated in World football. His ability to go to ground and tackle a player and come away with the ball is amazing. Check the video out; I remember watching this game and being in awe of this tackle:

At Left back, we go to the French National squad where there were arguably three options, Clichy, Evra and Abidal, but in my mind Eric Abidal is the man. The Barcelona man is a consummate professional on a squad of unlikable players. Abidal once said,

“As a defender, my aim is to infuriate the opponent. I want him to be so sick of the sight of me that he has to move somewhere else on the pitch to get away.”

Hard not to love a player who thinks like that. While Patrice Evra and Ashley Cole are much better in attack (Abidal has only scored twice in his club career) there is no denying his defensive ability, something which is vital for Barca with their abundance of attackers. His versatility is a bonus, being able to comfortably slot in at Center-back as well.

Italian Giorgio Chiellini takes the starting Center-Back position. Starting off his career as a central midfielder, he switched to a winger, than left-back before his cemented himself as center-back. Most well-known to Gooners for being involved in a Robin Van Persie injury on meaningless international duty (where RVP actually twisted his ankle on the ball, not a poor tackle), Chiellini has played 175 matches for Juventus, being name defender of the year in Serie A in 08, 09 and 2010, and he has been the rock of the Italian defence on the international stage since the departure of the famous Fabio Cannavaro.

Paired with Chiellini is Serbian Nemanja Vidić. While Rio Ferdinand gets all the plaudits in England for the Manchester United defense, it is really Vidić who is the star of Alex Ferguson’s defense, and is simply over-looked by Ferdinand’s ability to be English. He is the best no-nonsense defender in the world currently playing in my eyes, and is only weakness is he sometimes gets beat for pace, which rarely happens as his is so positionally sound. Serbia missed out on Euro 2012 yesterday which singled a surprising retirement announcement from Vidić, as he is still relatively young at 29. Injuries have taken their toll on his body, and Ferguson seems to have the ability to convince his older stars to retire early from international play.

Gökhan Inler gets a spot in the midfield. Once an Arsenal target, the 27 year old is a defensive midfielder. While Alexis Sanchez got the headlines for Udinese last season for the club’s fourth place finish, Inler’s ability in the center of the pitch to break up attacks and protect the back-line went largely under-rated by the media. Napoli noticed however, and quickly snapped up the Swiss midfielder early in the transfer market for 13million Euros, and was oddly presented to the Napoli fans in a lion mask. Another one that got away by Arsenal, or was it all rumor back then?

One of the most hated players in Europe, Dutchman Mark Van Bommel gets a spot on my squad. Most people see Van Bommel as a man who likes to annoy, and play dirty, and was named Germany’s ‘Der Grosste Stinksiefel’ in 2008 which means ‘The biggest stinking boot’. But he is also known as a tactical genius, always in the right place at the right time and one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation, despite his penchant for the sly dirty tackles. You may hate playing against him, but every club he plays for enjoys his services and Arsenal could do well with a player of his ilk at times. Remember, Patrick Vieira was no saint on the footballing pitch, being sent off nine times for Arsenal, the most in the EPL history.

What team could be complete without the best midfield passer? While Xavi Hernandez doesn’t know how to keep his big mouth shut and was constantly tapping up Cesc Fabregas for the past two years, there can be no denying his class on the football pitch. He routinely has the most touches every match he plays, and is the General of the best club in world football. In the World Cup, Xavi completed 544 passes in 7 games, which works out to be 77.7 completed passes per game, nearly one pass per minute. It’s quite simply incredible. For Barcelona last season, he completed 94% of his passes, an amazing 1,920 passes in 1,539 minutes. How can he not be on an all-European squad?

England’s Wayne Rooney starts in three man attack in my squad. Easily the best English talent (until Wilshere gets older of course) Wayne Rooney is an exceptional player. He can and has played in a variety of roles for Alex Ferguson, and has excelled in each one of them. When Christiano Ronaldo was the star, Rooney was taxed with running about and supporting the prima dona’s game, however he chose to play. When Ronaldo left for Real Madrid, Rooney became the classic central striker, prompting the absurd English media to attempt to label Rooney ability on the same level of Messi and Ronaldo, which is a head-shaking notion. Rooney now plays as a supporting striker to Javier Hernandez and his tireless running and link play is exceptional for the Manchester squad. I always find it odd how England never tailor their game to get the most out of their best striker, and leave him stranded and frustrated all game long.

Speaking of prima donas…. Welcome Zlatan Ibrahimović. The Sweden man is an undeniably exceptional talent, having won with every single club he has ever played for. He is also extremely moody and eccentric, having violated curfew while on international duty and refusing to accept punshiment and would not play for Sweden for two matches. He boycotted international football for a month a year later as well. But if you are playing a one game competition, it’s hard to not take the Swedish prima dona as he wins where ever he goes, and when he is on his game, he is amazingly graceful and immensely talented.

Christiano Ronaldo is the best player born from a European country by a country mile, and you could argue he is the best player in the world above Messi. The tall, slick and childish Ronaldo is always the man to watch, as he can amazing you with his power, quickness and pointless tricks, as well as his temper tantrums and strutting about like ‘his shit don’t stink’. He has the ability to score with either foot, and exceptional header of the ball, and likely the best player from free kicks. He has just started his third season for Madrid and has already had 2 hat-tricks this season, and ten in just over two seasons. Critics point to his international woes as his failing point, but then they also do the same with Messi.

For Petr Cech’s backup keeper I went looking in Poland where Arsenal’s own young and cock-sure Wojciech Szczesny grew up. Just two short years ago, Szczesny was best known for breaking both forearms while weight lifting and losing his balance. How he managed to even go to the washroom is something no one really knows, or likely wants to know, he went to League One Brentford on loan where he greatly impressed for the local fans. The following year he was talking of leaving Arsenal through contract dispute, but soon after signed an extension and is now the Arsenal #1 keeper and arguably the player of the year so far this season.

Belgium defender and Arsenal mystery man Thomas Vermaelen makes the bench. When healthy, he is a great defender and his anticipation and leaping ability is impressive. Despite being less than six feet tall, he wins the majority of his Ariel Duals, and is a great athlete. He has the ability to play left-back and midfield but is best left to stopping attacks through the middle and has a very good striking left foot. Arsenal has been dearly missing his services, and his return cannot come back sooner.

‘Welsh Jesus’ Gareth Bale makes the squad for his versatility to play fullback and along the wing. Like Theo Walcott, he has blinding pace, and can actually do more than just run. Unfortunately he has been massively over-hyped by the media, as is their want to make gods of British players, but anyone who can give Bacary Sagna problems in defense is a quality player as there are few attackers that pose an issue for the Frenchman. Bale is one of them.

Croatian Luka Modric comes onto the bench as a creative midfielder who knows how to play a role. Comfortable in sitting deep in the midfield or going to the wing, Modric is the hub of the Croatian attack linking defence to attack with seamless ability. There are reasons Chelsea chased Modric all summer before settling for Mata, and reasons Sp*rs were desperate to keep him. Van der Vaart and Bale get alot of publicity for Sp*rs, but Modric is the main man for their club, and their fans know it.

Marek Hamsik is a beautiful player to watch. Quick and creative, the Slovakian captain is a personal favorite of mine. Plays for Napoli in Serie A, he can play deep in the midfield or go to the wing in attack. He links wondrously with Edison Cavani and Lavezzi in attack, creating of the most exciting front three players in Europe.

Bosnian Edin Dzeko is a classic central striker. He is big and slightly immobile, but he stand the ball up well, and can score goals. When playing for Wolfsburg in Germany, he played in 111 matches, scoring 66 goals. So far in England, the country he was going to struggle in, he has potted eight goals in just 21 matches. He is more than a big body, and his striking ability is under-rated. Just ask the French last night:

The final substitute is Mirko Vučinić. The Montenegro man now plays for Juventus, having spend the last five years plying his trade for AS Roma, where he scored 46 goals. Vučinić is a strong dribbler and good in the air and has the propensity to draw fouls against him. A fine striker and offers another threat off the bench for the All-European squad.

So the final squad looks like this:

Coach: Guus Hiddink (Netherlands)

1. Petr Cech (Czech Republic, Chelsea FC)
2. Philip Lahm (Germany, FC Bayern Munich)
3. Giorgio Chiellini (Italy, Juventus FC)
4. Nemanja Vidić (Serbia, Manchester United)
5. Eric Abidal (France, FC Barcelona)
6. Gökhan Inler (Switzerland, SSC Napoli)
7. Mark Van Bommel (Netherlands, AC Milan)
8. Xavi Hernandez (Spain, FC Barcelona)
9. Christiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid CF)
10. Wayne Rooney (England, Manchester United)
11. Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden, AS Milan)

12. Wojciech Szczesny (Poland, Arsenal FC)
13. Thomas Vermaelen (Belgium, Arsenal FC)
14. Gareth Bale (Wales, Tottenham)
15. Luka Modric (Croatia, Tottenham)
16. Marek Hamsik (Slovakia, SSC Napoli)
17. Edin Dzeko (Bosnia & Herzegovina, Manchester City)
18. Mirko Vučinić (Montenegro, Juventus)

This squad would play the 4-3-2-1, with Van Bommel and Inler protecting the back four ans allowing Abidal and Lahm to run down the wings. The front four are all exceptional talents and would put fear in any defense. The substitutes all possess quality and offer different looks in attack, if a little light on defenders, but with an attack-thinking manager like Guus Hiddink, this squad would be looking to retain possession anyways. I would be happy to go into any match with a squad like this.

Who would you take on your All-European squad, and how would you set up? And remember, only one player per nation. Have at it!

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Category: Arsenal News

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Will

This is a tough one..

Starting XI:

GK- Petr Cech (CZR)
LB- Patrice Evra (FRA)CB- Nemanja Vidic (SER)CB- Thomas Vermaelen (BEL)RB- Philip Lahm (GER)
DM- Daniele De Rossi (ITA)CM/CAM- Cesc Fabregas (SPA)RAM- Arjen Robben (NED)LAM- Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)RS- Wayne Rooney (ENG)LS- Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE)
Bench:Wojciech Szczesny (POL)Gareth Bale (WAL)Marek Hamsik (SLO)Edin Dzeko (BOS)Luca Modric (CRO)Mirko Vucinic (MON)Gokhan Inler (SWI)Germany, Spain and the Netherlands were the toughest to narrow down. Alternatively, I'd have van Bommel as DM, Chiellini as CB, put ol' Stevie G in Robben's place, and replace Rooney with maybe Berba. There are countless other options though, with van Persie and Sneijder, Ozil and Khedira, Xavi and Iniesta and others all equally suited for the cause. I think my lineup is pretty well-balanced though as it is, though I might have RvP in for Roo if I'm red-card cautious.
will

Google Chrome encoding will be the death of me... (sorry for the triple-post, hopefully the spaces come out this time)

Starting XI:GK- Petr Cech (CZR)LB- Patrice Evra (FRA)CB- Nemanja Vidic (SER)CB- Thomas Vermaelen (BEL)RB- Philip Lahm (GER)DM- Daniele De Rossi (ITA)CM/CAM- Cesc Fabregas (SPA)RAM- Arjen Robben (NED)LAM- Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)RS- Wayne Rooney (ENG)LS- Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE)Bench:Wojciech Szczesny (POL)Gareth Bale (WAL)Marek Hamsik (SLO)Edin Dzeko (BOS)Luca Modric (CRO)Mirko Vucinic (MON)Gokhan Inler (SWI)Germany, Spain and the Netherlands were the toughest to narrow down. Alternatively, I'd have van Bommel as DM, Chiellini as CB, put ol' Stevie G in Robben's place, and replace Rooney with maybe Berba. There are countless other options though, with van Persie and Sneijder, Ozil and Khedira, Xavi and Iniesta and others all equally suited for the cause. I think my lineup is pretty well-balanced though as it is, though I might have RvP in for Roo if I'm red-card cautious.
will

I'm beaten, technology
Will

Whoops, not sure why that happened..
Starting XI:GK- Petr Cech (CZR)LB- Patrice Evra (FRA)CB- Nemanja Vidic (SER)CB- Thomas Vermaelen (BEL)RB- Philip Lahm (GER)DM- Daniele De Rossi (ITA)CM/CAM- Cesc Fabregas (SPA)RAM- Arjen Robben (NED)LAM- Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)RS- Wayne Rooney (ENG)LS- Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE)Bench:Wojciech Szczesny (POL)Gareth Bale (WAL)Marek Hamsik (SLO)Edin Dzeko (BOS)Luca Modric (CRO)Mirko Vucinic (MON)Gokhan Inler (SWI)Germany, Spain and the Netherlands were the toughest to narrow down. Alternatively, I'd have van Bommel as DM, Chiellini as CB, put ol' Stevie G in Robben's place, and replace Rooney with maybe Berba. There are countless other options though, with van Persie and Sneijder, Ozil and Khedira, Xavi and Iniesta and others all equally suited for the cause. I think my lineup is pretty well-balanced though as it is, though I might have RvP in for Roo if I'm red-card cautious.
ballyanking

This is a brief course for anyone who would like to join the
Anti-Arsenal Arsenal but hasn’t quite got the hang of it yet. It is a
quick course in how to play the blame game at the Arsenal.

Rule number 1 – blaming is better than being
open-minded, optimistic or pragmatic as it effectively transfers the
guilt and responsibility for your Arsenal frustrations onto the
shoulders of others, who may or may not actually be culpable, but that
isn’t important….as long as you feel better.

A perfect example of this is seen in the blog-sphere where statements
like this reverberate on a daily basis; ¨There can be nil debate over
who is ultimately responsible for playing issues-The Manager.¨ Such
certitude and arrogance in one sentence! Why can’t there be any debate
about who is responsible? Why is it only the manager? How did it become
his sole responsibility, if true?

Rule number 2 – State unproven and unsupported
hypotheses as if they were proven facts and make sure that these
unrelated generalizations become integrated ¨proofs¨of your blame game
directed against your target(s), circular logic for sure. Here is an
example from the same article; ¨Equally, he will not buy a player as
aged over 30 years¨ but the truth is that AW has brought in players in
that age bracket on any number of occasions. When Pires reached 30, for
example, he was offered another 2 year contract by the Club but he was
pissed off at his CL Final treatment and turned it down.

Rule number 3 – When Making outrageous accusations
against your target based on rumours, media stories, fans wishful
thinking, never investigate if there is any foundation to these
innuendos but, instead ensure that your arguments are carried to absurd
heights and that almost everything that can be attributed to
misunderstanding, misfortune, and misinformation will be laid at his
feet. Here is a classic example , from the same article; ¨The semi
egalitarian wage structure with a ceiling set at some £90,000 (?) per
week with hardly any exceptions¨……despite the fact that no one outside a
tight circle of AFC management know our real wage structure , this
writer maintains that our wage ceiling is £90,000 per week. How did he
come by that figure? He made it up based on countless media and fan
speculations or in a brain-fart moment.

Rule number 4 – When making your vitriolic claims,
make sure you use the revisionist approach to history by reinterpreting
events in your crystal clear hindsight. Here is another example of that
skill in action; ¨Is this why we left it till the last 36 hours and 2
weeks into the new season before buying 4 more experienced players ?¨
Of course it had to be our incompetent and delusional manager who was at
fault for waiting so long and late. Yet every player who came in at the
end was involved in negotiations weeks before they actually joined. The
players and their agents confirmed this, but who cares about the truth
when you’ve got an axe to grind, right?

Rule number 5 – highlight a purported temporary
failing as if it were a permanent disaster, both unchangeable and
unsolvable, while pointing the figure for this terrible disaster at your
target. Here is another example of this spurious strategy; ¨ The
obvious failure to blend youth with experience ?¨ Is there a failure?
Is it one of not blending youth with experience? Is it obvious?

Rule number 6 – Throw out a statement brimming with
hyperbole which is dubious at best and often totally fictitious but
which is posited as a rhetorical question, such as the following; ¨
Whatever else, the last few months have exploded the club’s plans and
policies and goodness only knows what will happen now. ¨ All is lost
according to the author and nobody knows what can be done and what
terrifying consequences will present themselves as the sky falls in, but
one thing for sure, it is the hated manager’s, player’s fault!

Rule number 7 – Ask the cretins and morons who troll
the club’s websites and seek someone to blame to please suggest
dramatic and lifesaving solutions to these issues, since the current
management cannot or will not act! Here is where some really funny and
inventive ideas are excreted, often couched in very poor English:

a) One post suggests that we should get rid of half the
team,including players who have not yet played with us but who are
captains of their respective nations and scoring at will in
International games.

b) The same idiot cries for the urgent purchase of just about every
player who has ever been linked with the Club, regardless of the wages,
inflated asking price or financial impact. This despite just having said
we have to lower our wage bill by getting rid of the ¨mediocre¨players.

c) Numerous fools quickly jump on the blame train and scream their
outrage at the target(s) over the net, broadcasting their disdain and
vigorous but mindless distrust of said person(s) in terms that would
make a sailor blush.

d) Another retard suggested we should sign a pre-sale deal with City
for RVP since he clearly intends to leave in January and has sold his
house in order to move to Manchester. The only problems with this
brilliant insight is that he has bought a new house closer to Highbury
and he has stated that he will resign when he is less focused on playing
Arsenal Football.

I sincerely hope this brief course on how to villanize and inculpate
Arsenal’s current leadership, without worrying about the truth, has
stimulated those readers who need to find scapegoats and ¨punish¨ them
irrespective of such annoying distractions as broad-mindedness, realism,
justice or veracity. Meanwhile the majority of faithful Gooners will
avoid the blame game and instead watch beautiful football.
Tfyoung

If you are going to lift something completely at least attribute it to the original poster.
This was posted by a Don McMahon here.
http://blog.emiratesstadium.in...
Chicago Gunner

*yawn*
ballyanking

After Thierry Henry a man with the name Henri will always get my backing to well
at the Arsenal.

Not only that, a local boy like Henri Lansbury will get
my backing even more than trap 4 in the 12:17 at Crayford dogs.

Lansbury
hasn't had many first-team chances at Arsenal.

In fact, he has been
loaned out more the dirty magazines I found under my brothers bed when I was
13.

But I hope he has a future with the club. Turning 21 years old
tomorrow he certainly has time on his side.

I wish I was 21
again....

Lansbury has been at the club since he was a schoolboy in 1999.
I even heard he was a Gooner. So one thing is for certain, he loves the
Arsenal.

Every time I've seen him play I have been impressed. Especially
since he scored on his full-debut for us against S*urs.

For the England
u21's he looks a very decent prospect. I'd go as far as saying I'd rather have
him than £16-20m Jordan Henderson.

And that is no joke.

Henri has
had some bad hair-cuts in his time but I'll put that down youthful exuberance or
just the fact that he let Tomas Rosicky cut it for him.

But I won't hold
that against him. He's sorted it out now.

When he returns after his
latest loan period away from the club I'd like him to be given the chance to be
part of the match-day squad more often.

I think he is good enough to
establish himself as squad player.

Especially if Denilson played nearly
100 times for the club
ballyanking

Is it too obvious to say that we are weakest in
the technical area ?

For me if I could upgrade on one position only then it would have to be a
defensive midfielder. Song is, imo at least, a slow cumbersome gobshite
who has yet to grasp the proper technical ability which in turn see's
him give away too many free's of which we cannot defend against. Of
course his lack of discipline positionally is also killing our back 4
and midfield
brenton

Try a Starting XI of players you would like to kick. Unfortunately you can only pick one Englishman; Terry, Rooney or Cole.... It's harder to find a left back I'd like to kick, so may have to go with Cole. On the other hand, Terry is such a dick. Also, who is more of an asshole, van Bommel or Sneijder? Also, are there any keepers that are particularly annoying?

This is harder than it first seemed. It's not helped by the fact that I don't dislike Craig Bellamy.

GK
RB Ramos (SPA)
CB Terry (ENG)
CB
LB
RM Ribery (FRA)
CM van Bommel (NED)
CM Ballack (GER)
LM Ronaldo (POR)
ST Ibrahimovic (SWE)
ST Balotelli (ITA)
JG

I don't see nothing wrong with Ribery, bar his face; Evra gets the LB spot then. Ibra is really nothing but arrogant, and Rooney is far worse, so I would swap him for the Swede.
My Kick-In-Da-Face meter is determined in how the player in question has treated Arsenal, and guys like Ribery and Balotelli really haven't done jack to us. And van Bommel may be a douche, but Busquets is The Situation-douche. No way he misses out of this list. Ramos is really nothing more than a walking STD anyways.
brenton

Ramos is like Sneijder or Ashley Cole. Dick. Like, poses on expensive cars with his hot girlfriend dick.
brenton

Nothing wrong with Ribery? I haven't heard anything GOOD about Ribery. Ever. Start with the bad attitude and move on to the underage hookers.
Will

I can't believe you put Ramos there instead of Busquets. Busquets is more an olympic diver than a footballer.
brenton

That, to me, feels like a 2009 attitude. He's an excellent footballer, and his diving has drastically decreased.
Darren_V

You should write a blog on this ;)
Orion

I agree with you, but put Valdes, Pepe, and Evra in the empty positions. I hate them.
brenton

Pepe is Portuguese. No one, but no one, dethrones Ronaldo from his position as King of the Kick-in-the-Face list. Ribery gets the French spot, Ramos the Spanish.

Valdes is the most hateable keeper? That's poor. C'mon, people.
Orion

My reasoning for the selection of Reina is the fact that he thinks he's one of the best goalkeepers in the world just cos he plays for Barcelona. He is a fairly decent goalkeeper, at best.
brenton

Now you're just confusing me.

Valdes is one of the best one-on-one keepers in the world. He has his weaknesses, sure, but he's certainly a top keeper.
Orion

A top keeper? Come on, now. He has his strengths sure, but surely he's an average goalkeeper. Remember he always has two of the best central defenders in the world, if not the best.

Let's agree to disagree, for its the best solution I think.
Patoux21

Is it because Evra said Arsenal is more like a training centre than a football club? I don't like him either but it's more because he played a big part in the French team mutiny during the last world cup ... "the traitor"
Patoux21

Joey Barton deserves a mention
Patoux21

Joey Barton deserves a mention
Patoux21

Joey Barton deserves a mention
Martin

More than that -- I'd say he deserves three mentions.
Jerome

Almunia?
brenton

Spanish. Ramos is a dick.
Gigi_man

Hey I am going to Miami and Orlando, any gooners out there? any advice where to watch better the games (bars etc)?
Gigi_man

nice subject, i love this kind of sort-of-games, too bad I am kinda late here, but please keep on doing things like this.

1. Casillas
2. Sagna
3. Vermaelen
4. Vidic
5. Cashley
6. Crynaldo
7. Seedorf
8. Nasri
9. Zlatan
10, Vucinic
11. Mario Gomez

12. Wojo
13. Dzeko
14. Arsha
15. Ramsey
16. Cassano
17. Djourou
18. Mutu

FRankly not my 11 and bench choice, but man was it hard with that only-one-per-country rule! :) (and I am not even sure I got them right)
Darren_V

I like your team, especially since you picked Seedorf, except you have two french players on the starting lineup.
Gigi_man

ah...so close!....Altintop instead of Nasri then!
brenton

Also, Gomez?
Gigi_man

come on...i dont have two Germans on my team :P
brenton

Still, Gomez?
Lachlan

May I ask who you thought the over hyped player was? I can only assume that it was Ibrahimovic, but I don't really know for sure.
Darren_V

Welsh Jesus
Casimir

Philip Lahm is absolutely amazing. IMHO, the best modern fullback/wingback in the world. His ability to get upfield and help out the attack, to spread the opposing defense, dribble and pass as a defender, it's incredible. I haven't seen a defender with a better shot either.
Patoux21

Completely agree and he should teach Sagna how to cross
Jerome

While the comments section has proven itself to be less than excellent (so far), everything else about the post was entertaining. That said, I HAVE to believe you could find a better keeper than Cech... Obviously you can't pick one from England or Spain, but a better option must exist from any of the other European countries. I'm not sure who he is, but I'm certain he must exist... At the very least, I'd prob pick Buffon over a post-injury Cech. I think.
Darren_V

Samir Handanovic from Slovenia?Igor Akinfeev from Russia?
Wayne Hennessey from Wales?Petr Cech is much better than those three, and while I would pick Buffon over Cech, I really like Chiellini's game and thought it would be a better squad with Cech and Chiellini over Buffon.
Sham_282828

GK- Casillas
LB- Assley Cole
CB - Vidic
CB - Vermaelen
RB- Sagna
CM- Fabregas
CM- Iniesta
LM - Ronaldo
RM- Messi
ST - Rooney
St- v.Persie

Bench -
Chesney
Wilshere
Walcott
Drogba
Xavi
Nani
Kaka
brenton

Messi isn't European. Fabregas, Casillas and Iniesta are both Spanish. I think you missed the criteria, but it's a good team you put together.
Ian

one player per country, only europe. and i like fabregas and all but xavi is definitely better than him. walcott doesnt deserve to make bench if you're doing a world xi thing. same could be said with drogba.
mike

ian ding ren jie ?
andy_arrowsmith

GK - Cech
LB - Evra
CB - Vidic
CB - Chiellini
RB - Lahm
LM - Ronaldo
CM - Fabregas
CM - Sneijder
RM - Modric
ST - Rooney
ST - Ibrahimovic

Bench:
SZCZ
Vermaelen
Hangeland
Hamsik
D. Fletcher
Bale
Mutu
Darren_V

My only concern with your lineup would be the lack of defensive minded midfielders. Looks like that lineup could get caught in attack rather easily.
andy_arrowsmith

Yeah there are certainly some defensive frailties. Fabregas is a bit more dutiful in that regard than Xavi, which is why I included him. I could've put Fletcher in, I suppose, or swapped Fabregas for Xabi Alonso, but if I was trying to win one game or one tournament, I want the most talent on the pitch as possible - I think this is that lineup.
Chicago Gunner

Fabregas is better than Xavi now. I heard Xavi is updating his resume.
Martin

I would love to see that resume. I bet it would include the line:

Midfielder 1998-present Barcelona, Spain

Owned relentlessly; wrecked everybody's shit nonstop
Martin

Maybe, but they'd probably win every game 9-4.
TJ_UGA

Darren, I'd switch Abidal with Evra, playing Hamsik in front of Van Bommell, have only Inler holding.

Other than that, I can't find anything wrong with yours. Well played.
Patoux21

1. Lloris
2. Lahm
3. Cole
4. Vidic
5. Vermalaen of 2009-10
6. De Rossi
7. Xavi
8. Bale
9. Robben
10. Etoo
11. Messi
Homey_Mills

Eto'o and Messi aren't from Europe.
Patoux21

yeah right then Rooney and Ronaldo just like old times in ManU
Tomisin

Eto'o holds a Spanish passport, does that count?
Patoux21

And yet he was the victim of very aggressive racist shouts from the crowd when he was playing in la liga
Martin

That's racist.
brenton

Pot, kettle. (We all know Martin's from the South, right?)
Martin

That's regional-ist.
Kanjar

                                            Dzeko
                                                       RVP
                         Crynaldo                                  Nasri

                                      Alonso    Schweinsteiger

                          Cole         Chiellini    Vidic           Srna
                                                 Cech
Chicago Gunner

why do you have dzeko playing way off in the corner? surely he'll be offside most of the time there.
Nazreenshazwan

Coach : van basten

1. Szczesny
2. Lahm
3. Ashley Cole.
4. Kompany
5. Thiago Silva
6. Wilshere
7. Xavi
8. Marek Hamsik
9. Hazard
10.Ozil
11.Ibrahimovic

12.Vidic
13.Rooney
14.Mata
15.Sneijder
16.Evra
17.Neuer
18.Yaya Toure
TJ_UGA

Silva's Brazilian, Yaya's Ivorian. And you might have missed the part where you can only have one player from each country.
Wolff

no messi? wtf?
wolff

oh wait it was all europe not all world my bad.
Kanjar

Argentina...South America...
Relfela

My squad will look like this:
Coach: Arsene Wenger

1. Szczesny
2. Sergio Ramos
3. Coentrao
4. Subotic
5. Vidic
6. De Jong
7. Wilshere
8. Ronaldo
9. Fabregas
10. Hazard
11. Rooney

12. Neuer
13. Vermaelen
14. A.Cole
15. Xavi
16. Iniesta
17. Benzema
18. Van Persie

Formation: 4-2-3-1
TJ_UGA

Hey, you realize you're starting De Jong and Wilshere over Xavi and Iniesta right?
Martin

If you've got Xavi and Iniesta on the bench, I think you're doing it wrong.
Darren_V

Try with only one player per country.
Homey_Mills

... and preferably without de Jong...
brenton

de Jong's on the bench of my "Starting XI of players I'd like to kick in the face". Unsurprisingly, van Bommel starts.