Everyone loves a good list or controversial selection.
We did this back in 2006 when TFK first opened and I’m sure the thread is out there somewhere. But I think 8 years is a fair enough timespan to be starting a new thread.
So who is your current best world soccer eleven?
[LIST]
[]Put them in some semblance of a formation.
[]By all means include subs
[]Even include a rationale if you wish
[]This is your current world xi. Not a future world xi so don’t rate potential higher than ability.
[/LIST]
Neuer_
Dani Alves_Thiago Silva_Chiellini_Lahm
Schweinsteiger_Busquets*__
Ronaldo______Messi________Robben
Zlatan___
Thoughts:
[LIST]
[]This would probably change drastically after the World Cup but at the moment it’s naturally based more on club form.
[]Struggling for a left back. Alaba is terrific but he doesn’t strike me as being worthy of a world seleciton yet and it’s as much about his frightening potential.
[]Dani Alves is much maligned but he’s consitently the best attacking full back and Barcelona badly miss him when he’s out.
[]Could have had a few different centre backs there - Ramos would be the next most obvious candidate. Don’t think Pique is playing anywhere near that level anymore and Kompany is good at the tasks of defending but not sure his positional play is good enough.
[]It is a bit attacker-centric but that’s probably natural given the talent that’s available.
[]Bit of a changing of the guard with no Xavi or Iniesta there who would have been in my team 12 months ago. Think Xavi is definitely on the wane. Iniesta remains a terrific player but he’s not better than Ronaldo or Messi and can’t ignore how great Zlatan and Robben have been in the last couple of years.
[]Could have had Pirlo instead of either Schweinsteiger or Busquets but they were my initial thought and wouldn’t be convinced of the need to change it.
[]Suarez probably wouldn’t be a million miles away from the team but Falcao and Cavani might be my next choice strikers and if I was to find room for another attacking type it would probably be by moving Messi up front and and putting Iniesta in a bit deeper.
[*]I fully expect I’ve left out someone obvious and await ridicule for same.
[/LIST]
It’s FIFA World XI with Schweinsteiger and Busquets in place of Xavi and Iniesta-probably wouldn’t argue with that with the formation you have. Can’t understand you swapping Robben for Ribery though*. I would probably have Kompany ahead of Chiellini due to what else he brings to the team-agree with dropping Ramos-he is a liability.
*I am blinded by my hatred for the diving cunt though.
[quote=“Horsebox, post: 915447, member: 1537”]It’s FIFA World XI with Schweinsteiger and Busquets in place of Xavi and Iniesta-probably wouldn’t argue with that with the formation you have. Can’t understand you swapping Robben for Ribery though*. I would probably have Kompany ahead of Chiellini due to what else he brings to the team-agree with dropping Ramos-he is a liability.
*I am blinded by my hatred for the diving cunt though.[/quote]
I think Ribery is a terrific player but Robben is a more consistent matchwinner and is probably the best player at beating a defender in a 1v1 matchup at the moment. He’s selfish and arrogant and hits the deck easily and can be an erratic finisher but he creates and takes chances every time he plays.
I think Ribery is technically very good, with a low centre of gravity and tremendous work rate. I just feel that he isn’t the smartest player in the world and that lets him down. He tends to run down blind alleys a lot.
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer – Bayern Munich
Defender: Philipp Lahm – Bayern Munich
Defender: Sergio Ramos – Real Madrid
Defender: Thiago Silva – PSG
Defender: Dani Alves – FC Barcelona
Midfielder: Andres Iniesta – FC Barcelona
Midfielder: Xavi Hernandez – FC Barcelona
Midfielder: Franck Ribery – Bayern Munich
Forward: Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrd
Forward: Zlatan Ibrahimovic – PSG
Forward: Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona
Hard to argue with the FIFA XI.
Maybe Chiellini for Ramos. And Filipe Luis at left full.
Gundogan is an interesting one. I think he is just about the best passer of a ball* at the moment and is magnificently two footed but not sure he’s proven himself for a sustained period yet. He may become another Sahin (who has now agreed to rejoin Borussia permanently) which isn’t a bad player at all, but doesn’t reach the heights expected.
*what else would he pass? - But that’s the phrase.
[quote=“Kid Curry, post: 915640, member: 1397”]Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer – Bayern Munich
Defender: Philipp Lahm – Bayern Munich
Defender: Sergio Ramos – Real Madrid
Defender: Thiago Silva – PSG
Defender: Dani Alves – FC Barcelona
Midfielder: Andres Iniesta – FC Barcelona
Midfielder: Xavi Hernandez – FC Barcelona
Midfielder: Franck Ribery – Bayern Munich
Forward: Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrd
Forward: Zlatan Ibrahimovic – PSG
Forward: Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona
Hard to argue with the FIFA XI.
Maybe Chiellini for Ramos. And Filipe Luis at left full.[/quote]
Xavi doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near it. Reus and Robben better than Ribery. Ramos definitely out as well