International Under-25 XI – who’s your pick?
This is an article I’ve wanted to write for a while now, and am unfortunately slightly late on.
I missed the window on Kaka, who would clearly be in the lineup. However I am writing it now because I don’t want to miss the window on perhaps the most important member of this team, Petr Cech, who turns 25 in less than a week.
Choosing this squad was not an easy task, especially in the midfield. There are many options for attacking midfielders and wing players, such as Arjen Robben, Aaron Lennon and Franck Ribery, as well as forward/strikers like Robinho, Robin van Persie, Fernando Torres and Lukas Podolski. Selection was based on their current form, as well as how much promise they show.
This is a very attacking oriented team, as all the defenders like to go forward at times, and not a lot of the midfielders play too much defense aside from Essien. That’s why Cech is so important. I think this team would play high-scoring games and be a lot of fun to watch.
Goalkeeper: Petr Cech (Chesea)
Not even 25 and already one of the best in the world. A no-brainer, however, I wonder if he could jazz up that helmet a little, give it some crazy graphics like hockey goalies….
Right Back: Daniel Alves (Sevilla)
I think pretty much any team in top-flight football would love to have him right now. He gets the nod over Micah Richards.
Center Backs: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Alex (PSV)
Both are solid defenders who like to go forward. They have strength, pace and heading ability, and experience beyond their years. They are not exactly unflappable, but more than capable.
Left Back: Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)
I was impressed with his World Cup performance. He has the pace to be all the way forward whipping in a cross and still get back to defend the break. He plays with a calm professionalism.
Right Wing: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
This was another no-brainer. I would have him take the penalty kicks as well.
Center Midfielders: Michael Essien (Chelsea), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Essien brings some much-needed defensive ability to the midfield. He would do the dirty work that allows the attacking minded players to do what they do best. Plus he’s good for a last-second match winner or two. Cesc would play in front of him distributing the ball to the forwards and wingers. Kaka would have been in this spot, and I considered a more defensive player like Bastian Schweinsteiger, but Cesc gets the nod for his youth, passing ability and tenacity. He would get a lot of assists.
Left Wing: Lionel Messi (Bareclona)
His Maradonna-like performance against Getafe in April sealed his place in this squad for me. Imagine having to defend him on the left and C. Ronaldo on the right…trouble.
Forwards: Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Ajax), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
I did not have to think too hard about Rooney. With these wingers he wouldn’t have to worry about coming back too far either. While Huntelaar has been on fire both this season and last, he plays in the Dutch Eredivisie, which is not quite the Premiership or Liga. However, he does have 2 goals in 2 Champions League games and 7 goals in 7 UEFA Cup games this season – a very encouraging statistic.
So there it is. As I said before, these were not easy choices, and I’d love to hear what others come up with….
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Features, Wayne Rooney
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good team except i wud have kaka over fabregas any day..apart from that its a damn good team!
May 18th, 2007 @ 04:18Not many complaints here, but need to point out one important observation. Messi is a striker who plays in a 4-3-3 system which is in effect an advanced 3 pronged strike force as against two wingers and a striker. Ronnie and Messi are actually somewhere between a winger and a striker and they cut in to score instead of crossing the ball. If you notice they play more one-twos with Etoo instead of hugging the touchline, which is actually what wingers do. So having Messi in a 4-4-2 system on the wing will inhibit the XI’s width. So you might need to modify the system to accomodate Messi. Just my thinking.
May 18th, 2007 @ 05:44I still love the team, but I would prefer a 4-2-3-1 formation with Messi, Rooney and Ronaldo forming an interchanging three, who might even tend to go wide.
May 18th, 2007 @ 10:32srizzel – Kaka is too old – see second line at start of article.
May 18th, 2007 @ 12:56I’d personally rate tevez be a better striker than Huntelaar, however aside from that its perfect
May 18th, 2007 @ 13:34yea, tevez instead of huntelaar, otherwise this is good.
It would be interesting though if you posted the full list of players you made your selections from – like a squad of 24 or something.
May 18th, 2007 @ 14:00This is just an idea of the possible squad Foster, cech
Left-back: Lahm, Evra
Centre Backs: Pique, Gonzalo Rodrigez, Ramos, Alex
Right-Backs: Heitinga, Dani Alves
Right Wingers: Ronaldo, Wesley Sneijder
Attacking Midfielder: Van Der vaart, Diego
Defensive Midfielder: Essien, Mascherano
Left-Winger: Messi, Robben
Creative Striker: Rooney, Tevez
May 18th, 2007 @ 15:27Goal-Poacher: Huntelaar, Torres
How about a Premier League under-25 of Cech, Richards, Dawson, Agger, Baines, Ronaldo, Fabregas, Essien, Robben, Rooney, Tevez. With Lennon and Sissoko on the bench. The worry for us United fans is that i’d only have two United players in there. Time we bought Richards & Bale.
May 18th, 2007 @ 15:40Bhavin M – would you really have Mascherano over Sissoko?? Based on 10 games…..
May 18th, 2007 @ 15:41No offense to sissoko but he is a lumbering ox compared to Mascherano in the def-mid area. sissoko go in feet-first and i praise him on his bravery, but i would say you need some-one who can get the ball with a deft-touch and never stop running. Mascherano can tackle without give the other team freekicks all the time aswell.
May 18th, 2007 @ 15:55I agree with you Igor…
May 18th, 2007 @ 17:29Thanks for all the comments. Here are a few others I considered:
Bastian Schweinsteiger
May 18th, 2007 @ 18:19Theo Walcott
Salomon Kalou
John Obi Mikel
Gabriel Agbonlahor
Daniel Agger
Obafemi Martins?
David Bentley
Wesley Sneijder
Arjen Robben
Aaron Lennon
Micah Richards
Leighton Baines
Michael Dawson
Franck Ribery
Robinho
Robin van Persie
Fernando Torres
Lukas Podolski.
I don’t think Cech is such a no brainer, considering Iker Casillas doesn’t turn 26 until Sunday.
May 18th, 2007 @ 18:24Oh, how much I despise these kinds of things! Your ideal XI?!? So what? What’s the point of all this? There will NEVER be any such team. We all know who the best young players are. What are you going to accomplish except waste everyone’s time? And for people saying “what a good team”: well, yeah! Any team consisting out of best 11 players is a good team. Dumb fucks.
May 18th, 2007 @ 20:48Hah
May 18th, 2007 @ 21:01avrv – That’s funny, they’re born on the same day. Iker is a year too late though.
May 18th, 2007 @ 21:32You cannot consider Martins, he’s nearing 40.
May 18th, 2007 @ 21:36can your under 25 team beat this side
Van der sar
Nevile Cannavaro Nesta R.Carlos
Gattuso
Beckham Seedorf Totti Giggs
Inzaghi Mark Viduka
Subs:
May 18th, 2007 @ 22:47Dida / Maldini/ Thuram / Pirlo / Scholes/ Rudd Van / Ronaldo
in your dream,,,,,!!!
May 19th, 2007 @ 01:49Ttts – you have wasted more of our time by posting an unnecessary lambast. If you don’t want to read the article, don’t fucking read it.
May 19th, 2007 @ 17:18Any team consisting out of best 11 players is a good team
Yea, but it’s not the best – or do you forget what’s happened to England?
May 19th, 2007 @ 17:36Actually, I read only a part of the article, and I didn’t have to read any, since the title makes it pretty obvious what it’s about. Ahmed, I agree with you-when you see the names on England team list, it sounds mouthwatering, but… The reasons why strong national teams underperform are known-big money teams don’t care about national teams or the World Cup. If G-14 ever gets it’s way we’ll witness the end of football as a sport (if it’s not dead already). You’ll have just the money… And of course, English teams with 0 (zero) English players in their squad don’t help (I think you know who I’m talking about). National teams must play much more often and they have to have a cult status, or the game we all breathe and eat is DEAD.
May 20th, 2007 @ 18:49Here is my line-up:
Goalie: Petr Cech
Defense: Left – Gael Clichy(man that kid is good), Centre – Serigo Ramos, and Anton Ferdinand, Right – Micah Richards
Midfielders: Left – Franck Ribery, Centre – Cesc Fabregas, and Cristiano Ronaldo(too see what he can do in the centre), and Right – Jesus Navas(Sevilla)
Forwards: Left: Lionel Messi, and Right – Obafemi Martins
Subs: Wayne Rooney, Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott, Matt Derbyshire(Blackburn), and Karim Benzema(Lyon, To see how good he really is)
May 20th, 2007 @ 23:58great team only 4
May 30th, 2007 @ 14:06RB i’d play Sagnol
in CM i’d play kaka instead o cesc and totti instead o essien
i’d play vidic an terry as CB
my left flanker would b Quaresma
an i’d play David Villa 4 Huntelaar.
Otherwise it’s a great team!
hell its under 25 i didnt see that.In that case u came keep essien.he’d do quite well.
May 30th, 2007 @ 14:37I cant believe NONE of you have considered MIKEL
June 6th, 2007 @ 00:51what about tevez instead of huntelaar
July 8th, 2007 @ 06:43i rekon mark noble and nani could probly get in there too??
July 8th, 2007 @ 08:48Teves, Ronaldo, Fabregas, Bale, Torres, Huntalaar…Most strikers and mids lol
July 8th, 2007 @ 15:42lol
the team is a bit premiership biased and European based biased as a result it aint an International team.
Secondly, the system nobody plays 442 again try and select a modern system.
July 8th, 2007 @ 21:39Good comments guys, thanks.
At this point I am not completely sold on Tevez. I think he could easily become one of the best, but at this point I feel Huntelaar has a better scoring record even though he plays in a weaker league. If the Tevez of the end of the Premiership season is consistently there I would take him, but without that assurance I have to pick Huntelaar.
slaton – I agree with you about the bias. You and Red Ranter bring up good points about the formation as well. I actually envisioned more of a loose midfield diamond, with Messi and Ronaldo on the sides, but not exactly all the way out on the wing.
July 11th, 2007 @ 01:21buffon
August 20th, 2007 @ 19:52eboue toure gallas clichy
ribery cesc diarra rosicky
van persie huntelaar
is huntelaar better than martins?
August 20th, 2007 @ 19:53