Your perfect team

simonhch

Horrible boss
Joined
Aug 17, 2010
Messages
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The concept of a best team often forces people to shoe horn in the best names throughout history, without any real consideration of how they would actually play. Consequently, I was thinking, what if I was a manager and had the opportunity to pick a match day 18 that I could take with me into any match, with the sole objective of winning - but winning on my own terms. For me that means a balance between pragmatism and flair, between power and poetry. My 18 reflects not only what I think would be as close to my ideal of a perfect unit, as possible, but one which reflects what I was exposed to during my formative football years. Subsequently, there will be some glaring omissions - such as Cristiano Ronaldo - in favour of players I not only believe would fit my team better, but who I simply prefer from a stylistic perspective.

Of course such an exercise has forced me to omit some wonderful players that I would have loved to have made room for. Artists such as Cantona, Bergkamp, Baggio, Del Piero, Stoichkov, Hagi. I have also omitted players that I may have admired greatly, but just did not see live enough to fully appreciate. Maradona is one such player.

lineup.png



Subs:

Buffon, Maldini, Thuram, Redondo, Iniesta, Robben, Romario
 
simonhch said:
The concept of a best team often forces people to shoe horn in the best names throughout history, without any real consideration of how they would actually play. Consequently, I was thinking, what if I was a manager and had the opportunity to pick a match day 18 that I could take with me into any match, with the sole objective of winning - but winning on my own terms. For me that means a balance between pragmatism and flair, between power and poetry. My 18 reflects not only what I think would be as close to my ideal of a perfect unit, as possible, but one which reflects what I was exposed to during my formative football years. Subsequently, there will be some glaring omissions - such as Cristiano Ronaldo - in favour of players I not only believe would fit my team better, but who I simply prefer from a stylistic perspective.

Of course such an exercise has forced me to omit some wonderful players that I would have loved to have made room for. Artists such as Cantona, Bergkamp, Baggio, Del Piero, Stoichkov, Hagi. I have also omitted players that I may have admired greatly, but just did not see live enough to fully appreciate. Maradona is one such player.

lineup.png



Subs:

Buffon, Maldini, Thuram, Redondo, Iniesta, Robben, Romario
Click to expand...

Squad numbering all wrong. 0/10.
 
bam-formation-tactics.png


Something like 1970 Brazil. Included Vidić as he is my personal favorite, don't think that there would be questions about other guys. Maybe Garrincha over Best due to their link with Pele, but I prefer the latter.

Subs: Yashin, Maldini, Beckenbauer, Matthäus, Garrincha, Maradona, van Basten
 
simonhch said:
The concept of a best team often forces people to shoe horn in the best names throughout history, without any real consideration of how they would actually play. Consequently, I was thinking, what if I was a manager and had the opportunity to pick a match day 18 that I could take with me into any match, with the sole objective of winning - but winning on my own terms. For me that means a balance between pragmatism and flair, between power and poetry. My 18 reflects not only what I think would be as close to my ideal of a perfect unit, as possible, but one which reflects what I was exposed to during my formative football years. Subsequently, there will be some glaring omissions - such as Cristiano Ronaldo - in favour of players I not only believe would fit my team better, but who I simply prefer from a stylistic perspective.

Of course such an exercise has forced me to omit some wonderful players that I would have loved to have made room for. Artists such as Cantona, Bergkamp, Baggio, Del Piero, Stoichkov, Hagi. I have also omitted players that I may have admired greatly, but just did not see live enough to fully appreciate. Maradona is one such player.

lineup.png



Subs:

Buffon, Maldini, Thuram, Redondo, Iniesta, Robben, Romario
Click to expand...

That would be some team.
 
170117073023.png


Best I could get out of the formation generator, supposed to be more like a flat 433/4231.

Won't find a stronger CB pairing for when the full backs go marauding forward, and I can't think of a better pair to support the wide forwards.

Xavi, Scholes and Zidane could keep the ball all day and be the ultimate playmakers.

Ronaldo x2 and Messi would be unstoppable.
 
Players born in the 80's:

2ti9hfB.png


BENCH: Casillas - Marcelo, Pique, Boateng, Lahm - Xabi Alonso, Modric, Vidal - Ronaldinho, Kaka, Ibrahimovic

Players born in the 70's

nEwX5o0.png



BENCH: Van der Sar - Roberto Carlos, Ferdinand, Puyol, Thuram - Keane, Davids, Scholes - Nedved, Figo, Henry
 
I'd like to see a 90's/00's only team to save debates on players from former generations that effectively played a different game being thrown in. I couldn't formulate a team with players from earlier than that but I'm sure plenty on here could and it would be just as interesting a thread.
 
I've always thought about this, you see questions like greatest team of all time or greatest team of players you've seen, the greatest team I've seen is Pep's Barca, so a perfect team would then be the perfect players to suit that formation. But then the dilemma is, can you fit players like Cristiano or Ronaldinho into that side without the press being disrupted? Or would their class at the other end make up for it?

In this scenario, for me the back five picks itself. Buffon is in goals, Maldini in Abidal's role, with Nesta and Thuram centre back, and Dani Alves right back. There have been more complete right backs than Alves, but as an attacking force he is excellent, and this is the system he thrives in. Thuram as a player who also excelled as a right back, is the perfect defender to have in behind him on the cover.

The midfield would be Xavi, Iniesta, and Redondo. Redondo was on another level to Busquets, and a huge amount of the system depends on Xavi's relentless possession controlling. Iniesta imo is on Zidane's level, he is a player who consistently rose to the biggest occasions, and was an important part of the press.

Messi is an obvious pick in attack, you probably have to have him as the false 9. Either side of him, to stick with the formation the obvious choices are Cristiano from the left, and either Robben or Bale from the right. Cristiano is clearly at his best cutting from the left, so there is no point in trying to move him to accommodate an Henry or a Ronaldinho. You could also argue for someone like Nedved from the right, I'm not sure how much football he played there (if any) but his two footedness, goal scoring ability and work rate would be a perfect fit for the team. A key feature of the side was Pedro (despite not being that good) coming in from the left with his left footed finishes, so in a way I would be looking to replicate that.

I do see Xavi often staring disgustedly at Ronaldo however as he hits his fifth long range shot over the bar after a 56 pass move.
 
Neuer
Zanetti Ferdinand Maldini Alaba
Busquets
Xavi Iniesta
Rummenigge Messi Stoichkov
​
Upgraded version of Pep's tiki taka, i guess the only player that would need explaining is Alaba but while there are plenty of players that were better then him he fits perfectly with his qualities, if i invested more then 2 minutes in the thinking process im pretty sure id find a better player who is also a perfect fit but for now Alaba works and its not that he was average or something. Best left-back in the world when is actually playing there.
My perfect team would always be a total football team but id need more time to build that side.....
 
Buffon
Thuram Nesta Cannavaro Maldini
Makelele
Zidane Ronaldinho
Messi Brazilian.Ronaldo Best
 
------------Buffon
Cafu---Nesta---Maldini---Carlos
-----Xavi--Iniesta--Zidane
--Messi-----Ronaldo---Ronaldo

This is one I'd pay to watch
 
PLayers I've seen:

---------Kahn----------
Cafu-Nesta-Rio-Maldini
-----Vieira-Keane-----
Messi--Iniesta--Ronaldinho
--------Ronaldo---------

Subs: Big Pete, Lahm, Cannavaro, Zizou, Davids, Cr7, Henry.
 
Massimo Taibi
Titus Bramble - Richard Dunne - Paul Konchesky - Winston Bogarde
Lee Cattermole - Joey Barton - Scott Parker - Garbiel Obertan
Duncan Fergusen - Emile Heskey
 
team.jpg

Dont know how to remove the arrows.

Subs: Buffon, Lahm, Keane, Scholes, Zidane, Giggs, Van Basten
 
Last edited:
Doing players from the last 10 years. Doing something different to the usual Messi/Ronaldo/Barca dominated teams.

Edwin
Ramos - Ferdinand - Vidic
Alonso
Alves - Vidal - Schweinsteiger - Evra
Torres - Bale​

All of the back lines are great defenders, and capable of playing the ball. Evra and Dani Alves have superb engines, and I don't think anyone would power through that midfield. Torres and Bale would kill teams on the counter.

There's better sides you could make clearly, but I think this would be a tremendous side.
 
--------------Buffon-----------------
Cafu--Ferdinand--Nesta--R.Carlos
---------Keane---Scholes----------
--------------Zidane---------------
Ronaldo---------------------Messi
--------------Ronaldo-------------
 
Haha, someone put Kahn in goal. Ludicrous.
 
simonhch said:
The concept of a best team often forces people to shoe horn in the best names throughout history, without any real consideration of how they would actually play. Consequently, I was thinking, what if I was a manager and had the opportunity to pick a match day 18 that I could take with me into any match, with the sole objective of winning - but winning on my own terms. For me that means a balance between pragmatism and flair, between power and poetry. My 18 reflects not only what I think would be as close to my ideal of a perfect unit, as possible, but one which reflects what I was exposed to during my formative football years. Subsequently, there will be some glaring omissions - such as Cristiano Ronaldo - in favour of players I not only believe would fit my team better, but who I simply prefer from a stylistic perspective.

Of course such an exercise has forced me to omit some wonderful players that I would have loved to have made room for. Artists such as Cantona, Bergkamp, Baggio, Del Piero, Stoichkov, Hagi. I have also omitted players that I may have admired greatly, but just did not see live enough to fully appreciate. Maradona is one such player.

lineup.png



Subs:

Buffon, Maldini, Thuram, Redondo, Iniesta, Robben, Romario
Click to expand...
beautiful team. you are clearly from my era, however I don't know about having Viera AND Keane. I would slip Xavi in their somewhere. For balance, maybe try Pirlo DLP or even Xabi Alonso there as alternatives. I am not convinced of 2 box to boxers nowadays. Also Maldini or Nesta should be in their somewhere. I would maybe swap Zidane for Ronaldinho and play C.Ronaldo LW. I think C.Ronaldo would add more than Zidane
 
harms said:
@Invictus that is brilliant :drool:
Click to expand...
Your 4-4-2 is lovely too, mate. Though to be honest, I'm always scared of recreating '70 considering of the once in a lifetime levels of chemistry that set of players channeled throughout that run of form. '58 is relatively simple, and more up my alley for a 4-4-2:


Here too, Garrincha + Djalma is impossible to emulate, and a couple others are arguably imperfect fits.

Vavá ~ Müller
Young Pelé ~ Young and direct Cruyff, or Eusébio?
Garrincha ~ Best
Zagallo ~ Gento
Didi ~ Beckenbauer under Schön?
Zito ~ Rijkaard
Nilton ~ Facchetti
Bellini ~ Figueroa
Orlando ~ Bergomi
Djalma ~ Thuram
Gilmar ~ Casillas?

Alternatively, Di Stéfano at 10, old Puskás for Vavá to resurrect the Madrid triumvirate, and Falcão/Xavi for Didi.
 
I see someone has included Makelele in their team, another player who's got better since retirement.
 
Really enjoying seeing some of these teams. All I would question is the inclusion of players such as Best, Pele and Charlton, IF the posters never really saw them play live, and are solely relying on archived footage.
 


I like to think it's a good balance with Messi-Cafu on one side and Maldini-Figo on the other. Contrasting central defenders who should complement each other nicely, organised by the best.A hell of a central midfield 3 and then Ronaldo up front.

Gone for as many big-game players as I could, if I was aiming for a league title not a one-off match I'd probably play with an extra striker.
 
Dion said:


I like to think it's a good balance with Messi-Cafu on one side and Maldini-Figo on the other. Contrasting central defenders who should complement each other nicely, organised by the best.A hell of a central midfield 3 and then Ronaldo up front.

Gone for as many big-game players as I could, if I was aiming for a league title not a one-off match I'd probably play with an extra striker.
Click to expand...

Nice team. Figo is a good shout. I also had a really tough time choosing between Cafu and Zanetti. In the end I went for the Argentine, but it was a close call. Cafu was a special, special player. It was also hard to leave Maldini out for Roberto Carlos, because Maldini is one of my favourite defenders ever. I just couldn't get past the combination of defensive solidity and attacking power that Carlos brought at his peak. Glad to see Keane make your team, he's an absolute must for me. Only difference was that I partnered him with Viera.
 
simonhch said:
Nice team. Figo is a good shout. I also had a really tough time choosing between Cafu and Zanetti. In the end I went for the Argentine, but it was a close call. Cafu was a special, special player. It was also hard to leave Maldini out for Roberto Carlos, because Maldini is one of my favourite defenders ever. I just couldn't get past the combination of defensive solidity and attacking power that Carlos brought at his peak. Glad to see Keane make your team, he's an absolute must for me. Only difference was that I partnered him with Viera.
Click to expand...

I was torn between Zanetti/Carlos and Cafu/Maldini. If I'd chosen Zanetti I'd have gone for Carlos as well, which would have added the bonus of the Figo/Carlos combination. What swung it for me was that I obviously couldn't leave Messi out, and his presence is usually enough to kill any ambition a team has down that flank and Cafu was the better attacker of the who and similar to Alves would be able to exploit it. This means any attacks either go through the middle (and Keane/Makelele) or down the left, so I opted for the better defender in Maldini and the hard worker and provider in Figo.

So many choices though, I might have had C. Ronaldo on the left if I'd opted for Carlos and Zanetti. Really enjoyed thinking about it.
 
Ballache said:
PLayers I've seen:

---------Kahn----------
Cafu-Nesta-Rio-Maldini
-----Vieira-Keane-----
Messi--Iniesta--Ronaldinho
--------Ronaldo---------

Subs: Big Pete, Lahm, Cannavaro, Zizou, Davids, Cr7, Henry.
Click to expand...

Great team, just not sure about Kahn. That one baffled me tbh.

Bwuk said:
Doing players from the last 10 years. Doing something different to the usual Messi/Ronaldo/Barca dominated teams.

Edwin
Ramos - Ferdinand - Vidic
Alonso
Alves - Vidal - Schweinsteiger - Evra
Torres - Bale​

All of the back lines are great defenders, and capable of playing the ball. Evra and Dani Alves have superb engines, and I don't think anyone would power through that midfield. Torres and Bale would kill teams on the counter.

There's better sides you could make clearly, but I think this would be a tremendous side.
Click to expand...

Very interesting and creative team. Thanks for a different take on it.

An Irish Red said:
Schmeichel
Thuram Vidic Stam Maldini
Keane Scholes
Messi Maradona Ronaldinho
Ronaldo
​
That team has pace, power and flair in abundance. Would be unreal like.
Click to expand...

Cracking team. I nearly prefer it to my own.

Joga Bonito said:
Click to expand...

How many of those players are you old enough to have watched live, regularly?
 
90s
DDG
Bellerin Romagnoli Marquinhos Alaba
Verratti Kroos Pogba
Costa Icardi Neymar

80s
Neuer
Alves Vidic Ramos Evra
Busquets
Xavi Iniesta
Messi Ibrahimovic Ronaldo

70s
Buffon
Cafu Nesta Ferdinand Carlos
Keane Scholes
Figo Zidane Nedved
Ronaldo
 
Dion said:
I was torn between Zanetti/Carlos and Cafu/Maldini. If I'd chosen Zanetti I'd have gone for Carlos as well, which would have added the bonus of the Figo/Carlos combination. What swung it for me was that I obviously couldn't leave Messi out, and his presence is usually enough to kill any ambition a team has down that flank and Cafu was the better attacker of the who and similar to Alves would be able to exploit it. This means any attacks either go through the middle (and Keane/Makelele) or down the left, so I opted for the better defender in Maldini and the hard worker and provider in Figo.

So many choices though, I might have had C. Ronaldo on the left if I'd opted for Carlos and Zanetti. Really enjoyed thinking about it.
Click to expand...

I went through almost the same thought process :lol:.

I think your midfield with Makalele and Keane might have a slightly better balance than mine, because there is some skeptism about pairing two box to box players (Keane and Viera) together. But it's a combination, that if it worked, I think would be so dominant, as to be nigh on unbreachable. My thinking being that my front four aren't going to get through much defensive work, and I want my two midfielders to be able to cover a lot of ground getting forward, and tracking back, thus keeping a triangle with Zidane.
 
Based purely on players I've watched regularly...

DE GEA
CAFU - VIDIC - RAMOS - MALDINI
PIRLO - MAKELELE
ZIDANE
CR7 - RONALDO - RONALDINHO
 
United's 1994 side was perhaps as perfect a setup of the classic 4-4-2 you will see.

Schmeichel

Parker Bruce Pallister Irwin

Kanchelskis Keane Ince Giggs

Cantona Hughes

What a bloody team :drool:

The only slight flaw is maybe we could have had a better goalscorer than Hughes, but every single player in that team was world class.
 
Neuer(13/14)
Lahm(12/13) Rio(07/08) Terry(05-06) Cole(04/05)
Essien(05/06) Xavi(08/09) Schweinsteiger(12/13)
Messi(08/09) Torres(07/08) Cristiano(07/08)
 
simonhch said:
All I would question is the inclusion of players such as Best, Pele and Charlton, IF the posters never really saw them play live, and are solely relying on archived footage.
Click to expand...
To be fair, you can watch tons of matches featuring those players, or atleast enough (or rather, more than enough) to gauge their characteristics with the overall setup of your team in mind. eg. a rudimentary search on Youtube produces this, and much more (once you dig deeper for Brazil and Santos's matches from the late '50s to early '70s) for Pelé:












10 video limit per post..
 
Myn would be
Neuer
Cafu ferdinand vidic evra
busquets
xavi iniesta
messi henry suarez
 
Invictus said:
To be fair, you can watch tons of matches featuring those players, or atleast enough (or rather, more than enough) to gauge their characteristics with the overall setup of your team in mind. eg. a rudimentary search on Youtube produces this, and much more (once you dig deeper for Brazil and Santos's matches from the late '50s to early '70s) for Pelé:












10 video limit per post..
Click to expand...


I've got you. The only thing is, if you had to win that one match that you put the team out for, wouldn't you pick players who had seen a lot of, live, as to mitigate against any unknown factors?
 
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