By Ollie Irish
Not an Englishman in sight…
That lot would have to be managed by Spain gaffer Vicente Del Bosque, who did a superb job in getting a bunch of world-class players to play like world-class players.
Honourable mentions: Iker Casillas, Maicon, Philipp Lahm, Diego Lugano, Jorge Fucile, Arne Friedrich, Anthony Annan, Mesut Ozil, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Miroslav Klose
Agree/disagree with our picks? Then let’s see your Best World Cup XIs…
Do Arsenal Artificially Enhance The Emirates Atmosphere? – OTP
Big Cup Bullshit – The FCF
Guess UEFA Cup Finalists From Their Shirt – Three Match Ban
20 Damning Steve Kean Quotes – Mirror Football
'Abandon All Hope…' – Sunshine Room
Leaked Blackburn Letter Shows Extent Of Turmoil – EPL Talk
Genius Who Couldn't Exist Today: Dragan Stojkovic – LBITCR
German Philosopher Reflects On Jose Mourinho – Futfanatico
Rule Changes That Could Hand Title To Man Utd – FourFourTwo
Welcome To Posh – Danny Last for IBWM
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No Robben?!?!!!
Eduardo, Maicon, Puyol, Friedrich, Fábio Coentrão, Khedira, Sneijder, Iniesta, Robben, Villa, Forlán
Busquets ?
he gave the ball away more than any other spanish player
was he that much better than xabi alonso, van bommel or sami khedira ? dont think so
Van Bommel’s ratings in this WC were world class. Of course he should’ve been sent off in the final but he was the best defensive midfielder of the tournament.
He won 75% of his duels and had 85 interceptions during the tournament. In highly rated Dutch football magazine ‘Voetbal International’ he rated the best player of the Netherlands squad.
3-4-3 formation…
Goal: Casillas
Defenders: Puyol, Friedrich, Van Bronckhorst
Midfielders: Ozil, Iniesta, Sneijder, Schweinsteiger
Strikers: Diego Forlan, David Villa, Klose
@ John: Nice team. Should have given an honourable mention to Khedira. He was terrific.
@ Dennis: Yes, but Van Bommel is a c**t.
@ Gaptooth: Nah, he was very tidy on the ball. Did the cliched dirty work, often unseen.
@ QStel: No, he didn’t impress me that much.
@ Sparky: Adventurous formation! Like it.
@Ollie
Then you should’ve made a ‘most likeable team of the tournament’.
No room for Maicon, Perez, Gyan, Honda, Xavi and Muller, unfortunately…
sergio ramos is probably one of the worst players that has ever won a world cup, or at least one of the worst defenders, should probably be a winger. wheres maicon? fabio coentrao(even if he is a left back) or maxi pereira?
Casillas
Sergio Ramos
Carles Puyol
John Mensah
Michel Bastos
Xavi Hernandez
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Wesley Sneijder
Andres Iniesta
Thomas Müller
David Villa
Subs: Fernando Muslera
Gerrard Pique
Phillip Lahm
Mesut Özil
Xabi Alonso
Diego Forlan
Stekelenburg (Save of the tournament, ‘blunder’ v Uruguay was Heitinga’s fault, very solid throughout)
Lahm
Lugano
Mertesacker
Coentrao
Xabi Alonso
Xavi (grudgingly, as I still want to chop his card-waving hand off)
Muller
Sneijder
Ozil
Forlan (Rightly picked as player of the tournament. Hugely impressive, as a striker but even more so as a leader).
Subs: Casillas, Van Der Wiel, Cole, Van Bommel, Dempsey, Higuain
A bit biased in favour of the final 4 perhaps, but there was honestly not a lot taking my fancy with the rest of them.
4-2-3-1
Casillas
Maicon
Lucio
Puyol
Lahm
Xavi
Sneijder
Iniesta
Villa
Subs: Muller, Forlan, Ozil, Robben, Schweinsteiger, Alonso, Stekelenburg
Unsung hero of the World Cup – Uruguay’s DMF Diego Perez.
Absolutey immense.
so ollie, you still think Puyol is not world class? :P
Agree on Diego Perez, classy player.
There are more unsung heroes, like Ryan Nelsen of New Zealand, or Abou Diaby, or Ji Sung Park, but we can’t name them all.
Glad you had Annan as an honorable mention but no Gyan?
im sorry, but im not sold on villa. he scored all his goals against poor teams, once they got to the semifinal, he was silenced. not in my final XI. possibly go with ……aaanyone else
@longtime reader-Puyol should have been sent off for his ‘pole dancing’ challenge on Robben in the final…
@Joe, whether your Dutch and a Dutch fan or just a Dutch fan but English, get it over mate. The game was dirty cos we set the tone for it to be dirty. Puyol is unquestionably one of the best CB’s in the world. And who doesn’t seem to be on his way down yet despite being 32.
Diego Maradona
Rob Green,
Ledley King, Lucas Neil, Patrice Evra, Vidic
Messi, Harry Kewell, Shaun-Wright-Phillips, C.Ronaldo
Saloman Kalou, Klas-jan Huntelaar.
subs: Ribery, Eto, Robinho, Beckham, Schwartzer, John Terry, Cisse, Kanu
Casillas (Neuer) Sure he looks a bit shaky, but only received 2 goals and made vital saves against Cristiano Ronaldo, Santacruz, Robben and Kroos
Sergio Ramos (Lahm) Friederich (Lugano) Pique (Lucio) Fabio Coentrao (van Bronckhorst or Michel Bastos)
Diego Perez (van Bommel) and Xabi Alonso (Ozil)
Muller (Dani Alves) Sneijder (Iniesta or Xavi) and Robben (Messi)
Forlan (Villa or Klose)
@Alex Look again at Villa goals, not an easy one. Take the one against Chile, 95% of fotball players would have hesitated and move forward for an easier position, giving time for a rival player to take away the ball, or would have sent the ball anywhere. And Portugal and Paraguay deffensive lines didn’t look like poor ones.
get that fag busquets off the list and put xavi in his place and i agree
a formation of 4-2-3-1
hey how can all of u forget Paston of new zealand. He was scintillating at world cup…. New Zealand never lost at wc.
Goalkeeper : Paston (NEW)
Defenders : Lahm (GER) , Puyol (ESP) , Lugano (URU) , Coentrao (POR)
Mid-fielders : van Bommel (NED) , Xavi (ESP)
Mueller (GER) , Sneijder (NED) , Iniesta (ESP)
Striker : Forlan (URU)
Super Sub : Robben (NED)