What Is Liverpool’s Best 5-Aside Team?
By Ollie Irish
My idea of the best five-aside team Liverpool could field:
PEPE REINA – One of Liverpool’s few world-class players, Pepe walks into the team with the confident gait of a man who knows he has no real competition.
DANIEL AGGER – Liverpool’s best ball-playing defender would make a great sweeper in five-aside, I imagine. Also has a foot like a traction engine.
STEVEN GERRARD – How can you overlook such a dynamic player? You can’t, is the short answer.
JONJO SHELVEY – Young legs, bags of potential, and another player in the team with a fierce strike on him. Unlike Joe Cole, who for all his tricks is not a composed player when in sight of goal.
FERNANDO TORRES – As with Gerrard, it would be perverse to leave out a world-class player in a hypothetical selection just because he’s not playing at his best right now. Nando is an automatic first choice, in a team of eleven or just five.
Reina, Agger, Gerrard, Shelvey, Torres: That’s my fab five. Can you do better? Let’s be having you…
More in our five-aside series
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
I think Jonjo is a little controversial, few will agree I think about a player who has played just 5 minutes of league football. Joe is pretty hard to overlook just to sheer creativity and (despite a few opinions) bustling work rate.
Raoul instead of Jonjo.
1. REINA
2. AGGER
3. BABEL
4. GERRARD
5. TORRES
Babel. Pace, height, strength, always making himself an option.. dont know why they avent given him a start. He is potential!
I think that selection would do great in a 5-aside tournament. I also think I have found some great <a href="http://www.sportsidols.co.uk/"sports memorabilia including Liverpool memorabilia which is delivered free in mainland UK.
I think that selection would do great in a 5-aside tournament. I also think I have found some great sports memorabilia including Liverpool memorabilia which is delivered free in mainland UK.
I agree with Ol’ Anonymous there – Meireles instead of Shelvey.
I’d pick the same team as Ollie to be honest.
I don’t really know enough about Shelvey to justify picking him. I’d have Kuyt instead, simply because of his work rate.
No no you’ve got it wrong. They all dream of a team of “Carra’s”.
Meireles is a f*cking machine. I’ll be honest and say I didn’t know a whole lot about him before he came but, by George, has he looked the part. Whilst Joe’s been a bit… iffy, shall we say, you’d have him every day in a five-a-side. He’s a tricksy little bugger who would embarrass you on that size of a pitch. Unless this is just a “pick your best five players” with a crap name. But that would be SHIT.
Reina
Gerrard
Meireles
Cole
Torres
Kuyt in over Jonjo
Whilst I too have been VERY impressed with how quickly Raul Meireles has settled at Anfield, I’m not sure where he’d fit in here. Instead of Agger?? Or Shelvey, mo’ likely.
[...] What Is Liverpool's Best 5-Aside Team? » Who Ate all the Pies [...]
@sajmatthews
totally agree with you about babel….
Lucas over Shelvey(for now at least)
These 5-aside teams are kinda pointless. Just pick the best 4 Brazilian players and a goalie.
Reina,
Agger,
Stevie Me,
Raul Meireles,
El Nino
David N’gog + 4 clones of himself
the man-child has proven nothing. the ever hustling albino dutchman would be a better choice.
Mr. Chopper
Meireles can be a machine, but ha can’t defend all by himself. Torres, Gerrard and Cole are good at offence but don’t have the pace to defend im a 5-a-side. You, sir, have chosen your “pick your best five players” with absolutely no criteria for 5-a-side.
About Ollie’s team, I’d replace Shelvey for Meireles, because he can both defend and attack well and has a hell of a shot. Kuyt would also be a good choice, just because of his work rate
reina
skrtl
stevy g
kuyt
torres
although im a little reluctat with torres at the moment
You know you are in trouble when your best 5-a-side team includes “decent youngster but not yet nearly good enough” Jonjo Shelvey and “also ran” Daniel Agger.
“Torres, Gerrard and Cole are good at offence but don’t have the pace to defend im a 5-a-side.”
That’s funny. Along with Babel, Torres and Gerrard are our fastest players. Have you played five-a-side? It’s on a tiny pitch. I once played a guy like Cole who performed the Curbishley Rape whenever he got the ball. Hence, you need good passers capable of running about two feet at a time who can also shoot from distance. It’s essentially netball for footballers who are lazy and/or girls.
If it wasn’t in the rules I’d have Gerrard as a Running Keeper.
Babel for a 5 a side team? Are you guys kidding?
10 Million for this guy and Rafa has the cheek to have a go at Hodgson!
reina best keeper in the world
kyrgiakos 5 a side is a physical game
meireles best signing since torres reina and masch
gerrard still the best cm in the world
torres at his best, better than any1
“It’s essentially netball for footballers who are lazy and/or girls.”
Ahah. Yes, I play 5-a-side regularly and I guarantee that if you play seriously you run much more than in a ’11-a-side’, where you run when the ball comes to you, but you can rest when the ball is on the other side of the pitch. In 5-a-side (again, played seriously) you don’t stop runing around. That’s where Meirele’s fitness becomes a valuable asset (along with his shot), but you always need a defender in 5-a-side. Try watching a few real games (“futsal”) and you may understand why.
GK REINA
KELLY
Stevie G
Pacheco
Torres