What Is Liverpool’s Best 5-Aside Team?

Ollie Irish

1st, November 2010

27 Comments

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

Arsenal

AC Milan

Aston Villa

Barcelona

Chelsea

Everton

Inter

Posted in Featured, Liverpool

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27 Comments

  1. Samhumphreys says:

    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.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Raoul instead of Jonjo.

  3. SajMatthews says:

    1. REINA
    2. AGGER
    3. BABEL
    4. GERRARD
    5. TORRES

  4. SajMatthews says:

    Babel. Pace, height, strength, always making himself an option.. dont know why they avent given him a start. He is potential!

  5. pamos says:

    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.

  6. pamos says:

    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.

  7. PhilandoTorres says:

    I agree with Ol’ Anonymous there – Meireles instead of Shelvey.

  8. C says:

    I’d pick the same team as Ollie to be honest.

  9. George says:

    I don’t really know enough about Shelvey to justify picking him. I’d have Kuyt instead, simply because of his work rate.

  10. Jesus says:

    No no you’ve got it wrong. They all dream of a team of “Carra’s”.

  11. Mr. Chopper says:

    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

  12. Rob says:

    Kuyt in over Jonjo

  13. Ollie Irish says:

    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.

  14. […] What Is Liverpool's Best 5-Aside Team? » Who Ate all the Pies […]

  15. Mr. Angry says:

    @sajmatthews

    totally agree with you about babel….

  16. dustygator says:

    Lucas over Shelvey(for now at least)

    These 5-aside teams are kinda pointless. Just pick the best 4 Brazilian players and a goalie.

  17. Sherif says:

    Reina,
    Agger,
    Stevie Me,
    Raul Meireles,
    El Nino

  18. Colin says:

    David N’gog + 4 clones of himself

  19. jaysus says:

    the man-child has proven nothing. the ever hustling albino dutchman would be a better choice.

  20. Nuno says:

    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

  21. SeanBCFC says:

    reina
    skrtl
    stevy g
    kuyt
    torres
    although im a little reluctat with torres at the moment

  22. Tom Jones says:

    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.

  23. Mr. Chopper says:

    “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.

  24. Rob says:

    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!

  25. rb says:

    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

  26. Nuno says:

    “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.

  27. jamjam says:

    GK REINA
    KELLY
    Stevie G
    Pacheco
    Torres

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