Dream Team

The Concept

The concept of the ‘Dream Team’ is to find the perfect blend of attack and defence, an intriguing mix of skill and simplicity and a destructive combination of flair and power.  As fans we have seen thousands of players both in the flesh and on our television screens and therefore the process of selecting an elite eleven is an agonising one to say the least.  I will be attempting to build my own starting line-up from the players and teams that I have witnessed in my life time, a hybrid that - I think - would be capable of beating any other mixture of talent on any given day.

The Selection Process

I have opted to select only players that I myself have seen play live, either in the flesh or on the television (the truth is, as a Plymouth Argyle fan, I have not seen any of the players I have selected in the flesh!).  This then, rules out such greats as Pele, Maradona and Cruyff from the selection process, whilst I have great respect and appreciation for their reputations as professionals, it would be unreasonable for me to include them in my line-up based purely on what I have been told about them: this is my Dream Team.  I have resisted bias and in turn resisted temptation to delve into the Argyle archives and select a Home Park hero such as Paul Wotton or David Friio.  When selecting a Dream Team it is common-place for supporters to use their biases as a way of whittling down the list of players available for selection; seldom would Paul Scholes, despite his un-doubtable talent, appear in the Dream Team of a Manchester City fan.  My blend of cultures and styles of play is made up of players whom at one time or another have amazed me on a football pitch.

The Formation

Gone are days when teams would cancel each other out with corresponding 4-4-2 set-ups.  The influx of foreign talent in Europe’s top leagues has resulted in a hybrid blend of play utilising a variety of formations.  Jose Mourinho has been a pioneer for this in recent times, upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge he began to utilise a defensive midfielder behind two more advanced middle men thus creating what has come to be known as the ‘Makelele role’.  The variety of different formations and styles of play across Europe make tournaments such as the Champions League a feast for the eyes, as not only players but managers can demonstrate the skills of their trade to millions worldwide.  After much deliberation I decided upon an adaptation of the 4-3-3 set-up.  The ‘keeper and back four are as you would expect, of the three midfielders, one lies deeper protecting the back four and breaking up play in the middle of the park.  Either side of this man are two playmakers whose job it is to receive the ball from the deep lying midfielder and the back four and advance play.  Ahead of the two playmakers are two wider advanced players who have free roles to attack and link the play between the midfield and the target man who completes the eleven. 

The Manager

The Special One - An obvious choice

The choice of the Manager for my Dream Team was a simple one. Jose Mourinho has proved time and time again over the past eight years or so, that he is the best manager in world football; winning league titles in three (soon to be four?) different countries and a two time Champions League winner, on top of his charisma, tactical know-how and pure entertainment value make Jose the only choice as Head Coach of my Dream Team.

The Essentials

In my view, there are three things that every team needs, if they have these things then a great team can form:

Taibi perfected this pose during his time in  Manchester

1.            A Goalkeeper that the back four can trust; there is nothing worse as a defender than being made to feel on edge by your ‘keeper, you could have the best back four in the world but if you have a Massimo Taibi or a David James between the sticks then your defence is going to be compromised. 

2.            A tough-tackling midfielder is essential, to opposing fans players like Karl Henry and Lee Cattermole may seem like nothing more than thugs but to the fans of their respective clubs they are priceless commodities.  Week in week out they take to the field and do the dirty work, whilst more aesthetically pleasing players take the plaudits, however, take a player like Henry or Cattermole out of the side then you’ll find that your flair players will struggle to flourish.

3.            A Target Man.  Perhaps the most important aspect of any team, the Target Man will provide an outlet for 90 minutes and is the key to linking up midfield and attack.  There is nothing more frustrating to football fans than their team lumping up long-ball after long-ball to two diminutive forwards.  This does not mean to say that small players cannot make effective target men, Carlos Tevez proved adept at the role on many occasion at Manchester City.  The Target Man requires strength, areal ability, a glue –like first touch and above all, an astute footballing brain.

My Dream Team

#1 Edwin Van Der Sar

#2 Cafu  #4 Traianos Dellas  #5 Alessandro Nesta  #3 Ashley Cole

#6 Patrick Vieira

#7 Zinedine Zidane    #8 Andres Iniesta

#10 Lionel Messi                                                   #11 Ronaldinho

#9 Ruud Van Nistelrooy

Manager: Jose Mourinho

Summery

I would not expect for one minute for any football fan to come up with exactly the same line-up as me if they were challenged to build their own Dream Team, every fan has his own view and that, at the end of the day is what makes football the game we love so much and better than any other sport in the world.  It’s a cliché, but football truly is a game of opinions and this is what keeps us coming back for more, week in week out.