2010 was a bad year for English football; no English side reached the last four of the Champions league, our national team were embarrassed in South Africa, and the FIFA Team of the Year included no English or Premier League players. The 2009 team featured FIVE players from the Premiership: John Terry, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Steven Gerrard, and Fernando Torres. For 2010, FIFA picked the majority of the Barcelona team (six players), plus a small selection of talent from Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
FIFA/FIFPRO WORLD XI 2010: Casillas (Real Madrid), Maicon (Inter), Puyol (Barcelona), Lucio (Inter), Pique (Barcelona), Sneijder (Inter), Xavi (Barcelona), Iniesta (Barcelona), Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Messi (Barcelona), Villa (Barcelona).
It’s hardly surprising though that no Premiership players made it, and to be honest I can’t really argue with the choices. Rio Ferdinand complained on Twitter about his team-mate not getting included, “Where was Rooney after last seasons performances and goals?”. Unfortunately for Rooney, injury and poor form prevented him from getting a place in the dream team. And who from the Premiership deserved to get in the team? The usual suspects are Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, and Cesc Fabregas, but none of these players were injury free, and/or consistently excellent. Also, as can be seen from the final list, it helps if you play for a brilliant team. And no Premiership team were brilliant last year.
Messi won the FIFA Balon D’Or (the FIFA World Player of the Year and Balon D‘Or have merged) - and quite rightly. The only reason it was ever a doubt that he would win, was because he isn’t Spanish. But it’s not his fault his national team was managed by the debt-ridden, former cocaine addict El Diego. If Messi was part of the World Cup winning Spain side, he’d be a shoo-in for the prize. Not that Iniesta or Xavi were anything other than wonderful, but the effect that the little Argentinean has had on football makes him a deserved winner of anything.
I also think it’s good that a player who didn’t lift the World Cup has won it. Normally a World Cup winner gets the World Player of the Year title - even defender Fabio Cannavaro won it after captaining Italy to victory. I’d like to see a player from a smaller footballing nation win it one day; maybe a Gareth Bale or Samuel Eto’o (the Cameroon international won Bronze in the 2005 World Player of the Year). I suppose the extra exposure of performing for your country boosts your chances of winning, and it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see Wales or Cameroon make a big impact in a World Cup. Although the fact that Messi won the award, despite his country’s failures in South Africa, suggests if you’re good enough, your club form is what matters.
Back to the World Team of Year, and will any Premiership players make the grade in 2011? That depends on three things:
1) Can they stay fit all year?
2) Can they be consistently excellent all year?
3) Can their team achieve great things?
If an English team wins the Champions League, we’ll be guaranteed of at least a couple of Premiership players making the team. But I think Barcelona will win it (unless Jose can thwart their rivals), and I can’t imagine Messi, Xavi and Iniesta losing their place, whilst Ronaldo has now scored more goals than appearances for Real Madrid (48 in 47), which is insane.
So there’s not much room for the likes of Rooney, Drogba and Fabregas, and Torres isn’t doing too much to suggest he deserves a place in the Liverpool XI, never mind the World XI. Plus, he plays for Liverpool. Defensively, the centre back pairing at Manchester United will surely be strongly considered if they stay fit, whilst Ashley Cole is always a good bet. And can Gareth Bale improve on his 2010? If he does, he could sneak in.
The 2010 World Team of the Year suggests that the Premier League cannot boast to have the best players in the world. I don’t think our league lacks talent, it’s just the Spanish national side are quite possibly the best national team ever, and it so happens that most of their squad also play for Barcelona, who are quite possibly the best domestic team ever. Man United are currently the best team in England, but who in their midfield or attack would get into the Barcelona side? In my opinion, no-one.
But the Spanish league is a two-horse race, whilst this Premiership season is proving to be one of the most exciting ever, with five sides in the hunt. Nine points separate 1st placed United and 5th placed Chelsea. In La Liga, 13 points separate 1st placed Barcelona and 3rd place Villarreal. I prefer a league where there are no guarantees. Barcelona and Real Madrid have won 31 from a total of 36 league games between them. The two top sides in the Premiership, the Manchester clubs, have won just 24 from 42 league games between them. Expect the unexpected.
The Team of the Year is a good indicator of the best players in the world, but not the best league in the world; which is, without question, the Premier League.
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