World XI of the Year - 2012

[thedon5]

Future Ballon D'Or winner maybe?

Gotta love the mohawk too.

 

[Epic]

You need Ozil in there. And Buffon may be older but I prefer him to Casillas

I don't watch a whole lot of La Liga, but I watch enough to know that Xavi and Iniesta are 2 of the best midfielders in the world.

Neymar can't be taken seriously, he didn't go to the Euros obviously and doesn't even play in Europe. Silva had a poor 2012. Extremely poor.

Just goes back to what Shravi was saying, some of the guys are just there for name sake really.

 

[thedon5]

The award lost all merit for me when van Persie wasn't nominated last year.

 

[Dr. Pepper]

the majority of the team pretty much picks itself.

-----------Casillas-----------
Alves--Ramos--Thiago Silva--Alba
------------Pirlo------------
-------Ozil------Iniesta-------
Messi-------Falcao-------Ronaldo

I'd have had Toure in for Ozil if he hadn't been so lacklustre this season.

 

[Sulaiman7]

Dani Alves is included in everyone's XI .WoW ! , what a player he is actually RB or Phillip Lahm could replace him .

 

[Auwais]

Casillas
Lahm Hummels Ramos Alba
Pirlo
Xavi Iniesta
Messi Falcao Ronaldo​

 

[Bevab]

Don't understand everybody's fascination with Alves, I thought he looked off-colour this season, and Montoya has started pressurizing him too, to make matters worse.

 

[War]

Future Ballon D'Or winner maybe?

Gotta love the mohawk too.

Speaking about Ballon D'Or. I was listening to skysports news this morning & heard the horrendous crap that Cristiano Ronaldo pr people intends to take him on a charm offensive win over the media (who votes on these awards) who does't view him as favourably as Messi - if he has any chance of winning this award. Since this negative view on him is why Iniesta won european player of the year award instead

Now although i'm in the camp that believes Messi is the better player & should win world player of the year, what ignorance in this. These people in the media can only dream of playing football as well as Ronaldo & just because the majority who just have an bloody opinion don't view him favourably you don't give him the award.

 

[thedon5]

Don't understand everybody's fascination with Alves, I thought he looked off-colour this season, and Montoya has started pressurizing him too, to make matters worse.

Agreed. He is in an average defender, he has the freedom to do what he does only because he plays for Barca. Put Lahm in Barca, he'll do fine. However, put Alves in Bayern, I don't think he'll do as good as Lahm at all.

Lahm is better I reckon, but Alves will get in for sure as he's from Barca.

 

[Auwais]

True but how many full-backs these days would you call excellent? With the trend for full-backs to provide a lot of width for sides these days, defensive ability is often compromised.

You don't have the solidness these days that you had back at the start of the millennium with the likes of Thuram, Zambrotta, Zanetti, Irwin, Neville, Maldini, Lizarazu, Sagnol etc.

But at the same time, full-backs have a greater responsibility in providing another avenue in an attacking sense, hence a lot of the full-backs these days are converted wingers.

 

[Epic]

Think all the full-backs today are what you would call wing-backs tbh.

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Agreed. He is in an average defender, he has the freedom to do what he does only because he plays for Barca. Put Lahm in Barca, he'll do fine. However, put Alves in Bayern, I don't think he'll do as good as Lahm at all.

Lahm is better I reckon, but Alves will get in for sure as he's from Barca.

It did come down to Alves vs Lahm for me, and for some reason I went with Alves(don't really think he's good tbh). If I were to do it again I'd keep Alves on the right side, but take out Marcelo and slot Lahm on the left.

 

[ste_mc_efc]

well to be fair a lot of teams were using one attacking full back and one defensive fullback (basically a CB at RB) in the 4-2-3-1 type formations that dominated a few seasons ago.

wes brown in the champions league final for united being a prime example, although he did launch the cross for ronaldo's header.

 

[Epic]

well to be fair a lot of teams were using one attacking full back and one defensive fullback (basically a CB at RB) in the 4-2-3-1 type formations that dominated a few seasons ago.

wes brown in the champions league final for united being a prime example, although he did launch the cross for ronaldo's header.

Barca had a bit of that going on with Abidal tbf, he wasn't really known for thunderous runs down the left or anything.

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What happened to Abidal btw, haven't heard anything from him or about him in a long while.

 

[Auwais]

well to be fair a lot of teams were using one attacking full back and one defensive fullback (basically a CB at RB) in the 4-2-3-1 type formations that dominated a few seasons ago.

Aye but it seems like more of the widemen these days are playmakers or wide forwards who drift inside rather than stick to the touchline, so there's more emphasis on full-backs to get forward and provide width.

 

[ste_mc_efc]

Aye but it seems like more of the widemen these days are playmakers or wide forwards who drift inside rather than stick to the touchline, so there's more emphasis on full-backs to get forward and provide width.

but then in turn that depends on the standard of team in relation to the opposition and relevant strengths and weaknesses.

Like united employing park ji sung or arguably even valencia in big champions leagues games. neither of which are exactly wide trequartistas.