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What would you say is our best elevn with everyone fit? There must come a time when we're relatively injury-free. If we were playing Chelsea at the weekend and had a full squad to pick from, what team and formation would you choose? Mine would look something like this:

------------------------------Given

Richards--------------Toure------Lescott--------------Bridge

-----------------------------De Jong

SWP------------------------Ireland----------------------Bellamy

------------------------------Tevez

----------------------------Adebayor


Bench: Taylor, Onuoha, Kompany, Vieira, Johnson (either), Petrov, Santa Cruz

This team looks like the moderately succesful eleven favoured by Sven, only with better personnel. Remember this line-up?

-----------------------------Hart

Corluka--------------Dunne----Richards--------------Garrido

----------------------------Hamann

Ireland--------------------Johnson--------------------Petrov

-----------------------------Elano

----------------------------Mpenza

Sven being Mancini's maestro and both being Italian (style) managers, I wouldn't be surprised if this is what Mancini has in mind for us, only with more of his own players (hence the constant pursuit of DMs). It's something I'd like to see. Solid defensively, good technically, lethal up-front, lots of pace on the counter, lots of quality on the bench. Does anyone else have a way they'd like to see us line up? Is this too defensive for a team with aiming right for the top?

I don't disagree much, but at this point I have to look at Lescott behind Kompany, and until proven otherwise Boyata and Nedum. Lescott's best game has still be worse than any Boyata has played season-to-date.

Florida Blue wrote:I don't disagree much, but at this point I have to look at Lescott behind Kompany, and until proven otherwise Boyata and Nedum. Lescott's best game has still be worse than any Boyata has played season-to-date.

I rate Lescott. I also think that his injury (like this one with Kompany) came at a really unfortunate time, as he'd been our best player in the previous couple of games after a patchy start. Boyata looks good but I think he'l be back in the rezzers before long or out on loan. You don't want to over-expose a centre-half at 18. Onuoha is, in my opinion, as good as any defender at the club. However, and this goes for Kompany too, you can't build a team on injury-prone centre-halves.

EDIT: Yes I am aware that my injury concerns fly in the face of the hypthetical nature of my original post. I'd also play Lescott becasue of his height and presence at set pieces and his natural left-footedness, so he's in my team on merit.

Well, I'd line up the side like this:

[center]Given

Richards Tourè Kompany Bridge

De Jong---Barry

SWP-------------------------Bellamy

Tevez

Adebayor[/center]

With Barry being able to go forward. I actually have some doubts because a line up like this leaves Ireland out, which on current form isn't so criminal, but as he proved against Pompey he can at any time provide the spark to unlock the game, so leaving him out is a bit of a risk. However I really can't see how to fit Ade, Bellamy, SWP, Tevez and Ireland all at the same time, what has been suggested is an idea however I think he's more suited to occupy the hole behind the striker, he tends to get a bit lost as a pure CM, but to put him there means one out of Tevez and Ade is on the bench...

Anyway, it's good to have so much choice, and this kind of problems instead of that of finding a good enough eleven to send out on the pitch.

CityFanFromRome wrote:Well, I'd line up the side like this:

Given

Richards Tourè Kompany Bridge
De Jong Barry
SWP Bellamy
Tevez
Adebayor

With Barry being able to go forward. I actually have some doubts because a line up like this leaves Ireland out, which on current form isn't so criminal, but as he proved against Pompey he can at any time provide the spark to unlock the game, so leaving him out is a bit of a risk. However I really can't see how to fit Ade, Bellamy, SWP, Tevez and Ireland all at the same time, what has been suggested is an idea however I think he's more suited to occupy the hole behind the striker, he tends to get a bit lost as a pure CM, but to put him there means one out of Tevez and Ade is on the bench...

Anyway, it's good to have so much choice, and this kind of problems instead of that of finding a good enough eleven to send out on the pitch.

Agreed. The squad depth is so good that I forgot to find room on the bench for either Zabaleta or Barry, not to mention Weiss and Robinho (when and if respectively) they return. I'm still looking forward to seeing a fully-fit Barry boss the midfield because he's pretty gash at the minute.

Alioune DVToure wrote:

Florida Blue wrote:I don't disagree much, but at this point I have to look at Lescott behind Kompany, and until proven otherwise Boyata and Nedum. Lescott's best game has still be worse than any Boyata has played season-to-date.

I rate Lescott. I also think that his injury (like this one with Kompany) came at a really unfortunate time, as he'd been our best player in the previous couple of games after a patchy start. Boyata looks good but I think he'l be back in the rezzers before long or out on loan. You don't want to over-expose a centre-half at 18. Onuoha is, in my opinion, as good as any defender at the club. However, and this goes for Kompany too, you can't build a team on injury-prone centre-halves.

EDIT: Yes I am aware that my injury concerns fly in the face of the hypthetical nature of my original post. I'd also play Lescott becasue of his height and presence at set pieces and his natural left-footedness, so he's in my team on merit.

I agree with this. Lescott was looking really good and was the reason we scraped past Sunderland. But on current form it would have to be Toure/Kompany for me. Does that lack pace? I don't think Toure is much slower than Lescott when he's switched on.

Given

Richards Toure Kompany Lescott


SWP De Jong Barry Bellers

Tevez Adebayor

------------------------------Given

Richards--------------Toure------Lescott--------------Bridge

-----------------------------De Jong

SWP------------------------Ireland----------------------petrov--swap bellers out and bring him on in games when ade or petrov
---------------------------------------------------------------------aren't doing the job
------------------------------Tevez

----------------------------Adebayor

I think the idea of a general best XI is wrong. We've got enough good players now to pick a side according to the type of opposition we're playing and adapt to circumstances we find ourselves in.

Chad wrote:I think the idea of a general best XI is wrong. We've got enough good players now to pick a side according to the type of opposition we're playing and adapt to circumstances we find ourselves in.

I disagree. I think we need to have a "system" just as Chelsea did when they won their two titles. We then need to fill the team with the best players we have/can get for these positions, with versatile understudies on the bench in case Plan B is called for.

Alioune DVToure wrote:

Chad wrote:I think the idea of a general best XI is wrong. We've got enough good players now to pick a side according to the type of opposition we're playing and adapt to circumstances we find ourselves in.

I disagree. I think we need to have a "system" just as Chelsea did when they won their two titles. We then need to fill the team with the best players we have/can get for these positions, with versatile understudies on the bench in case Plan B is called for.

I agree we need a system but I think some players suit some games better than others. For example as much as I love de Jong, he was redundant on Sunday and having a more creative central two of Barry and Ireland and therefore being able to play with two genuine wingers would've been better. For games against the top sides de Jong would be the first name on the team sheet though.

[quote="Alioune DVToure"]What would you say is our best elevn with everyone fit? There must come a time when we're relatively injury-free. If we were playing Chelsea at the weekend and had a full squad to pick from, what team and formation would you choose? Mine would look something like this:

------------------------------Given

Richards--------------Toure------Lescott--------------Bridge

-----------------------------Paddy V (if fit and playing well)

SWP------------------------Ireland----------------------Bellamy

------------------------------Tevez

----------------------------Adebayor

------------------------Shay

Richards---Kompany--------Lescott----Garrido

----------------------De Jong

SWP---------------------------------------Bellers

----------------------Ireland

-----------Tevez------------Adebayor

That for me is our best starting 11. maybe switch it to a traditional 442 but still using the same players.

Then obviously there would be Taylor, Toure, Bridge, Zabba, Barry, Petrov, Santa

I've not put A Johnson in there as I've not seen him play yet, nor M Johnson as I don't know how he'll recover from injury, I rate Toure over nedum and Boyata, I'm not sure about Bridge over Sly, but I've gone for bridge, I rate Santa over Benjani, and I've not seen Paddy V for a couple of seasons, so whether he should replace Barry or even Nige I don't know.

But you can't deny that we have a good, healthy sized squad, full of quality players, which has helped up maintain a great league position, during a period which other clubs, including top 4 clubs would have described as an injury crisis.

But after saying that if we want the PL title by next season, I would say that we need desperately a quality Left back, and a quality Right winger. I feel that this season they have been our 2 problem positions. I think we are now getting the Micah of old, and even in the OT Derby, I reckon he was our best player and I think he wouldn't look out of place in a championship winning side. If Petrov went we'd need a backup LW.

------------------------Shay-------------------------

Zabaleta---Kompany--------Lescott----Bridge---

-------Ireland-------De Jong--------Barry---------

------Tevez--------Santa Cruz------Johnson------

the_georgian_genius wrote:------------------------Shay-------------------------

Zabaleta---Kompany--------Lescott----Bridge---

-------Ireland-------De Jong--------Barry---------

------Tevez--------Santa Cruz------Johnson------

Johnson's done well, straight from the Championship to pass Bellamy, Bulgaria's Petrov and Robinho (who is still ours after all)

Alex Sapphire wrote:

the_georgian_genius wrote:------------------------Shay-------------------------

Zabaleta---Kompany--------Lescott----Bridge---

-------Ireland-------De Jong--------Barry---------

------Tevez--------Santa Cruz------Johnson------

Johnson's done well, straight from the Championship to pass Bellamy, Bulgaria's Petrov and Robinho (who is still ours after all)

Robinho isn't ours, he is better than petrov and i prefer him to Saint Bellamy.

------------------------Shay------------------------

Zabaleta---Kompany-------Lescott-----Garrido

--------------Viera-----------De Jong-------------

Petrov---------------Tevez--------------Bellamy

---------------------Adebayor---------------------

sandman wrote:------------------------Shay------------------------

Zabaleta---Kompany-------Lescott-----Garrido

--------------Viera-----------De Jong-------------

Petrov---------------Tevez--------------Bellamy

---------------------Adebayor---------------------

No SWP, Ireland and Barry? We don't know how good Vieira will be...

----------------Given----------------

Richards--Toure--Lescott--Bridge

---------------de Jong---------------

SWP----Ireland---Barry----Bellamy

---------------Tevez-----------------

CityFanFromRome wrote:

sandman wrote:------------------------Shay------------------------

Zabaleta---Kompany-------Lescott-----Garrido

--------------Viera-----------De Jong-------------

Petrov---------------Tevez--------------Bellamy

---------------------Adebayor---------------------

No SWP, Ireland and Barry? We don't know how good Vieira will be...

They would be my bench, SWP and Ireland havnt shown what we know they are capable of this season.

Barry is an empty shirt, he doesnt do anything productive in most games!!