Goal.com Special: Team Of The Season

Here is Goal.com India’s starting xi:

Between The Sticks:

Edwin van der Sar

Manchester United have been lauded for their strong defence this season and one of the indispensable figures in their backline has been the veteran custodian Edwin van der Sar. The Dutch goalkeeper might be on the wrong side of his 30s but is still a force to be reckoned with, very much a reliable player who never lets his team down.

Defence:

Daniel Alves

Daniel Alves might not be the best defensively but the Barcelona right-back is the best going forward. So much so that one of the best Spanish football columnists described him as the second best player in the world at one point of the season. The Brazilian has been in tremendous form in his debut season for the Blaugrana and has been a joy to watch. He perfectly complimented Lionel Messi on the right flank and it is incredible to notice that he finished the season with 5 goals and 9 assists in the league. Too bad for him that he missed the Champions League final due to suspension.

Nemanja Vidic

Nemanja Vidic has been the best central defender in Europe for two seasons running and 2008-2009 was once again a great year for the Manchester United star. His worst games in the season were against Liverpool at Old Trafford in the Premier League and Barcelona in the Champions League when he was torn to pieces. But barring those two failures, the Serbian had a perfect season for the Premier League champions.

Giorgio Chiellini

Giorgio Chiellini is arguably the best Italian centre-back at the moment and is one of the best in Europe in his position. He is the best of the lot at Juventus as his fellow defenders, namely Grygera, Mellberg and Molinaro, are not good enough to don the prestigious Juventus shirt. 24-year-old Chiellini is a player to watch and has been an outstanding player in an otherwise slightly better than average Juventus side.

Philipp Lahm

Philipp Lahm is arguably the most balanced full-back in the world, as much effective going forward as strong defending. 2008-2009 was a disappointing one for Bayern Munich as their backline collapsed so spectacularly but Lahm always stood out. A marvelous player who reads the game well, times his tackles to perfection and knows when to whip in a cross and when to cut in, the German star is acknowledged by us as the best left-back in Europe this season.

Midfield:

Xabi Alonso

Many say that Xabi Alonso is the best passer of the ball in the Premier League and it can hardly be disputed. The Spanish international midfielder is one of those players who like to control the momentum of the game without really showing much aggression or overt inclination. The former Real Sociedad star has been one of the two best players for Liverpool this season as he has been a key figure in the middle of the park for the Merseysiders with his passes and vision. A marvelous player with a marvelous ability to read the game.

Steven Gerrard

Is Steven Gerrard the best attacking midfielder in the Premier League? If his performance this season is anything to go by, then yes. The Liverpool and England star has been injured for a while in this campaign but for the time he has been fit, he has been exceptionally brilliant. Not a player who is audacious with his tricks or can dribble past the entire team, Gerrard’s ability lies in going for the right challenges at the right time, scoring goals that nobody else even can think of. He wears his Red heart on his Red shirt and is someone on whom you can always rely. Even the Real Madrid fans acknowledged his greatness when the Blancos were hammered 4-0 at Anfield. If only Stevie G was available for the entire season for Liverpool…..

Andres Iniesta

When Andres Iniesta first started featuring for Barcelona, commentators were more worried about his looks, remarking how he looked “like a 15-year-old” when he was 18. These days, though, commentators are worried what Iniesta will do to the opposition as the Spanish international midfielder has proved that he is the best possession-retaining midfielder in the world and can rip apart even a 10-man defensive wall. A versatile player, the Barcelona star can play anywhere across the midfield and can play upfront too. The more dynamic half of the Barcelona midfield duo, Iniesta has been running rings round defences both in Spain and in Europe and if there wasn’t a certain Lionel Messi, he would have been the best player in the world.

Attack:

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi might be only 21 but he has already established himself as the finest in the world. One of the glorious products of La Masia, Messi has had the best season of his playing career this year. The best player for Barcelona this season, the Argentine international’s football has been breathtaking. El Diego II finished the 2008-2009 season with 23 goals and 11 assists in 31 league matches and 9 goals and 5 assists in the Champions League. Messi also scored in the final against Manchester United and demonstrated his versatility to play in the ‘hole’ behind the striker.

Thierry Henry

In the summer of 2008 Thierry Henry was contemplating leaving Barcelona after his debut season in Spain was less than impressive. After a discussion with Josep Guardiola, he decided to stay on at Camp Nou and boy, what a decision that was! 19 goals, 8 assists in only 25 starts in the league and 5 goals, 3 assists in 10 Champions League match and Henry has rediscovered his old Arsenal form. Just like last season he has been deployed in the left channel at Barcelona to accommodate Barcelona to play in a perfect 4-3-3 formation but this time he has played with more sense. He has not been afraid to do his usual threatening running at defenders but has always helped his fellow strikers Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi in finding goals. And fittingly he won the Champions League this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Often labeled as a ‘big game flop’ Cristiano Ronaldo was arguably the best player for Manchester United this season after Nemanja Vidic. He started the season slowly but then started gathering momentum and towards the tail-end of the season the Portuguese international was even in contention of becoming the top scorer in the league again. Ronaldo was also responsible for United progressing into the final of the Champions League, scoring crucial goals against Inter Milan, FC Porto and Arsenal in the knock-out stages and was arguably the best player for the Red Devils against Barcelona in the final.

Substitutes:

Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar, Iker Casillas

Defenders: Maicon, Carles Puyol, Patrice Evra, Ashley Cole

Midfielders: Diego, Franck Ribery, Xavi

Strikers: Samuel Eto’o, Diego Forlan, Grafite

Note: It might seem weird that Xavi has been left out but it was done so to make the team more balanced. Xavi and Iniesta have been scintillating for Barcelona just as Alonso and Gerrard have been for Liverpool and it was not a very easy decision to take. Also, VfL Wolfsburg striker Grafite deserves a place in our 23-man squad as his 28 league goals led the German club to their first ever Bundesliga title. The Brazilian didn’t turn professional until he was 22 and until then was selling bin-liners.

Goal.com India