The State of the Blues (Part 2)

To follow on from part 1 which was posted on Tuesday (click here to read) – here is the remainder of the combined challengers’ team, in my humble (and maybe slightly Blue-tinted) opinion.

The team so far looks like this:

Cech

Ivanovic         Vidic             Terry           Cole

Right Midfield:

Man U: Valencia

Chelsea: Kalou/Anelka

Man C: Balotelli/Johnson

Arsenal: Walcott/Nasri

Liverpool: Kuyt/Cole

Ok, ok, maybe not all out and out right wingers but something had to give seen as I opted for a 4-4-2 formation. Kalou, Anelka, Balotelli and maybe even Walcott fall into this category as they have been playing as a winger in a front three. Kuyt is another who is predominantly a forward player but can fill in adequately on the wing – don’t let his looks fool you; he is a hard worker and comes up with goals. If only Johnson was actually played at City we’d see what a good player he is. Unfortunately Mancini is hell-bent on keeping the big earners in the team regardless of performances. Nasri has been lauded for his performances last season, it may have taken him a while to get up to that level of performance but if he can maintain it, every top English club will want him… oh wait…

Verdict: Nasri

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Left Midfield:

Man U: Nani/Young

Chelsea: Malouda

Man C: Silva

Arsenal: Arshavin

Liverpool: Downing

Some good options here – both Nani and Young are excellent on their day, but maybe a little too inconsistent if we’re being pedantic. Malouda has scored a hat full of goals over the last three years but seems to have similar sleeping patterns to the North American brown bear leading to hibernation during the winter months. Silva had a very good first season in English football and City will be hoping he can build on that this season. Arshavin has bags of talent but is about as reliable as the Greek banks when it comes to big games. Downing improved a lot last season and has earned a move to Liverpool for his efforts. However, he needs to prove it wasn’t a flash in the pan this season.

Verdict: Nani

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Central Midfield:

Man U: Carrick/Fletcher/Giggs/Anderson/Park

Chelsea: Lampard/Essien/Mikel/Ramires/Benayoun

Man C: De Jong/Toure/Barry/Milner

Arsenal: Fabregas/Song/Wilshere/Ramsey

Liverpool: Gerrard/Meireles/Lucas/Henderson

So many ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ here. Essien is his prime would walk into the team. Ramires and Wilshere WILL be among the league’s best within three years. Milner doesn’t play enough. Gerrard is a luxury. Giggs, or should I say Benjamin Button, is the master but can’t do it week in week out anymore. Carrick needs a radius of 50 yards with no opponents to operate. Meireles is actually quite good but looks like he’s on his way. I really admire Park, people don’t often give him the credit he deserves by predictably labelling him a workhorse. He is a very intelligent player and a scorer of vital goals. He just misses out along with De Jong. Quite simply, Lampard will score you a bag full of goals every season without shirking defensive responsibilities. Fabregas, although he has injury problems and is a bit of a whiney f-f-f-fella, is a very good player and a great foil for any striker.

Verdict: Lampard and Fabregas

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Strikers:

Man U: Rooney/Hernandez/Berbatov

Chelsea: Drogba/Torres/Sturridge

Man C: Tevez/Dzeko/Adebayor/Jo/Bellamy etc etc

Arsenal: Van Persie/Bendtner/Chamakh

Liverpool: Carroll/Suarez/Ngog

This is very difficult to pick in one way, but very easy in another way. I say this because there are so many players here who are of the highest calibre, but there are two in particular who would get into any team in the world. Hernandez, Suarez and Tevez are all fantastic players who most teams would have in a heartbeat but just fall short in my opinion. Tevez missing out in particular may surprise you but if going like for like, he is second best to Rooney. Torres has a lot to do to convince us he is still the player he was. Berbatov reminds me of the Mona Lisa – doesn’t move an inch but provides us with moments of true beauty. Carroll has had half a good season in the top flight and can’t be considered. Van Persie is a truly world class player and one I really like to watch play. However, injuries are his downfall and he hasn’t had the chance to prove to the world just how good he is. Drogba is… well, he’s Drogba isn’t he?

Verdict: Rooney and Drogba

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So here’s the team in full, not bad eh?

Cech

Ivanovic         Vidic             Terry           Cole

Nasri         Lampard           Fabregas       Nani

Rooney     Drogba

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Article by Derek O’Rourke. Agree? Disagree? Please comment below and follow me on Twitter @fattyfoulke