How Many Manchester United Players Would Make It into an EPL All-Star Team?
September 7, 2012
Despite being one of the most consistent teams in football, Manchester United is rarely described as having the best squad of players in Britain.
That honour seems to fall on Manchester City more often than not. Even Chelsea, and occasionally Tottenham—following each club's prolific summer spending—have been given an edge in wealth of talent over United by some pundits.
But in picking a Premier League XI—a starting lineup of the league's best players in each position—how many Red Devils would make it in?
Goalkeeper
Manchester United's David de Gea has the potential to be the best keeper in England, but right now, he has to settle with the tag, "one for the future."
Despite having some of the best reflexes in the game, until he can fine tune the basics of his game, de Gea will never be considered the league's best. For now, Manchester City's Joe Hart has that tag, standing marginally clear of the rest of the pack.
Defence
Of Manchester United's back line, perhaps only Nemanja Vidic would be a certainty for a Premier League All-Star lineup.
His aerial domination and constant reliability at the heart of the United team has seen him develop into one of the most dominant players of his position. He's an easy pick here.
Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans miss out behind City's Vincent Kompany for the other central spot, whilst full-backs Rafael and Patrice Evra aren't nearly consistent enough for consideration. Although if the former can improve his defensive skills, he may well be good enough in the future.
Ashley Cole and Bacary Sagna are the two other picks for me.
Midfield
Here's where things get a little tricky.
In assembling an All-Star starting XI, picking a formation for the league's best to operate in is a tough task.
For the sake of simplicity, though, I'll opt for a conventional 4-4-2, with one attacking midfielder and one defensive, operating through the middle.
In that respect, one has to assume that City's Yaya Toure makes the grade at the base of the diamond, the Ivorian having been one of the deciding factors in the blue half of Manchester's recent rise to glory.
Steven Gerrard, Moussa Dembele and Abou Diaby (yes, Abou Diaby!) may feel hard done by, but Toure would walk into any team in the country any day of the week.
On the left flank, Chelsea's Eden Hazard is a no-brainer, despite having only played three games in the EPL so far. However, Tottenham's Gareth Bale isn't too far behind in terms of pure ability. This pick is subject to change, though, if the Belgian's form suddenly takes a dip.
Antonio Valencia may just sneak into the XI on the right flank, but he would face stiff competition from an in-form Nani.
In attacking midfield, United's Shinji Kagawa, David Silva and Santi Cazorla battle for position, but for me, despite Kagawa having been excellent so far this season, Silva earns the spot based on his accomplishments during the past two seasons for City.
One musn't forget about Arsenal's Jack Wilshere, either, who is a more-than-viable candidate for a central midfield role if he can rediscover his best form when he eventually returns from injury.
Forwards
Manchester United's newest hero, Robin van Persie walks into this team; he is without a doubt the most clinical finisher in England.
Behind him, in the second forward role, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Wayne Rooney are the three stand-out candidates, in a decision that's almost too close to call.
Based on legacy, though, I'm going to have to go with the explosive Rooney. In his finest league campaign, the Englishman struck an impressive 27 goals, four more than both Tevez and Aguero in their best respective seasons.
EPL All-Star Team: Hart, Cole, Kompany, Vidic, Sagna, Y. Toure, Hazard, Valencia, Silva, Rooney, van Persie