Football Fantasy XI - A Dream team with a twist

Football Fantasy XI is a new series that has been kick-started here at Sportskeeda. The aim of the article is to make up a dream team of active football players, but with a twist.

There is a limit to the number of players based on various rules.

The rules are as follows:

a) No 2 players from the same club

b) No 2 players of the same nationality/country

c) At least 1 goalkeeper, 3 defenders, 3 midfielders, 1 striker

d) Either Messi or Ronaldo.

e) At least 2 players under 20 years of age

f) At least 1 WC-winning player

g) At least 1 player over 32 years of age

f) No more than 3 players from the same domestic league

Now that the rules are clear to you, here is my team. It was no easy task putting it together and required lot of permutations to be worked out using FIFA 13, Google, and the old pen and paper, trying to tick all rules simultaneously. Invariably, the addition of a player would violate one of the rules. Finally, I could negotiate through them and make a decent enough team to present.

Formation:

I have chosen a rather unconventional 3-2-3-2 with

i) a 3 man defense with one of them playing as the sweeper;

ii) 2 central midfielders for holding and for the passing range, simultaneously;

iii) 3 amigos feeding a striker duo

iv) 2 lethal forwards

Composition:

My team consists of 3 players from the Barclays Premier League, 2 each from La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and one representation from the Bundesliga and the Russian Premier League.

Team Line Up:

Goalkeeper – Igor Akinfeev (Club: CSKA Moscow, Nationality: Russia)

Relatively unknown to casual fans, Akinfeev has been in the Russian national team for almost 9 years now and plays for CSKA Moscow. He is no stranger to winning trophies either. 4 Russian League titles, 5 Russian Cups and a Europa League (formerly, UEFA Cup) count on his list of honors. He has also established himself as Russia’s number one goalie, and when one considers the fact that he is still only 27, a universally accepted young age for goalkeepers, it seems natural that he will develop into a top keeper soon, if he isn’t one already.

Defenders – LCB – Matija Nastasic (Club: Manchester City, Nationality: Serbia)

Nastasic was one of the breakthrough players in the Premier League last season. Exchanged for Stefan Savic, he was expected to end up like Savic. So, not many would have expected the young, relatively inexperienced Serbian to force his way straight into Mancini’s star studded line up. Not only did he make regular appearances, he successfully managed to dislodge Joleon Lescott as Kompany’s partner in central defense. Still about 20 years of age, he is one to watch out for in the future. Nemanja Vidic was another candidate for the position, but considering the age factor, Nastasic gets the edge.

Defenders – CB – Raphael Varane (Club: Real Madrid, Nationality: France)

One of Mourinho’s successes at Real Madrid is the emergence of this Frenchman at center back. Still just 20, Varane had earlier moved from France into the Real Madrid youth setup and now, he looks likely to displace the highly experienced and action packed Pepe at the position. A future star of Real Madrid, Raphael Varane is the second U-20 player on this list.

Defenders – CB – Thiago Silva (Club: PSG, Nationality: Brazil)

Thiago Silva’s transfer to PSG summed up the state of modern day football transfers. Days after signing a new contract with AC Milan, he moved to PSG citing their ambitions to win as the reason for doing so (AC Milan’s financial state also contributed to the move). But on the pitch, his performances have not been ones to complain about, and he is considered as one of the world’s best center backs at present.

Central Midfielders – Andrea Pirlo (Club: Juventus, Nationality: Italy), (Captain)

This player HAD to be included. He was the first name on this team sheet. Putting opponents to shame with his range of passes, vision and positioning, he has been the catalyst in Juventus’ back to back Serie A triumphs, and one of the key reasons for their re-emergence as genuine Champions League contenders. He has made AC Milan’s decision to release him look stupid, and is still carrying on without injuries or dips in form for Juve. A World Cup winner and a player aged above 32, he satisfies both criteria simultaneously, and given a choice, I would make him the captain of this team.

Central Midfielders – Bastian Schweinsteiger (Club: Bayern Munich, Nationality: Germany)

The duo here represent the best deep lying playmakers in the world at present. Bastian tends to drop so deep that he becomes a partly advanced center back at times, and is always open to a pass in the middle, or sometimes, even from his own goalkeeper. He also makes runs forward when his team are turning on the heat and has the shot to match. His experience further justifies his inclusion.

Advanced Midfielders – LM – Eden Hazard (Club: Chelsea, Nationality: Belgium)

It was a hazardous task trying to pick one Belgian from their current ‘golden generation’, and Hazard is my choice. He justified the hype generated with his transfer to Chelsea, showcasing electrifying pace and scoring and setting up goals effortlessly. We have also seen that Hazard is such an unpredictable player – he can either choose to lob the ball over his man, or knock the ball on and beat him for pace, choose the simplest short pass available, attempt an audacious backheel to a support runner, dribble directly and take on the defender, draw fouls whenever he likes, and when all the above get too mainstream, he usually shoots and it will probably end up in the net. As someone who can think so quickly, a future Ronaldo probably, he beat other contenders for this position primarily due to his superb skill on the ball.

Advanced Midfielders- CAM – Lionel Messi (Club: FC Barcelona, Nationality: Argentina)

The greatest player of this generation (okay, let’s add Ronaldo as well, as this is not the right place to debate), Messi is at his lethal best when deployed as a false 9. But hang on, this is Messi we are talking about! He can play in any attacking position on the pitch. I could have placed him as a center forward or as a wide forward. But considering the plethora of options available for the striker positions, placing Messi there would have been a severe injustice to the others. Messi takes this position of the ‘hole’ behind the striker, because, well, he is Messi. He doesn’t need a fixed position to play in. No matter where he is placed, the end result will always be the ball striking the back of the net. (And, before I forget, one does not need to survive a cold, wet night at Stoke to be called as the best)

[Why not Ronaldo? I could have, but including Ronaldo would have made finding another top U-20 center back other than Raphael Varane extremely difficult, as only one player per club is allowed according to the rules here.]

Advanced Midfielders – RM – Gareth Bale (Club: Tottenham Hotspurs, Nationality: Wales)

It would have been very difficult to compose this list hadn’t this guy been a Welshman. His nationality made negotiating the ‘only one player from each country’ rule so much easier. Bale is the most coveted property in the market right now, has a lethal left foot, pace to burn, and the hunger for goals. An all action, non-stop player, a must-include in this list.

In this trio, Hazard and Bale are inverted wide forwards. Hazard is stronger on his right foot and plays on the left, while Bale, whose left foot is his better one, plays on the left. Both can cut inside with their favored foot and cause havoc. Messi would have a free role to roam wherever he likes. The trio can also exchange positions with each other and cause devastation.

Strikers – Edinson Cavani (Club: Napoli, Nationality: Uruguay)

Cavani has been hot property for the past couple of years and clubs are queuing up for his signature. The fact that he hasn’t moved yet makes this list a bit easier to compose. Napoli value him at 63 million euros and they do not seem like changing their stance. With a lethal finish and the strength to beat his man, he is the perfect center forward for this team.

Strikers – Radamel Falcao (Club: A S Monaco, Nationality: Colombia)

A situation incredibly similar to Cavani’s, Falcao’s only difference from the Uruguayan is the fact that he has actually moved. Incredibly, to Monaco, chasing the millions on offer. A representation from the French League looks nice on this team sheet, and it makes it possible to include a La Liga player anywhere else in this team if required. Another goal poacher and an extremely similar player as his strike partner makes devastation in the box look certain even against the best of defenses.

What do you think? Is this team the best covering the rules set? Or can there be a better team out there? Like or Dislike this line-up below -