Your World XI

[Teddy KGB]

The current FIFPro World XI is:

------------------I Casillas------------------
Maicon---Lucio---G Pique---C Puyol
---A Iniesta-----Xavi-----W Sneijder---
---L Messi-----D Villa-----C Ronaldo---

Using any formation you see fit, what's the absolute best team you can throw out (based on players as of right now, ignoring injuries though)? Mine is:

------------------M Neuer------------------
D Alves---N Vidic---G Pique---G Bale
-------------Xavi---------A Iniesta---------
L Messi-------------------------C Ronaldo
---------------W Rooney-------------------
---------------------D Villa------------------

For a formation I used a 4-2-2-2 as I think this best fits the 2 best players in the world. The squad is based around Messi and Ronaldo cutting in from the wings and looking to score/set up Rooney and Villa.

Rooney is used in a withdrawn role as a secondary striker as I think he performs best as one while David Villa is simply the best CF in the world right now.

Xavi and Iniesta in the center of midfield is quite an obvious choice as this means control of the midfield for the most part and the best supply for the vast array of weapons in this team.

In defense, Vidic is such a rock and is good enough to be the cornerstone of any defense. Pique is probably the guy to put with him and this is about as secure you can get defensively from the air. Dani Alves is in my mind by far the best fullback/wingback in the world and his tandem with Messi never fails to cause havoc. Gareth Bale at wingback isn't his best position but tbh I think with this team he'd be attacking a lot more than defending and plus Vidic/Pique are good fallbacks if Bale is beaten by his man.

Neuer is imo the best goallie in the world.

So who you guys got?

[BC_]

Does it include current form, or current players at their career peak form?
Formation included, I like the first one better than yours simply because the players play more in positions they're used to.

[5DOM]

Bale's not a good choice at LB. To me, it's still Ashley Cole there.

I'd also replace Wayne Rooney with Samuel Eto'o and play him alongside Villa

[Slava]

I don't see how you can put Eto higher than Rooney. Ibrahimovic may be but not Eto.

[5DOM]

30 goals 13 assists in 41 matches vs 13 goals 11 assists in 30 matches.
As for Eto'o vs Zlatan, I like the former's versatility more. The whole midfield is basically Barca's lineup anyway.

[Teddy KGB]

Does it include current form, or current players at their career peak form?
Formation included, I like the first one better than yours simply because the players play more in positions they're used to.

Form included, so the Rooney in my lineup isn't in his peak form. And I don't think that Eto'o and Villa would be a good partnership, they're really similar players. Ibrahimovic would be a great fit on paper as the CF with Villa as SS but seeing as the team is very Barca based and he had limited success there...

As for LB, I'll concede that Bale's probably not the best choice there and that Cole might be better, especially to cover for CRon's defensive inadequacies. No LB really sticks out right now though, one of Cole/Evra/Lahm (although Lahm plays RB now) I guess.

So my final lineup would be:

------------------M Neuer------------------
D Alves----N Vidic---G Pique----A Cole
-------------Xavi---------A Iniesta---------
L Messi-------------------------C Ronaldo
---------------W Rooney-------------------
---------------------D Villa------------------

EDIT: Manchild, which players did you think were being used out of position? I'll concede Bale but the rest are in my mind at their best positions.

[Slava]

That line up is very flexible because Rooney will drop into midfield if either Messi and Ronaldo are being ambitious and not tracking back. The lack of a good defensive midfielder is glaringly obvious though. Someone like Makelele, but Yaya Toure might be the closest player to fit that role.

[Lionel Messi]

------------------Casillas------------------
D Alves----N Vidic---G Pique----Evra
---------------------Cambiasso-------------
-----------------------Xavi--------------------
C Ronaldo-------------------------A Iniesta
-------------------Messi-------------------
---------------------D Villa------------------

Need that defensive mid in there. Giving Casillas the nod too although Neuer is a great pick.

[5DOM]

Evra hasn't been the best LB in the world since about 2 years ago. Even then it was debatable.
But I do like your formation (with a DM) better.

[Slava]

I hate to put an out and out center forward with Messi and Ronaldo in the same team though. That formation could essentially become

--------------GK--------

---------Def-3----------

------xavi-------cambiasso--

---Alves-----Iniesta------------

-------Ronaldo---------Villa------Messi

with Iniesta interlinking defense and front 3. They'd be very porous on counters and wing surges especially with Alves who likes to bomb forward too.

[BC_]

So my final lineup would be:

------------------M Neuer------------------
D Alves----N Vidic---G Pique----A Cole
-------------Xavi---------A Iniesta---------
L Messi-------------------------C Ronaldo
---------------W Rooney-------------------
---------------------D Villa------------------

EDIT: Manchild, which players did you think were being used out of position? I'll concede Bale but the rest are in my mind at their best positions.

Xavi and Messi - Xavi in a true CM position and Messi in a true wing position; you said he'd cut in but traffic would dictate otherwise imo.

------------------M Neuer------------------
D Alves----N Vidic---G Pique----A Cole
---------Busquets-------A Iniesta--------
---------------------Xavi------------------
----L Messi-----------------C Ronaldo----
------------------Cavani-----------------

Busquets reluctantly.

[Teddy KGB]

Cavani over Villa? Cavani is a good player but I don't think he's at the all-world level yet... Also, Iniesta can't play DM (probably the only midfield position he can't play well) and Busquets isn't really a the all-world level either imo

As for the formation with the DM in it, I don't think it's really necessary with such a great defense backing up. If I did have a DM though, I would probably go with de Rossi or Xabi Alonso over Cambiasso/Busquets

[Sleepy]

The current FIFPro World XI is:

------------------I Casillas------------------
Maicon---Lucio---G Pique---C Puyol
---A Iniesta-----Xavi-----W Sneijder---
---L Messi-----D Villa-----C Ronaldo---

Well, assuming we're preparing for a real match up:

Neuer is a good pick because you won't see many shots from distance with that team and probably not a single cross, two areas where Neuer could def. improve a bit. He's great in one-on-ones and on the line, which will be useful against dribblers like Messi and CR.

Defending against a 4-3-3 is usually done by sitting deep and narrow. Works well in this case, as this team won't beat you in the air. So you try to keep the ball away from CR and Messi, pretty much just as Germany did vs Argentina in case of Messi and Tevez. Unfortunately, that leaves room to Iniesta and Sneijder, but taking their passing options away should really help.

Offense isn't that important here. Running into counter attacks would be absolutely deadly, so I wouldn't even try to score in the first place. Loosing possession while any of their front three was open would be a disaster, so there's really no room for players who need to ball to be effective.


Finding defenders is hard as they need to be quick and agile... very few world class defenders fit that bill. Lahm is one, Ramos too and Pique also, but I'm trying to use only players who aren't in the other team. In the end, it doesn't matter that much, as defensive harmony and the ability to switch and anticipate would be most important here.

I'd def. play a Schweinsteiger in top form, as he would be great for the middle field in some kind of a modern sweeper role. He's rubbish at the moment, but he has shown that he could be really important here. Then Busquetes and Michael Essien as defensive minded midfielders and Gareth Bale and Thomas Müller as wingers. Müller might seem as a homer pick, but very few players are as good in anticipating passes and starting counter attacks as him. In a team build around that tactic, I want him. Screw the other Bayern wingers (Robben&Ribbery), who might be better overall, but wouldn't fit in here that perfectly.

Lastly Rooney as a false nine. I wanna draw Lucio and Pique away from the center and open up space. Rooney is perfect, but I'd also take a 2006-Klose.

------------Neuer------------
Ramos--Vidic--Chillini-Lahm
--------Schweinsteiger------
------Busquetes--Essien------
--Müller----Rooney-----Bale
-----------------------------

Game would probably look like Mailand - Barca last year. Give them the ball, but take away the passing lanes. They'll have problems in the defensive midfield, so change flanks whenever possible, as their narrow midfield will leave lots of open space. Try to switch their wing defenders out of position and then exploit the other side. And hope for the best...

[Slava]

Essien regressed a lot this season. I rated him as the best central midfielder not on Barca before this season began.

If I had to pick a team for 1 game against the FIFA pro X1:

Code: Select all

-------------------VDS-------------------
Lahm---------Kompany-------Vidic------Cole
----------Yaya Toure----Scholes---------
--Hulk------------Muller------------Di Maria
---------------Eto------------------------

On a given day that midfield can pretty much match up with anything you can throw at them. A destroyer in Toure, distributor in Scholes and width with Di Maria and Hulk. Eto would be the finisher and Muller will supply them with through balls all day long.

In defense I need someone who can bring the ball upto midfield so I chose Kompany over someone like Terry to play alongside Vidic. Lahm and Cole are very accomplished in attack and defense. I just picked VDS ahead of Cech as a homer pick, they are again interchangeable. I like Bale but its a stretch to start putting him in world X1s already.

[Teddy KGB]

Stretch to put Bale but not Kompany?

[Slava]

Kopmany has been a top 3 defender in the premier league for 2 seasons running. Bale had one great game against Inter and the hype went through the roof.

[Lionel Messi]

Bale isn't even an LB anymore he's a LW.
LB is the toughest position to pick.

[5DOM]

There's no way Kompany was a top 3 CB last season.
He was easily a tier or two below guys like Vidic, JT, Vermaelen, Dawson and Dunne.

[Slava]

I had Vidic and Terry ahead of Kompany but Vermalen, Dunne and Dawson? Please no. All the other 3 have some kind of weakness that was exposed unlike Kopmany, you could however make an argument that he played defensive mid to start the season though.

[5DOM]

This season? Yes, he's clearly a top 3 CB. Last season? No way. It's not even close