Premier League XI and player of the decade - Chelsea players make the grade

Another journalist – this time Henry Winter of the Daily Telegraph – put his head on the block this morning and risked the wrath of football fans across England by naming his Premier League team of the decade. Interesting to compare it with that of The Times’ Oliver Kay:

Henry Winter (4-4-2)
Given, G Neville, Ferdinand, Terry (C), A Cole, Ronaldo, Lampard, Gerrard, Giggs, Rooney, Henry

Oliver Kay (4-3-3)
Friedel, Gerrard, Ferdinand, Terry, A Cole, Vieira, Keane, Lampard, Ronaldo, Henry, Giggs

Kay also names either Henry, for quality, or Lampard, for consistency, as his player of the decade.

From my perspective, there are problems with each. Winter seems to have tried to name the best 11 players, without any regard to creating a viable team defensively. Kay on the other hand has paid more attention to creating a viable team but then bizarrely shoe-horns Gerrard in at right back (he’s had no more success there than Essien). If he isn’t good enough to make the midfield – where he has played for the last ten years – he shouldn’t make the decade’s XI. 

Winter disregards Vieira and Keane on the grounds that they haven’t played for half the decade (on those grounds I guess we can’t put the likes of Zola forward either who, like Keane, might have a greater claim in the 90s). I would also argue that, up until now, Rooney hasn’t scored enough goals to warrant a place up front. From a Chelsea perspective, the sheer quality of Makelele in the holding role should give him a shout at being named in any team of the decade. Drogba would have a shout too if he had perhaps had a better 07/08 or 08/09.

To suggest that Given is goalkeeper of the decade is ludicrous – yes, he’s always been a good keeper but the accolades have only really started coming over the past two or three years. Friedel has been consistently lauded but I still have question whether he’s worthy of the keeper of the decade tag. Petr Cech probably has an equal claim, if only through his performances 2004-06 on the basis of which he was widely labelled the best keeper in the world. At the end of the day, I doubt many football fans would take Given or Friedel over either Cech, Van der Saar or Reina at the their best.

To come up with a team of the decade you need to decide how important longevity is. Both Winter and Kay disregard Makelele – who had four seasons at the top of his game – but include Ronaldo, who only had two (albeit excellent) seasons at the top of his in the Premier League. So I’ve gone for a team of the decade that is based on considering the best players in each position at their peak but with half an eye on those players having made more than a fleeting impact on the Premier League in that time. I’ve also tried to put together a more balanced, viable side:

(4-4-2) Cech, G Neville, Terry, Ferdinand, A Cole, Makelele, Lampard, Ronaldo, Giggs, Van Nistelrooy, Henry

Certainly painful to admit, but Van Nistelrooy and Henry deserve their place in a Premier League team of the decade, regardless of how we Chelsea fans feel about them. Other players I’ve overlooked (Winter and Kay did as well, to be fair) but certainly worthy of a mention would probably include Pires and Ljungberg, who played a pivotal role in Arsenal’s successes earlier in the decade, Steven Gerrard, Arjen Robben and Paul Scholes. It must be said that there’s been a huge wealth of midfield talent on show in the Premier League that makes selecting just 4 players almost impossible.

And player of the decade? For all the recent hysteria about Giggs (one Man Utd blog suggests: ‘player of the decade is not really up for debate. He’s still running rings around players and his name is Ryan Giggs. End of story’) his recent accolades are now stretching the point. He has more of my respect than any player turning out for Chelsea’s current rivals for both his world-class quality and his attitude, but for me he doesn’t quite make the grade.

So I’d probably have to agree with Kay. As a biased Chelsea fan, I don’t think you can look further than Frank Lampard, who has consistently been the most influential player for a successful Chelsea side for five years. His record of having scored 20 goals a season from midfield (and actually midfield – anyone comparing Ronaldo’s record is missing the fact that he largely played up front) for four successive seasons – and 19 in the season before that run - is almost without equal in the modern game. Aside from that, like Giggs, Lampard’s tireless professionalism and work-rate make him the stand-out player for the noughties.

I’m prepared for the inevitable backlash from United, Liverpool and Arsenal fans, but what do you think? Who is your Premier League team and player of the decade?

Comments

[Tubby]

Without doubt Lamp's is the outstanding winner of player of the decade. As you so rightly say, his consistancy, quality and attitude on and off the pitch makes him the obvious choice. I hate to admit it but I would have to have Giggs in my team of the decade aswell.

Tubby, Chelsea fan.

[Eunice O.]

i luv chelsea club and im proud to be a fan

[football gifts]

I'd be inclined to go with Kay, but why he has put Friedel in goal I'll never know.

[dude]

You are a son of bitch!how dear you put lampard in front of giggs?