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Premier League XI:
Manager
Jose Mourinho: Mourinho announced himself on the biggest stage in club football after winning the UEFA Champions League with FC Porto in 2004. The follwing season he was made Chelsea’s manager, but he couldn’t give Abrahimovic the European success that the Russia so badly wanted. After leaving Chelsea he moved to Inter Milan in Serie A and won the treble with them in 2010 before moving to Real Madrid. Mourinho’s stint with the Spanish side saw him win the league title once in 3 years. He took the team to the semi final of the Champions League on three occasions and no further.
His return to Chelsea last season didn’t end as he would have wanted it to as he failed to win any major competitions. He again exited the Champions League in the semi final stage. Other Premier League managers like Arsene Wenger and Manuel Pellegrini can boast more experience than Mourinho, but in terms of winning mentality, Mourinho is second to none and this is precisely why he would be the ideal manager for the Premier League XI side.
Goal Keeper:
Thibaut Courtois: Courtois is playing his first season in the Premier League but it is still impossible to remove the Belgian from this list. He has put one of the best, if not the best goal keeper in Premier League era – Petr Cech, on the bench with his performances. At the moment it looks like Cech has very little chance of getting his number one spot back. Courtois is only 22 years old and has a very long career ahead of him. If he follows the right path, he could go on to be one of the greatest of all time.
Defenders:
Pablo Zabaleta: Zabaleta gets in ahead of Ivanovic on the list because of his consistency. The Argentine rarely has a bad game. His performances were one of the reasons why Micah Richards never had a good chance to get back into the Manchester City squad. Zabaleta had a terrific World Cup with Argentina as well. He is a strong tackler as well as intercepts the opposition play. He was voted into the PFA team of the year in 2012-13 even though City didn’t win the title that year.
Vincent Kompany: The Belgian is among the best defenders in the game today. His reading of the game is top notch. Kompany uses his huge figure to good effect by bullying forwards and making life hard for them. He was the backbone of the City team that won 2 league titles and a an FA Cup. Kompany scored the only goal in a must win home game against Manchester United in the 2010-11 season that put his team on top of the table. The Belgium captain was a holding midfielder when he moved to Manchester City. He was later moved to the center of defense and his performances in that position meant that he was not going back to playing in midfield.
John Terry: The Chelsea skipper is showing the new kids in the league that, age is just a number, as he continues to be one of the best defenders in the league even at the age of 33. Terry formed a great understanding with Gary Cahill last season, which sort of reminded many of the Terry-Carvalho partnership. Chelsea boasted the best defense in the league last season even though they finished 3rd.
Leighton Baines: Baines is on the list due to 3 different reasons. One, Ashley Cole now plays in Italy, two – Filipe Luis is yet to play in the league and finally of all the left backs playing in the league, Baines has been the most consistently performing one for a considerable period of time. The Everton man also possesses great set piece taking ability for a defender. He scores from direct free kicks and has so far just missed 1 penalty in his career. He has now firmly established himself as England’s first choice left back after injuries to Kieran Gibbs and Luke Shaw.
Midfield:
Yaya Toure: Toure scored 24 goals from midfield last season, averaging almost a goal every second game. This is a hugely impressive figure for someone who plays in a deeper role. The Ivorian scored some spectacular goals and is a threat from dead ball situations. Toure uses his huge figure to good effect to push defenders out of his way. He joined Premier League from Spanish side Barcelona.
Steven Gerrard: The former England Captain is no longer the player he once was and has moved to a deeper role in midfield recently. Even then he has performed brilliantly for Liverpool and his performances last season earned him a place in the PFA team of the year. Gerrard has one of the best set piece deliveries in football and this was probably the reason why Liverpool scored the most goals from set pieces last season. Gerrard now plays as the deepest lying midfielder who often splits the center backs. This is the reason why Gerrard’s goals from midfield have dried up in the last two seasons.
David Silva: The nimble footed Spaniard like his compatriot Iniesta is pleasure to watch, the calmness and confidence with which Silva moves the ball and dictates the play will make you watch in awe. Silva moved to Manchester City from La Liga side Valencia in 2010. Silva plays on the wings for City often although he is best when played as an attacking midfielder. The 28 year old created more goal scoring chances per game last season than the likes of Juan Mata, Ces Fabregas, Mesut Ozil and Raheem Sterling.
Eden Hazard: Hazard is just 23 years old and has already won many admirers. The Belgian was part of last season’s PFA team of the year and won the PFA Young player of the year award. Hazard has a bag of tricks at his disposal along with admirable pace and dribbling abilities. He would walk into almost any team around the world. Hazard scored 23 goals in his first to Premier League seasons this is a big tally for someone playing on the wings. Even Cristiano Ronaldo who moved to England at the age of 21 could only score 9 league goals in his first two seasons with Manchester United.
Angel di Maria: Although Di Maria has just played one game for Manchester United; it is difficult to leave a player of his caliber out of this list. The Argentine was the man of the match in the final of the 2014 UEFA Champions League. Di Maria is a tailor made player for a manger like Jose Mourinho who demands good work rate and speed from his wingers. Di Maria moved to Real Madrid when Mourinho was appointed their manager. The Argentine is a good crosser of the ball and can chip in with goals. His high pressing game makes him a valuable asset to any team. Manchester United have got a top class player in Di Maria.
Forward:
Sergio Aguero: Aguero is another player who came to England from Spain. He previously played for Atletico Madrid. Aguero has the best goals per minute ratio in the premier league as of now. The Argentine has seen his three seasons at Manchester City hampered by injuries. Still he has scored 58 goals in 90 league appearances for the Citizens. His is not a big figure up front like Mourinho prefers, but he is a hard worker and a creative striker. He sets up his team mates quite often. Aguero is the type of striker who can create something out of nothing.
Substitutes:
Petr Cech, Per Mertesacker, Branislav Ivanovic, Aaron Ramsey, Wayne Rooney, Diego Costa and Mesut Ozil
Formation:
4-2-3-1
