Premier League team of the last decade.

ADL9798

Brownlow Medallist
Aug 18, 2009
14,481
16,908
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Liverpool
F2E1215D-523A-4C81-A974-BA8233A78D73.jpeg


Silva, Hazard, Aguero my 1, 2, 3 podium for player of the decade.

1x United
3x Chelsea
3x Liverpool
4x City

Some positions were easy to pick. Some I tried to strike a balance weighing up players who reached the absolute pinnacle for 2-3 seasons vs players who consistently performed for 5-6 seasons.

Common thread through the team is that at some point every one of these players would’ve been considered among the top probably 2-3 players in the world in their position.

De Bruyne v Yaya in midfield the selection that took me the longest.
 
Last edited:
Dec 22, 2009
62,366
36,506
South End, AAMI Park
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Matildas/Socceroos/LFC/MVFC/RCStrasbourg
I think Kane has been very stiff here with a lot of people. Can't play in a three though, and as mentioned Kun has to be the central forward IMO.

Yes very unlucky. Kun has to be the CF though, been around for most of the decade consistently at the top of the scoring charts. Kane can't play out wide at all so doesn't get in a front 3.
 
Apr 8, 2007
58,325
29,350
Dublin
AFL Club
Fremantle
Other Teams
SJ Sharks/Everton/NY Jets
View attachment 796150

fu** me we've had a lot of good footballers this decade. could make a case for about 11 more pretty easy too.
The BBC limited the options though. Basically to top 6 players, there are a few players from lesser clubs who should be considered. Like why is Courtois considered but not Pepe Reina?

Same goes for TAA over Coleman. TAA has been around two and a half seasons. Kolarov? Only 165 games played, hardly longevity.
 
Sep 11, 2003
38,265
9,193
Slovenia
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Liverpool
A few points Gerrard, Vidic and Rio's best football was definitely not this decade and their inclusion is not warranted.

Only difficult decision was between Kante and Milner. Went for Milner as he's done it for longer - maybe not reached Kante's peak but his consistency/reliability and ability to fit into different teams/formations can't be ignored.

Very few left back options and Robertson has been at a high level at Liverpool for a few seasons now and hasn't put a foot wrong and from all account was excellent at Hull before that. Half a decade of strong performances in a position is enough.

Anyone who doesn't pick Aguero as the striker is taking the piss. Sits what 5th in the Premier League all time goals tally and has all his goals this decade.
Can see a minor argument for Kane but definitely no one else.

Sterling v Mane also a very difficult decision. I rate Mane higher than Salah (one is actually a team player, the other isn't and Mane has been doing it far longer in the PL)

Be objective people.

team-of-the-decade-3b3b1b35ae09139a4f7fdc3bf6cbf8a4.jpg
 
Last edited:
Dec 22, 2009
62,366
36,506
South End, AAMI Park
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Matildas/Socceroos/LFC/MVFC/RCStrasbourg
A few points Gerrard, Vidic and Rio's best football was definitely not this decade and their inclusion is not warranted.

Only difficult decision was between Kante and Milner. Went for Milner as he's done it for longer - maybe not reached Kante's peak but his consistency/reliability and ability to fit into different teams/formations can't be ignored.

Very few left back options and Robertson has been at a high level at Liverpool for a few seasons now and hasn't put a foot wrong and from all account was excellent at Hull before that. Half a decade of strong performances in a position is enough.

Anyone who doesn't pick Aguero as the striker is taking the piss. Sits what 5th in the Premier League all time goals tally and has all his goals this decade.
Can see a minor argument for Kane but definitely no one else.

Sterling v Mane also a very difficult decision. I rate Mane higher than Salah (one is actually a team player, the other isn't and Mane has been doing it far longer in the PL)

Be objective people.

View attachment 796285

Who would get your vote for manager of the decade?
 

WealstoneRaider

Cancelled
10k Posts I reneged on a bet or agreement :(
Apr 8, 2015
17,469
9,803
AFL Club
Hawthorn
A few points Gerrard, Vidic and Rio's best football was definitely not this decade and their inclusion is not warranted.

Only difficult decision was between Kante and Milner. Went for Milner as he's done it for longer - maybe not reached Kante's peak but his consistency/reliability and ability to fit into different teams/formations can't be ignored.

Very few left back options and Robertson has been at a high level at Liverpool for a few seasons now and hasn't put a foot wrong and from all account was excellent at Hull before that. Half a decade of strong performances in a position is enough.

Anyone who doesn't pick Aguero as the striker is taking the piss. Sits what 5th in the Premier League all time goals tally and has all his goals this decade.
Can see a minor argument for Kane but definitely no one else.

Sterling v Mane also a very difficult decision. I rate Mane higher than Salah (one is actually a team player, the other isn't and Mane has been doing it far longer in the PL)

Be objective people.

View attachment 796285
Was going to make that point about Gerard, definitely a player of the 00’s rather than the 10’s. Picking Vidic and Rio in the best team for this decade is plain silly.

For me Suarez, who I’ve seen mentioned a lot shouldn’t be in either because his tenure was too short. Recent players like Robertson, TAA and a few others shouldn’t be considered either as they’ve only come to the fore in the last 2 or 3 seasons of the decade. Kompany, De Gea, Aguero, Hazard, Kane and Sterling are the shoe-ins for me
 

ADL9798

Brownlow Medallist
Aug 18, 2009
14,481
16,908
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Liverpool
Was going to make that point about Gerard, definitely a player of the 00’s rather than the 10’s. Picking Vidic and Rio in the best team for this decade is plain silly.

For me Suarez, who I’ve seen mentioned a lot shouldn’t be in either because his tenure was too short. Recent players like Robertson, TAA and a few others shouldn’t be considered either as they’ve only come to the fore in the last 2 or 3 seasons of the decade. Kompany, De Gea, Aguero, Hazard, Kane and Sterling are the shoe-ins for me

It’s a tricky one. Look at the alternatives to Robertson at left back for example.

Looks like Evra is the next most selected option, and he was only on United’s books until 2014, let alone any argument as to whether he was actually playing at Robertson’s level for those 4 years.

Baines is a fair shout, but despite playing every season this decade, he was only playing at an elite level for 3-4 of them at most. His last England cap came in 2015, he’s been over the hill since then, so it’s not that clear cut that he should be in ahead of Robertson imo.

In selecting players for this team I opted to weight heavily towards those years where they were actually performing at a truly elite level (i.e. best 2-3 in their position in the league/world), there are very few who sustain this for more than 3-4 years.

Take Yaya for example. He played 8 seasons this decade to De Bruyne’s 5, but when comparing the 2, I decided the years where Yaya wasn’t contributing a hell of a lot were irrelevant so I largely ignored them. That was the tipping point for me to go with the latter.
 

WealstoneRaider

Cancelled
10k Posts I reneged on a bet or agreement :(
Apr 8, 2015
17,469
9,803
AFL Club
Hawthorn
It’s a tricky one. Look at the alternatives to Robertson at left back for example.

Looks like Evra is the next most selected option, and he was only on United’s books until 2014, let alone any argument as to whether he was actually playing at Robertson’s level for those 4 years.

Baines is a fair shout, but despite playing every season this decade, he was only playing at an elite level for 3-4 of them at most. His last England cap came in 2015, he’s been over the hill since then, so it’s not that clear cut that he should be in ahead of Robertson imo.

In selecting players for this team I opted to weight heavily towards those years where they were actually performing at a truly elite level (i.e. best 2-3 in their position in the league/world), there are very few who sustain this for more than 3-4 years.

Take Yaya for example. He played 8 seasons this decade to De Bruyne’s 5, but when comparing the 2, I decided the years where Yaya wasn’t contributing a hell of a lot were irrelevant so I largely ignored them. That was the tipping point for me to go with the latter.
There’s no real stand out full backs, I’d actually say Kyle Walker is a shout that how low bar they are. You could make a case for Robertson as he’s been making a name for himself in the prem since about 2016/17 but it’s not quite long enough for me.

People choosing Suarez like our friend Jod above is definitely a biased pick. Had two brilliant seasons in the prem as good as any forward had but it’s blatantly not nearly long enough to be considered a best player of the decade in the division
 

ADL9798

Brownlow Medallist
Aug 18, 2009
14,481
16,908
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Liverpool
There’s no real stand out full backs, I’d actually say Kyle Walker is a shout that how low bar they are. You could make a case for Robertson as he’s been making a name for himself in the prem since about 2016/17 but it’s not quite long enough for me.

People choosing Suarez like our friend Jod above is definitely a biased pick. Had two brilliant seasons in the prem as good as any forward had but it’s blatantly not nearly long enough to be considered a best player of the decade in the division

Longevity certainly works against Suarez. The case for him is that his 2013/14 season sits up there with Henry’s 2003/04 and Ronaldo’s 2007/08 as one of the best individual seasons the Premier League has ever seen.

He had 1 and a half good seasons and 2 elite seasons, one of which was off the charts brilliant.

The obvious comparison and my next choice for that spot, Sterling, has only scored over 15 league goals twice (soon to be three times I suspect) in his career. He’s been around for longer and has had several good seasons, but only 2 and a half at the elite level, and hasn’t yet hit the same heights/had the same impact as Suarez did during those 2.5 years.

You can build a case for Suarez but equally I definitely understand why people wouldn’t select him. Depends how you weight impact vs longevity.
 
Last edited:
Oct 5, 2007
43,230
30,768
Yorta Yorta country
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Other Teams
BlueCo
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #47
Tried to copy and paste my team but it won't work.

So here it is anyways...

De Gea
Azpi Kompany VVD Robbo
Gerrard Kante KDB
Suarez Aguero Hazard
Only 4 Pool player, im surprised haha.

Did/does Suarez play much as a right winger?
 
Oct 5, 2007
43,230
30,768
Yorta Yorta country
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Other Teams
BlueCo
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #49
Yeah, started out as a wide player and became a CF. Very comfortable playing anywhere in a front 3.

Just found it weird he'd have him over Salah who is naturally a right winger and has out performed Suarez goal wise.

Would have made more sense to chuck him in at CF over Kun IMO.
 
Back