The 2014 World Cup in Brazil seems to have all of the world’s best national teams including all of the very best European and South American national teams.
Given this reality, selecting only 11 players for a Pre-World Cup Best XI is even harder, especially when selecting the attacking players.
Most people would select Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo first, but World Soccer Source selected Thomas Müller over Lionel Messi and Neymar over Cristiano Ronaldo.
Nevertheless, below is World Soccer Source’s Pre-World Cup World Best XI and the rationale behind the selections:
Maicon has returned to form with Roma. Photo: (Tony Gentile/REUTERS)
A Seleção 23-Man World Cup Roster (January 2014)
Felipão has stated that either Kaká or Ronaldinho will go to the 2014 World Cup, but not both, so the race is on between two footballing legends and masters. Of the two, Ronaldinho Gaúcho is The Grandmaster.
Kaká has been playing for Milan with energy, speed, creativity, and passing and attacking skill and vision, and Ronaldinho is Ronaldinho.
No one can deny that an inspired Ronaldinho is a monster of a footballer and still perhaps the most gifted current player, if not ever.
Atlético Mineiro might have lost early at the FIFA Club World Cup, but that Ronaldinho free kick golaço was ruthless, magical, and unstoppable.
Nevertheless, as with the choice between Kaká and Ronaldinho, the problem for Felipão and O Canarinho is deciding which players should go to the World Cup. The Seleção now has an abundance of totally complete center backs (zagueiros), and the Seleção also has many attacking midfielders and forwards to chose from.
Really, Brazil is just absolutely loaded with players at every position, and more and more world-class Brazilian players keep making their case for inclusion on the 2014 World Cup squad.
In almost six months, the 2014 World Cup will begin, and a lot can happen. When the time comes, players like Pato, Robinho, and perhaps Ronaldinho might prove to be just too good to exclude from the roster.
Despite the quality of Germany, Spain, Italy, and others, Brazil is truly the clear favorite to win this World Cup.
Brazil is often every non-Brazilian’s second favorite team (with the exception of Argentineans), and Brazil is the team that neutrals love to watch and support.
From an American perspective, Brazil’s ability to constantly have so many world-class players at its national team’s disposal is hard to even fathom, if it weren’t a reality that soccer fans everywhere have grown accustomed to.
Brazil can beat your national team by four goals, and the loss will just be dismissed be the frequent excuse of, “It was Brazil.”
Without further delay, below is World Soccer Source’s 23-man currently-preferred Brazil World Cup roster, which is somewhat an approximation of Felipão’s ideal roster and somewhat this writer’s preference (and several world-class players have been omitted due to Brazil’s depth):
GOLEIROS: JULIO CESAR (Queens Park Rangers; rumored to be moving), JEFFERSON (Botafogo), RAFAEL (Napoli)/GABRIEL (Milan).
Neymar, the New King of Brazilian and World Football. (Photo: Jorge William / O Globo)
World’s Best XI (December 2013)
GOALKEEPER:Manuel NEUER (Bayern Munich)
The Bayern Munich goalkeeper and Germany number 1 is a total monster in goal. Victor Valdés is arguably playing just as well or better. Both Gigi Buffon and Iker Casillas are still arguably the two best goalkeepers.
RIGHT BACK:MAICON (Roma)
Maicon the Marauder is back to playing his best football full of attacking assaults and ferocious defense. Maicon’s supposed decline and drop in speed and fitness was off base. The Brazilian right back is still better defensively than Daniel Alves, and Maicon perhaps is more influential when playing for the Seleção than Daniel Alves.
CENTER BACK:Raphaël VARANE (Real Madrid)
The French prodigy is only surpassed by Thiago Silva, and both David Luiz and Dante are more experienced and arguably better.
CENTER BACK:Thiago SILVA (Paris Saint-Germain)
Hands down the best center back in the world. Almost universally considered the best center back in the world. The skill level of Brazilian center backs is becoming ridiculously good.
LEFT BACK:MARCELO (Real Madrid)
David Alaba has a major bone to pick here with Marcelo, and Alaba is equally as deserving. Nevertheless, Marcelo is a remarkably fast and skilled left back whose defensive skill and ability to use both feet have skyrocketed in recent years.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER:Paul POGBA (Juventus)
The French prodigy is listed as a central midfielder because he is a totally complete midfielder who is hard to box up into a restrictive category such as defensive midfielder, box-to-box midfielder, or possibly as a soon-to-be regista.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER:Arturo VIDAL (Juventus)
The Chilean box-to-box midfielder is regarded by many as the most complete midfielder in the world. The Juventus midfielder is arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world, and his technical-ability and his attacking skill are as good or better than his defending. Every club wants Vidal.
RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER:Cristiano RONALDO (Real Madrid)
Cristiano Ronaldo uses both feet with the same perfect technique and his speed is virtually unmatched. The Portuguese winger or forward is a goal-scoring machine and arguably the best and most-skilled player in the world.
CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER:Thomas MÜLLER (Bayern Munich)
Thomas Müller is easily the most-gifted and best current German footballer. Müller can play any position in the attack, and as a central attacking midfielder his style of play is very similar to Kaká’s, which uses a combination of attacking at pace with exceptional passing and vision. Other players might be better pure playmakers, but Müller is a gifted playmaker and complete attacker without any flaws. Müller is a big game player, and he backs up what he says before games.
LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER:NEYMAR (Barcelona)
Neymar is the New King of World Football. The Brazilian sensation is a dazzling footballer, and he is the jewel of world and Brazilian football.
STRIKER:Mario BALOTELLI (Milan)
For many people, several strikers are better than Mario Balotelli, but the Italian and Milan striker is technically-perfect with both feet and the best athlete in world football. Italy’s number 9 has the size and athleticism of an NBA player while still being a graceful magician with the ball at his feet. Balotelli is a big game player, and his abilities range from being a dead ball specialist to being a clinical finisher. Balotelli has a full arsenal of tricks and a thunderous shot with both feet. The Italian is the only striker with a chance of being in Ronaldo’s league as far as first strikers go.
Fabio Caressa once said that Balotelli could play every position in the attack.
Neymar, the New King of Brazilian and World Football. (Photo: Jorge William / O Globo)
Under Dunga and Mano Menezes, the Seleção were never playing Brazilian football the way Brazilians and lovers of Brazilian football wanted them to play, and Brazil’s coaches stopped using the greatest advantage Brazil had over any national team or club team: superior skill and creativity.
Under Felipão who was obviously not new to coaching Brazil, other national teams, or high-profile club teams, Brazil combined three things: 1.) elite defenders with the technical skill of elite midfielders; 2.) intimidating and highly-skilled defensive midfielders who weren’t just providing defensive coverage; and, 3.) attacking midfielders and forwards who returned Brazil to the glory days of the likes of Pelé, Sócrates, Zico, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, and Kaká.
Brazil now has the best defenders in the world, and Brazilian defenders and defensive midfielders are by and large tall and strong athletes who are also technical masters.
What Felipão and Brazil did was use bigger, faster, and more athletic defensive players who were also highly-technical and creative players who played soccer the Brazilain way, which has proven to be the best and most successful form of football in all of world football.
While not all of the Starting XI is set in stone, Felipão has formed a cohesive group of players while still allowing some minor adjustments and changes in players depending on circumstances and the form of the players.
Brazil’s line-ups and tactics make sense, and the players who are often the substitutes are honestly better than most players starting for other national teams.
Besides Brazil, France produces the best footballers.
It took a 3-0 victory over Ukraine to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, but France is easily one of the best national teams on the planet with young prodigies in the defense, in the midfield, and in the attack. These three freaks of nature are of course Raphaël Varane in the defense, Paul Pogba in the midfield, and the currently outside of the fold M’Baye Niang in the attack.
World Football is seeing an influx of extremely tall and graceful athletes with incredible technical ability and speed. The three French prodigies plus Mario Balotelli are soccer players with essentially the physique and athleticism of NBA players, and they are starting to raise the bar for all footballers in terms of skill, size, and speed.
While these three French players have been highlighted because of their youth and their phenomenal combination of masterful technical ability and off the charts athleticism, Les Bleus also feature Franck Ribéry (currently up for the Ballon d’Or), Blaise Matuidi, Samir Nasri, Mathieu Valbuena, and Karim Benzema.
To this list, one should add Yann M’Vila, Jérémy Ménez, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Yohan Cabaye, Gaël Clichy, Bacary Sagna, Patrice Evra, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Adil Rami, Christophe Jallet, and a whole host of other players.
France has truly elite players at almost every position, and Varane and Pogba in particular are 20 year olds who are essentially the best players in the world at their positions. Thiago Silva is the world’s best center back, but Varane is somewhat at his level.
The 18-year-old AC Milan striker, M’Baye Niang, is serving a ridiculous ban from the French Football Federation until the end of the calendar year, but Niang is a striker who has the technical ability, size, and untouchable athleticism of Mario Balotelli.
Anyone who has watched Niang play can see that the two-footed magic, the trickery, the speed, the passing ability, the work rate, and the aggressive attacking play are a nightmare for any defender to handle. Niang is a complete first striker with no weaknesses.
In the midst of having Ribéry as one of the favorites for the Ballon d’Or, France’s very young prodigies in addition to slightly older players like Matuidi, Benzema, Valbuena, and Ménez make Les Bleus a national side that no one will want to face in the 2014 World Cup.
With a defense anchored by a center back like Varane who is perfect technically and defensively and essentially unbeatable in a foot race and a midfield built around a totally complete midfielder in Pogba, the addition of Niang would make France a team with total masters in the defense, in the midfield, and in the attack.
Although Italy won the 2006 World Cup, France was the best team in that World Cup, and the France squad for the 2014 World Cup has yet to prove that it’s anywhere close to the same level as the 2006 team, which was almost entirely comprised of legends and masters.
The foundation of this France side is very, very strong, and it will be interesting to see which players prove to be the best options for France at the positions not occupied by Varane, Pogba, Matuidi, Ríbery, and Benzema.
Will France make its teenage prodigy, M’Baye Niang, the focal point of the attack? Only time will tell. Unleashing the AC Milan striker on defenders in the 2014 World Cup would be a wise decision for a national team with Varane and Pogba bossing the defense and the midfield.
France had a roller coaster of a World Cup qualifying campaign, but several of the best footballers on the planet such as Varane and Pogba are young French players who are already superstars.
The Brazilian prodigy, Neymar, will be the best player and the main attraction of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but don’t sleep on France when next summer comes around because French football is back.
Given France’s problems during World Cup qualification, World Soccer Source would be interested to see France slightly modify their line-up by fielding the following Starting XI:
Freddy Adu’s time with Bahia may be coming to a close. (Photo: E.C. Bahia)
Two things are clear about Freddy Adu: 1.) his technical skill-set, passing, and 1v1 abilities are very rare for an American (even if he is from Ghana); and 2.) Adu has been sold or loaned from club to club where he often saw lots of coaching changes.
Adu isn’t free of some flaws in his game, and these will be discussed later in this article.
In the recent takedown piece from LANCE!NET, the writer of the article, Igor Sigueira, (writing from Rio de Janeiro) wrote that the reason that Adu was not going to have his contract renewed was “technical deficiency,” but no coach was quoted as saying that.
The article itself was entitled “Bahia is going to release Freddy Adu who adds another failure to his career,” which implies that the purpose of the article was to trash Adu.
In fact, the quote from the technical director stated that they felt that other players were better than Adu, and this is different than saying that someone doesn’t have the requisite technical ability to play in Brazil. Nevertheless, many articles emerged in the United States saying that Bahia would not be renewing Adu’s contract because of a lack of technical ability, which is simply not what any member of Bahia was quoted as saying in the article.
This was the belief of the writer of the article, Igor Siqueira. While Siqueira is entitled to draw the conclusion that the comments about Adu implied that the technical director or “director of soccer”, Anderson Barros, felt Adu didn’t have the required skill-level, no one at Bahia was quoted in the LANCE!NET article as saying that Adu’s problem was a lack of the needed technical ability.
In fact the exact quote was this:
“Ele não joga porque entendemos que outros são superiores e aí ele não teve tantas oportunidades assim. Vai acabar o contrato e o Adu vai seguir a vida dele. Vai ficar livre para procurar outro clube.” This quote means: “He doesn’t play because we know (literally, understand) that others are superior and so he didn’t have many opportunities due to that. His contract is going to end and he’s going to continue on with his life. He’ll be free to look for another club.”
Turning to Adu’s reputation in the United States, the reason why Freddy Adu has so many critics is that he displays a prolific skill-set for an American soccer player, which rightly makes people have very high expectations of him. Expecting a lot from a player of his technical quality and quickness is fair, but there is a double-standard applied to Adu that other American players aren’t subjected to.
In many ways, Clint Dempsey is also the subject of a lot of criticism and cheap shots from American soccer writers, pundits, and fans. Dempsey is frequently openly disrespected by the American media, despite his outstanding club and international resume for an American soccer player, and it should be said that playing for seven seasons in the English Premier League and scoring as many goals as he did as a midfielder is a great achievement for any player.
Dempsey and Adu are similar in their willingness to try tricks or low percentage passes or flicks that most American soccer players aren’t willing to try, so when these flashes of imagination fail, the critics pounce.
Unlike Adu, Dempsey has a very consistent and impressive club resume in terms of goals, performances, and playing time, but Adu deserves a certain level of respect for playing for Benfica and Bahia.
Whatever you think of Freddy Adu, not many Americans or soccer players of any nationality would have been signed by Benfica or a Brazilian club in the Brasileirão, and that’s a testament to his skill-level.
While Clint Dempsey disproved the belief that soccer players born and raised in the United States couldn’t play creative, skillful, and world-class soccer, Freddy Adu’s early childhood spent in Ghana playing pickup soccer or whatever you wish to call it has to be given much of the credit for his playing style and ability.
Nevertheless, Freddy Adu lived in the United States as long or longer than he lived in Ghana, and he was able to further cultivate his touch, tricks, vision, passing ability, and shooting in the United States.
Adu’s quick and inventive passing combined with his trickery and scoring ability make him a rare commodity among American soccer players, but he does have a few areas of his game that need to be improved.
As Adu looks to play one-to-two touch soccer based on passing and moving with creative play, he frequently appeared to get frustrated with his former teammates in MLS’ inability to quickly receive and release passes, in addition to their failure to make runs into the pockets of space where he played passes for them.
Given this problem of playing with many players in the United States who were unable to play up to his level, the thing Freddy Adu needs to do if he comes back to MLS is to continue to make runs, show for the ball, and display lots of movement off the ball, even when his teammates aren’t playing the more advanced style of soccer that he plays.
Adu must continue to make runs and demand the ball whether or not his teammates are passing and moving in order to facilitate a superior brand of play.
One thing that was apparent with the Philadelphia Union was that Adu would frequently play first time passes into space for his teammates after they passed to him, and they just didn’t continue their runs or even see the space available to them.
The frequency with which scenarios such as the one described above occurred caused Adu to be frustrated, and they caused him to frequently begin to start running less or become less active off the ball after his teammates were struggling to play a more advanced school of soccer.
Recently with Bahia, Adu saw many coaching changes, and the current coach, Cristóvão Borges, either didn’t rate Adu or he saw Adu as a less important bench player than players of other positions. In short, Cristóvão made a point of frequently using most of his bench spots for players who weren’t attacking midfielders.
Ivan Dias Marques of CORREIO described Cristóvão (as he’s known in Brazil) as a defensive-minded coach, and many of the professional reporters and journalists in Salvador such as Ivan Dias Marques, Pedro Sento Sé, Miro Palma, and Felipe Santana took to Twitter on several occasions to voice their belief that Adu deserved more playing time based on their evaluations of him in person at practices.
With Bahia’s games basically only available in the United States via streaming with poor video quality, it’s difficult to really draw any strong conclusions about Adu’s play in Brazil since he rarely played, and his coach didn’t rate him. Coaches frequently have their favorites, and maybe Cristóvão had a justifiable reason for not playing Adu.
Even Adu’s critics and detractors are quick to concede that Adu has the talent and the quickness to play at a high level and for the United States, but many critics don’t value Adu’s creativity and technical-ability very much because they view him as a player that doesn’t play enough defense or that doesn’t show enough running and movement off the ball.
World Soccer Source views Adu as a special talent that has the ability to excel even against elite competition, but World Soccer Source also concedes that fair or not, Adu might need to display some more movement off the ball and a greater urgency to stamp his imprint on games when his teammates aren’t passing and moving in a fashion that he feels is the correct way to play soccer.
The United States Men’s National Team has other playmakers such as Benny Feilhaber, Joe Corona, and Mix Diskerud, but Adu is too talented to close the book on.
Either Freddy Adu himself or his next coach should make a point of encouraging Adu to show more movement and urgency in games with disorganized passing and lots of long balls. Additionally, Adu like all players has areas of his game that could use some improvement.
For the most part, Adu knows when to dribble, when to pass, and when to look to shoot, but certainly any player could benefit from a thorough evaluation of their play, in order to correct any weaknesses in their play.
Based on Freddy Adu’s play with Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore, in addition to Joe Corona, Juan Agudelo, and Mix Diskerud, it would appear that Adu is certainly a player who performs well and thrives with players of their technical ability and playing style, but some coach or trainer would be wise to maximize Adu’s abilities by improving any areas of his game that are causing him to not see enough playing time or to garner so much criticism, even if he receives equally as much praise from supporters.
The United States is experiencing the deepest player pool in its history, but Freddy Adu is still a special talent who can be very useful to Jürgen Klinsmann, the USMNT, and MLS if those people and entities learn how to take his talents and improve them. After all, the job of a coach is to teach and improve players, as well as offering constructive criticism and observations.
Real change comes from the player himself, but much of the criticism of Freddy Adu is excessive especially when clearly inferior players such as Brad Davis, Kyle Beckerman, Graham Zusi, Sacha Kljestan, and José Torres are playing for or being call up to the USMNT with some frequency.
All of those players are respectable professional players who have done well in their careers, but as long as players such as Freddy Adu, Benny Feilhaber, Joe Corona, and Mix Diskerud are all not seeing significant minutes with the full-strength USMNT on a consistent basis, there is a systemic problem with Klinsmann’s USMNT that goes deeper than freezing out Adu: an undervaluing of creative midfielders who are natural playmakers.
Maicon has returned to form with Roma. (Photo: Tony Gentile / Reuters)
Voicing one’s opinion about who should be on the Seleção roster is one of the quickest ways to be called an ignoramus by Brazilians and non-Brazilians alike. The root of the problem is the sheer amount of not just world-class but truly elite players in the Brazilian player pool. Any list of 23 players for the Brazilian national team always leaves out players who are truly elite players who can put even many of the world’s best players to shame.
Unlike Spain who has been on top of world football in recent years due to a core group of world-class players from basically one generation of players, Brazil has been producing a steady stream of world-class talents who exceed the amount of roster spots available on the Seleção.
Even a player like Diego have seen somewhat limited international appearances with the Brazilian national team, despite being widely-considered one of the best playmakers in the world and one of the very best players in the Bundesliga for many years. Recently, Diego enjoyed two outstanding seasons with Atlético Madrid including a Europa League trophy where he was the playmaker for Falcao, but even all of this didn’t make Diego a Seleção regular.
Any roster proposal for the Brazilian national team brings with it the inevitability of criminal snubs of truly elite players of every position.
World Soccer Source proposes the following 23-man roster for the upcoming 2014 World Cup in Brazil with the obvious potential for changes in opinion as the World Cup approaches.
Explanations for the roster will be provided after World Soccer Source’s Seleção roster proposal.
Here is this writer’s preferred Seleção roster:
GOALKEEPERS: Julio CESAR, RAFAEL, JEFFERSON
CENTER BACKS: Thiago SILVA, David LUIZ, DANTE, DEDÉ
OUTSIDE BACKS: MAICON, Daniel ALVES, MARCELO, MAXWELL
Since the time of Lúcio, Brazil has boasted better center backs than Italy, and Brazil now has center backs in the same league as Lilian Thuram.
Thiago Silva is widely considered the best center back in the world, and David Luiz is also widely considered to be on anyone’s shortlist of best center backs.
Salvador’s own Dante put in a master class with Bayern Munich last year where many observers considered him the most important player for Bayern and the most valuable player in the Bundesliga.
Now, Brazil has three center backs who are widely considered above basically all other center backs, and domestic-based Dedé is himself a monster of a center back who is sought after by all of the world’s top clubs.
Dedé doesn’t have the same fame as the other three, but Dedé is a complete center back whose size and physique are matched by his technical ability, his defending, and his athleticism. Dedé is not just a towering and intimidating center back; Dedé is a skillful and agile center back who can shadow mark anyone.
The other center backs of note are Marquinhos of Paris Saint-Germain and formerly of Roma and Leandro Castán of Roma. The coming months will be a duel between Dedé, Marquinhos, and Leandro Castán to wear the yellow jersey of Brazil in Brazil for the World Cup.
Luiz Gustavo and Casemiro give the Brazil roster two players at something close to the midfield destroyer position known as the cabeça de área role in Brazilian Portuguese. The English term midfield destroyer is a bit of a misnomer for this role with the Seleção as anyone playing for the Seleção is an extremely technically-skilled player with an outstanding overall skill-set in terms of touch, passing, movement off the ball, and vision.
Paulinho and Ramires give the Brazilian national team two box-to-box midfielders who are complete two-way midfielders who offer as much of an attacking and scoring threat as they offer defensive coverage, running, and tackling.
Paulinho and Ramires are referred to as volantes (steering wheels) in Brazilian Portuguese, which is the general term for defensive midfielders, but thinking of Paulinho and Ramires as players who mainly bring defensive coverage to the Brazilian midfielder would be off base. A volante as opposed to a cabeça de área is a box-to-box midfielder
Brazilians refer to attacking midfielders as meias, which is also the general term for midfielders, but more and more meias are listed as atacantes, which is the term for forwards or attackers.
Although there is a host of second strikers and outside forwards in the Brazilian player pool, currently there is somewhat of an absence of elite first strikers in the Brazilian player pool with the exception of Pato.
Of all the Brazilian first strikers currently on the scene, only Pato possesses the ability to simply dribble straight through elite defenders or easily finish passes with first time shots against elite competition. Pato suffered from chronic hamstring and gluteal muscle pulls with AC Milan either due to the sheer explosiveness of his acceleration from a dead stop to a full sprint or due to incompetence on the part of Milan’s medical staff, and even Kaká has made comments about the Brazilian national team having better doctors and physical therapists than AC Milan.
In addition to Pato, Leandro Damião, who lives to do rainbows, is the most ruthless and skilled of the Brazilian first strikers. The other contenders are Jô and Fred, but none of these strikers except Pato have shown anything close to being in the same solar system with Ronaldo. Ronaldo had everything: two-footed finishing, blazing speed, magic feet, a full arsenal of tricks that could leave any defender for dead, and an ability to just score at a prolific rate against anyone, anywhere, anytime.
This writer included both Ronaldinho and Kaká over Willian and Jô or Fred (even though they don’t play the same positions), and opinions on Ronaldinho and Kaká vary from person to person.
This season Ronaldinho has shown that he still has the will power, the fitness, and clearly the skill to play against anyone, but many people view Ronaldinho as past his prime.
Likewise, Kaká is somewhat out of favor, but anyone who saw his speed, endurance, technical ability, passing, and shooting in recent games saw a Kaká who looked more than equipped to excel and produce at the highest level. Kaká even netted a true golaço against Lazio.
The World Soccer Source Brazil Starting XI:
Julio CESAR; MAICON, Thiago SILVA, David LUIZ, MARCELO; RAMIRES, PAULINHO; OSCAR, KAKÁ, NEYMAR; PATO.
A more standard Seleção Starting XI might be something more like this:
Julio CESAR; MAICON, Thiago SILVA, David LUIZ, MARCELO; Luiz GUSTAVO; PAULINHO; LUCAS, OSCAR, NEYMAR; FRED
The talent pool available to the United States Men’s National Team is the deepest it has ever been, but Jürgen Klinsmann’s recent comments about young American players like DeAndre Yedlin not really being close to the national team picture were disconcerting.
Given Yedlin’s talent-level, youth, and athleticism, not to mention the fact that Klinsmann is using Brad Evans out of position at right back, there is simply no way for Klinsmann to justify his claims that Yedlin might not be ready for the national team for a few years. Yedlin has to be considered for the 2014 World Cup, if the United States hopes to be competitive against the better teams.
As a thought exercise, consider Jürgen Klinsmann’s favored Starting XI and consider who the best players in the world are who would hypothetically play in the same position.
If you make a 4-2-3-1 formation made up of the very best players in the world in the same system that Klinsmann uses with the United States, the overall gap in skill between the Klinsmann’s USMNT Starting XI and a Starting XI made up of the best players in the world in the same system is quite frightening from an American perspective.
This is the single biggest problem with Klinsmann as the coach of the United States Men’s National Team: his refusal to use upgrades at certain positions to improve the national team.
Klinsmann needs to let the kids play. From an American perspective, many of Klinsmann’s roster and starting line-up choices are not the best options at his disposal when one considers the need to field players with the tools to compete with international competition and the best players in the world.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of Klinsmann first-choice players and something resembling the best in the world.
GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD vs. Gigi BUFFON (Juventus / Italy)
Tim Howard or Brad Guzan are both excellent goalkeepers who excel at the international level. The goalkeeper position is not a liability for the United States. Gigi Buffon is obviously better, but Guzan and Howard are excellent international keepers.
RIGHT BACK: Brad Evans vs. MAICON (Roma / Brazil)
This gap in skill is like The Grand Canyon. This isn’t Brad Evans’ fault; Klinsmann has just stuck him at right back and tossed him to the wolves. Evans has proven to be a seaworthy international player who has demonstrated good skill, even if he has oddly been starting at right back for the United States over about five other better options. Insisting on starting Brad Evans at right back is bizarre. Maicon is a force of nature whose right foot has the stopping power of a Georgian Mountain Dog.
CENTER BACK: Omar GONZALEZ vs. Thiago SILVA (Paris Saint-Germain / Brazil)
Without question, Thiago Silva is the best center back in the world. Taking nothing away from the fact that Omar Gonzalez represents progress in the ability of American center backs and that his skill and defending eclipses many of the center backs that the United States has used in the past, the difference between Thiago Silva’s ability to defend predators and Omar Gonzalez’s is visible from outer space with the naked eye.
CENTER BACK: Matt BESLER vs. David LUIZ (Chelsea / Brazil)
Like Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler’s mobility, defending, and skill on the ball is a nice upgrade compared to many of the American center backs of years past, but he isn’t better than Eddie Pope or Jay DeMerit.
John Anthony Brooks, Shane O’Neill, or Geoff Cameron are all better than Besler when one considers the complete package of defending, athleticism, and skill on the ball. Anyone who has seen David Luiz at center back can see the vast difference between elite center backs and Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez.
It may be unfair to compare Besler and Gonzalez to Thiago Silva and David Luiz, but the United States needs to accept that the elite center backs in world soccer are much more equipped to handle the world’s best attackers than Klinsmann’s first-choice center back pairing. Other American center backs like John Anthony Brooks, Shane O’Neill, Geoff Cameron, and Andrew Farrell have more of the tools needed to excel at the international level.
LEFT BACK: DaMarcus BEASLEY vs. MARCELO (Real Madrid / Brazil)
Even if DaMarcus Beasley held his own in CONCACAF, he isn’t even a left back. Marcelo is the starting left back for Brazil and Real Madrid.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Jermaine JONES vs. Paul POGBA (Juventus / France)
Jermaine Jones is a high-level defensive midfielder who is a Champions League and Bundesliga veteran with refined technical ability, tireless running, and machete tackles. Nevertheless, Paul Pogba is a total monster who haunts your soul at night. At 20-years-old, Pogba is easily the best French soccer player since Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry, and the best midfielder of his generation, if not the best midfielder in the world.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY vs. Arturo VIDAL (Juventus / Chile)
Michael Bradley, like Clint Dempsey, is one of the only American players who can swim with the sharks. Bradley’s position is not one of the United States’ weak areas. Nevertheless, Arturo Vidal moonwalks on Michael Bradley.
RIGHT MIDFIELDER: Landon DONOVAN vs. Lionel MESSI (Barcelona / Argentina)
This isn’t a weak area for the United States either, but Lionel Messi is clearly better than Landon Donovan. Donovan isn’t part of the talent gap that exists between the United States Men’s National Team and top national teams.
CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Clint DEMPSEY vs. OSCAR (Chelsea / Brazil)
Clint Dempsey has essentially been used as a second striker tasked with playing a true playmaker’s role for the United States. Dempsey is used incorrectly by Jürgen Klinsmann, as he has to drop very deep to receive the ball, which leaves Jozy Altidore stranded up top. As a playmaker and creator, Oscar is almost second to none. Klinsmann would be wise to play Dempsey out left with a true playmaker in the center.
LEFT MIDFIELDER: Fabian JOHNSON vs. NEYMAR (Barcelona / Brazil)
Fabian Johnson is an international-caliber winger who starts in the Bundesliga, but nobody is better than Neymar.
STRIKER: Jozy ALTIDORE vs. Mario BALOTELLI (AC Milan / Italy)
Jozy Altidore harnessed his athletic and technical potential, and he is still on the rise. Nevertheless, Mario Balotelli is the best first striker since Ronaldo and Thierry Henry. There’s no defender who wants to defend Balotelli. If you’re strong, Balotelli is stronger. If you’re fast, Balotelli is faster. If you’re skilled on the ball, Balotelli is better.
Conclusion:
Some of Jürgen Klinsmann’s preferred-starters are excellent international players, but this only applies to Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Landon Donovan, and Tim Howard. The coach of the United States needs to accept that he needs to start swapping out many of his starters for inexperienced upgrades.
The enormous strides the United States has made in soccer and the increase in talented players at every position in the American player pool should be celebrated, but Klinsmann needs to prove that his preferred players are truly the best players the United States has to offer.
If one looks at Klinsmann’s Preferred USMNT XI compared to something close to the World’s Best XI, the talent gap is huge. Below are both Starting XIs listed one on top of the other for the purpose of displaying the disparity in talent:
With Mario Balotelli suspended for the next three Serie A matches, the time has come to start the 18-year-old 6’4″ French striker, M’Baye Niang, and let him blossom into an elite striker.
Despite being a teenager and even without Balotelli’s suspension, Niang’s special gifts and abilities needed to be unleashed on Milan’s opposition on a more consistent basis sooner. A striker with Niang’s speed, agility, 1v1 abilities, shooting ability, and combination play isn’t something that Massimiliano Allegri can ignore.
Milan need Niang to disrupt defenses with his movement off the ball and his skill on it — all of which constantly threaten the goal. Niang is a great finisher with both feet, even though he received some criticism for having a shot hit off the post against Barcelona in the Champions League last season.
Without Kaká and Riccardo Montolivo, or Stephan El Shaarawy for that matter, a player with Niang’s workrate and effectiveness at putting himself in scoring-positions can help to compensate for a current midfield lacking in creativity, but Niang’s own qualities warrant a starting spot, even with a full squad.
The logical thing for Milan to do would be to start Robinho with Niang in order to facilitate combination play in the attack and to use Robinho as the player to drop back to collect the ball from the likes of Nigel De Jong, Sulley Muntari, Antonio Nocerino, and Andrea Poli who are all playing slightly deeper in the midfield.
For AC Milan’s purposes, even without the current injuries, a striker of M’Baye Niang’s physique, athleticism, aggressive and creative playing style, and world-class technical ability is simply too talented to leave watching the games from the bench.
Of all of the players in world football, finding one who is a faster and smoother mover than Niang who also has trickery and striker instincts that are off the charts is close to an impossible task.
Niang isn’t a raw striker who needs to refine his technical ability, but rather he is one of the best young talents in world football. What Niang needs is playing time: playing time to get into a rhythm and start scoring goals. Any striker who can smoothly execute textbook elásticos and pull them off effortlessly is truly a special striker indeed.
Whatever excuse that Massimiliano Allegri has for not making Niang a core element of his Milan squad in no way justifies the exclusion of a player who wrecks so much havoc in the attack and who draws so many defenders toward him.
None of Milan’s injuries rationalize the decision to not start M’Baye Niang every game they can because his abilities already demand it, and he needs the experience to continue to grow and improve as a striker.
Soon, M’Baye Niang will be one of the elite strikers in the world, and any club would be hard-pressed to find a striker with his combination of elite technical ability and creativity combined with incredibly smooth and superior athleticism inside such a tall and agile frame.
This list includes some criminal snubs of players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
There is no excuse for snubbing them, but the reason that there were snubbed is because World Soccer Source believes this XI to be a more complete and well-balanced team without them.
This is extremely controversial, but World Soccer Source didn’t snub them for the sake of controversy; the intention was to have a balanced midfield and attack that included box-to-box midfielders like Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba, and Kevin-Prince Boateng who are exactly the type of players needed to win back possession in the midfield and heavily contribute to the attack.
With the exception of Julio Cesar and Hulk, one could almost just select the Starting XI for the Seleção in the 2013 Confederations Cup Final and essentially have the World’s Best XI.
Here is World Soccer Source’s World’s Best XI (Formation: 4-1-2-1-2):
GOALKEEPER: Gigi BUFFON (Juventus/Italy)
Gigi Buffon, along with Iker Casillas, has long been recognized as the best goalkeeper in the world, and he shows no sign of slowing down.
Snub: Iker CASILLAS (Real Madrid/Spain)
RIGHT BACK: MAICON (Roma/Brazil)
With Maicon’s return to the Seleção and his excellent form at AS Roma after serving a prison sentence with Manchester City, Maicon the Marauder, reclaims his spot as the most terrifying right back in the world. The Brazilian combines fantastic and intimidating defense with inspired runs down the sideline. Of all the right backs in the world, Maicon is the one that defenders really do not want to see coming at them. Stong, skilled, and fast, Maicon also brings with him a tendency to smash outside of the foot shots from distance that are usually dipping, swerving, and on target.
Snub: Daniel ALVES (Barcelona/Brazil)
CENTER BACK: Thiago SILVA (Paris Saint-Germain/Brazil)
Thiago Silva is internationally-recognized as the best center back in the world. A totally flawless defender with blazing speed, graceful defending, and technical ability. Easily the best center back in the world.
Snub: Raphaël VARANE (Real Madrid/France)
CENTER BACK: David LUIZ (Chelsea/Brazil)
There was a time when people criticized David Luiz for being a walking yellow card, but the Brazilian defender has become a more elegant tackler while still being the most technically-skilled center back in the world along with Thiago Silva. After David Luiz played his first game with Chelsea, no one made any comments about David Luiz being a soft Brazilian defender who would have trouble adapting to England again. David Luiz’s goal-line sliding save against Spain in the 2013 Confederations Cup Final was impossible.
Snub: DANTE (Bayern Munich/Brazil)
LEFT BACK: MARCELO (Real Madrid/Brazil)
The best left back in the world without question. Marcelo used to be somewhat lacking in his defensive abilities, and he used to be one-footed. Not any more. Marcelo is very hard to beat with pace, and he has developed a knack for dispossessing opponents only to take the ball and dribble and pass his way out of the back without losing possession. No left back in the world rivals Marcelo in the attacking category.
Snub: Mattia DE SCIGLIO (Milan/Italy)
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Paul POGBA (Juventus/ France)
The French phenomenon is so complete that no one knows what midfield position he is really playing. He isn’t a trequartista or a true number 10, but Pogba is a complete midfielder and a freak of nature. While not as athletic as Mario Balotelli, Pogba is an incredibly athletic and technically-skilled midfielder with no flaws. Standing at 6’4” with zero body fat, Pogba combines power with elegant passing and ball control. Pogba is so good that World Soccer Source selected him over Andrea Pirlo, who himself is one of the greatest midfielders to ever play the game.
Snub: Andrea PIRLO (Juventus/Italy)
RIGHT MIDFIELDER: Arturo VIDAL (Juventus/Chile)
The Chilean is a ruthless midfielder who defends without mercy and without being reckless. Vidal is as talented on the ball and in the attack as he is as at defending, and his style of play has earned him the nickname, “The Warrior.” Vidal is an essential component to making a Starting XI to beat any opponent because, like Paul Pogba, he is a totally complete midfielder who would start for any team in the world, including the Brazilian national team.
Snub: RAMIRES (Chelsea/Brazil)
LEFT MIDFIELDER: Kevin-Prince BOATENG (Schalke/Germany & Ghana)
Underrated and underappreciated, Milan fans are now seeing just how good Kevin-Prince Boateng is, and Milan fans are missing him. Boateng has proven that he can make a huge impact in any game against any opponent, and his playing style is one of the most unique in the world, as he combines trickery with physicality powered by a crazed mentality to win. Boateng is another complete midfielder who can score with either foot, take defenders off the dribble, and emphatically dispossess opponents with fantastic slide tackles. Boateng plays very much like a Brazilian, and Boateng’s unique combination of skills makes him a player who is ready and able to face any opponent at any time. Boateng has a fantastic collection of golazos to his name, and until he played for Milan, only Jürgen Klopp and those who had played with him knew just how good he was.
Snub: PAULINHO (Tottenham/Brazil)
PLAYMAKER: RONALDINHO (Atlético Mineiro/Brazil)
Ronaldinho is still way too good to keep off a World’s Best XI, and probably no footballer ever has been as technically-gifted as Ronaldinho. When Ronaldinho is inspired to play, no one in the world is better than he is. Ronaldinho’s vision and technical-ability is unmatched by anyone, and even now he continues to provide strong performances and a steady stream of goals, assists, and highlights. Until Ronaldinho is no longer physically-fit to compete at the same level, Ronaldinho remains the greatest playmaker and the most-talented player in the world. Ronaldinho’s ability to never suffer a serious injury is often over-looked by critics who call him fat and past his prime. The ability to avoid injuries is a testament to his fitness and longevity as a player. Avoiding injuries while being hacked and fouled so much is truly an art form.
Snub: OSCAR (Chelsea/Brazil)
FIRST STRIKER: Mario BALOTELLI (Milan/Italy)
Mario Balotelli is the best first striker since Ronaldo and Thierry Henry. There’s never been a footballer with Balotelli’s athleticism, and his physique has never been seen before in world soccer. The scariest aspect about Balotelli is that not only are his technical ability, physique, and athleticism basically better than everyone else’s, but he is a merciless competitor with ice in his veins. Balotelli brings everything to the first striker position: a sniper’s accuracy, a perfect first touch, unmatched speed and strength, and a full arsenal of tricks and striking techniques. The Italian prodigy is famous for his penalty kicks due to the fact that he’s never missed one in a competitive match and due to the fact that he looks into the goalkeeper’s eyes throughout the entire process of approaching the ball to strike it. Balotelli is the King of the Paradinha, and no defender in the world can really contain either his skill, his athleticism, his size, or his strength. The Milan striker and Italian number 9 shouldn’t be dismissed as just an incredible athlete with great technical skill because his technical skill matches any footballer on the planet. After UEFA Euro 2012 and after the 2013 Confederations Cup, most of Balotelli’s harshest critics faded to black.
Neymar is not only the best Brazilian footballer since Ronaldinho Gaúcho but the best footballer of any nationality since Ronaldinho as well. Neymar’s 1v1 dribbling abilities and tricks surpass those of Pelé, Diego Maradona, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi. In his first games with Barcelona, Neymar has been more dangerous and effective throughout matches than Messi, but Messi continues to have the ability to finish free kicks or score anything when there is a glimpse of the goal. With Barcelona, the Brazilian has been displaying his passing and his ability to improve his teammates, but he has also displayed the ability to penetrate European defenses and create scoring opportunities for himself better than Messi. Neymar’s performance against Spain in the Confederations Cup Final and his seamless transition to La Liga and European football show that Neymar is poised to have a breakout season in just his first season with Barcelona. As an attacker, Neymar’s ability to leave any opponent for dead is unmatched, and his finishing with both feet is off the charts. The Brazilian is without a doubt the greatest player of his generation, and he will only continue to improve and collect trophies and individual awards.
Snub: Thomas MÜLLER (Bayern Munich/Germany)
OTHER SNUBS: Lionel MESSI, Cristiano RONALDO, Andrés INIESTA, XAVI, Philipp LAHM, Luiz GUSTAVO, Franck RIBÉRY, FALCAO, Robert LEWANDOWSKI, Mario MANDZUKIC, Jordi ALBA, Leonardo BONUCCI, Giorgio CHIELLINI, Daniele DE ROSSI, Tony KROOS, Mario GÖTZE, Blaise MATUIDI, David ALABA.
