SB Nation UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League knockout stage is the pinnacle of club football, so what if you had to make a team of players just from the 16 remaining teams, only you could pick only one player from each team?
Feb 14, 2012 - The UEFA Champions League is the premier club tournament in the world so at least at some level, the 16 teams remaining in the competition as the tournament heads to the knockout stages can be called the 16 best teams in Europe, if not the world. They are teams filled with great players, some of whom play for clubs like Barcelona and Bayern Munich and are known the world over, and others who ply their trade in more remote outposts like CSKA Moscow and FC Basel.
So the Champions League has the top players in the world left so what would happen if a team was built just of those players? Five members of the SB Nation Soccer staff gave it a try, but with one caveat. You could choose only one player from each of the remaining 16 teams, making it a 16-man team with a starting XI and five-man bench (one of whom has to be a goalkeeper). These were the results:
Starting XI (4-2-1-2-1): Petr Cech (Chelsea); Maxi Pereira (Benfica), Bruno Alves (Zenit St. Petersburg), Thiago Silva (AC MIlan), Aly Cissokho (Lyon); Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen); Wesley Sniejder (Inter Milan); Cristian Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Barcelona); Edinson Cavani (Napoli).
Bench: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Xhedran Shaqiri (Basel), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Andre Ayew (Olympique Marseille), Paulo Jorge (APOEL)
"The selection process starting simply for me in taking Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bastian Schweinsteiger. The rest of the players in the team were going to find a way to play around those three. The defensive selections were tougher to come by, with the exception of Thiago Silva. So many incredible attacking players had to be left off to get enough defenders, although that realization only set in after 10 minutes of trying and failing to convince myself that Ronaldo could totally play left back, right?
"In all Schweinsteiger and Simon Rolfes can boss the center, while Wesley Sneijder drops a little bit deeper than has lately for Inter MIlan, but in a place that Jose Mourinho used him with great success at times en route to the Champions League title. Edinson Cavani gets the start over Robin van Persie for his physicality, Messi and Ronaldo do what Messi and Ronaldo do and the back four might not be the sexiest group, but it is a group of guys very accomplished at both the club and international level."
Starting XI (4-2-1-3): Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow); Aly Cissokho (Lyon), Luisao (Benfica), Thiago Silva (AC Milan), Christian Maggio (Napoli); Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Ramires (Chelsea); Danny (Zenit St. Petersburg); Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Robin van Persie (Arsenal).
Bench: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Paulo Jorge (APOEL), Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Xherdan Shaqiri (Basel), Loic Remy (Olympique Marseille).
"I started out by picking the guys that I knew I had to have in my starting XI. Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robin van Persie and Bastian Schweinsteiger were the players who fell into that category. After that came the players that were either obviously the best option at their position or obviously the best player on their team. Christian Maggio, Danny, Igor Akinfeev and bench player Xherdan Shaqiri fell into that category.
"Loic Remy and Sven Bender were picked to fill specific bench roles to change the game; my starting XI doesn't feature either a true defensive midfielder or a true No. 9. The rest of the players were picked based on need as much as quality. With Ronaldo, Messi, RVP, Schweinsteiger, Maggio and Akinfeev penciled into my starting XI, the formation and other players were selected with them in mind."
Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Morgan de Sanctis (Napoli); Javier Zanetti (Inter Milan), Thiago Silva (AC Milan), Lusiao (Benfica), Cesar Azpilicueta (Olympique Marseille); Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen); Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Juan Mata (Chelsea), Lionel Messi (Barcelona); Robin van Persie (Arsenal).
Bench: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Xhedran Shaqiri (Basel), Paulo Jorge (APOEL), Danny (Zenit St. Petersburg), Aly Cissokho (Lyon).
"I was going to build the team around a Bastian Schweinsteiger-Ramires double pivot, but McCauley's already done that so I decided to go a slightly different direction with the midfield, using Lars Bender and Schweinsteiger to much the same effect. Juan Mata can help to dictate play in front of those two - not that the front three will need much help. The most controversial choice is Napoli goalkeeper Morgan de Sanctis, but you know what? If you don't love Morgan then I don't care what you think of my team."
Starting XI (4-1-2-1-2): Iker Casillas (Real Madrid); Aly Cissokho (Lyon), Lucio (Inter Milan), Stephane M'Bia (Olympique Marseille), Ignazio Abate (AC Milan); Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich); Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow), Xhedran Shaqiri (Basel); Lionel Messi (Barcelona); Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Edinson Cavani (Napoli).
Bench: Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Pablo Aimar (Benfica), Igor Denisov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Ailton (APOEL).
"I selected my team carefully and with a performance test that only the elite could pass. After that statement, I know that your first question is 'how did Lucio and Abate make the squad then?' I'm definitely not patting the pocket where two stacks of Euros are now resting. I'm not. Honest. Cissokho and Mbia are quality in the back to support that back line. Plus, they have one of the world's greatest goalkeepers Iker Casillas behind them in the net.
"My midfield is fantastically talented. The indomitable Bastian Schweinsteiger leads a great trio featuring Keisuke Honda and Xherdan Shaqiri. I only went with one true central midfielder. Why? Because Bastian is that good. Robin Van Persie, Lionel Messi, and Edinson Cavani are manning my front line. I'll let you play with an extra defender and still score goals for fun. That's what these guys do. My bench is led by Zenit midfielder Igor Denisov and Benfica's Pablo Aimar. Bernd Leno, Ailton Almeida, and some dude named Ashley Cole round out the squad. I'm pretty sure I won at life."
Starting XI (4-3-3): Julio Cesar (Inter Milan); Domenico Criscito (Zenit St. Petersburg), Thiago Silva (AC Milan), Luisao (Benfica), Daniel Schwaab (Bayer Leverkusen); Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow); Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Edinson Cavani (Napoli).
Bench: Urko Rafael Pardo (APOEL), Xhedran Shaqiri (Basel), John Terry (Chelsea), Michael Bastos (Lyon), Loic Remy (Olympique Marseille).
"I'd just like to say that anybody who had anyone other than Criscito from Zenit is a moron who shouldn't be allowed an opinion, and anybody who had anybody other than Ronaldo from Real just needs to be taken away and shot, seriously."
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