Overview
I attempted to piece together a scenario in which I could assemble a squad that could rival the best in the world, mimicking the kind of quality and depth Bayern Munich ran out in 2012-13, ultimately winning the UEFA Champions League and the honor of meeting Chelsea FC for the UEFA Super Cup in the fall. The assortment of players would allow the manager to employ a wide variety of formations, including 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3.
The 25 man squad I came up with includes 7 homegrown players, 16 non-homegrown players, and two players that wouldn't need to be on the official roster due to their young age.
Later I will discuss the details of the transfers I propose. But first, I have named each player below and included a brief introduction, critique, and star rating (relative only to the other players listed).
Goalkeepers
Petr Cech, GK, Czech Republic, 31 *****
- Good: Concentration, reflexes, long shots, leadership
- Bad: Distribution, injury prone, on decline
Mark Schwarzer, GK, Australia, 40 ***
- Good: Penalties
- Bad: Distribution
Sam Walker, GK, England, 21 (Homegrown) *
- Good: Improving
- Bad: Raw
Defenders
David Luiz, CB, Brazil, 26 *****
- Good: Dribbling, passing, long passes, finishing, long shots, direct free kicks, pace, leadership, improving, attacking contribution, counter-attack, plays DM
- Bad: Positioning, discipline
Ashley Cole, LB, England, 32 (Homegrown) ****
- Good: Possession, passing, tackling, pace, attacking contribution
- Bad: Aerial, finishing, long shots, on decline
Branislav Ivanovic, CB, Serbia, 29 ****
- Good: Possession, tackling, long throw-ins, aerial, plays RB
- Bad: Crossing, concentration
Cesar Azpilicueta, RB, Spain, 23 ****
- Good: Crossing, positioning, tackling, blocking, long throw-ins, pace
- Bad: Finishing, long shots, aerial
John Terry, CB, England, 32 (Homegrown) ***
- Good: Positioning, concentration, tackling, blocking, set pieces, aerial, leadership
- Bad: Pace, injury prone, on decline
Marquinhos, CB, Brazil, 19 (U-21) ***
- Good: Concentration, blocking, improving
- Bad: Aerial, raw
Gary Cahill, CB, England, 27 (Homegrown) **
- Good: Tackling, blocking, set pieces, aerial
- Bad: Positioning, concentration
Ryan Bertrand, LB, England, 23 (Homegrown) **
- Good: Possession, positioning, improving, plays LM
- Bad: Aerial, attacking contribution, raw
Deep(er) Midfielders
Ramires, CM, Brazil, 26 ****
- Good: Dribbling, tackling, finishing, pace, stamina, counter-attack, plays RM
- Bad: Crossing, positioning, concentration, discipline
John Obi Mikel, DM, Nigeria, 26 ****
- Good: Possession, passing, positioning, tackling, aerial
- Bad: Long passes, finishing, long shots, pace, attacking contribution
Frank Lampard, CM, England, 34 (Homegrown) ***
- Good: Passing, positioning, finishing, long shots, set pieces, direct free kicks, leadership
- Bad: Pace, on decline, defensive contribution
Daniele De Rossi, CM, Italy, 29 ***
· Good: Passing, positioning, blocking
· Bad: Tackling
Michael Essien, CM, Ghana, 30 **
- Good: Possession, dribbling, passing, blocking, plays RB or LB
- Bad: Pace, injury prone, on decline
Attacking Midfielders
Juan Mata, AM, Spain, 25 *****
- Good: Possession, dribbling, passing, through balls, crossing, finishing, set pieces, direct free kicks, counter-attack, plays LW or RW
- Bad: Tackling, stamina, aerial, defensive contribution
Eden Hazard, AM, Belgium, 22 *****
- Good: Possession, dribbling, passing, through balls, finishing, long shots, set pieces, direct free kicks, pace, improving, counter-attack, plays LW or RW
- Bad: Tackling, aerial, defensive contribution
Oscar, AM, Brazil, 21 ****
- Good: Possession, dribbling, set pieces, improving, defensive contribution, plays RW and CM
- Bad: Stamina, aerial
Kevin De Bruyne, AM, Belgium, 21 ***
- Good: Dribbling, passing, crossing, set pieces, improving, plays LW or RW or CM
- Bad: Tackling, defensive contribution
Forwards
Edinson Cavani, ST, Uruguay, 26 *****
- Good: Finishing, possession, counter-attack
- Bad: Passing
Andre Schurrle, LW, Germany, 22 ****
- Good: Dribbling, through balls, finishing, long shots, improving, defensive contribution, plays RW or ST
- Bad: Positioning, concentration
Romelu Lukaku, ST, Belgium, 20 (U-21) ***
- Good: Finishing, aerial, improving
- Bad: Concentration, raw
Demba Ba, ST, Senegal, 28 **
- Good: Positioning, finishing, long shots, aerial
- Bad: Possession, injury prone
Victor Moses, RW, Nigeria, 22 (Homegrown) **
- Good: Dribbling, finishing, pace, improving, plays LW
- Bad: Concentration, aerial, raw
Incoming/Outgoing Player Review
IN:
- Buy (total £112m) – Mark Schwarzer (Fulham, £5 [wage considerations]); Marquinhos (AS Roma, £25); Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma, £12); Andre Schurrle (Bayer Leverkusen, £20); Edinson Cavani (Napoli, £50)
- Loan Return - Michael Essien (Real Madrid); Kevin De Bruyne (Werder Bremen); Romelu Lukaku (West Brom); Sam Walker (Colchester)
- Monitor - Luka Shaw (Southampton); Son Heung-Min (Hamburg); Lazar Markovic (Partizan); Marco Van Ginkel (Vitesse); Ronan (Fluminense)
OUT:
- Sell (total £12m) - Fernando Torres (£9); Jeffrey Bruma (£3)
- Expired Contract - Yossi Benayoun; Florent Malouda; Paulo Ferreira; Ross Turnbull; Hilario; Sam Hutchinson; Amin Affane; Milan Lalkovic
- Loan - Thibaut Courtois (La Liga); Matej Delac (Belgian Pro League); Jamal Blackman (League One); Tomas Kalas (La Liga); Todd Kane (Championship); Wallace (Portuguese Primeira Liga); Kenneth Omeruo (Eredevise); Patrick Van Aanholt (Premier League); Oriol Romeu (La Liga); Nathanial Chalobah (Premier League); Josh McEachran (La Liga); Nathan Ake (Eredivise); Billy Clifford (Championship); George Saville (Championship); Marko Marin (Bundesliga); T. Hazard (Eredevise); Gael Kakuta (Ligue 1); Lucas Piazon (La Liga); Ulises Davila (La Liga); Patrick Bamford (Championship); Jhon Pirez (Portguese Primeira Liga)
Depth Chart
GK: Cech, Schwarzer, Walker
RB: Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Essien
CB: Luiz, Ivanovic, Marquinhos, Terry, Cahill
LB: Cole, Bertrand, Essien
DM (M3 or DP): Mikel, De Rossi, Essien, Luiz, Ramires
B2B (M3 or DP): Ramires, Lampard, De Rossi, Essien
AM (M3): Oscar, De Bruyne, Lampard
AM (#10): Mata, Hazard, Oscar, De Bruyne, Schurrle
WM: Mata, Hazard, Schurrle, De Bruyne, Oscar, Ramires, Moses, Bertrand
ST: Cavani, Lukaku, Ba, Schurrle
Wrap-Up
I appreciate you taking the time to read and review what I've put together. Thank you. KTBFFH!
