Jude’s team of the decade (2010-2019) Part One.

The second decade of the 21st Century was a period packed with footballing brilliance - and luckily for me, I was just about old enough to make sense of it when it began in 2010. Over the past 10 years I’ve watched a lot of football, developing a special fondness for many players along the way. In this article, I will be trying to bring order to the footballing decade, by forcing my favourite players into an 11 man team (with subs and reserves). I know what you’re thinking - 2 months into 2020 is a bit late to produce a team of the decade; well, It’s taken me this long to think of 11 interesting players I liked (including a goalie and defenders), and also, I wanted to grind out a Star Wars review before I moved onto something more enjoyable to write. With that said, I shall begin - I must mention first of all, however, that this team consists mostly of Liverpool players (and a few Tranmere representatives), as I’ve only really watched Liverpool and Tranmere in the past decade; I am a Liverpool fan after all (the non-Liverpool players are mostly people I’ve seen in one of this period’s many international tournaments).

The only logical place to begin when creating a dream team is goalkeeper (it’s also good to get the most boring bits out of the way as quickly as possible). In that case, I will be giving Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa the honour of standing between the posts for my team. Not many goalkeepers have stood out to me in this decade - and, indeed, why would they? As such, this position was a relatively easy one to fill in my team, as I will never forget Mr. Ochoa’s heroics for Mexico in the 2014 World Cup, particularly against hosts Brazil as he produced several world-class saves to deny Neymar. Most importantly, though, Guillermo was rocking an incredible barnet at the time - this, combined with his eye catching goalkeeper kit (pictured), was enough to burn the memory of Ochoa into my mind. He will add quality and style to the team.

Next up I will choose the 3 centre backs for my team - yes, that’s right, I’m playing three at the back. First of all, we have the utter legend himself, Mamadou Sakho. Although it ended badly for the Frenchman at Liverpool, I will always hold him in high regard for his charisma, understated solidity, and propensity for spectacular last ditch defending at the heart of what was a particularly shaky Liverpool backline. He also uttered the famous “we did it for the nation of Liverpool” line after the Dortmund comeback. I couldn’t think of a better individual, as such, to anchor my defence. 

Alongside Mamadou I will be employing the services of another Liverpool defensive hero - none other than Joel Matip. Much like with Mr. Sakho, I found Joel to be highly underrated, up until last season when he ‘played a blinder’, culminating in the assist for the winning goal of the Champions League final. The sight of Matip’s bandy legs carrying the ball deep into the opposition half will never cease to delight me. What’s more, Joel looks like a man who appreciates Jazz - for that alone he deserves a place in the team. Seriously, though, Matip is one of my favourite players, and I’m made up that he got a chance to demonstrate his quality at the end of the decade.

With one position left in the back three, I think it’s about time that Tranmere get a representative in this team - and no, this isn’t just a token Tranmere player (I went to this man’s testimonial after all.) When I name this player, I know what you’ll be thinking - it’s wrong to think of him as a player of the 2010s (he was at his best in the decade before, probably), but Ian Goodison was there from the very start of my football watching experience, and as I was hard-pushed to think of centre backs for this team (particularly non-Liverpool centre backs), I think his inclusion is reasonable. Although Goodison’s career ended after his 2015 testimonial, his legend has lived on through the Ghost of Goody myth, and so, one way or another, he’s spanned the decade - earning him a place in my team. Tranmere's defence has never quite been the same without him, and I don't want to suffer a similar fate by leaving him out: so welcome Goody. 

Now that I have built a rock solid foundation for my team, It’s time to mix a bit of flair into the ranks, which will come in the form of the wing-backs. Starting on the left is one of the most impressive athletes I have ever seen: Andrew Robertson. Originally, this position was Albert Riera’s, until I realised that his Liverpool stint ended in 2010, and it would be a stretch to say that I followed his career after this point. Luckily, however, there’s no shortage of left-sided marauding Liverpool players I idolise, and so, Robertson is a perfect replacement, if not an upgrade. There’s little I need to say about Robertson - he’s the best left back in the world for flip sake; yet, if this wasn’t enough, he’s recently shown a real sh*thouse streak, which makes me love him all the more. It’s not even the case that I’m picking him solely on the strength of his performances in the latter half of the decade, as I remember signing him on FIFA Career Mode when he still played for Hull. Andy’s industry and spicy streak will be right at home in Jude’s XI.

In the right-wing back berth we have a man who combined breathtaking pace and excellent technique to devastating effect for Spurs at the start of the decade - a certain Gareth Bale. Bale was another who featured heavily in my formative footballing viewing experience, as he seemed to be popping up with a worldie on every episode of match of the day in the early 2010s. I have fond memories of Gareth Bale’s shiny Match Attax card, which he earned for himself whilst in his absolute banger-scoring prime. Although Gareth’s move to Real inhibited my ability to enjoy his highlights so freely, I, along with most other people in the world, still managed to see his famous goal against Barca in the 2014 Copa Del Rey final, which perfectly epitomised his pre-injury footballing prowess. I think he also scored a good goal in a Champions League final or something but I’m not too sure. You might question why I have Bale in a more defensive role, but he started at Southampton as a left back, and he’s at his most effective when cutting in onto his left - so it all makes sense to me. I chose this formation specifically to accommodate Bale as such.

I hope you'll agree that this team is already shaping up to be exciting, and I've only really picked the defence and goalie so far! As this article is already so long I'm going to split it into two parts - the second of which will contain the midfielders and attack for my squad. Keep your eyes peeled for that (@TheMondayMusing is the place to look.)

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! 

(I'd also be interested to know who'd make your team of the decade, so please tweet me your picks: @Torpaldo) Thanks again.