Jude's team of the decade (2010-2019) Part Two.

In this article I will be completing the Team of the Decade I started in my last blog post. As I have already chosen my goalkeeper and defence, all that’s left is the exciting part - picking the midfield and attack. You’re not allowed to carry on reading, however, if you haven’t looked at Part One, so please bugger off if this applies to you (here's the link). If you have put the graft in, though, you can now be safe in the knowledge that all unpleasantries are out of the way, and that the article will promptly begin.

The first positions to feature in this post will be the central midfield spots - the engine room of the team. Once again, as with most positions in this team, there will be a strong LFC flavour to the midfield - indeed, both players I’m about to name once played for Liverpool. The two men in question are Alberto Aquilani and Raul Meireles. I think it’s quite fitting that a team representative of last decade has a real continental/european feel to it - we were just about in the EU for the whole of that decade - and nowhere is this international streak more visible than in the midfield. I shall begin by shining the spotlight on Alberto Aquilani, who was one of my original footballing idols. The silky Italian had the honour of being one of the first players to appear on the back of a Liverpool shirt I owned - a shirt I got for my birthday. Talking of birthdays, Aquilani’s is a day after mine, giving me another reason to like him. Although Alberto is widely regarded as a Liverpool flop, I saw something in him that I liked: a clever touch here, a well-timed pass there, and of course, his fine barnet. I’ve followed his injury-hit career with a sympathetic eye ever since, and I believe he deserves the chance to prove himself once and for all with a good run in my team of the decade.

In a bid to add some real steel into the midfield, I’ll be playing the Portuguese Raul Meireles alongside Aquilani; his classic convict look (skinhead, long beard and tattoos) was enough to weaken the resolve of even the toughest opposition. You mustn't let yourselves be deceived, though - Raul was so much more than ‘steel’ and ‘convict’. Indeed, like Aquilani, he had a real silky touch, something evident in the extreme during his brief stint with Liverpool - a brief stint I enjoyed so much that I still remember it now, almost 10 years later. I recall a particular volley Meireles hit against Wolves in that season - a fine strike, but just one of many excellent pieces of play he orchestrated at that time. I have a faint memory too of his time at the 2010 World Cup, as part of a free-scoring Portugal side. All-in-all, Meireles started the decade with a bang, as a Liverpool player, and ended it with football's finest beard, in one of football's best kits (Fenerbahce). Not bad at all. Welcome to the team Mr. Meireles. 

Plying his trade just ahead of the midfield duo will be the 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner, James Rodriguez. Although this team is meant to be representative of the whole decade, I’m picking Rodriguez on the strength of his performance across a couple of weeks in one year of this period. That just goes to show, though, how truly excellent he was in this short space of time. The World Cup gives players a unique opportunity to earn a permanent place in the global footballing consciousness - winning a golden boot in such an international tournament intensifies this potential impact (see Toto Schillaci). In Brazil’s World Cup, James literally shot himself to fame, as Colombia’s unshackled style of play unleashed him to the world. Mr. Rodriguez’s goals seemed to increase in brilliance by match in that tournament. Truly, his strike against Uruguay was so stunning that it won the Ballon D’or (an exceptional chest and volley effort from the edge of the box). I’ve never been so enthralled by an individual footballer as I was by James at that time, and I still believe FIFA’s decision to give Messi the Golden Ball for that tournament was an injustice. I’ll never tire of watching the top 10 goals from the 2014 World Cup, and James makes up about half of that list on his own. There was also a moment when a massive grasshopper landed on his shoulder which was funny. The scintillating flair James is capable of producing will be invaluable for my team - no other player quite matched his ability to excite, with such swagger too, in the previous decade; in my opinion.

Now, it’s time for the exciting part: the Strikers. Up top I have my favourite ever Liverpool player alongside my favourite ever non-Liverpool player. Both men are spaniards; both men have long blonde hair; and, most importantly, both men were prolific machines in their respective primes. The individuals I’m referencing are, of course, none other than Fernando Torres, and Mr. One-season wonder, Michu. As with most attacking-players in this team, these men caught my eye at a time when I still judged players by the quantity, and quality, of goals they scored. Fernando Torres was the first to steal my attention. Once again, as with Meireles, I recognise that Torres’ Liverpool stint only lasted for a tiny portion of the decade - this does not matter to me. Torres had built up enough credit with me before he left Liverpool to ensure I still followed his career with a fond eye after his Merseyside departure (this is also the only chance I’ll have to put him in a team like this.)  Torres was truly an iconic striker - his prime years coincided with numerous delightful Liverpool kits; kits he rocked in the long-sleeve variation (long-sleeve or nothing, after all). I think the fact that he never recaptured his best form after leaving Liverpool adds to my liking of him: he was a legend only at Liverpool. I don’t think I’ll ever take to a player as much as I did to the dashing Spaniard ever again. He scored stunning goals and looked good doing it. The same can be said for Michu. The Swansea striker first caught my attention on an episode of Match of the Day, believe it or not. It was his Premier League debut, against QPR - the first game of the season no less - as he struck a hattrick, including a beautiful first-time curled effort. The Welsh Club’s kits at the time added to the myth of Michu - in that game, he adorned a red and green number, meant to imitate the flag of Wales (I think). This image of the Spaniard will forever be printed into my mind - as will his celebration, a ‘turn the volume up’ gesture. After he burst onto the scene against QPR, Michu went on to have a blindingly good debut season for Swansea, scoring 22 goals across all competitions as he led the club to League Cup triumph, as well as Europa League qualification. Unfortunately, Michu’s bright flame burnt out almost as quickly as it appeared - he was a one-season wonder in the truest sense of the phrase. I can’t help but feeling, however, that the shortness of Michu’s prime only adds to the mysticality and nostalgia surrounding him: he will forever be inextricably linked to that Swansea side and their attractive style (not to mention their eye-catching kits that season), afterall. This clear identity of his may’ve been spoiled if he’d gone on to bigger and better things. With that said, my lethal Spanish strike-partnership is complete.

And there you have it, my team of the decade is complete - well, the starting XI is complete. If you’d like to find out who’s on the bench for my squad, and who’s in charge of the team, then please follow this link - https://soundcloud.com/user-771405746/judes-team-of-the-decade-subs-and-manager

Apart from that, you can stop reading now. Oh, and once again, please read Part One if you haven’t already. Thank you.

Don’t forget to share your team of the decade picks with me on Twitter as well!

(@Torpaldo or @TheMondayMusing)

Thanks!

TheMondayMusing · Jude's Team of the Decade: Subs and Manager.