Premier League Squad of the Decade (2010-2019)

[robinamicrowave]

Because it's that time of year, and that time of the decade, I figured this would be a fun exercise. And because it's almost always impossible to pick just XI players from the hundreds who could potentially appear, I figured we could do a squad of around 22-25 players. Here's mine for comment.

(Number of titles between May 2010 and December 2019 in bold)

Goalkeepers: David De Gea (1), Ederson (2)

Defenders: Kyle Walker (2), Pablo Zabaleta (2), Vincent Kompany (4), Gary Cahill (2), Nemanja Vidic (2), Virgil Van Dijk (0), Andy Robertson (0), Cesar Azpilicueta (2)

Midfielders: N'Golo Kante (2), Fernandinho (3), Yaya Toure (3), David Silva (4), De Bruyne (2), James Milner (2)

Wingers: Mohamed Salah (0), Raheem Sterling (2), Alexis Sanchez (0), Eden Hazard (2)

Strikers: Sergio Aguero (4), Harry Kane (0), Jamie Vardy (1)

De Gea
Walker, Kompany, Van Dijk, Robertson
Kante
Yaya Toure, D. Silva
Salah, Aguero, Hazard

Ederson
Zabaleta, Cahill, Vidic, Azpilicueta
Fernandinho
De Bruyne, Milner
Sanchez, Kane, Sterling (Vardy)​

Teams represented: Manchester United (3), Manchester City (11), Liverpool (4), Chelsea (4), Leicester (2), Arsenal (1), Spurs (1)

 

[B20]

Suarez



Others

 

[Random Task]

Rio, Evra, Carrick, RVP, Rooney, and Scholes, although no longer active today, have all appeared for United and claimed multiple domestic league and CL winning medals over the last decade, thus should be included.

In my opinion.

 

[duffer]

You should need 100 premier league apps to qualify.

 

[GioF]

Rio, Evra, Carrick, RVP, Rooney, and Scholes, although no longer active today, have all appeared for United and claimed multiple domestic league and CL winning medals over the last decade, thus should be included.

In my opinion.

We haven’t won the CL since 2008 so not this decade.

 

[Random Task]

You should need 100 premier league apps to qualify.

I do not support this idea as it kills my argument.

It's just not fair.

We haven’t won the CL since 2008 so not this decade.

True.

But they did win league title medals.

 

[RobinLFC]

Suarez



Others

No other striker this decade reached the level he was playing at during the 13-14 season, but if you're doing a Decade team, longevity plays a big part imo and it's hard to argue with Aguero, Kane or even Vardy (who's currently aiming for a 6th consecutive PL season of 34+ games).

 

[AaronRedDevil]

I do not support this idea as it kills my argument.

It's just not fair.



True.

But they did win league title medals.

Yeah 1 or 2 was it? Sadly this decade is not the United we knew that would get into the 11 of this decade. Even Rio and Vidic were declining. Only one I could think of is maybe Rvp or Rooney. Scholes was near retirement at that stage. De gea is the only obvious choice.

 

[P-Ro]

Goalkeepers: De Gea, Petr Cech, Ederson

Defenders: Ashley Cole, Zabaletta, Kompany, John Terry, VVD, Gary Cahill, Ivanovic, Robertson.

Midfield: Kante, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Lampard, McTominnay, Carrick, De Bruyne.

Forwards: Hazard, Suarez, Kane, Aguero, Mane, RVP, Bale.

 

[WolfInSharp'sClothing]

Cech for Ederson
Terry for VVD
Evra for Robertson
Rio for Cahill
Mahrez for Sanchez
Rooney for Vardy

 

[Inter Yer Nan]

De Gea

Ivanovic
Kompany
Vidic
Cole

Kante
Toure
Sterling
Hazard

Aguero
Kane

 

[Dancfc]

Rio, Evra, Carrick, RVP, Rooney, and Scholes, although no longer active today, have all appeared for United and claimed multiple domestic league and CL winning medals over the last decade, thus should be included.

In my opinion.

Depends if you believe they were in or around their peak 2010 onwards.

Apart from RVP it's a no for me, had the decade been 2007-2017 then it's a totally different ball game.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

DDG
Walker Kompany VVD Evra
Toure Kante Silva
Salah Hazard
Aguero

 

[charlenefan]

Worth pointing out number of title wins in this decade

09/10 - Chelsea
10/11 - Man Utd
11/12 - Man City
12/13 - Man Utd
13/14 - Man City
14/15 - Chelsea
15/16 - Leicester
16/17 - Chelsea
17/18 - Man City
18/19 - Man City
19/20 - ???

 

[slored1]

De Gea
Azpilicueta-Van Dijk-Kompany-Rose?(don't really remember any better left backs)
Kante
KDB-Silva
Hazard
Suarez-Aguero

 

[PeteManic]

All this just shows to me how crap a decade it's been for Premier League football.

 

[anant]

GK- DDG
Defence- Walker, Kompany, Terry, Azpi
MF- Toure, Silva, Kante
Att- Aguero, Kane, Hazard

Subs: Suarez, Rio, Fernandinho, Ederson, Eriksen, Ivanovic, Vardy

 

[charlenefan]

Team should be...

---------------De Gea---------------
Walker--Kompany--Vertonghen--Azpilicueta
-------------Fernandinho-------------
-------Eriksen-------D.Silva-------
Salah---------Aguero---------Hazard

Spurs definitely need strong representation for their consistency over the last 4 years (not counting this season), Salah might be a questionable one but likely 3 years in a row he'll be the leagues top scorer should be enough to warrant his inclusion

 

[Skills]

PFA Team of the Year in brackets

Goalkeeper : David De Gea (5), Petr Cech (1)
Defenders : Kyle Walker (3), Ivanovic (2), Kompany (3), Vertonghen (2), Cahill (3), Van Djik (1), Vidic (1) Rose (2), Baines (2)
Midfielders/AMs : Kante (2), Yaya Toure (2), Fabregas (1), David Silva (2), De Bruyne (1), Eriksen (1), Alli (3), Rooney (2)
FW : Suarez (2), Kane (4), Aguero (2), Van Persie (2), Mane (2), Salah (1), Hazard (4)

feck, I forgot Bale (3 x PFA Team of the Year)

 

[roonster09]

Depends if you believe they were in or around their peak 2010 onwards.

Apart from RVP it's a no for me, had the decade been 2007-2017 then it's a totally different ball game.

2009-10 is the start of the decade, from then Rooney's record in PL
2009-10 - 29 goals + assists in 32 games
2010-11 - 22 in 28
2011-12 - 31 in 34
2012-13 - 22 in 27
2013-14 - 27 in 29

He will make any squad easily.

 

[Liver_bird]

Goalkeepers: De Gea, Hart, Ederson

Defenders: Kompany, Van Dijk, Vidic , Koscielny, Terry, Azpilicueta, Cole, Robertson.

Midfielders: Toure, Silva, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Kante, Matic, Carrick, Eriksen.

Forwards: Aguero, Vardy, Kane, Salah, Hazard, Costa, RVP, Suarez,

Notable mentions : Bale, Cahill, Rooney, Mane, Gerrard, Lampard, Sanchez, Michu, Ederson, Alisson, Courtouis, Sterling, Baines, Ozil, Vertonghen, Fabregas.

 

[Nickelodeon]

Goalkeepers: De Gea, Hart, Ederson

Defenders: Kompany, Van Dijk, Vidic , Koscielny, Terry, Azpilicueta, Cole, Robertson.

Midfielders: Toure, Silva, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Kante, Matic, Carrick.

Forwards: Aguero, Vardy, Kane, Salah, Hazard, Costa, RVP, Suarez,

Notable mentions : Bale, Cahill, Rooney, Mane, Gerrard, Lampard, Sanchez, Michu, Ederson, Alisson, Courtouis, Sterling, Baines, Ozil.

What?!

He had one good season, one truly awful one and then he disappeared. Categorising him as a notable mention with Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard is just weird.

 

[harms]

Defenders are really shit.

De Gea
Ivanovic - Van Dijk - Kompany - Azpilicueta
Kante
Toure - D. Silva
Salah - Aguero - Hazard

Cech
Walker - Terry - Vertonghen - Baines
De Bruyne - Fernandinho - Carrick - Sterling
Suarez - van Persie​

Subs: Ederson, Allison, Kane, Eriksen, Bale, Mane, Rooney, Sanchez, Zabaleta, Robertson

 

[Liver_bird]

What?!

He had one good season, one truly awful one and then he disappeared. Categorising him as a notable mention with Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard is just weird.

It’s a hats off to that one season where he came from nowhere, most the notable mentions I’ve listed for one reason or another didn’t do it over a prolonged period of time, whether that be because they haven’t been in the league long enough or age caught up to them or they just had the one exceptional season. Factored in he played for Swansea, although now thinking on it Mahrez should be on there too.

 

[Web of Bissaka]

De Gea
Walker - Kompany - Vidic - Azpilicueta
Fernandinho
Sterling - David Silva - Hazard
Aguero - Kane​

 

[Pow]

Worth pointing out number of title wins in this decade

09/10 - Chelsea
10/11 - Man Utd
11/12 - Man City
12/13 - Man Utd
13/14 - Man City
14/15 - Chelsea
15/16 - Leicester
16/17 - Chelsea
17/18 - Man City
18/19 - Man City
19/20 - ???

Would be lovely if we get the start the mid way point and the end of the decade with title victories...

 

[Fortitude]

MNF has just finished. Carragher and Neville gave their xi's.

Jamie:

------------------------------Aguero
------------Hazard---------------------------Bale
--------------Silva----------------------Yaya
-----------------------------Kante
Azpilicueta----------------------------------Zabaleta
------------------Kompany---Van Dijk
-----------------------------De Gea

Gary:

-------------------Aguero--------Kane
----------------------------Saurez
--------------Hazard---------------Silva
-----------------------------Yaya
Azpilicueta----------------------------------Zabaleta
------------------Kompany---Van Dijk
-----------------------------De Gea

Gary's basically just stuffed the xi players he rated the most into an xi, got ripped for it by Jamie, too.

 

[mdvmia]

I'm basing this more on peak form rather than longevity over the decade

De Gea

Alexander-Arnold
Kompany
Van Dijk
Robertson

De Bruyne
Kante
Silva

Salah
Suarez
Hazard

subs: Ederson, Azpilicueta, Vidic, Fernandinho, Toure, Bale, Aguero

 

[FootyGirl88]

Wheres the respect for Rooney?

 

[youngrell]

I'm basing this more on peak form rather than longevity over the decade

De Gea

Alexander-Arnold
Kompany
Van Dijk
Robertson

De Bruyne
Kante
Silva

Salah
Suarez
Hazard

subs: Ederson, Azpilicueta, Vidic, Fernandinho, Toure, Bale, Aguero

Then you should have RVP in there.

 

[BlackShark_80]

De Gea
Zabaleta - Van Dijk - Kompany - Azpilicueta
Kante
Toure - D. Silva
Salah - Aguero - Hazard​

 

[Gio]

Carragher's crafted a cracking team there. Neville's looks like something Garth Crooks would come up with.

This is Oliver Kay's team of the decade in the Athletic a couple of days ago:

De Gea
Ivanovic - Kompany - Van Dijk - Bale
Sterling - Kante - Silva - Hazard
Aguero - Kane
​

The questions are:

• Left-back - the top performers from the decade only have 2-3 seasons there, in sharp contrast to the near decade of dominance of Cole and Evra from the 2000s, Irwin and Pearce from the 1990s, and Sansom from the 1980s.​
• Centre-forward - do you play a front two to accommodate Aguero and Kane at the expense of a wide forward?​
• Right side of attack - Bale, Salah and Sterling each have credible claims. Bale has three consecutive PFA team of the year appearances from 2010-2013 before he left for Real, Salah has one yet perhaps the best season of the three contenders, while Sterling has half a decade of growing quality.​
• Longevity v peak performance - Toure, Suarez, Bale, Salah all boasted a briefer window of brilliance, but lack the sustained contribution of most of the City and Chelsea nominees.​

This is mine:

De Gea
Azpilicueta - Kompany - Van Dijk - Vertonghen
Kante
De Bruyne - Silva
Bale - Aguero - Hazard
​

Bolded the certainties.

 

[duffer]

Why is everyone putting Azpilicueta at left back? He's played there a handful of times when nobody else is available but he's not been particularly great.

 

[Gio]

Why is everyone putting Azpilicueta at left back? He's played there a handful of times when nobody else is available but he's not been particularly great.

Although he kept Felipe Luis out of the team there for long enough, which is quite telling.

Everyone's crow-barring though as it's difficult to identify an alternative with a track record of performing year after year.

 

[FrankDrebin]

I think a PL champions underrated 11 would be a good thread to start.

 

[Invictus]

I've gone with the collective I'd want to create with the best league players of the decade, rather than an XI of the absolute best individuals...especially in an offensive capacity (which Gary has shamefully attempted). Pretty pleased with the end result, but some of the misses are bound to be quite glaring/aggravating for others (which is fair because have our own assessment methods)!

Should work well, at least in theory — Silva and De Bruyne give the team plenty of creative and positional versatility, Hazard can double up as a #10/second striker and wide attacker, and the midfield of Kanté (one man press/coverage express) + Carrick (holder) is robust and tactically astute — giving the offensive players a near ideal platform within the parameters of the theme.

Reserve goalkeeper: Petr Čech
Reserve centerbacks: Vincent Kompany, John Terry
Reserve fullbacks: César Azpilicueta, Kyle Walker, Andrew Robertson
Reserve central midfielders: Yaya Touré, Fernandinho
Reserve offensive midfielders or wide attackers or #10s: Gareth Bale, Raheem Sterling, Wayne Rooney, Mohamed Salah
Reserve center forwards: Luis Suárez, Harry Kane, Robin Van Persie
Jack-of-all-trades: James Milner

 

[SiRed]

DDG
Ivanovic Vidic Kompany Evra
Kante Yaya Lampard
Hazard
RVP Suarez

 

[Pow]

Why is everyone putting Azpilicueta at left back? He's played there a handful of times when nobody else is available but he's not been particularly great.

He won the league there in 2014/5

 

[adexkola]

VVD can't be in the team of the decade, he doesn't have that much time under his belt.

I'd pair Kompany with a CB from Spurs or Chelsea, or switch to a 3-5-2.

 

[Scroto Baggins]

Odd that Balon D'or winner Modric doesnt even make the bench of any team.