Assessing the FIFPro World XI nominations – Part 2

As discussed last week in our Assessing the FIFPro World XI nominations – Part 1 post, the world’s top professional footballers proved to be questionable judges of defensive performance over 2014, but things are more positive higher up the pitch.

To a certain extent, this is natural: goalkeeping and defending is about understated consistency, whereas attacking play is about individual moments, which are easier to spot from mere highlights. Attacking, too, can be summarised by basic statistics: goals and assists.

Here’s a run-down on the two 15-man shortlists for midfielders and attackers, with some corrections added.

MIDFIELDERS

To keep:

In midfield, there are some obvious nominations. Bastian Schweinsteiger was a certain selection for his performance in the World Cup, particularly his heroic display in the final itself. Alongside him, Toni Kroos performed better over the course of the tournament, although made a terrible error to present Gonzalo Higuain with the final’s best chance.

Kroos has been great at Real Madrid, and finds himself on this list alongside teammates Luka Modric and the World Cup’s best performer, James Rodriguez. An outgoing Real Madrid midfielder, Angel Di Maria, was superb last season, particularly the European Cup final, performed well at the World Cup until a quarter-final injury against Belgium, and started his Manchester United career in fine form too.

Juventus’ midfield trio is also present. Arturo Vidal endured an injury-hit year but was still spectacular when fully fit, while Paul Pogba emerged as one of the most complete all-round midfielders around, and Andrea Pirlo has enjoyed better years, but is still deservedly on this list for the tenth season running, a remarkable achievement.

Then there are the Chelsea talents: Eden Hazard didn’t enjoy the best World Cup, but has been excellent at club level, while Cesc Fabregas has been brilliant since his return to the Premier League return.

To axe:

Neither Xavi Hernandez nor Andres Iniesta have demonstrated anything like form they showed between 2008 and 2013, and it was their first trophyless year since 2007. Those two epitomised Spain and Barcelona’s dominance throughout their peak years, but their place on this shortlist is about reputation rather than form. Neither should be here.

Another Spaniard, Xabi Alonso, is also questionable selection. He’s started his Bayern Munich career in excellent form, but he had a shocking World Cup – against Chile, in particular, he had an absolute nightmare and couldn’t cope with the heavy pressing. He didn’t always exert control over the biggest matches against the best opponents, and missed the European Cup final through suspension. 2014/15 is shaping up to be an excellent campaign, but in 2014 there were better performers.

Yaya Toure had the reverse experience – excellent in 2013/14 as a whole, but his Manchester City contributions at the end of last season often came once games were already won, his World Cup was disappointing, and only in the last couple of weeks has the Ivorian started performing this season. Another Premier League star, Mesut Ozil, won the World Cup, but his individual contributions haven’t been particularly good in 2014. His best Arsenal form came shortly after his arrival, in 2013.

To introduce:

Three Spaniards were flattered by their position on the shortlist, but three Spaniards were unfairly omitted. The harshest omission is Koke, who was outstanding throughout Atletico’s La Liga-winning campaign, and turned in a brilliant spell after half-time in the title decider against Barcelona, forcing the pressure that led to Atletico’s winning goal. His teammate Gabi doesn’t possess Xavi or Iniesta’s quality, but his battling qualities epitomised Atletico throughout their extraordinary year.

A third Spaniard, David Silva, has been responsible for so much of Manchester City’s creativity, and is a more important player for Manuel Pellegrini’s side than Toure. Oscar also deserves a mention: his form dipped at the start of the year, but his performance for Brazil at the World Cup was underrated and his intelligence for Chelsea has been obvious this season. Finally, Ivan Rakitic has been a consistent performer – he’s started well at Barcelona, and his Europa League final performance as Sevilla’s captain was one of the outstanding midfield displays of the year.

FORWARDS

To keep:

The FIFPro have excelled themselves here, although many of the nominations are obvious. Real Madrid’s European Cup-winning trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema are all present, while Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez are also surefire selections. Neymar and Suarez are more notable for their contributions with Brazil and Liverpool respectively, however.

Two Bayern forwards starred at the World Cup, as well as for Pep Guardiola’s side. Thomas Muller was crucial for Germany, Arjen Robben was outstanding for the Netherlands – no problems there.

Then, there’s the goalscorers who have demonstrated tremendous individual quality for title winners: Diego Costa for Atletico Madrid (he’s also started well for Chelsea), Zlatan Ibrahimovic for PSG, and Sergio Aguero for Manchester City. Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski and Marco Reus have had a more turbulent year, because of a controversial transfer and injuries respectively, but are deservedly on the list.

To axe:

There are essentially only two problems with the list. One is Wayne Rooney. He hasn’t had a disastrous year – his performances have generally been good, but no more than that. When you consider his club have been struggling, and his international side didn’t reach the knockout stage in Brazil, it’s tough to include him over other stars.

Franck Ribery is another questionable choice. He was injured at the beginning of the year, only contributing sporadically during Bayern’s title run-in, then missed the World Cup with a back problem, and has only completed three games this season. He simply hasn’t played enough.

To introduce:

He wasn’t at the World Cup, and he’s not the most popular player. But Carlos Tevez has been simply brilliant for Juventus, a one-man attack capable of creating, scoring and closing down. He opened the year with a man-of-the-match display in a crucial 3-0 win over Juve’s closest challengers Roma, and has barely had a poor game since.

Another South American also deserves a place. Alexis Sanchez was eased out at Barcelona, but he made important contributions: he started the year with a great hattrick against Elche, and scored on the final day against Atletico (which briefly seemed set to win the title). He was outstanding for Chile as a goalscorer and creator, and carried that form into the Premier League with Arsenal – his performances have been much more consistent than Rooney or Ribery.

CONCLUSION

We’ll give the FIFPro 73% for their midfield selection, then, and 87% for their choice of forwards – compared to 60% for goalkeepers and defenders.

When judging their contemporaries, it seems professional footballers are best at judging those who operate in the final third.

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