ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Goalkeeper: Julio Cesar (Queens Park Rangers) So many great keepers are available in this league with the likes of De Gea, Reina, Lloris, Hart and Foster all capable of being named the top keeper in the league; but Cesar, despite QPRs poor league standing this season, still has the calming presence and razor-sharp reflexes which has seen him become the EPLs best goalkeeper.
Defenders: Rafael (Man Utd), Vincent Kompany (Man City), Jan Vertonghen (Spurs), Ashley Cole (Chelsea) Rafael has made the right back spot his own this season with a string of impressive performances which has seen his youthful exuberance controlled to avoid the lunging tackle with which he was becoming fast associated. Vincent Kompany is the rock at the heart of the Man City defence, and his absence for large chunks of this season have proved to be directly related to Man Citys poor title challenge which has led to Man Utd opening up a 15 point lead at the top of the table. Jan Vertonghen has proved to be a capable centre-back which has softened the blow of Ledley Kings retirement, and his leadership and attacking prowess has seen him become the Premier Leagues response to Mats Hummels. Ashley Cole is Ashley Coles: reliable, fantastic defender who contributes so much to Chelsea offensively Englands best left back, ever?
Midfielders: Juan Mata (Chelsea), Yaya Toure (Man City), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Bale (Spurs) Michael Carrick has enjoyed another fantastic season with Man Utd, and is unlucky to find himself left out of this EPL starting XI. Juan Mata came to Chelsea at a time where David Silva was wowing the Premier League with some fantastic performances, and Chelsea fans were hoping this young Spaniard could match some of the performances which were produced by the Man City Ace. So what happened? David Silvas light doesnt seem to be shining quite so bright, and hasnt done for a while, and Juan Mata seems to be getting better and better and better He has scored vital goals, as well as being the top assister in the league. Yaya Toure is big, fast, strong and a joy to watch whenever he takes to the field; definitely worth his place in this starting eleven. Steven Gerrard has played every single minute of Liverpools campaign, and you would never think that he is 32 years old. He leads by example and his ageing legs have seen him become more of a Paul Scholes-like deep lying playmaker, almost the quarter-back of the Liverpool team, rather than the Gerrard of old who would arrive late in the box and score a vitally important screamer. Gareth Bale has been sensational this season, especially after AVB moved him more inside to the free number 10 role, and has made every single EPL fan dream that he - the closest player we have to Cristiano Ronaldo - will make the big summer transfer to their team, whether that be Man Utd, Chelsea and so on.
Attackers: Luis Suarez (Liverpool), Robin Van Persie (Man Utd) Wayne Rooney, Michu and Demba Ba are all unlucky to miss out after having had good seasons with their club, but the two top scorers in the league have got to be seen as head and shoulders above the rest. Luis Suarez, who played as Liverpool only recognised striker until the arrival of Daniel Sturridge, has led Liverpool in terms of scoring and having the knack of popping up with key goals at vital times. RVP has had to fight off competition from Chicharito, Rooney and Welbeck to become Man Utds main man upfront and 19 league goals in his debut season have certainly justified the faith and money which Sir Alex has invested in the lethal Dutchman. After having looked at arguably the best starting line-ups which three of Europes biggest leagues have to offer, I think that Germanys best players tend to wear the red of Bayern Munich or the yellow of Borussia Dortmund. The best in Spain tend to be a whos who of the Real Madrid and Barcelona line-ups, while the best in England seems to be more spaced out across a larger number of teams. After looking at the teams I think most people would agree that the Spanish League offers the best eleven, the German League offers another fantastic alternative, but the EPL offers more of a selection of great players; more teams have more players capable of getting into a best eleven, and thus should go some way to show the strength of the English League in comparison with two of its closest rivals. What do you think?