Your national dream team since 2000

[Eye of Ra]

Sweden:

Zlatan - Henrik Larsson
Emil Forsberg - Kim Källström - Albin Ekdal - Fredrik Ljungberg
Erik Edman - Olof Mellberg - Victor Lindelöf - Mikael Lustig
Andreas Isaksson


Finland:

Jonathan Johansson - Mikael Forsell
Jari Litmanen - Roman Eremenko - Alexei Eremenko
Teemu Tainio - Mika Väyrynen
Petri Pasanen - Sami Hyypiä - Niklas Moisander
Jussi Jääskeläninen

Click to read more...

 

[Evilo]

France

Mbappe-Trezeguet-Henry
----------Zidane---------
----Pogba-Vieira------
Lizarazu-Desailly-Blanc-Thuram
-------Lloris----------

Bench : Kante, Anelka, Djorkaeff, Varane, Umtiti, Barthez, Griezmann, etc...

 

[mattihp]

Finland:

Jonathan Johansson - Mikael Forsell
Jari Litmanen - Roman Eremenko - Alexei Eremenko
Teemu Tainio - Mika Väyrynen
Petri Pasanen - Sami Hyypiä - Niklas Moisander
Jussi Jääskeläinen

Pukki should be there ahead of Johansson, otherwise play another midfielder and take in Hetemaj.

I would also consider Kolkka if playing with wingers.

Without using players from your team:

Gk: Antti Niemi - huge peak, not the same longevity as JJ
DR Juha Reini
DC Hannu Tihinen
DC Toni Kallio
DL Janne Saarinen
DM Aki Riihilahti
RM Mika Nurmela
MC Perparim Hetemaj - So sad Stuart ruined him. Worst national team coach ever
LM Joonas Kolkka
FW Teemu Pukki
FW Shefki Kuqi

 

[cgf]

I think I'd go with:

Kruse/Klose
Gnabry - Özil - Müller
Ballack - Schweini
Lahm - Hummels - Boateng - Kimmich
Neuer
​

Alternate attackers:
Havertz / Reus / Schneider / Sane / Werner

Alternate midfielders:
Gundogan / Kroos / Goretzka / Khedira / Frings

...or Kimmich/Lahm if you wanted to start Gosens/Baku at FB

 

[Savi]

For Belgium this is insanely easy
2002-2011 was our worst generation ever, 2012-now our best ever.
There's literally not a single player from the current team I would exchange for one of the previous generation. I think even our current bench players are better than what we put out on the pitch pre-2010 lol

 

[mattihp]

For Belgium this is insanely easy
2002-2011 was our worst generation ever, 2012-now our best ever.
There's literally not a single player from the current team I would exchange for one of the previous generation. I think even our current bench players are better than what we put out on the pitch pre-2010 lol

No kampfschwein?

 

[Savi]

No kampfschwein?

He retired from the NT in 2002 so.. no

 

[Havre]

I think Norway would be surprisingly solid considering how poor the team has been since 2000. The last time Norway qualified for a tournament was in 2000 - since then we have done nothing else than winning a National League group with Cyprus, Bulgaria and Slovenia Excellent defenders and forwards (for a small country), but very mediocre midfield players (I love Berge and Ødegaard can still become good - but we are talking about potential here - Mykland was brilliant for Norway, but far past it in 2000). Worth mentioning that players like Hangeland and Carew were always a lot better for the national team than their club teams. Might include Jarstein on that list as well. Been sensational for Norway. Would be a top 5 goalkeeper the last years in the PL based on his performances for Norway.

Jarstein
Berg - Hangeland - Johnsen - Riise
Mykland - Berge - Ødegaard
Solskjær - Carew - Haaland

 

[Ajacied]

I’m guessing:

——————- van Nistelrooy ———————
—- van Persie ———————— Robben ——
————— Davids ———- Sneijder ————-
——————-—-- Frenkie ————————-—
Gio ———-— van Dijk - Stam ——— Dumfries
———————— van der Sar ————————

 

[S E P H]

I think I'd go with:

Kruse/Klose
Gnabry - Özil - Müller
Ballack - Schweini
Lahm - Hummels - Boateng - Kimmich
Neuer
​

Holy smokes that is a good team. E: France might be a little bit better though, having Zidane, Henry, Blanc, and Treze in the starting XI pushes it for me.

I’m guessing:

——————- van Nistelrooy ———————
—- van Persie ———————— Robben ——
————— Davids ———- Sneijder ————-
——————-—-- Frenkie ————————-—
Gio ———-— van Dijk - Stam ——— Dumfries
———————— van der Sar ————————

No van der Vaart? And van Nistelrooy over van Persie as a #9?

 

[Havre]

I guess it doesn't fully work as a team, but player for player I would take the Dutch team over Germany. For such a small population the Dutch produce players like almost no other (Croatia would be up there per capita).

 

[cgf]

Holy smokes that is a good team. E: France might be a little bit better though, having Zidane, Henry, Blanc, and Treze in the starting XI pushes it for me.

No van der Vaart? And van Nistelrooy over van Persie as a #9?

Understandable, though I'll biasedly disagree lol


I kinda wanna see how a What-Could-Have-Been best-11 would shape up...using the Deisler's, Götze's & Badstuber's of the past 20 years. Figure someone like Fekir is a lock for France's like Michael Owen for England's.

 

[Eye of Ra]

France

Mbappe-Trezeguet-Henry
----------Zidane---------
----Pogba-Vieira------
Lizarazu-Desailly-Blanc-Thuram
-------Lloris----------

Bench : Kante, Anelka, Djorkaeff, Varane, Umtiti, Barthez, Griezmann, etc...

why trezeguet instead of benzema?

 

[mattihp]

why trezeguet instead of benzema?

Better goal scorer in the national team. Some people also believe that Benzema was part of the problem in Euro 08..

 

[Eye of Ra]

Better goal scorer in the national team. Some people also believe that Benzema was part of the problem in Euro 08..

well he was not good in euro 2012 either. it was a nice win for us swedes in that tournament, 2-0 over france. hatem ben arfa, the magican, was starting for france too.

but, if you look at what benzema did in real madrid, then he is pure world class.

 

[Eye of Ra]

For Belgium this is insanely easy
2002-2011 was our worst generation ever, 2012-now our best ever.
There's literally not a single player from the current team I would exchange for one of the previous generation. I think even our current bench players are better than what we put out on the pitch pre-2010 lol

Daniel Van Buyten? Thomas Buffel?

 

[Evilo]

why trezeguet instead of benzema?

What France needs is a bonafide 100% scorer in the box. Ain't nobody better than Trez at this game.
Benz would create more but when you see Mbappe and Henry with Zidane behind, all we need is a great tap-in guy.

 

[Havre]

Trezeguet was a great player, but always found it funny how his "special" finishing never really got him that many goals. To me the fact that he wasn't really that good at many other things meant that people overrated his finishing. Same with Inzaghi.

Great players, but still overrated.

To me Trezeguet would never be in a starting lineup for France if you are to pick the 11 best players a somewhat normal formation would allow you to pick.

Not sure how Pogba makes it either, but I guess that depends on if you base your team on overall performances through someone's career or if it based purely on performances for the national team.

 

[Evilo]

Performances with the NT, what else ?
As for Trez, sorry I have no idea what you're talking about.
He was best scorer In France and Italy.
He was scoring extremely well with France until Domenech chose to play with one striker (Henry).

Trez is one of the best pure scorer of all time (Inzaghi as well).

 

[Evilo]

Pogba has been great with France and is a leader.
He'd fit better than Kante in the system with Vieira.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Pogba has been great with France and is a leader.
He'd fit better than Kante in the system with Vieira.

makalele?

 

[Havre]

So performances with the national team, but Trezeguet was also the best scorer in Italy - so therefore he makes it? That is some special kind of argument - unless you are talking about France´s away games played in Italy.

I don't mind Pogba. I think he gets too much flak, but Kante is obviously a better player. So were players like Makelele. A World Cup run and a game against Germany won't change that for me. And it is not like he would be the leader in that group. It is packed with far better leaders than Pogba will ever be.

Anyway. This is a bit like trying to agree to who was the better player of Gerrard or Lampard. Messi or C. Ronaldo. People will never come to any sort of agreement on this.

For you Trezeguet and Pogba would obviously be included. For me they wouldn't - and not even close.

 

[Eye of Ra]

So performances with the national team, but Trezeguet was also the best scorer in Italy - so therefore he makes it? That is some special kind of argument - unless you are talking about France´s away games played in Italy.

I don't mind Pogba. I think he gets too much flak, but Kante is obviously a better player. So were players like Makelele. A World Cup run and a game against Germany won't change that for me.

Anyway. This is a bit like trying to agree to who was the better player of Gerrard or Lampard. Messi or C. Ronaldo. People will never come to any sort of agreement on this.

For you Trezeguet and Pogba would obviously be included. For me they wouldn't - and not even close.

trez had 34 goals in 71 games with france. its pretty good.

 

[Havre]

trez had 34 goals in 71 games with france. its pretty good.

Never said it was bad, but if you are picking the best team from what was the best national team for many, if not most, of those years - then you need to be more than pretty good.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Call me crazy, but a Hatem Ben Arfa in shape, should be on that french team. Would remove trez, put Henry in that spot and then Arfa at where evilo put Henry in the first place.