Your Select XI from the Top Four

PHB

Following on from the Arsenal predictions thread, I thought the select XI from the top four would be interesting:
I'm gona to try pick it not in terms of who is the best player but how they would work as a team, but obviously, whatever way you want to go. I'm not basing it on last seasons form, but in general.

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Cech

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--Neville--Ferdinand-Carvalho---Cole-
--Ronaldo--Essien--Scholes--Robben-

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Rooney

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Drogba

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It was a tough choice between Scholes or Fabregas, but in the end, I just can't pick anybody but Scholes

Mr Alan

Seriously no Liverpool players?!!?!??!
(only joking)

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Cech

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Finnan---Carragher--Terry---Evra-

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Ronaldo--Gerrard--Essien--Robben-

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Drogba---Van Persie

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Massive Bench!

Alonso, Vidic, Rooney, Mascherano, Torres (fingers crossed,he'll make the team next year!), Crouch, Scholes, Lampard, Reina.

Peyton Manning

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Cech

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Finnan

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Ferdinand

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Terry

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A.Cole

Ronaldo

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Scholes

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Essien

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J. Cole

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Rooney

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Drogba

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Subs: Van Der Sar, Carragher, Fabregas, Gerrard, Van Persie

Pighead

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Cech

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Neville---Ferdinand--Terry---Riise

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Ronaldo--Gerrard--Scholes--Cole-

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---

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Drogba---Rooney

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Fuzzy_Dunlop

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Cech

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--Finnan--Carragher-Carvalho---Clichy:p -
--Ronaldo--Essien--Fabregas--Robben-

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Van Persie---Drogba

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I wanted to put in Berbatov instead of Van Persie but the team would probably work better this way

zAbbo

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Cech

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--Finnan--Carragher-Carvalho---Clichy -

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Alonso

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Gerrard

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Essien

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---Rooney

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Drogba

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Van Persie-

Rollo Tamasi

Cech
Finnan - Toure - Terry - Glichy
  Gerrard - Fabregas - Rosicky 
RV.Persie -  Drogba -  Rooney

I've gone for the ol' 4-3-3. Rosicky is going to be a star this season

Pighead

Rollo Tamasi wrote:

Cech
Finnan - Toure - Terry - Glichy
  Gerrard - Fabregas - Rosicky 
RV.Persie -  Drogba -  Rooney

I've gone for the ol' 4-3-3. Rosicky is going to be a star this season

Rollo you swine! How come Rosicky isn't in your fantasy football team if hes going to be such a star. Pighead demands answers for this blatant misnomer!

_blank_

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Cech

Finnan-Terry-Vidic-Heinze

Ronaldo-Scholes-Essien-J. Cole

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Rooney

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Drogba

TonyD79

Cech
nevile terry carragher a.cole

gerrard essien

scholes
rooney drogba ronaldo

subs: van der sar vidic lampard van persie riise

Rosicky ??? and those who didnt put ronaldo in the team...lol

evad_lhorg

Cech
Terry
Rio
Gallas
Ronaldo
Gerrard
Essien
Fabregas
Joe Cole
Rooney
Shevchenko(yea even though he didnt have a good season)

Dont be at yourself

----Cech
Eboue-Carra-Carvalho-Evra

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Essien--Gerrard
Ronaldo

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V. Persie
----Rooney-Drogba

Mossin

Cech

Carragher
Vidic
Carvalho
Heinze

Makelele

Ronaldo
Schloles
Gerrard

Rooney
Van Persie

RE*AC*TOR

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Cech

-Finnan--Carragher--Terry--Cole

Gerrard--Essien--Alonso--Robben

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Torres--Drogba

redzerdrog

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cech

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finnan---carragher---terry---bridge
----gerrard---essien---fabragas----
ronaldo

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van persie

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drogba

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bench: reina, carvalho, scholes, J. cole, torres

Nalz

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

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Cech

-Finnan--Carragher--Terry--Cole

Gerrard--Essien--Alonso--Robben

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Torres--Drogba

haha...oh the bitterness

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Cech

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-Finnan--Carragher--Terry--Evra-

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Essien-Gerrard-Scholes

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-Ronaldo

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Rooney-

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Drogba

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ziggy

This post has been deleted.

Mitch Connor

....................Cech

Finnan..Ferdinand..Terry..Evra

Gerrard....Scholes..Essien..Ronaldo

..............Drogba...Rooney

lpool2k05

Reina
Finnan Terry Carragher Evra

Ronaldo Gerrard Scholes Van Persie

Drogba Crouch

cson

Why the hell is everyone picking Ferdinand? Logic?

Anyway;

Cech
Neville
Touré
Terry
Cole
Rosicky
Fabregas
Essien
Ronaldo
Drogba
Van Persie

I'm sure my allegiences shine through

Mitch Connor

cson wrote:

Why the hell is everyone picking Ferdinand? Logic?

For me - cause he is one of the best around; and i am not going to elaborate on that, cause i have had this argument too many times.

Mr Alan

good to see people picking Finnan (incl. Utd fans), a little bit of my faith has been restored in humanity!

edit:and because you are wrong :P

Tauren

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Cech

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--Finnan--Toure--Vidic---Evra

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--Gerrard--Scholes--Essien--Ronaldo

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Drogba---Rooney

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Bench: van der Saar, Carragher, Terry, Alonso, Fabregas, van Persie, Torres

Tauren wrote:

For me - cause he is one of the best around; and i am not going to elaborate on that, cause i have had this argument too many times.

To be honest, i think last season Vidic made him look better but the reason Rio took all the plaudits was cos hes English. If Vidic was english then last season the pundits would have been creamin themselves for him around Christmas time. I do rate Rio but i think he needs that type of player (a Vidic, Carragher, terry type player - i.e zero bull) beside him.

PHB

I think it's the exact opposite. Without Ferdinand next to him, I think Vidic is suspect in areas. Ferdinand is the perfect reading the game CB. Reads the game incredibly well and has the pace. His concentration is no doubt suspect, but that's his only real flaw.

So the only real universal picks are Cech and Drogba

PHB

PHB wrote:

I think it's the exact opposite. Without Ferdinand next to him, I think Vidic is suspect in areas. Ferdinand is the perfect reading the game CB. Reads the game incredibly well and has the pace. His concentration is no doubt suspect, but that's his only real flaw.

So the only real universal picks are Cech and Drogba

Vidic lacks serious pace which Ferdinand covers him for. However, Ferdinand has some Silvestre moments which Vidic mops up Vidic also wins nearly everything in the air. theyre 2 very different styles of defender. Im sure we can agree that theyre both better players when the other is beside them??


Im suprised Ronaldo isnt a universal pick to be honest.

Chardee MacDennis

                 Cech
Finnan - Carragher - Terry - Cole
   Gerrard - Alonso - Essien 
  Ronaldo -  Drogba -  Cole

One Cold Hand

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Cech

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---Finnan - Carra - Terry - Evra

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Febregas----Essien

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Gerrard

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---Ronaldo

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Rooney

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Drogba

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As for the Rio debate, I simply don't rate him at all. Someone said earlier that his only flaw is he tends to go alseep a bit. This is a pretty major flaw as far as I'm concerned. Why pick when you could pick Jamie or JT?

(Jeez - thats some formation I just came up with! Should really patent it! 4-2-1-2-1!)

Villain

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Cech

-Gallas--Carragher--Terry--Cole

Ronaldo--Gerrard--Lampard--Robben

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Rooney--Drogba

PHB

Why pick when you could pick Jamie or JT?

Cause they don't read the game anywhere near as good as Rio. Last year they both have had defensive midfielders covering for them.
You know Helguara was considered the best CB in the world when Makelele played in front of him?
When you have a decent DM in front of you (Makelele / Essien / Sissoko /Mascherano) you don't need to read the game very well. In reality, all you have to do is make those incredible last ditch throwing you body on the line tackles when required, and win all of the headers. Terry and Carragher do that very well. See how well they'd hold up without a DM in front of them. Infact, look at Terry for England, and compare him to Rio for England, then see who's better.

jobonar

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Cech

Carragher--Vidic--Terry--Cole

Gerrard--Essien--Scholes--Ronaldo

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Torres--Rooney

Chardee MacDennis

PHB wrote:

Infact, look at Terry for England, and compare him to Rio for England, then see who's better.

Terry... Rio is horribly over rated.

gustavo

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Cech

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Neville Terry Carragher Riise

----Essien Fabregas

Ronaldo Gerrard Cole

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Drogba

Nalz

IMO Rio is unfairly criticized and the people that picked Van Persie over Rooney and left out Gerrard need their head examined.

One Cold Hand

PHB wrote:

When you have a decent DM in front of you (Makelele / Essien / Sissoko /Mascherano) you don't need to read the game very well.

Well Rio has had Carrick sitting in front of him for the whole season!
He may not be quite as good as Makelele/Essien, but he's way better than Sissoko and Mascherano only came to Liverpool at the end of the season.

Chardee MacDennis

One Cold Hand wrote:

Well Rio has had Carrick sitting in front of him for the whole season!
He may not be quite as good as Makelele/Essien, but he's way better than Sissoko and Mascherano only came to Liverpool at the end of the season.

are you serious? just coz he was more expensive doesnt make him better....

PHB

Carrick is a better player than Sisssoko no doubt, but as a defensive midfielder, Sissoko is top class. Granted after he wins back the ball he can't do anything with it, but in terms of protecting the defense, there are few better.

One Cold Hand

Well that debate could go on forever, but that wasn't really my point. My point was more that Carragher, Terry and Ferdinand all have a decent defensive midfielder of some sort in front of them. As far as I'm concerned you can't really judge them based on the midfield in front of them.

astrofool

And I think other's points are that Chelsea and Liverpool always have a "destroyer" playing in front of their back four, which protects them to a degree (at the expense of scoring less goals), whereas Manu don't, with Carrick being a far more attacking midfielder and as such, Ferdinand is much more exposed. As PHB said, this also means that there's much less last minute ditch tackles a la Carra and Terry, but instead much more interceptions and dealing of the situation before it gets to that stage by Ferdinand and Vidic. Maybe if 'pool and Chelsea start attacking they'll concede more (as 'pool did during their woeful start to the season)

Anyway, Ferdinand is consistently picked as Terry's defensive partner for England, and rightly so. Carra wasn't/isn't.

Jazzy

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Cech

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Finnan---Carragher--Terry---Cole-

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Ronaldo--Gerrard--Essien--Robben-

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Drogba

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Rooney

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heyjude

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Cech

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Neville Terry Carragher Cole
Ronaldo Essien Scholes Robben

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Rooney

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Drogba


I'm slightly surprised to see nobody has picked Lampard so far, even though I think he's overrated.

juanveron45

cech
neville
terry
calvalho
evra
gerard
essien
scholes
ronaldo
rooney
drogba

PHB

I'm slightly surprised to see nobody has picked Lampard so far, even though I think he's overrated.

I'd pick Lampard ahead of Gerrard, but Scholes and Fabregas are better midfielders imo. Lampard and Gerrard are more goal/assist machines than they are midfielders, and I think a team plays much much better with a Scholes/Fabregas than a Lampard/Gerrard.

FatherTed

Van Der Sar
Neville-Ferdinand-Vidic-Evra
Carrick-Hargreaves
Ronaldo-Scholes-Giggs
Rooney

Champions!

evilhomer

FatherTed wrote:

Van Der Sar
Neville-Ferdinand-Vidic-Evra
Carrick-Hargreaves
Ronaldo-Scholes-Giggs
Rooney

Champions!

I was wondering how long it would be before I seen that in the thread .
sad.

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Cech
Finnan---Gallas--Terry---Cole

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Essien

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Fabregas--Scholes

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Ronaldo

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RV Persie

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Drogba

I think this team would do quite well!

LFC5Times

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Cech

---Finnan----Carragher----Terry----Cole

---Ronaldo----Gerrard----Hargreaves----Robben

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Rooney

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Drogba

nedward

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Cech

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Finnan

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Carragher

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Carvalho

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Gallas

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Essien

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Fabregas

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Ronaldo

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Robben/Rosicky

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Drogba

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Tevez


Subs-Reina, Terry, Cole, Gerrard, Joe Cole, Rooney

Managed by Jose Mourinho

keano_afc

Its team of the SEASON so Cech wouldnt qualify.

James
Finnan
Carragher
Vidic
Evra
Ronaldo
Scholes
Fabregas
Essien
Rooney
Drogba

Nailz

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Cech

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Carvalho

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Rio

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Vidic

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Evra

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Ronaldo-Hargreaves-Scholes-Rosicky

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Drogba

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Rooney

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(Just incase the non-United players mess up, and someother fella')
Subs: VDS, Neville, Giggs, Nani (for 4-3-3's), Pizarro

Call me bias, but I don't care.

EDIT: BTW, I have Rio there cause of his partnership with Vidic, not as an indivisual..... he's usless that way.

ziggy

This post has been deleted.

~Rebel~

keano_afc wrote:

Its team of the SEASON so Cech wouldnt qualify.

i also dont think its a team of the season...its just a team based on who you think are the best in each position for the big 4. PHB specifically said "Not basing it on last seasons form, just in general".

Id go with;

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Cech

Finnan---Carragher---Terry---Cole

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Gerrard

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Essien
Ronaldo

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Robben

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Rooney---Drogba

Subs; Reina, Carvalho, Fabregas, J.Cole, Torres (fingers crossed!)

applehunter

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Fannyhead

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Neville---Big Overpaid London Knacker---JAmie Carragher----Rich Foreigner


Portugese Fanny--Spanish Child

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Michael Essien......Overpaid Fanny

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Rooney

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Drogba

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Make no apologies at this hour.