Five EPL Players Between 2000/20 That You Would Have Loved To See In A Liverpool Shirt

[Donavan Ried]

Ok so I started a thread entitled “Pick your Liverpool starting 11 from the players of the last 20 years” as a bit of a fun topic during this crisis. Others here picked up the ball and ran with it (Thank you lads).
We had "Biggest Disappointments XI of the last 20 years” , “Worst Liverpool XI of the last 20 years” and “Liverpool Underrated XI”

I would like to try one more if I may...

Was lying in bed about 5.15 this morning, sleeping too much, staying Home with no Football, watch all the TV shows I had been saving, phoned everyone I can think of, your mind wonders, and works over time... Remembering that someone here had made a comment about Didier Drogba; and remembering how much he had impressed me when Marseille knocked out Newcastle in the Europa League(2003/04); It started wondering which players I would have liked to have seen In a Liverpool shirt in the past twenty years...

So, let me set the criteria...

(1) Players that played in the premier league from 2000 – 2020
(2) Players at their best, so if They were Injured often that does not disqualify them
(3) Only Five players allowed

Here are some of the players I could have gone with...
Rio Ferdinand, Pablo Zabaleta, Branislav Ivanovic, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Claude Makélélé,
Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Louis Saha, Kun Aguero, Zola, Didier Drogba...

===============================GK Alisson================================

========== RB TAA=======CB Jaap Stam=====CB VVD=======LB Ashley Cole========

=====================Gerrard=============Mascherano=========================

==============================Bergkamp==================================

============Suarez ===========Thierry Henry===========Eden Hazard============

 

[Judge Jules]

Stam you can keep. He wasn't poor in every respect, but he was still heavily overrated. He could jump a mile in the air BUT had a 50-pence head and his headers went all over the shop. He was very quick after the first ten yards, BUT was slower than a battleship on the turn and nippy strikers could often get change out of him if they played on his shoulder and got the right through balls - Owen regularly did for example when he played for us and Baros made a right monkey out of him for the Czech Republic in the Euros one year. His distribution was OK as long as he was playing simple little passes, BUT anything more ambitious than that was beyond him. Ferdinand, Ivanovic or even Yaya from your standby list would all have been better CB choices.

 

[Donavan Ried]

Stam you can keep. He wasn't poor in every respect, but he was still heavily overrated. He could jump a mile in the air BUT had a 50-pence head and his headers went all over the shop. He was very quick after the first ten yards, BUT was slower than a battleship on the turn and nippy strikers could often get change out of him if they played on his shoulder and got the right through balls - Owen regularly did for example when he played for us and Baros made a right monkey out of him for the Czech Republic in the Euros one year. His distribution was OK as long as he was playing simple little passes, BUT anything more ambitious than that was beyond him. Ferdinand, Ivanovic or even Yaya from your standby list would all have been better CB choices.

So....
The more I look at my choice the more I question it, say Makélélé for Mascherano, dropping Henry for Aguero or Zola, hard choicec..
Who would you have Chosen..?

 

[Judge Jules]

I'd keep Masher - in more than half a century of supporting this club I've never seen a better ball-winner in a Liverpool shirt. That's not to criticise Makelele, who blazed a trail in that position and played it very well, but I'd hang on to Masher in CM. Not much to quarrel with elsewhere in your selection either IMO though I might consider leaving Hazard out (he was brilliant for Chelsea later on, but was unspectacular initially), moving Henry over there and putting Aguero in the middle.

 

[HC]

Aguero
Henry
Ronaldo (have you all forgotten how ridiculously well he performed for utd)
Kompany over other CBs but Terry would push him hard , total cunt and a winner and a boss defender
Yaya Toure was a monster for a few seasons at city

 

[Donavan Ried]

Aguero
Henry
Ronaldo (have you all forgotten how ridiculously well he performed for utd)
Kompany over other CBs but Terry would push him hard , total cunt and a winner and a boss defender
Yaya Toure was a monster for a few seasons at city

I haven't but I also remember him throwing a tantum or two when he thought that he should have a free kick. Thought long about John Terry, but I believe that for me, Stam, Ferdinand and Ivanovic had the edge

 

[Mamma Mia]

Allison
Trent Gomez Virg Robbo
Fab
Hendo Gini
Mo Bobby Sadio

Bench: Hyypiä, Gerrard, Alonso, Henry, De Bruyne

 

[manwithnoname]

I think there's a very long possible list, but when you say 'would have loved' to see play for Liverpool, that means I then leave out great players who would have improved us massively, but I fucking hated and could not countenance in a Liverpool shirt.

Ferdinand, Terry etc

Or should I rise above it?

 

[Donavan Ried]

I think there's a very long possible list, but when you say 'would have loved' to see play for Liverpool, that means I then leave out great players who would have improved us massively, but I fucking hated and could not countenance in a Liverpool shirt.

Ferdinand, Terry etc

Or should I rise above it?

Ok, not the best use of the word "Love", should have use "Improved" but would still like to see who you would have picked; given it can only be "Five", or less; if you feel that is the way you want to go

 

[Donavan Ried]

Allison
Trent Gomez Virg Robbo
Fab
Hendo Gini
Mo Bobby Sadio

Bench: Hyypiä, Gerrard, Alonso, Henry, De Bruyne

You can't use Hyypia... LOL

 

[Mamma Mia]

You can't use Hyypia... LOL

Which rule did I break?

 

[manwithnoname]

It's really hard, because as Jules has said you might think Makelele was amazing, but you wouldn't use one of your '5' allowed when you could just slot Masher in there instead.

So you're trying to select players who could keep the BEST Liverpool players of that era out of the side, and it's hard enough picking a best Liverpool XI from the last 2 decades, without having to wonder where Henry, Aguero, Hazard, Ronaldo, De Bruyne, Terry, Ferdinand and co might fit in.

And then you've got players who were almost unplayably amazing for two seasons, like Essien

 

[manwithnoname]

I'm giving up!

 

[Donavan Ried]

Which rule did I break?

My bad...OK The yellow card is rescinded

 

[Donavan Ried]

I'm giving up!

Don't know you that well, but from little I do know it seems very unlike you to give up so easy

 

[Rosco]

Tino Asprilla
Gianfranco Zola
Hueng Min Son
Georgi Kinkladze
Tony Yeboah

 

[tombrown]

I think only Son is from the 2000-2020 timeframe

Yeboah was a fucking monster though

 

[Mamma Mia]

My bad...OK The yellow card is rescinded

Ha, I'm still wondering why you pulled me up on Sami but not Gerrard or Xabi.

 

[SummerOnions]

Tough - there aren't many id swap into our side now, but if I had to:

Allison
Trent Kompany van Dijk Robbo
Kante Vieira
Salah Mane Hazard
Henry

 

[Donavan Ried]

Ha, I'm still wondering why you pulled me up on Sami but not Gerrard or Xabi.

To be Honest, I was rushing through writing this post. I am so slow at typing, which is were most of the mistakes I make come from,(Trying to rush. That and fingers like a pork susage) I forgot that I had inclued the Liverpool squad from 2000-2020, and yes; I saw Big Sami, but failed to notice Stevie G & Xabi. concentrating instead on Henry and KDB

Anyway; it was your fualt I got confuse by your pick of current start XI..LOl
sorry again mate