Gary Neville's Team of the year

[Motty]

I really, really don't see how anyone can leave David Silva out of a team to win the title, when he's possibly the best midfielder in the league. Don't really think Carrick or Valencia should be in there to be honest.

 

[Gazza]

and if he's playing alongside 11 others isn't a 12 man team a little unfair?

 

[FantasyIreland]

I sat down to pick my team of the season so far, the players who are in form as we approach perhaps the most pivotal weekend of the title race. And in doing so, I surprised myself.

In fact, I found it staggering that I was picking four Tottenham players, five from Manchester City - and none from Manchester United.

It is an enormous credit to Spurs and City, given where they both were a few years ago, that they could potentially fill a team of the season. Who could have imagined, say four years ago, those two clubs dominating such a team and Arsenal and United contributing only one player between them?

At the start of the season I said I thought there were more sides than ever before who would consider themselves title contenders and it has proven to be the case, even if by now we seem to have whittled that down to three teams.

In the week of another epic Real Madrid–Barcelona contest, it does illustrate the strength of the Premier League and the fact that it is still evolving. No big team can be sure of their place in the top two or three, unlike in Spain.

My team selection tells you that City and Spurs have been the teams to watch. However, it also makes plain another point: that United haven't come anywhere near their best form yet this season. And that should be a worry for Spurs and City, as United are only three points off the top. Players of the experience and calibre of United's must hit form at some point.


All of Sunday's other teams have had some great runs. City had a superb start, not losing in the League until early December. Spurs have lost just once in 19 League games and even Arsenal, with their dreadful start and the 8-2 defeat at United, have lost just three League games in 14 since mid-October.

And while United have had an unusual amount of injuries, other than a brief spurt at the start of the season and a disciplined run in October after the 6-1 defeat by City, they haven't hit top form.
But if I were picking a team of players who I would want to play alongside in April, in the key games that will decide the title, I'd want Patrice Evra there with me; I'd want Rio Ferdinand at the back; and Michael Carrick in midfield; Antonio Valencia out wide for his strength; Ryan Giggs for his experience; and Wayne Rooney for his match-winning ability.
And I would pick Phil Jones. Like Joe Hart, he may be young and have no experience of a title race but I sense that both those players would thrive under that kind of pressure. I would be stunned if those United players, most of whom I know, don't hit a run of form in the next four months.


But now is the time to start. For most of the season they have been getting away with playing in third gear and now they need to step it up. Even if they don't go straight to fifth gear, they need to be in fourth by now because they can't scramble through the next three weeks of fixtures, which includes Arsenal away, Liverpool away in the FA Cup, Chelsea away and Liverpool at home, without hitting some form.

Having known Sir Alex Ferguson for 20 years, and seeing how he primes teams to come to the fore at the right time, he will appreciate that this is their moment. Because this is an epic Sunday. There is so much to look forward to and so many debating points.

For Arsenal, I can't help thinking of Arsene Wenger's comment a few weeks ago, when he said it would be silly to drop points because they didn't have any full-backs. Well, I think he has lost two games already because of just that.

So how are they going to handle Nani and Valencia if it's Ignasi Miquel and Johan Djourou playing? Can they recover from those two defeats, when their old vulnerabilities have begun to show again?I feel United will be as aggressive in attack as they possibly can be.
How will Spurs respond to the questions raised about their mentality last weekend, when they drew 1-1 with Wolves, at the most formidable ground in the Premier League at the momentHow will City cope without Vincent Kompany against the best attacking team in the top flight right now?

And can United find some top form and show that defensive errors against Newcastle and Blackburn were aberrations?

We talk about big days that could decide the destiny of the title and we could be seeing a major swing towards one of the contenders. It could consolidate into a three-way dogfight, if Spurs beat City and United draw. Or you could be looking at City being six points clear, which would scare the living daylights out of those United players. Or United could go level with City again, in a period when it's clear City need to establish a decent lead if they are to win the title

We've talked about the consistency. If you get sent off in these games, you will be seriously damaging your team's title prospects. So many of the big matches this season have been influenced by sending-offs and every manager will be stressing that to the players.

And the City-Spurs result, coming first, could influence the Arsenal- United game. We've seen City and United fail to react to each other's bad results this season, such as when City lost to Sunderland, just after United's defeat by Blackburn. And then United failed to capitalise on City's setback at Sunderland when they lost at Newcastle. You can't believe that would happen again.

These games are so well poised that anyone who tells you they know what the league table will look like at the end of the day is lying. It's a day for discipline and for no mistakes because we could start to see which players have the character to be champions

 

[simonk]

I'm confused by the fact there are no Man U players in the team of the season so far but there are 7 (seven) in the team that would clinch the title?

I'm not arguing that our neighbours have a few good players but from zero to seven just seems odd to me.

Hes saying that these players are proven to suceed under pressure in the critical games towards the end of the season. He is saying it based on the facts these players have won the league. Just like he picked his top 11 players so far based on the opening months of the season. Don't really see what the problem with that is.

hedging his bets so as not to fall out with his chums - Rio in the run in???
The narcoleptic cvnt is not someone Id want in the run in. He is now targeted as a weak link

 

[Slicker than Sommeil]

I'm confused by the fact there are no Man U players in the team of the season so far but there are 7 (seven) in the team that would clinch the title?

I'm not arguing that our neighbours have a few good players but from zero to seven just seems odd to me.

Hes saying that these players are proven to suceed under pressure in the critical games towards the end of the season. He is saying it based on the facts these players have won the league. Just like he picked his top 11 players so far based on the opening months of the season. Don't really see what the problem with that is.

But Phil Jones has never won the title..

 

[IH8MUFC]

But look who he says he would want to play alongside in the run-in. A leopard doesn't change it's spots.

Neville knows football.

 

[MCFC BOB]

Silva's hair on that picture is priceless.

 

[TurkeyGiblets]

In all honesty, when people pick these 'teams of the years' are they actually choosing based on how the player has played this season or past reputation / uunjust media hype. How a player like alex song cant be in there boggles the mind, and then kyle walker in there , all huff and puff but no end product. Honestl people need to start thinking for themselves, if spurs players had been that good they wouldnt be struggling as hard as they are. Truth is modric, parker havent even been that great , carrick , scholes, son, arteta, toure, silva, cabaye, tiot have all been comfortably better and more influential in their respective teams

 

[TurkeyGiblets]

I sat down to pick my team of the season so far, the players who are in form as we approach perhaps the most pivotal weekend of the title race. And in doing so, I surprised myself.

In fact, I found it staggering that I was picking four Tottenham players, five from Manchester City - and none from Manchester United.

It is an enormous credit to Spurs and City, given where they both were a few years ago, that they could potentially fill a team of the season. Who could have imagined, say four years ago, those two clubs dominating such a team and Arsenal and United contributing only one player between them?

At the start of the season I said I thought there were more sides than ever before who would consider themselves title contenders and it has proven to be the case, even if by now we seem to have whittled that down to three teams.

In the week of another epic Real Madrid–Barcelona contest, it does illustrate the strength of the Premier League and the fact that it is still evolving. No big team can be sure of their place in the top two or three, unlike in Spain.

My team selection tells you that City and Spurs have been the teams to watch. However, it also makes plain another point: that United haven't come anywhere near their best form yet this season. And that should be a worry for Spurs and City, as United are only three points off the top. Players of the experience and calibre of United's must hit form at some point.


All of Sunday's other teams have had some great runs. City had a superb start, not losing in the League until early December. Spurs have lost just once in 19 League games and even Arsenal, with their dreadful start and the 8-2 defeat at United, have lost just three League games in 14 since mid-October.

And while United have had an unusual amount of injuries, other than a brief spurt at the start of the season and a disciplined run in October after the 6-1 defeat by City, they haven't hit top form.
But if I were picking a team of players who I would want to play alongside in April, in the key games that will decide the title, I'd want Patrice Evra there with me; I'd want Rio Ferdinand at the back; and Michael Carrick in midfield; Antonio Valencia out wide for his strength; Ryan Giggs for his experience; and Wayne Rooney for his match-winning ability.
And I would pick Phil Jones. Like Joe Hart, he may be young and have no experience of a title race but I sense that both those players would thrive under that kind of pressure. I would be stunned if those United players, most of whom I know, don't hit a run of form in the next four months.


But now is the time to start. For most of the season they have been getting away with playing in third gear and now they need to step it up. Even if they don't go straight to fifth gear, they need to be in fourth by now because they can't scramble through the next three weeks of fixtures, which includes Arsenal away, Liverpool away in the FA Cup, Chelsea away and Liverpool at home, without hitting some form.

Having known Sir Alex Ferguson for 20 years, and seeing how he primes teams to come to the fore at the right time, he will appreciate that this is their moment. Because this is an epic Sunday. There is so much to look forward to and so many debating points.

For Arsenal, I can't help thinking of Arsene Wenger's comment a few weeks ago, when he said it would be silly to drop points because they didn't have any full-backs. Well, I think he has lost two games already because of just that.

So how are they going to handle Nani and Valencia if it's Ignasi Miquel and Johan Djourou playing? Can they recover from those two defeats, when their old vulnerabilities have begun to show again?I feel United will be as aggressive in attack as they possibly can be.
How will Spurs respond to the questions raised about their mentality last weekend, when they drew 1-1 with Wolves, at the most formidable ground in the Premier League at the momentHow will City cope without Vincent Kompany against the best attacking team in the top flight right now?

And can United find some top form and show that defensive errors against Newcastle and Blackburn were aberrations?

We talk about big days that could decide the destiny of the title and we could be seeing a major swing towards one of the contenders. It could consolidate into a three-way dogfight, if Spurs beat City and United draw. Or you could be looking at City being six points clear, which would scare the living daylights out of those United players. Or United could go level with City again, in a period when it's clear City need to establish a decent lead if they are to win the title

We've talked about the consistency. If you get sent off in these games, you will be seriously damaging your team's title prospects. So many of the big matches this season have been influenced by sending-offs and every manager will be stressing that to the players.

And the City-Spurs result, coming first, could influence the Arsenal- United game. We've seen City and United fail to react to each other's bad results this season, such as when City lost to Sunderland, just after United's defeat by Blackburn. And then United failed to capitalise on City's setback at Sunderland when they lost at Newcastle. You can't believe that would happen again.

These games are so well poised that anyone who tells you they know what the league table will look like at the end of the day is lying. It's a day for discipline and for no mistakes because we could start to see which players have the character to be champions

I think you spoke a little too quickly, as those two teams you chastised are quite clearly having the last laugh atm

 

[Matty]

I sat down to pick my team of the season so far, the players who are in form as we approach perhaps the most pivotal weekend of the title race. And in doing so, I surprised myself.

In fact, I found it staggering that I was picking four Tottenham players, five from Manchester City - and none from Manchester United.

It is an enormous credit to Spurs and City, given where they both were a few years ago, that they could potentially fill a team of the season. Who could have imagined, say four years ago, those two clubs dominating such a team and Arsenal and United contributing only one player between them?

At the start of the season I said I thought there were more sides than ever before who would consider themselves title contenders and it has proven to be the case, even if by now we seem to have whittled that down to three teams.

In the week of another epic Real Madrid–Barcelona contest, it does illustrate the strength of the Premier League and the fact that it is still evolving. No big team can be sure of their place in the top two or three, unlike in Spain.

My team selection tells you that City and Spurs have been the teams to watch. However, it also makes plain another point: that United haven't come anywhere near their best form yet this season. And that should be a worry for Spurs and City, as United are only three points off the top. Players of the experience and calibre of United's must hit form at some point.


All of Sunday's other teams have had some great runs. City had a superb start, not losing in the League until early December. Spurs have lost just once in 19 League games and even Arsenal, with their dreadful start and the 8-2 defeat at United, have lost just three League games in 14 since mid-October.

And while United have had an unusual amount of injuries, other than a brief spurt at the start of the season and a disciplined run in October after the 6-1 defeat by City, they haven't hit top form.
But if I were picking a team of players who I would want to play alongside in April, in the key games that will decide the title, I'd want Patrice Evra there with me; I'd want Rio Ferdinand at the back; and Michael Carrick in midfield; Antonio Valencia out wide for his strength; Ryan Giggs for his experience; and Wayne Rooney for his match-winning ability.
And I would pick Phil Jones. Like Joe Hart, he may be young and have no experience of a title race but I sense that both those players would thrive under that kind of pressure. I would be stunned if those United players, most of whom I know, don't hit a run of form in the next four months.


But now is the time to start. For most of the season they have been getting away with playing in third gear and now they need to step it up. Even if they don't go straight to fifth gear, they need to be in fourth by now because they can't scramble through the next three weeks of fixtures, which includes Arsenal away, Liverpool away in the FA Cup, Chelsea away and Liverpool at home, without hitting some form.

Having known Sir Alex Ferguson for 20 years, and seeing how he primes teams to come to the fore at the right time, he will appreciate that this is their moment. Because this is an epic Sunday. There is so much to look forward to and so many debating points.

For Arsenal, I can't help thinking of Arsene Wenger's comment a few weeks ago, when he said it would be silly to drop points because they didn't have any full-backs. Well, I think he has lost two games already because of just that.

So how are they going to handle Nani and Valencia if it's Ignasi Miquel and Johan Djourou playing? Can they recover from those two defeats, when their old vulnerabilities have begun to show again?I feel United will be as aggressive in attack as they possibly can be.
How will Spurs respond to the questions raised about their mentality last weekend, when they drew 1-1 with Wolves, at the most formidable ground in the Premier League at the momentHow will City cope without Vincent Kompany against the best attacking team in the top flight right now?

And can United find some top form and show that defensive errors against Newcastle and Blackburn were aberrations?

We talk about big days that could decide the destiny of the title and we could be seeing a major swing towards one of the contenders. It could consolidate into a three-way dogfight, if Spurs beat City and United draw. Or you could be looking at City being six points clear, which would scare the living daylights out of those United players. Or United could go level with City again, in a period when it's clear City need to establish a decent lead if they are to win the title

We've talked about the consistency. If you get sent off in these games, you will be seriously damaging your team's title prospects. So many of the big matches this season have been influenced by sending-offs and every manager will be stressing that to the players.

And the City-Spurs result, coming first, could influence the Arsenal- United game. We've seen City and United fail to react to each other's bad results this season, such as when City lost to Sunderland, just after United's defeat by Blackburn. And then United failed to capitalise on City's setback at Sunderland when they lost at Newcastle. You can't believe that would happen again.

These games are so well poised that anyone who tells you they know what the league table will look like at the end of the day is lying. It's a day for discipline and for no mistakes because we could start to see which players have the character to be champions

I think you spoke a little too quickly, as those two teams you chastised are quite clearly having the last laugh atm

United are having the last laugh, Arsenal certainly aren't. An upturn in form in the last couple of months can't hide the fact that Arsenal, at no point, have looked like winning anything whatsoever this season. Even now they are still 18 points off the top of the table. This is still the same Arsenal team, with the same players, that struggled for most of the season. Wenger's summer signings still haven't really been up to it, injuries or not. Andre Santos, Bennayoun, Mertesacker, Arteta (probably been the best one but, based on his competition, and his 30+ age, still not a great signing), these are not signings that will see Arsenal progress next season. Arsenal may be closer next year, but the simple fact is they won't be close enough. Again.