RavenbarberThought about my all-time XI, and thought I'd make one or two changes. I brought in Johan Neeskens to add a little steel to the abundant finesse already in midfield. Also, I believe he made better late runs than Iniesta into the box. I don't think he was a slouch technically, but obviously not quite on the level of Iniesta. With Iniesta and Xavi, because they’re both essentially creators and the former only gives you a goal occasionally, although pretty often in big matches, it has to be said, there is a tendency for them to become neutered when teams park the bus. They will simply persist in passing the ball, whereas Neeskens might give you a different dimension in deadlocked situations. I think he probably had a better all-round game, almost like Iniesta and Gattuso rolled into one.
I also added Piet Keizer from the legendary 1970s Ajax team as a replacement for Giggs. I think possibly the Dutchman had a little bit more edge than Giggs. The latter sometimes lacks in inspiration when the chips are down, I feel, although I still feel he is a fantastic player.
Once again, I really believe all of these players would be able to cope with the rigours of today’s game.

09.09.2011