25. Andrei Kanchelskis (Man United, Everton, Southampton)

24. Sami Hyypia (Liverpool)

23. Marc Overmars (Arsenal)

22. David Ginola (Newcastle United, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Everton)

21. Emmanuel Petit (Arsenal, Chelsea)

20. Georgi Kinkladze (Man City, Derby County)

19. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

18. Xabi Alonso (Liverpool)

17. Jurgen Klinsmann (Tottenham)

16. Didier Drogba (Chelsea)

15. Jaap Stam (Man United)

14. Robert Pires (Arsenal, Aston Villa)

13. Ole Gunnar Solskjær (Man United)

12. Claude Makelele (Chelsea)

11. Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Man United)

10. Edwin Van Der Sar (Man United, Fulham)

9. Paolo Di Canio (Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham, Charlton)

8. Patrick Vieira (Arsenal, Man City)

7. Cristiano Ronaldo (Man United)

6. Roy Keane (Man United)

5. Gianfranco Zola (Chelsea)

4. Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal)

3. Peter Schmeichel (Man United, Aston Villa, Man City)

2. Eric Cantona (Leeds United, Man United)

1. Thierry Henry (Arsenal)

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Who are they?

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They’re the much maligned players which no truly successful team can do without.

Yet these are the players who not only carry their teams at times. They also have to endure the extra weight of a significant number of fans who always seem to be getting on their backs.

Why? That’s the mystery.

When you look at what they contribute and how vital they are to the team’s success they should be valued as much as a team’s ‘star players’.

Every successful manager knows that for every Charlton you need a Ball. For every George Best you need a Nobby Stiles. For every Kenny Dalglish you need a Jimmy Case. For every Michael Laudrup you need a John Jensen. For every Zinedine Zidane you need a Claude Makelele. For every John Barnes you need a Ray Houghton.

If not stars, these players have certainly attained a ‘cult’ status within their respective clubs and national sides for the crucial roles they have played in winning games. That vital block, that telling interception, that last ditch tackle, that last gasp goal.

Being there, in the face of the opposition for 90+minutes. Never giving up, never ‘going missing’.

The artisans at the forefront supporting the aesthetes. They can certainly play but also do the hard work for their team. And never hide.

World Cup winners, League champions, European Cup holders – all had their ‘grafters’.

Sir Alf Ramsey, Bill Shankly, Matt Busby, Bob Paisley, Clough & Taylor – they all knew that it was the blend of individual talents that made winning teams.

Alex Ferguson knows this. That’s why he’s got Darren Fletcher/Michael Carrick to complement Nani/Dimitar Berbatov.

You sometimes get players with both qualities of course. The prosaic combined with the pyrotechnic which propels them to superstar status as complete players. Souness, Robson, Mackay, Giles, Blanchflower.

It’s no coincidence that Arsenal haven’t won a major trophy since 2005. Arsene hadn’t got the blend exactly right. Until the emergence of Jack Wilshere. Now he’s got a midfield player who can graft, create and set the tempo of a game. A terrier with a deft touch. They now stand one game away from lifting some silverware once more.

Hard work combined with the ability to make that vital contribution.

Kenny Dalglish knows. That’s why he selects Dirk Kuyt.

His faith in the player was rewarded when he popped up to score that crucial, winning goal last week against Sparta Prague at Anfield that saw Liverpool through to the last 16 of the Europa League.

Remember the first goal by John Jensen for Denmark in the 1992 European Championship Final? He helped Denmark to an unlikely 2-0 victory over
overwhelming favourites Germany.

Ray Houghton’s winning goal against Italy for the Republic of Ireland at the 1994 Word Cup final? Underdogs triumph. Alan Ball’s tireless running in 1966?

In football as in life, you need variety and blend. Players who are prepared to go where others fear to tread in combination with the subtle skills of others. The iron fist within the velvet glove.

A team of expensively assembled effete’s may give you short term gain but the long haul? Forget it.

Just look at the failed ‘Galactico’ experiment at Real Madrid. A European Cup win in 2002 and a League Title in 2003. Then 3 seasons with no major trophy. A terrible return for the multi-millions the club spent assembling their ‘Soccer Harlem Globetrotters’.

History has proved if you haven’t got players willing to run through the proverbial brick walls for the team you can forget sustained success.

All great managers know this. All rise, then, to applaud the likes of Dirk Kuyt.

All hail the water carriers – the unsung heroes!!!

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England’s manager has been searching for the right candidate for the so-called “Makelele” role, allowing Steven Gerrard to push on.

Gareth Barry struggled in the anchor position while Owen Hargreaves, the most naturally suited, seems permanently lost to injury.

“Hargreaves played this position very, very well every game,” said Capello. “But after the knee problem, he was never back.

“I put different players in there but they’d never played in this position. Barry with Aston Villa never played this position. He started to play there only with me [and now with Manchester City]. But I saw Wilshere play every game in this position.”

Almost. Wilshere plays a slightly different game with Arsenal as Alex Song operates as the deepest lying. Capello sees Wilshere as much as an upmarket distribution point as ball-winner.

“Wilshere is better technically than Makelele. He’s slower than Makelele but when he receives the ball he is more dangerous than Makelele.”

“Not like Pirlo. Wilshere’s too young.” Capello paused. The difference, he argued, was not in the quality but in the approach of their clubs.

“Probably Wilshere can be better but the styles are different. The style of AC Milan was to play long ball sometimes. The style of Arsenal is a lot of passes.

“Wilshere wins back the ball, he passes, he turns, dribbles, goes and shoots. I saw everything. The style of Arsenal is touch, touch, touch, touch. Like Barcelona.

“Wilshere is the best young player. He now plays all the time with Arsenal. If you play with Arsenal, you are a really good player because Arsène Wenger likes good players.

“I want to put him in this position in front of the back four. I have to decide because he’s so young, he would stay alone in midfield and that can be dangerous.

“I think he’s mature enough to play this role. He’s a really interesting player. When he started, in some moments he played without big confidence. He was timid, shy. Now every game he improves a lot, he plays with confidence, without fear and he tackles to win.”

SOURCE: Daily Telegraph

It is of course pleasing to read that England manager Fabio Capello recognises the prodigious talent of Jack Wilshere – but it seems plain to see he is no Claude Makelele.

Makelele made his name by being the best reader of the game in deep lying midfield; always in the right place to make interceptions and tackles.

When he got the ball, he looked for the easy pass to a team-mate.

Makelele wasn’t a creator, and relied on other players to perform that role, but Wilshere possesses a different skill set.

The Arsenal teenager can dribble past opponents, and has a vision lacking in most English players.

He is not a spoiler who thrives on breaking up opposition attacks, and though he plays alongside Alexander Song in a double pivot of the Arsenal midfield, rarely do they go into a game looking to contain opposition.

Wilshere and Song both look to break forward for the Gunners, but should he play in that area for England he will be expected to maintain position with far more discipline.

Has Capello seen something in Jack Wilshere that could help him realise his true potential as a great holding midfielder, or is he merely stifling the talent of an exciting prospect?

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The Rumour

Chelsea are undoubtedly interested in the 30-year-old midfielder and had hoped to add him – and Kaka – to the list of arrivals drawn up by the new manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Chelsea lost out on Kaka, who had already agreed a deal to join Real Madrid, and balked at the £20 million asking price for Pirlo. Milan still hope to do a deal to sell the Italian international at that price – or even more – but the fact that they have now contacted Chelsea to try and revive the transfer will give fresh hope at Stamford Bridge that a move can take place

The Source: (The Telegraph)

The Analysis

There are those who have deemed a move for Andrea Pirlo as not an intelligent one and there sole argument for this is the Italian international’s age. Now for those who fall into that camp I would remind them that 30 was the age Michael Ballack was when he was signed by the west London outfit and perhaps more importantly was also the age Claude Makelele was when he was signed by Claudio Ranieri, and who could doubt the impact the French battler had at Chelsea.

Andrea Pirlo isn’t nearly as combative as the two midfielders named and therefore presumably his age matters a great deal less. His age isn’t going to be a factor as he plays his expertly weighted 30 yard passes and being 30 won’t stop his set pieces from falling exactly where he aims them.

The Ac Milan man is a quality player from top to bottom and in eight years at the San Siro to a Serie A title, the Italian Cup and of course two Champions League triumphs. Now I would agree that the fee may be a little too inflated but I am sure that given Silvio Berlusconi’s recent quotes, that the club could snare Pirlo for a fee of around £16m, which I think would be a decent price in today’s market.

The Likelihood

Pirlo to Chelsea: I think this move will take place.

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35-year-old Claude Makélélé is set to be unveiled as a PSG player on Monday after Chelsea agreed to let him leave on a free transfer. PSG announced the deal to bring the Congo-born midfielder to the Parc Des Princes on their official website:

Charles Villeneuve, president of Paris St Germain, Paul Le Guen, coach of the first team, and Alain Roche, head scout, will have a press conference today.

On this occasion they will present to the journalists the French international midfielder Claude Makélélé, who will join Paris St Germain’s first team for the 2008/09 season

Chelsea confirmed the move by releasing a statement thanking Makélélé, who arrived from Real Madrid for £16.8m at the start of Abramovich’s reign, for his years of service:

Everyone at Chelsea would like to thank Claude for the service he has given us. Claude has been a key part of our trophy success and we wish him well for the future.

He will always be welcomed back to Stamford Bridge in the future either as a player or friend of the club.

Although 35, Makélélé still played a key part for the Chelsea team last season, with his last game being the Champions League Final. It was his defensive duties that gave Frank Lampard the space to venture forward and attack as much as he did. With Makélélé now gone and players like Ballack, Deco and Joe Cole on the scene, will Lampard move to Inter to prevent himself being stifled by other attack-minded midfielders? This argument has often been brought up in regard to the England team and Steven Gerrard: Lampard does not play as well without someone doing the defensive dirty work.

Chelsea still have Michael Essien and Jon Obi Mikel who can play in more defensive roles, but will they be picked ahead of Ballack or Deco by Scolari? Lampard’s Chelsea future has looked increasingly unstable in recent weeks and with a player who helps him showcase his skills gone, will Lampard remain in England much longer?