[THREAD]



All-time Premier League Best XIs by nationality.

If each country could call upon all their players to have played in the Premier League, who would come out on top?

The following thread orders the top 20 nations. Enjoy!

As always with these, we’re taking into account appearances in the league only.

Peak performance level, longevity and balance all taken into account - no silly formations here.

Please feel free to make your own suggestions, but be nice.

A few countries miss out because they couldn’t form an eligible team.

e.g. Croatia: with Lovren, Modric, Suker & Boksic they would have had a decent team. But no keeper as Pletikosa never got a PL minute.

The top 20 will be spread across a few days, starting with:

Switzerland

Ah, not the best start. The best we can say is that they have a lot of centre-backs, with Djourou and Vega featuring on a pretty awful bench.

Operation Give It To Shaqiri doesn’t go that well, they struggle for goals throughout the season and finish bottom.

Czech Republic

Pray for poor Petr Cech, he’s going to have his work cut out in front of that defence.

Further forward they’re looking a bit better though, this team would score a few goals. Well, more than Switzerland anyway.

United States of America

This defence is a bit of a mess too, Yedlin out of position to accommodate... Jonathan Spector? Ah.

The midfield and attack are decent enough though; Christian Pulisic already has more PL appearances than Landon Donovan or Cobi Jones.

Sweden

This isn’t bad at all, although you’re only getting 33 appearances worth of Ibrahimović here.

Not a huge amount of depth on the bench, but Nicolas Alexandersson (D/M/F R/L/C) can cover most positions.

Denmark

A good, solid team all-round, elevated above their neighbours by Schmeichel and Eriksen.

The bench is mostly uninspiring, with Rommedahl and Beck hardly options to rely on, while Laudrup only made 7 PL appearances. Good sub keeper though.

Norway

A Scandinavian 1-2-3 in the bottom half and not much between them, really.

A brilliantly 90s side here, with plenty of depth - particularly up-front with King, Carew and Iversen all notable options.

Australia

Maybe slightly lucky to feature this high, but that front three is really excellent.

Lots of Premier League experience throughout this side, although the defence is somewhere between a weak link and a liability.

Italy

This seems low, you say, just look at that front three!

OK, now look at the back four. Yeah, now you know why they’re in the bottom half.

The midfield is maybe lacking a genuine star, Zola has just too much of the creative burden.

Scotland

A lot of responsibility on Andy Robertson’s shoulders here, but this is another solid, experienced team with plenty of titles.

Playing their games at St James Park is almost like home, and manager Alex Ferguson performs miracles to get them to mid-table.

Wales

Took a long time to settle on a formation but I think this works; nominally 3-4-3 but with plenty of flexibility to get the most out of Bale & Giggs.

Gabbidon and Joe Allen perhaps unlucky to miss out, while Hartson & Rush offer something different off the bench.

Ireland

Dennis Irwin and Roy Keane are among the very best in their position in Premier League history.

The rest are an excellent supporting cast with plenty of experience, but find themselves struggling to break down more sophisticated teams higher up the table.

Argentina

This team looks ridiculously good on paper, but remember it’s only their Premier League versions.

Di María doesn’t qualify, Cambiasso barely does and Verón didn’t exactly light up the league. The defence won plenty but might come unstuck together.

Portugal

Even with Ronaldo, this side would have been much lower until Wolves came into the league. Patricio & Moutinho make a huge difference; Jota & Neves beef up the bench.

Tempting to put Ferreira LB to get Pereira RB, but he probably didn’t play there enough.

Germany

A bit of everything in that front four. Guile, speed, skill, power. A really nice balance.

Very solid further back too, this team would grind out plenty of victories.

Brazil

Now we’re talking. The defence might struggle at times, especially the centre-backs. But that’s a pretty good screen in front of them.

Richarlison in over Willian for his extra cutting edge - needed with a striker like Firmino.

Alisson will get in this side soon.

Belgium

Not sure this formation really works, but it’s good enough for Roberto Martínez. Vertonghen’s not happy but Pocognoli is the alternative.

Six of this team have been in the PFA TOTY. Hazard and De Bruyne are the stars but there’s quality throughout. And Chadli.

Netherlands

Some tough decisions in this, you may disagree:

• RVP over RVN for longevity
• Wijnaldum over Gullit (only 49 apps) & Boateng
• Robben over Kuyt

Ten title winners in this team and three PFA Players of the Year with another on the bench. Plus Hasselbaink.

Spain

Don’t look at the defence, whatever you do. Two full-backs in the middle? It’s them or Cuellar. But peak De Gea helps.

It doesn’t matter anyway, no-one’s ever getting the ball off this team. Pedro comes in for Cazorla as too much tiki-taka leads to bluntness.

England

Well this is embarrassing. 46 (I think) combined PFA TOTY appearances, five POTYs and loads of titles. The likes of Campbell, Lampard & Kane on the bench.

But it’s England. They never quite gel as they should, never settle on a consistent side and come up short.

France

Just look at it, what a lovely team this would be. So many match-winners in this one, flair and grit throughout the side.

Pogba, Makelele, Anelka are first off the bench if a formation change is required. But that midfield two won’t need any help.

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