GiveMeSport
·23 June 2022
GiveMeSport
·23 June 2022
The best five-a-side team for each Premier League club has been named.
The Athletic’s journalists for each of the 20 clubs have selected five players to form the best possible five-a-side team to participate in an imaginary tournament.
Five-a-side football is very different to what we see in the Premier League.
For starters, there’s a lot less space meaning players need to be technically brilliant, while pace isn’t quite as important.
So, which five players make up their club’s five-a-side team?
Let’s take a look:
Ramsdale would no doubt operate as a ball-playing goalkeeper, while Partey will be responsible for winning back the ball. The three of Saka, Smith Rowe and Martinelli would cause any five-a-side team all sorts of problems.
Martinez is more than capable with his feet, while Mings is tough in the tackle. Buendia and Coutinho offer the flair while Ings is an accomplished finisher.
Travers is an excellent shot-stopper and Kelly is comfortable on the ball. Cook has the energy needed for five-a-side and Dembele provides the skill. Solanke will be the one grabbing all the goals – much like he did last season.
Considering Raya grew up playing Futsal, he’s more than capable of being a five-a-side goalkeeper. Norgaard may be a midfielder but he’s an accomplished tackler. Eriksen is still technically a Brentford player and alongside Wissa will look to provide Toney.
The way in which Brighton like to play, they have players suitable for five-a-side football. Sanchez is a good goalkeeper with his feet, while Veltman is a fairly suprising choice in defence. The creativity and energy of Mac Allister and Caicedo will work well with the versatile Trossard.
Kepa is the surprise choice in goal ahead of Mendy – who is perhaps questionable with the ball at his feet. James gets the nod ahead of Thiago Silva in defence, while N’Golo Kante misses out to Kovacic and Mount. Havertz would thrive in an attacking role.
Under-23 goalkeeper Whitworth has been selected thanks to his ability to play out from the back. Guehi may have a tough task on his hands in defence because the other three outfield players are the attacking trio of Olise, Eze and Zaha. How good would they be to watch at five-a-side!?
Pickford would fancy his chances of coming out of goal to play with his feet. In front of him is the commanding figure of Mina. Iwobi may not flourish 11-a-side but he has the footwork to get him out of tight spaces. A striking duo of Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin would get buckets of goals.
What? No Alexandar Mitrovic after his record-breaking season? Instead, the more skillful Kebano gets the nod. Wilson and Cairney will look to provide him, while the towering Adearabioyo ‘has great feet for a big guy’. Rodak is in goal.
Meslier is the obvious choice in goal while Phillips would be expected to play a defensive role with the ability to play out from the back. Klich offers more protection allowing Rahinha the license to express himself with Gelhardt also having the technical ability to cause problems.
Schmeichel will prove hard to beat in smaller goals, while Justin gets picked ahead of Wesley Fofana and Richardo Pereira. Maddison would flourish in five-a-side alongside the energetic Dewsbury-Hall. Vardy may struggle without being able to go inside the penalty box but he’ll still be a nightmare.
Alisson is tough to beat in a normal-sized goal so imagine him in a smaller goal. Alexander-Arnold will be required to defend in this team but he’ll be brilliant with the ball at his feet. Thiago is made for five-a-side, while Diaz and Salah would form an incredible duo.
Imagine turning up at your local five-a-side and seeing these five players on the opposite side of the pitch. Ederson is probably the best ball-playing goalkeeper in world football while Rodri is more than capable of defending by himself. Silva and De Bruyne are incredible in tight spaces while the thought of Haaland sprinting around the small pitch and smashing in goals is hilarious.
De Gea’s main weakness is with the ball at his feet but he’ll be extremely tough to beat. Maguire is pretty handy as a ball-playing defender but he’ll definitely struggle in this team. Because it consists a front-three of Sancho, Rashford and Ronaldo.
Guimaraes and Saint-Maximin in five-a-side? Where can we watch? They will provide all the flair for Wilson to bang in the goals. Burn may not seem like a five-a-side player but he did win a national Futsal tournament as a youngster. Dubravka is pretty solid in goal.
This Nottingham Forest side may struggle against some of the other teams in this five-a-side tournament. But Samba is the king of sh*thousery and will be hard to get the better of. McKenna is a fan favourite, while Yates and Cafu provide all the energy in midfield. Johnson gives the team firepower.
A surprise there’s no James Ward-Prowse – although his free-kick-taking ability won’t be particularly useful in five-a-side. Instead, it’s the industrious Romeu and the tricky Walker-Peters in midfield, ahead of Salisu and Bazunu in goal. Armstrong isn’t shy of shooting and will be asked to get the goals.
Lloris isn’t the best with his feet but is a good enough shot-stopper. Romero would be pretty crazy as a defender in a small space. A wildcard selection of Ndombele in midfield is a surprise but the Frenchman’s technical ability may be suited to five-a-side. Then, Kane and Son would be almost unstoppable as a pairing.
Fabianski is decent enough but Zouma and Rice would prove extremely difficult to get past. Then, you’ve got the creativity and goals of Benrahma and Bowen in attack.
Kilman has represented England at Futsal so you’d think he’d be class in this tournament. He plays ahead of Wolves’ No.1, Sa. Moutinho and Neves form a brilliant midfield with Neto getting the nod ahead of Raul Jimenez.
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