An England team of Champions League winners

With the Champions League Final over, thoughts inevitably return to the England team set-up in the build up to the Euros. Many were underwhelmed by Roy Hodgson’s ‘same old’ selection, but last night proved that the ‘Golden Generation’ simply refuse to go away.

Differentgame has already discussed why the Golden Generation tag is appropriate.

The fact that so many of them now have Champions League winner’s medals will always be tempered by arguments that they simply refuse to gel when put on the park together.

Playing devil’s advocate, we’ve come up with an outfield England team of Champions League winners, set out in the fashionable 4-2-3-1 formation:

Eyebrows maybe raised at the inclusion of Phil Neville, but in a tight game who would you trust more? The Everton skipper or Glenn Johnson?

All of those selected bar Steven Gerrard play in a roughly similar set-up week in week out. With the jury still out on Gerrard’s best position, a relatively free role on the right might suit given the midfield screen behind and Neville’s plodding reliability at right back.

Michael Carrick reportedly only ruled himself out if he was not first choice, and Paul Scholes was presumably amenable to a return if Hodgson was interested. In the absence of Jack Wilshere, Scholes looks the only player capable of pulling the strings for England.