Streets Might Forget XI - The Underrated Team of the Season

 Streets Might Forget XI - The Underrated Team of the Season

The Jeffrey Schluup All Stars, The Adnan Januzaj xi, The Wes Hoolahan TOTS. A collection of players who are more than just underrated, players who could’ve, would’ve, should’ve been starting for perennial Champions League contenders. If Wes Hoolahan instead of being born in Dublin was born 940 miles south south west in Catalonia he is one of the all time greats. Or if Januzaj had joined a functional football club instead of a post-Fergie United, where could he be now? Or if Jeffrey Schluup was a bit less stubborn and was given a chance on a big team he could have been Fede Valverde lite.

What is the criteria? I shall be using my arbitrary 3 U’s system. 1. Underratedness - a player who gets either not enough recognition, or too much hate. 2. Uefaness - can I convince myself they would fit into a top European team. 3. Untapped Potential - a slight tweak and this player could be elite, whether that be in footballing, ability, age, situation, mentality.

2024/2025 Streets Might Forget Team of the Season:

This year I’ll be going with a 3-5-2 as I liked a lot more strikers than wingers but shoutout to Jacob Murphy and Ilman Ndiaye.

Manager

It’s tough to find a manager who is good but also doesn't get enough love, Moyse a bit too obvious so I’ll go for the man who stole his job Julen Lopotegui - West Ham have won 2 drawn 3 and lost 5 since replacing Lop with Graham Plopper. The Irons have Bowen, Kudus, a lot of Mid, and a whole lot of ass. Here is the squad for Lop’s last match a 4-1 loss to City. Absolutely no bench, between the keeper, the back 4, and the 2 DM’s is Wan Bissaka the best player? That is saying something.

Lopetegui at least wouldn’t do worse than Potter, give him a couple of Basque midfielders, and a second good defender and they have a chance.

GK

Leno and Sels come close here but I have to go with my guy Kepa Arrizabalaga. I have been in on Kepa since the Sarri incident. He is entering his goalkeeping prime now at 30. He has done well backing up an injury riddled Bournemouth squad. Kepa is 3rd in the league with a 75% save percentage and wouldn’t be the worst keeper Chelsea could have next year. I think a lot of Kepa’s problem is the perception, he’s the most expensive goalkeeper ever and it’s very easy to make fun of him but he is perfectly acceptable as a top half Premier League keeper. If he can just keep his bozoness to a minimum and build some confidence I could see him doing well at any club next year Chelsea? Barca? Napoli? 

CB

I decided to construct the perfect back 3 - 

Fabian Schar on the right, the attacking one, often caught out of position. Got a great shot on him, can carry the ball really well, are we sure he should be a centre back? How has he never played in Serie A? He screams Inter or Juve or Roma, on the right of a back 3 banging in the goals. If he was born in Italy or got a chance as a DM he could have been top class. 

Joachim Andersen through the middle spraying the passes around. He was great at Fulham, then great at Palace, now great at Fulham again. If he had a little bit more athleticism he would be at City, Chelsea, even Barca, I think he’s better than Christiansen. 

Calvin Bassey on the left doing some actual defending. Andersen’s defensive partner, strong and fast, good ball carrier, he does need to improve aerially. He’s still only 25 and if he improves just slightly and get’s a bit more batshit crazy he could be like 80% Antonio Rudiger.

RWB

I can’t bring myself to pick Reece James. That England free kick screwed me, he might be too highly rated now. Do not fret however, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is here. He might be a top 3 right back in the Prem? The main thing he got criticised for at United was his forward play. I agree that his goal contributions are desperate but he is very good until he gets to the edge of the box. 

Average passer (at best), excellent defender, very good ball carrier. He is already an elite right back, as long as you don’t ask him to put the ball into the box. Dortmund, Atletico, Juve all could use a player like Wan-Bissaka.

LWB

Rayan Ait Nouri. The perfect man to pair with Wan Bissaka. I loveeeee Ait Nouri he is half the reason I thought Wolves would be doing what Forest are doing this year. He is so good going forward the perfect modern wing back. Hopefully he gets a big move this summer the lad deserves it, getting to play with better players under some better coaching could push him to the elite level. He would be perfect for Leverkusen just perfect especially if they keep Alonso. I could also see him maybe at Inter, PSG, any top Portuguese team. 

CM

Kiernan Dewsbury Hall. Loved him when Leicester were still in the prem hard working, talented, box to box midfielder. Not going to hold this Chelsea thing against him, it’s a very strange situation, a lot of great midfielders in the squad maybe stifling his development slightly. In the Championship last season he put up 12 goals and 14 assists in just 25 90’s. If he could bring that kind of creativity to a team in the big 5 leagues along with his physicality and industry he could be a top player. Just give him the opportunity and he will succeed I could see him alongside Conor Gallagher at Atletico, with the scottish boys at Napoli, or helping out Villa in a European run next season. 

Dewsbury Hall does a lot of running so obviously, his Ideal partner is a man who cannot run Youri Tielemans. He gets clowned often for his lack of running frequently letting opposition players glide past him with ease. But if you could get him to a team that controls the ball a bit more his ball striking and vision are truly elite. He would be a great option at Bayern, Inter, and he is exactly the type of signing Juve would make.

AM

Mikkel Damsgaard. Sure he looks like old pictures of your dad but my god can this guy play football.  2 goals and 10 assists in the Prem this season is a huge improvement from 0 goals and 3 assists last season, and 0 and 0 the season before. Damsgaard is a brilliant presser, excellent creator, and can play almost anywhere across the front line or in midfield. I think as he ages he will drop back more as a central then even a defensive midfielder, like a diet Modric perhaps. Real Madrid could do with a player that works as hard as Damsgaard, he would slot right in to Amorims system at United, a return to Italy perhaps in an Inter shirt would suit him nicely. Once he shaves his head of course.

ST

So many great options I had to leave out; Nunez, Awoniyi, and Danny Welbeck all came so close but my heart lies with two other men.

Jorgen Strand Larsen. Where in the Barclays did this lad come from? He should be up top with Kevin Doyle getting on the end of Matt Jarvis crosses. 12 goals so far in the Prem the same as Liam Delap who gets all this praise. I understand why of course. Larsen isn’t that good at football. He is physical and strong, and he can finish that's about it. He is a good old fashioned goal scorer banging them in against the bottom half clubs while struggling against teams who can actually defend. He is only 25 however and Strikers are weird in the way some can develop quite late into their career. Get this guy to Italy especially Roma or Milan, or maybe Monaco and watch him 3 years from now bang in the goals. 

One spot left and it is clear and obvious my guy Beto is the man for the job. Loved him with Delefeuo at Udinese, love him even more now at Everton. The negatives: he has not scored more than 13 goals in a season. Goals? Who needs goals? Beto is quick, physical, gets into good positions, the only thing missing is a bit of finishing. He is only 27 that will come. He has all the raw physical ability of a top striker, if he was a bit more technically proficient, or had more talented creators around him he would push to Elite status. It’s no wonder his best season came along side a creative genius like Delefeuo. Get this guy to the Bundesliga, RB Leipzig, Dortmund, even as a Kane backup at Bayern and he will hammer in at least 14 goals.

A beautiful team!! Sure, our top goal scorers will be Schar and Tielemans and our best player is a left back but I’ll put these 11 lads above any relegation candidate. These are my guys players I truly believe are/were destined for great things in football, you just wait.

The Captain?

Have to give it to Kepa; he is the most underappreciated, he is the most my guy, and he will unify the whole team, blaming the other 10 players for every goal he concedes.