Perhaps it says everything about the modern game, but when it comes to choosing a team of the year only one member does not come from the big four, and it was a close call between Edwin van der Sar and David James as to who would keep goal.

James shades it because he has made the greater strides forward; both in reclaiming his England place and winning an FA Cup winners' medal at the third attempt. The key to his comeback is that he has kept himself remarkably fit, and you can judge his value to Portsmouth by the fact that in the 22 times they have taken the lead, they have gone on to win.

	New heights: Rio Ferdiniand is coming into the 'great' category

In terms of providing cover for James, I am going to choose the entire Manchester United back four. To win the championship, you have to have a solid foundation and theirs is stronger and deeper than any of their rivals.

Admittedly, right-back is a problematic position - there has not been a single, outstanding player there this season for any club - but Wes Brown has had as good a campaign as anybody.

At centre-half Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic are a combination that is impossible to look beyond. This season all the plaudits have gone to Cristiano Ronaldo, but in the second half of Manchester United's season, when the going has been tough, Ferdinand has performed better than anybody. In the final six weeks of the campaign, when in all honesty United did not play well, Ferdinand produced a series of quite awesome performances.

Ferdinand is coming into the category marked 'great'. If he can keep his concentration, which is always been his weakness, there is no telling where, at the age of 29, his talent might take him. The presence of Vidic has been the making of Ferdinand because the Serb is great positionally, very competitive and is superb in the air.

The alternatives to Patrice Evra are not that compelling. Maybe Gael Clichy at Arsenal, maybe Ashley Cole at Chelsea, but neither makes a really convincing case to top Evra's consistency. He is quick down the line, tackles back hard and produces far more regularly than either of his two rivals.

Sitting just in front of the back and protecting them - if they needed protection - is Javier Mascherano. Watching him for Liverpool against Inter Milan confirmed to me how good he is as a holding midfielder. Claude Makelele provides the benchmark in this position but Mascherano is quicker, is as good a tackler and is much younger. And as his confidence improved towards the end of the season, he proved himself an increasingly confident passer of the ball.

The three attacking midfielders are Cesc Fabregas, Steven Gerrard and Cristiano Ronaldo. Fabregas is crucial to Arsenal because, if he left, there is every chance of that team breaking up. The hallmark of any great player is having time and space and he has that ability in abundance. Finding half a yard under pressure is a quality you cannot buy - and Fabregas has it more than anyone.

Alongside him is Steven Gerrard. It is his partnership with Fernando Torres that gives Liverpool more hope than anything else that they can make a realistic challenge for the Premier League title. As a captain, he has led through example and commitment and is the type of player a footballer would follow anywhere.

There is no need to justify my selection of Ronaldo but the one perceived weakness in his game should be addressed - the myth that he does not perform on the big occasion. This ignores the fact that every Manchester United match is a big one - usually for their opponents it is their biggest of the season.

Torres, like Ronaldo, is 23 and can only get better. He came to Merseyside with a reputation but he has been better than just about everyone at Liverpool. He has taken the pressure from Gerrard, who used to go out at Anfield knowing that Liverpool's chances of victory largely rested on his shoulders. Strikers mature quickly and Torres' positional play appears completely instinctive.

People can say what they want about Wayne Rooney being eclipsed by Ronaldo but where else would you find that competitiveness, that desperate will to win? It shines through and he not only drives himself on, he drives the team on, and that is one of the greatest qualities any footballer can have - not that this team need much encouragement.

原文地址:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/05/19/sfnhan119.xml