Chelsea FC: Branislav Ivanovic In Champions League XI
UEFA revealed their 2014-15 Champions League Team of the Season today and it is little surprise that there was only one Chelsea FC player included. The surprise is that it was fullback Branislav Ivanovic that made it and not Chelsea’s other top performers such as John Terry or Eden Hazard.
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The team is made up primarily of players from the two teams that battled in the hotly contested final, Barcelona and Juventus. In fact, the only three players included in the team of the season, out of 18 names, who are not from Barca or Juve are Ivanovic and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Toni Kroos.
Real was defeated by Juve in the semfinals so at least the team’s deep run in the competition makes their star players worthy but Chelsea FC did not advance past the first knockout round. They were of course knocked out in dramatic fashion by an inspired PSG side and a former player in David Luiz who decided to be world class on that day alone. The Blues rued missed chances in both legs of that tie but ultimately it was PSG that deserved to move on in the competiton.
Most of the other 15 players in the list represent some of the best players in Europe but some seemed to be given a place in the team just because of where their club finished in the competition. Players like Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez were lethal in the Champions League and are fully deserving of their place in the team. Other names such as Jodi Alba and Javier Mascherano were slightly less deserving of the place but were carried in to the team on the backs of their club’s performance.
As for Branislav Ivanovic, he was one of the Blues’ best players all season long and especially in the Champions League. He helped lead a defense that had three clean sheets in eight matches and were undefeated in the competition.
Ivanovic also scored a seemingly vital away goal against PSG in the first leg of the tie but it was cancelled out by the French comeback in the second leg. The Serbian fullback has proven time and time again that he is one of the best defenders in world football and this honor only serves to further stake that claim.
UEFA Champions League Team Of The Season:
Goalkeepers: Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
Defenders: Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Jordi Alba (Barcelona)
Midfielders: Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)
Forwards: Luis Suarez (Barcelona), Alvaro Morata (Juventus), Neymar (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Next: Chelsea FC's Most Disappointing Players Part 2: Filipe Luis