I don't think team selection can be simplified to that point. The formation you choose & the players you pick varies depending on the opposition. I agreed with you about the spine of the team in the other thread, mine being Reina, Carragher & Gerrard, with Torres added to that list if he continues proving himself, but beyond that I think the rest of the team is subject to rotation, no-one else will or should be guaranteed their place. Finnan & Agger are the next closest to having their places nailed on, but not quite. Hyypia is still the best man we have to deal with an aerial threat up front, and Arbeloa would get the nod over Finnan occasionally for me, there are times his higher energy levels will be better suited to the game. The left back position is still well & truly up for grabs with no-one having made the position their own. The fact Rafa was going for Heinze suggests that we may still see another LB and the position will be subject to further rotation.
In midfield, apart from Gerrard no-one is guaranteed a start, and even then he'll miss the odd game. We have three excellent central midfielders battling it out to partner him, each with different qualities to their game. Sissoko is brilliant at winning the ball in dangerous positions and giving good passing opposition no time to play their game. He's ideal playing against teams like Arsenal or Barcelona, but is ineffective when playing aginst teams that put 10 men behind the ball as passing & creativity aren't his strong points. Alonso is more suited against this sort of opposition, I know he's suffered a dip in form lately but when he regains it his passing & vision can create openings. He also offers more protection for the defence playing in a deeper role than Sissoko or Gerrard. The only weakness Alonso has when he's on form is that he needs a little bit of time & space to pull off his range of passing, with a Sissoko style player on the other team he can be rendered pretty redundant. Mascherano is more of a pure holding midfielder, in the mould of Makalele or Hamman. he sits in front of the defence cleaning things up & playing the simple ball. He's most effective when the opposition have a player who plays behind a front two or lone striker, prime example being the way he dealt with Kaka in the Champions League final. Against weaker opposition a holding midfielder of his nature isn't really a neccessity though, and one of the other two could be the better option. On the wings, who plays there will again depend on the opposition. We have a good range of options on both flanks, all offering different things. Kewell, if he ever stays fit, and Pennant are both players who will get a lot of crosses in, whereas Babel or Benayoun are more likely to cut inside. Riise or Gerrard, who I still believe will get the occasional game on the right, offer much more defensive protection and both are capable of chipping in with a few goals. Depending on the weaknesses of the opposing fullback, and also the strength of their wingers, different options would be better suited.
Up front as I said before Torres can nail down one of the places if he continues playing the way he has, but the other spot is definitely open to rotation. The other three strikers are very different, most notably Crouch. Kuyt in a way can do a job similar to Sissoko's in midfield, harrying the defence and upsetting teams that like to have a patient build up. I'd say he's the best option against lesser teams playing for a draw, as he won't let them take the pace out of the game as they'd like to. Voronin seems so far to have very good movement and will create himself a bit of space to recieve the ball, he will be good playing against defenders with poor positional sense and should score quite a few. Crouch for obvious reasons is a good option against defences with a lack of aerial ability and is also brilliant at holding the ball up and bringing others into play.
The formation of the team is subject to change too, against weaker teams I'm a big fan of the 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 that served us well against lesser opposition last season, and much as we all like to see positive tactics we have to admit that sometimes the opposition is that much of a threat that we need to play 4-5-1. Because the opposition will always play differently I don't think you can name a set strongest team for every game. Rafa's policy is to pick the strongest team for each opponent and it's a policy I believe in, so I can't pick a strongest team unless I know who it's against.
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