Alternative Team of the Year for 2013

UEFA have announced the shortlist for their 2013 "Team of the Year." With this in mind, we've decided to make a best XI from the players who didn't make their list.

Who can't be selected: Well, UEFA's shortlist, of course.

Formation: 4-3-1-2

*All statistics mentioned are taken from Squawka.com. 

GK: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus and Italy)

The 35-year-old legend has had another stellar year for club and country.

First, he led Juventus to their second successive Scudetto. Then he captained Italy to becoming the first European side to qualify for the World Cup next year.

He has kept clean sheets in half of his domestic appearances this year, and he has a 96 percent success rate when coming out to claim the ball. Influential, charismatic, passionate—Buffon is still one of the world's best goalkeepers.

RB: Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund and Poland)

Despite being a double Bundesliga winner and Champions League finalist, Lukasz Piszczek remains somewhat underrated outside of Germany.

His contribution to Dortmund's style of play is massive, and his relationship down the right-hand side with fellow Poland international Jakub Blaszczykowski almost invaluable.

His attacking disposition is admirable—21 chances created in just 13 games in the first half of 2013 speaks for itself. That's 1.6 per game—the same as Barcelona's substantially higher-positioned right-back, Daniel Alves.

Unfortunately, his 2013/14 campaign has been hampered by injury so far, restricting him to just four appearances.

CB: Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund and Serbia)

Neven Subotic was an integral part of the Borussia Dortmund back line, which reached the Champions League final in May.

He was one of Dortmund's better performers in the final against domestic rivals Bayern, and he can be a physical match for most of the world's strikers.

While not quite as good with the ball as regular partner Mats Hummels, the Serb's positional play is arguably better. He's the defensive centre-back of the pair, he and carries out his job to great effect.

CB: Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham and Belgium)

Jan Vertonghen offers Spurs both a player who is at ease playing the ball out from the back and someone who is capable of playing the assured, defensive role.

He may not be the quickest, but positionally, the 26-year-old is excellent.

He's chipped in with an impressive 1.8 chances created per game for Tottenham this year and makes remarkably few defensive errors.

The biggest pitfall is his lack of top-level European football—the Europa League being the highest non-domestic level he’s played this year.

LB: Juan Zuniga (Napoli and Colombia)

More of a wing-back than a full-back, but Zuniga is scintillating going forward and, as a right-footed player playing on the left, provides something different.

He was a transfer target for Juventus in the summer, and it would be no surprise were the reigning Serie A champions to revive that interest in January—he'd suit Antonio Conte's system well.

He doesn't score many goals, but his attacking wing play and direct running creates consistent chances for his team-mates.

Regista: Andrea Pirlo (Juventus and Italy)

Still the main man for club and country, Andrea Pirlo has continued to prove his worth at the age of 34 with typically calm, influential and creative displays from midfield.

Some players transcend mere statistics, and Pirlo is one, but here are some anyway.

Despite playing as a regista (essentially a deep-lying playmaker, though Pirlo makes it look like the football version of a quarterback) and seeing the ball more than anyone else in the Juventus team, Pirlo's pass completion is close to 90 percent this year. He also creates 2.5 chances per match.

Both club and country are simply not the same teams without him.

CM: Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich and Germany)

The 23-year-old has been outstanding for Bayern this year.

He's also started imposing himself on the German national team and will surely be a key player at next year's World Cup in Brazil.

Kroos is at his best when he's positioned as close to the centre of the field as possible. But he's proved this season he can settle into different formations and is comfortable playing deep as a midfield pivot and moving forward to support the attack and supply the strikers.

He was injured at the tail-end of last season, but he has still managed to create an average of just under two chances per game and sustain a pass completion rate of 91 percent.

CM: Arturo Vidal (Juventus and Italy)

The all-action midfielder has been at Juventus two-and-a-half years now—and he's grown to be probably the club's most influential player behind the indomitable Andrea Pirlo.

The Chilean international has a tenacity and attacking mentality to his game that endears him to Juventini worldwide. His 75 percent tackle success rate in the 100 games since he joined is testament to that.

"El Guerrero" has grown as a player every season under Antonio Conte's stewardship and is Juve's top scorer under him with 32 strikes in those 100 appearances.

He's had a fabulous 2013—winning his second successive Scudetto with the Bianconeri, finishing as the club's top scorer and qualifying for the World Cup with Chile.

AM: Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona and Spain)

Last season may not have went exactly to plan for Barcelona as a team, but Cesc Fabregas continued to grow into his personal role in the squad.

The Catalan has scored 12 goals in 40 games so far this calendar year—not a bad return from a midfielder.

As expected from a Barca player, he chips in with his fair share of the creative work as well—making just under two chances per game for his team-mates.

Considering that many questioned the need for bringing him back to the club, he has managed to establish himself as a key cog in the team's system.

ST: Francesco Totti (Roma and Italy)

This spot was originally earmarked for Manchester United's Wayne Rooney.

However, when Rooney was off-form earlier in the year, the Red Devils didn't really struggle; Totti has been injured for over a month now and Roma have been poor since.

His goal tally may not be that impressive this year—nine in 25 domestically is actually very average, even when he was regularly played in a deeper role last season—but the Calcio legend remains exceptionally creative. 

He creates, on average, three chances per game—that obliterates the respective contributions of fellow strikers Rooney (1.95 per game) and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema (1.55).

It even tops fellow Italian Andrea Pirlo (2.5) and Madrid's Luka Modric (1.85), both of whom play in deeper, more naturally creative positions than Totti.

ST: Luis Suarez (Liverpool and Uruguay)

Love him or loathe him, it's undeniable Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has the ability to pull off things most footballers can't.

His agility, on-field intelligence and penchant for the unexpected combine to make it so you can't help but think that the main reason he hasn't been nominated for the Team of the Year is Liverpool's lack of Champions League football.

Ever the team player, even though he's scored in the equivalent of every league game he's played this year (23 in 23), the Uruguayan has still managed to set up almost three (2.7) chances per game for his team-mates.

Honourable Mentions

Claudio Villa/Getty Images

We've decided to limit this to one per position (i.e. one back-up for every player named in the starting XI).

Goalkeeper: Salvatore Sirigu (PSG and Italy)

Right-back: Daniel Alves (Barcelona & Brazil)

Centre-back: Andrea Barzagli (Juventus and Italy)

Centre-back: Marquinhos (Roma/PSG and Italy)

Left-back: Leighton Baines (Everton and England)

Central midfield: Daniele De Rossi (Roma and Italy)

Central midfield: Javi Martinez (Bayern Munich and Spain)

Central midfield: Marek Hamsik (Napoli and Slovakia)

Attacking midfield: Juan Mata (Chelsea and Spain)

Striker: Wayne Rooney (England and Manchester United)

Striker: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid and France)