Naming a dream PlayTheGame team was even harder than I thought it was going to be. Anyone can pick a side full of stars but I wanted to include a few players who have something to prove, some who I would put high up in the player ranking list. That way I would stand a better chance of being allocated the best attacking partnership in the business - Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov. It’s a relief to leave the selection of the three scoring substitutes out of nine to the game computer after the difficulty of choosing an XI.

It might sound hard to believe but I don’t think Rooney gets the credit he deserves. I’ve heard people complaining about his goalscoring record but they forget that Rooney scored 24 times in all competitions last season. I bumped into Rooney in Las Vegas last month and I don’t think I have met a more impressive footballer. Forget what you read, he is down-to-earth and totally focused on the game. I can see him staying at Manchester United for the rest of his career. Maybe he lacks a killer instinct in front of goal but he is still developing and I expect him to be more ruthless next season.

Now close your eyes and imagine him in the same team as Berbatov. People laugh when I say the Tottenham Hotspur striker reminds me of Marco van Basten, but Berbatov could be that good. He has it all - pace, touch, movement and he is great in the air. He is the best signing that Martin Jol has made - to get him to White Hart Lane for £10.9 million was an unbelievable bit of business.

It would be criminal to have Rooney and Berbatov in your side without having wide players to create chances and score points with assists, successful passes and the odd goal. I’ve gone for two players who have something to prove. Stewart Downing struggled for Middlesbrough - and England - last season but people forget that he had injury problems and never really got going. He has a fabulous left foot, whips in great crosses and he has got a rocket blast of a shot at set-pieces. On the right I’ve gone for Yossi Benayoun. I saw him play for West Ham United a lot last season and he is a very tricky customer who will thrive by playing with better players at Anfield. The only problem with being allocated Liverpool players is that you never know how many games they are going to play under Rafael BenÍtez’s squad rotation policy but he will find it difficult to leave out Benayoun.

Scoring goals is not going to be a problem with those four players in my side but I want my central midfield players to contribute and that is why I’ve gone for Joey Barton, despite the metatarsal injury that will put him on PlayTheGame benches for the start of the season. Love him or hate him, Barton was Manchester City’s heartbeat last season and he will improve at Newcastle United. Sam Allardyce will get the best out of him by allowing him to break forward - his role will be similar to Kevin Nolan’s at Bolton Wanderers.

I can’t resist going for Michael Essien in midfield. He has got so much drive and power and I expect him to contribute highly in the successful passes category and score more this season - it’s just a shame that Chelsea are going to lose him during the African Cup of Nations in January and February.

My last line of defence is Shay Given. He is the most underrated goalkeeper in the top flight and he hardly ever makes mistakes. In front of him, I’ve gone for Kolo Touré and Ricardo Carvalho. Touré never lets Arsenal down: he is quick, aggressive and reads the game incredibly well. Carvalho is an unsung hero and for my money he was Chelsea’s best defender last season. He may be Portuguese but he plays like a typical English defender and is never afraid of putting his head in where it hurts.

My full backs are players who are at the opposite ends of their careers. Gareth Bale is starting out and Tottenham have pulled off a master-stroke by signing him. He reminds me of Grae-me Le Saux - he is very athletic and loves to get forward and he’ll get plenty of goals from set-pieces. If Manchester United had followed up their interest in him he would have been playing with Gary Neville and right backs don’t come any better than Mr Consistency. With him on the pitch, everyone in my team will know what they are doing and I could put my feet up in the dugout and light a cigar.

Tony’s team (4-4-2): Shay Given (Newcastle United); Gary Neville (Manchester United); Kolo Touré (Arsenal); Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea); Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur); Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool); Michael Essien (Chelsea); Joey Barton (Newcastle United); Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough); Wayne Rooney (Manchester United); Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham Hotspur)

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