Opta's Leboeuf let-down

Leboeuf in ahead of Tony Adams in the opta index XI

By Phil Gordos BBC Sport Online

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics."

Whether these famous words came from the mouth of former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli or American writer Mark Twain matters not in this context.

The key fact for football fans up and down the country is that they sum up perfectly the fallibility of the opta index, which attempts to measure players' performances.

Former Arsenal defender Tony Adams is overlooked

Sure, David Beckham, Roy Keane, Robert Pires and Sol Campbell might get into some people's best-ever Premiership XI.

But Frank Leboeuf? A World Cup winner he may be, but the Frenchman was decidedly average during his time in Chelsea's back-line.

Opta's in-depth analysis of the game - among other things it measures the number of shots, saves, tackles and passes a player makes - has given supporters plenty of ammunition for their pre-match/post-match chats.

Its top Premiership team is likely to stimulate more furious debate.

Who would make your Premiership XI?

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Goalkeeper: David James

The West Ham stopper may be capable of the odd jaw-dropping save, but he did not earn the nickname 'Calamity' for nothing.

Peter Schmeichel, David Seaman or Nigel Martyn surely warrant inclusion ahead of the man of many haircuts.

Right-back: Stephen Carr

The Spurs defender was rumoured to be on Barcelona's hit-list at one point and is certainly a threat going forward.

But, again, there are more deserving players, such as Lee Dixon, Gary Neville and Danny Mills.

Centre-backs: Sol Campbell

Thanks to his move across North London to Arsenal, Sol has finally started to pick up the silverware his talents deserve.

Held the Spurs defence together for many a season and now the bedrock of England's back-line. A worthy inclusion.

Frank Leboeuf

Boasting a cultured left-foot, the Frenchman loved nothing more than strolling forward to support his strikers.

But defensively, he was always suspect, especially when it came to repelling the aerial threat. And was he better than Tony Adams or Sami Hyypia?

Left-back: Ian Harte

Is there a finer striker of a dead ball in Britain?

The Leeds defender has attributes in both defence and attack, which is no doubt why Juve are allegedly interested in the Republic of Ireland international.

Midfielders: David Beckham

His free-kicks alone make him another worthy inclusion, but his industry and inspiration to his team-mates make him indispensable.

There is no-one else in Britain capable of emulating him.

Paul Scholes

His probing and link-up play with the strikers have made the Man Utd player one of the best in the business at what he does.

But does he deserve his place ahead of the likes of Freddie Ljungberg and Steven Gerrard?

Roy Keane

Ask any Premiership manager for their first-choice midfielder and Roy's name will inevitably crop up.

On-the-field indiscretions aside, this born leader is the player who most deserves his place in the Opta side, even at Patrick Vieira's expense.

Robert Pires

After a slow start to his Premiership career, Pires exploded into life last season.

Together with team-mate Ljungberg, the Frenchman could be counted on to give Arsenal's already potent attacking line an added dimension.

Strikers: Paolo Di Canio

Since his well-publicised shove on referee Paul Alcock, the Italian has won the hearts of most supporters with his wizardry and sheer genius.

But his goal ratio is not good enough to earn him a place in the Opta eleven.

Dwight Yorke

Came of age when he swapped Villa Park for Old Trafford, but he is not the out-and-out striker that either Thierry Henry or Alan Shearer is.

The Blackburn frontman is more noted for his ability to tee up his team-mates.