Ahead of England’s final group game tonight, I’ve come up with my Law Firm starting XI. The Manager is of course the SRA.
In goal we’ve got Slaughter & May – the ultimate safe pair of hands.
In defence we’ve got four powerhouses of litigation. Who better to defend our goal (i.e. clients) than Clifford Chance, Herbert Smith, Quinn Emanuel and A&O Shearman. I know what you’re thinking; will HSF and Quinn be able to work together in the middle? Well, they’ve been co-counsel many times before so I think we should be safe.
Sitting in front of the back four, we’ve got Linklaters and Freshfields. Both just as good on the defensive side of the game as they are on the attacking side (i.e. corporate). They’re also both extremely good at feeding into Latham
The attacking four consists of Latham through the middle, Travers and Macfarlanes on the wings, with Kirkland up front as the lone striker. As with Links and Freshfields, Travers and Macs are also very good at feeding into Latham and Kirkland, whilst also being known for their own skills on the ball. As per a recent FT article that referred to Latham as having ‘conquered the City’, Latham will be looking to call the shots and dictate play.
Kirkland up top as the lone striker is where they’re comfortable. They’ve got the size and strength (i.e. PEP), and arguably there’s no one you’d (i.e. global PE funds) trust more to put the ball in the back of the net (i.e. get the deal over the line) when people are tired and the pressure is mounting after a long tournament (i.e. deal timeline).
Now, there’s a lot of talent and ego here, so there’s a lot of pressure on the Manager to ensure these 11 play as a team – no easy feat of course. But above all else, please pray that it doesn’t go to penalties!
