With that in mind, as it stands this would be my twelve men to make up the team and give Europe the strongest chance of retaining the trophy once again.
Ian Poulter (England)
The first name on any European Ryder Cup team sheet from now until his bones give up. His performances at Medinah in last years edition were simply out of this world. Poulter lives for this event and his passion lifts his teammates ten-fold. Even if Poulter doesn't make it in automatically, then captain Paul McGinley simply must pick him. He would be on the backfoot right from the start if he chose not to.
Henrik Stenson (Sweden)
The big Swede has been in sensational form in the latter half of 2013 and if he keeps those sort of performances up he'll be a shoo-in for the team. Winner of the Tour Championship and the Fed Ex Cup last month, Stenson has rocketed to number four in the world and also managed top three finishes at The Open and the PGA Championship in the summer. Blessed with a superbly long driving game, Stenson would be eager to impress in his first Ryder Cup since 2008.
Lee Westwood (Eng)
With McGinley being a relatively young Ryder Cup captain at the age of 47 (when the event starts), Westwood will provide a hugely experienced voice in the players room. 2014 would be the Englishman's ninth successive Ryder Cup appearance and whilst his putting can be erratic to put it mildly, he is a superb leadout man- much in the way Colin Montgomerie became in his later appearances in the competition.
Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)
Whilst McIlroy has suffered a remarkably bad 2013, I cannot imagine the team next year lining up without him. On his day, he is the greatest player in the world and the great thing for captain McGinley is that he doesn't fear any of the Americans. He will surely bounce back next year (he's too good not to) and make sure of his place at Gleneagles.
Justin Rose (England)
This years US Open champion has matured into a tremendous golfer. Long gone are the days of missed cut after missed cut. The Englishman is now a threat in every tournament he plays in and with his fantastic all-round game, particularly from tee to green, he will be a superb asset for the European side. Infact, bar Poulter I'd say he's the one player the Americans wish was on their side.
Sergio Garcia (Spain)
Much like that man Poulter, Garcia lives for this competition. He might still yearn to win an overdue Major title, but nothing quite gets the Spaniard's fires burning as loudly as the Ryder Cup. A great man to have in the players room to lift spirits, he comes into his own, particularly in the foursomes.
Matteo Manassero (Italy)
I'm becoming more and more convinced that the young Italian will be lining up for his debut Ryder Cup appearance next year. He was superb in winning the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May and was equally impressive in the recent Seve Trophy event, which would have done his Ryder Cup chances no harm. And for the matchplay format, he also happens to have a brilliant short game which is a bonus.
Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium)
Whilst Ian Poulter was the main hero of Medinah, the Belgian's remarkable effort in the last Friday afternoon fourball match to gain Europe a point shouldn't be forgotten. He played round in ten under par leading partner Lee Westwood to effectively say he had carried him through the match. His driving length makes him a superb weapon to have on your side and the fact that he is a former winner of the Volvo World Matchplay ticks another box in my eyes.
Paul Casey (England)
Isn't it wonderful to see Casey back in some sort of form? Once he was the world number three, before personal and physical problems saw him take a tumbling down the rankings. But a win at the Irish Open in the summer boosted his confidence, and slowly but surely he is showing the form that enabled him to tee up in this event three times before. The fact that he has won at Gleneagles and has a good record in Matchplay events gives him more than a fighting chance of making the team.
Stephen Gallacher (Scotland)
I must admit to a vested interest in this selection- I'm good friends with Gallacher's nephew and as a result I would be delighted to see him tee it up at Gleneagles. That being said, Gallacher is more than capable of being a key player for Europe. A winner already this season in Dubai, he was also 2nd in the Johnnie Walker Championships (at a certain Gleneagles) and tied 3rd on Sunday in Portugal. With his extremely natural ball striking and consistent record around Gleneagles, he could be a secret weapon for Team Europe next year.
Martin Kaymer (Germany)
The man who holed the winning putt in Medinah last year is not the golfer he once was but he remains supremely talented. He is an intelligent golfer who when on form can blow away the opposition. The German also seems to like Scottish courses, winning the Scottish Open in 2009 as well as picking up fine results at St Andrews in the past few years.
Luke Donald (England)
Let me state on record, Donald is in this team by the skin of his teeth. He has had a pretty miserable 2013 by anyone's standards and will really need to buck up his ideas if he wants to ensure he makes a fifth Ryder Cup appearance. So why is he in right now? Two reasons- he's still a phenomenal putter and when looking at this team, he could partner up with just about any of them.
There is great strength in depth in European golf right now, so it was tough narrowing it down to a dozen. A certain Northern Irishman who holed the winning putt in 2010 has some work to do though for me...
