70s Fantasy Draft - antohan v Brwned

[Brwned]

Team Antohan

I'm playing a 4-3-2-1 which will seamlessly turn into a 4-2-3-1 with Luis Enrique joining Forlán and Zidane on the right when in possession.

I'm defending high up as my defenders can all more than match any of Brwned's attackers for pace. I assume Shearer is further up because he will need a headstart, but he is no real line leader and has rarely ever played anything but 4-4-2 so it remains to be seen how he adapts to this unfamiliar formation with no crosses coming in.

Simeone assumes a holding midfield role keeping Valerón in his pocket and joining the other two in build up play. Scholes is on Pirlo, can do anything Pirlo can do but will also work ten times harder and scores goals. Luis Enrique is in a box-to-box role and will drag Davids all over the pitch with his pace and insane workrate. If Davids loses him, Brwned is in trouble, a very incisive player who scored 25 goals in 47 games as a CM under Bobby Robson, and held a 27 in 60 European record for Barca over his entire career there. Sparks will fly with those two.

Zidane and Forlán roam in the space between both defensive lines linking up and fashioning an opening. Brwned will be scrambling when I'm in possession.

Vieri was a monster as a line leader, three 1 in 1 league seasons and his pace will keep Brwned deep as Ayala would be left stranded in no man's land continuously otherwise.

[FONT=&quot]In short, my team has a greater all-round contribution from all players across the pitch both in possession and when trying to win it back.[/FONT][FONT=&quot] With Zidane and Scholes playing together the world would be a better place, cafites in need of sexual gratification could just turn on the telly and watch Team Antohan.

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]PLAYER PROFILES
[/FONT]

[/QUOTE]

Starting Formation

Spoiler

Current Formation

Teams have changed since the match began.

Team Brwned

Starting Formation

Spoiler

http://www.footballuser.com/formations/2012/02/348439_Champions_League_Team.jpg

Current Formation

 

[antohan]

You nicked my colours!

I demand you wear your away strip!

 

[Brwned]

It's a tactical move to confuse the voters, an optical illusion of sorts...not really, blame my assistant because he made it and I'm too lazy to change it right now!

 

[antohan]

It's a tactical move to confuse the voters, an optical illusion of sorts...not really, blame my assistant because he made it and I'm too lazy to change it right now!

Who's your assistant? Or do you have someone at work doing your footballuser entries?

 

[antohan]

May as well add SF2 on the title while you are at it

 

[Gio]

I can't really seperate the two teams at this moment. Erratic keepers with Barthez's Marseille form slightly better than Rustu's peak. Brwned edges the back four but it's a marginal difference. Similarly matched deep-lying playmakers in Scholes and Pirlo. Simeone superior than Tacchinardi, but Davids is the outstanding pure midifelder on the pitch. Zidane and Rivaldo are much of a muchness as are Valeron and Enrique albeit for different reasons in behind the striker. Shearer and Vieri both superb and similarly physical strikers in their pomp.

 

[antohan]

I can't really seperate the two teams at this moment. Erratic keepers with Barthez's Marseille form slightly better than Rustu's peak.

You can't be serious regarding keepers. I didn't even point that out, but would be very surprised if anyone rates Rustu ahead of Barthez, a WC winner and semifinalist (+ several other honours, I don't really care much for those, but there really is a gulf in class here).

Brwned edges the back four but it's a marginal difference.

Back four I didn't get into either as it is very even and down to personal opinions. I'm not going to go into communication synergies and all that obscure stuff, but I would point out the only significant difference in pace on this pitch is Vieri on Ayala, and also that Montero being a leftie and proficient fullback is also a bonus to cover Candela, something Ayala won't do as well for Zambrotta.

Similarly matched deep-lying playmakers in Scholes and Pirlo. Simeone superior than Tacchinardi, but Davids is the outstanding pure midifelder on the pitch. Zidane and Rivaldo are much of a muchness as are Valeron and Enrique albeit for different reasons in behind the striker.

There's a crucial difference here in that Rivaldo and Valerón contribute nothing by way of pressing and getting stuck in. Simeone and Scholes will be fairly comfortable dealing with them and building up the play from deep.

Luis Enrique will be a nightmare for Davids, will drag him all over the pitch when in possession and will be breathing down his and Pirlo's neck when not in possession. Forlán will also do a job, although I'm not too worried about Tacchinardi in possession, which is why him and Zidane will focus on Pirlo not having any space or time on the ball.

If you take Zidane and Pirlo as even workrate-wise (reckon Zidane is slightly more hardworking but let's not push it) all of my other four put in a shift, while Brwned really has two doing all the huffing and puffing and these two contribute very little once in possession. i.e. I have a more significant all-round and balanced contribution from my midfield players.

Shearer and Vieri both superb and similarly physical strikers in their pomp.

Shearer relied on crosses and played off a partner, rarely played anything but 4-4-2, which is not what his team is playing here. Vieri is very comfortable, loving the service and leaving Ayala stranded.

 

[Crustanoid]

This is very tough. I really like Antohans back 4, and his midfield is almost perfect. Not massively sure about Forlan on the left though. Whereas Brwned is very solid in the central area and has Pirlo and Rivaldo for that creative spark. Both keepers are prone to dodginess. At the moment Brwned is very slightly edging it for me but I'm going to wait before voting

 

[Brwned]

Who's your assistant? Or do you have someone at work doing your footballuser entries?

AldoRaine in the newbies, the one who wanted to be part of this tournament but couldn't so I let him participate through me, basically. He's essentially been the manager and I've been the assistant in reality.

Any of the four who voted for antohan feel like explaining their reasons?

 

[Gio]

You can't be serious regarding keepers. I didn't even point that out, but would be very surprised if anyone rates Rustu ahead of Barthez, a WC winner and semifinalist (+ several other honours, I don't really care much for those, but there really is a gulf in class here).

As said I'd take Barthez ahead of Rustu (who was a WC semi-finalist himself for what it's worth, not much IMO). And yes he was a better keeper at Marseille than at United, but he isn't one of the best in the draft and a clearly a level below the likes of Buffon, Van Der Sar and Toldo.

There's a crucial difference here in that Rivaldo and Valerón contribute nothing by way of pressing and getting stuck in. Simeone and Scholes will be fairly comfortable dealing with them and building up the play from deep.

I'm not sure. Valeron's nimbleness on the ball means he will be very difficult to dispossess which will be problematic for Scholes. And I'd fancy Rivaldo to get the better of Simeone, much like he did in the 1999 Copa quarter-final.

Luis Enrique will be a nightmare for Davids, will drag him all over the pitch when in possession.

I think it's a wise move positioning Luis Enrique on the right side of midfield to match up with Davids. But Zambrotta can deal with any movement beyond that, enabling Davids to get stuck into the midfield battle.

 

[antohan]

Not massively sure about Forlan on the left though.

Let's be clear, it's not left wing but inside left. It is where he played at WC 2010 for the most part (and got the Golden Ball for it). You have to remember he is not a fox-in-the-box type but one who builds up from deeper, a fair share of Forlán's goals are long range screamers.

Have a look at this Top 10 Forlán goals and tell me how many are inconsistent with that positioning!



He is DEADLY where he is right now and there is nowt Ferdinand can do but see the ball fly past him.

 

[antohan]

AldoRaine in the newbies, the one who wanted to be part of this tournament but couldn't so I let him participate through me, basically. He's essentially been the manager and I've been the assistant in reality.

Any of the four who voted for antohan feel like explaining their reasons?

Fair enough.

Hi Aldo out there! Shame we can't discuss this... Open to PMing.

And, can you redo the teamsheet?

 

[antohan]

he isn't one of the best in the draft and a clearly a level below the likes of Buffon, Van Der Sar and Toldo.

Yeah, I know it will be brought up if I make the final. In hindsight I should have picked Peruzzi ahead of Seedorf, but I didn't know what/who I would come across back then.

I'm not sure. Valeron's nimbleness on the ball means he will be very difficult to dispossess which will be problematic for Scholes. And I'd fancy Rivaldo to get the better of Simeone, much like he did in the 1999 Copa quarter-final.

I think both will be comfortable and not too harassed once in possession and the setup is good for intercepting and not letting them get much to play with. In space it could be different but they won't have that much, which is the point of these two being there.

Of course there's also the fact that nimbleness is not too long-lasting with Scholes' purely accidental clatters and Brazilians can be subdued if you make things physical for them. It has been the traditional way of keeping them quiet down here. The only Brazilian who ever scared me senseless was Romario because he was the complete opposite: you kicked him, he scored. The last Brazilian forward with any balls.

I think it's a wise move positioning Luis Enrique on the right side of midfield to match up with Davids. But Zambrotta can deal with any movement beyond that, enabling Davids to get stuck into the midfield battle.

He will only ever move into Zambrotta territory if we are in possession, at which point Zanetti will be around as well. Movement doesn't only take him forward, he can come short as well, and Davids is the only midfielder there who can keep up with his workrate and pace, he will have to stay pretty close to him, or else...

 

[antohan]

Looks like cafites have really appreciated my team's promise of sexual gratification

 

[Red-Indian]

Antohan's team is almost perfectly balanced. On top of that, he has Seedorf in reserve. If he subs say Forlan for Seedorf, it will be almost impossible to get the ball off him.

 

[antohan]

Antohan's team is almost perfectly balanced. On top of that, he has Seedorf in reserve. If he subs say Forlan for Seedorf, it will be almost impossible to get the ball off him.

For some reason others were quite negative about Seedorf's defensive contribution and overall workrate. I think it may be that they have seen an over-30 Seedorf for too long.

Would rather keep Forlán where he is, his long rangers are a brutal weapon, but I had originally thought of having him ahead of Simeone in a different formation.

I'm pretty comfortable with the game as it has been laid out though, don't tinker if it ain't broke

But yeah, if the team needed freshening up at some point Seedorf is a top quality sub.

 

[Red-Indian]

For some reason others were quite negative about Seedorf's defensive contribution and overall workrate. I think it may be that they have seen an over-30 Seedorf for too long.

Would rather keep Forlán where he is, his long rangers are a brutal weapon, but I had originally thought of having him ahead of Simeone in a different formation.

I'm pretty comfortable with the game as it has been laid out though, don't tinker if it ain't broke

But yeah, if the team needed freshening up at some point Seedorf is a top quality sub.

No I agree. Its a great formation. 5 of the front 6 have heaps of goals in them while Brwned has to rely only on 2 (Valeron despite his creativity never scored too many goals).

And you haven't sacrificed too much work rate either. Only Zidane's lazy there.

 

[antohan]

No I agree. Its a great formation. 5 of the front 6 have heaps of goals in them while Brwned has to rely only on 3.

And you haven't sacrificed too much work rate either. Only Zidane's lazy there.

Exactly, that's the crucial difference between both midfields. Brwned's is split into grafters and creators while most of mine contribute in all three areas (goals, creativity and pressing/tracking back) so effectively I can do more of all of them, which should give me the upper hand as far as possession is concerned.

I'm confident I can cut off Pirlo, which leaves the creators and goalscorers isolated upfront. In a rather simplistic way, his threat really boils down to Rivaldo, so cutting the supply to him and keeping him in check should pretty much secure the game.

Of course, he could have a stinker anyway, it wouldn't be the first time a player doesn't show up for a game. On the other hand, I can afford any one of my midfielders having a bad day at the office without it being crippling.

 

[Brwned]

Thought it'd be closer than this judging from the initial comments! No-one want to explain their reasoning, at all?

 

[Siorac]

How do you see Shearer and Larsson working together? That's the one big question mark over your team for me.

 

[Cling Bak]

Not sure about antohan's formation.

It looks primed for a diamond midfield but instead we've got Scholes sitting deep and Forlan wide of an attacking midfield trio.

Who are on both your benches?

 

[Brwned]

The same way Larsson and Sutton worked so well together. Larsson's an intelligent and team-orientated striker so I'd say he could play with almost any forward I believe, he was praised by people within Celtic, Barcelona and United for his intelligence. He was never lightning quick but he was good at getting in behind the defence and going beyond his strike partner. And there's no denying he was a clinical finisher, 10 goals in 14 starts in the league for Barca in his last season, 15 in 25 starts in all competitions in both seasons...he could have done very well there if not for the injury. I think he'd get a lot of joy up against Candela.

 

[antohan]

Not sure about antohan's formation.

It looks primed for a diamond midfield but instead we've got Scholes sitting deep and Forlan wide of an attacking midfield trio.

Who are on both your benches?

It was all a bit clearer before Brwned switched his formation and my explanations stopped making any sense!

Will update that as soon as I can.

 

[antohan]

Brilliant, now Footballuser is down...

Brwned, reckon you should put a note about your change of formation, the score at that point and what it was (in spoilers). The thread and discussions make no sense without that context.

 

[Brwned]

I think you overestimate how many people look beyond the OP, or even just the two images.

 

[Snow]

For some reason others were quite negative about Seedorf's defensive contribution and overall workrate. I think it may be that they have seen an over-30 Seedorf for too long.

Would rather keep Forlán where he is, his long rangers are a brutal weapon, but I had originally thought of having him ahead of Simeone in a different formation.

I'm pretty comfortable with the game as it has been laid out though, don't tinker if it ain't broke

But yeah, if the team needed freshening up at some point Seedorf is a top quality sub.

I actually think it's kind of a weakness in your team. He takes a lot of shots and it's going to wast possession. Something that his fellow players won't be happy with. It's different when you're the main man for Uruguay or Atletico Madrid where the attacking outlets are more limited. But he'll shoot if there's not a man 2m in front of him. So I wouldn't count it as a strength. After all, most goals are scored inside the box.

 

[Snow]

Brwned didn't start with the team that is currently on?

 

[antohan]

I actually think it's kind of a weakness in your team. He takes a lot of shots and it's going to wast possession. Something that his fellow players won't be happy with. It's different when you're the main man for Uruguay or Atletico Madrid where the attacking outlets are more limited. But he'll shoot if there's not a man 2m in front of him. So I wouldn't count it as a strength. After all, most goals are scored inside the box.

He was European top scorer twice and World Cup joint top scorer with that "wasteful" approach. All goals count as far as I'm concerned and if he has the chance to let fly with a left-footed scorcher, I'm more than happy for him to give it a go.

 

[antohan]

Brwned didn't start with the team that is currently on?

No, he was 9-2 down when I last logged out, now I log in to find the formation changed and it's 11-5

 

[Brwned]

It was 10-4 with the original formation.

 

[antohan]

Brwned, please switch my op entry to this

I'm playing a 4-3-2-1 which will seamlessly turn into a 4-2-3-1 with Luis Enrique joining Forlán and Zidane on the right when in possession.

I'm defending high up as my defenders can all more than match any of Brwned's attackers for pace. I assume Shearer is further up because he will need a headstart, but he is no real line leader and has rarely ever played anything but 4-4-2 so it remains to be seen how he adapts to this unfamiliar formation with no crosses coming in.

Simeone assumes a holding midfield role keeping Valerón in his pocket and joining the other two in build up play. Scholes is on Pirlo, can do anything Pirlo can do but will also work ten times harder and scores goals. Luis Enrique is in a box-to-box role and will drag Davids all over the pitch with his pace and insane workrate. If Davids loses him, Brwned is in trouble, a very incisive player who scored 25 goals in 47 games as a CM under Bobby Robson, and held a 27 in 60 European record for Barca over his entire career there. Sparks will fly with those two.

Zidane and Forlán roam in the space between both defensive lines linking up and fashioning an opening. Brwned will be scrambling when I'm in possession.

Vieri was a monster as a line leader, three 1 in 1 league seasons and his pace will keep Brwned deep as Ayala would be left stranded in no man's land continuously otherwise.

[FONT=&quot]In short, my team has a greater all-round contribution from all players across the pitch both in possession and when trying to win it back.[/FONT][FONT=&quot] With Zidane and Scholes playing together the world would be a better place, cafites in need of sexual gratification could just turn on the telly and watch Team Antohan.

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]PLAYER PROFILES

[/FONT]

 

[Rood]

Ok I usually like to think about balance but both teams have good formations so it comes down to player v player and antohan takes it for me:

Barthez > Rustu
Candela < Zambrotta
Montero < Rio
Nesta > Ayala
Zanetti > Sagnol
Scholes > Pirlo
Simeone < Davids
Zidane > Valeron
Forlan < Rivaldo
Luis Enrique > Larsson
Vieri = Shearer

 

[antohan]

I think he'd get a lot of joy up against Candela.

Eh? You listed everything that was good about Larsson as a CF and then put him down as a right wing player?

 

[Siorac]

Player for player...

Barthez > Rüstü
Candela < Zambrotta
Montero < Rio
Nesta > Ayala
Zanetti > Sagnol
Scholes = Pirlo
Simeone < Davids
Zidane > Valeron
Forlan < Rivaldo
Luis Enrique = Larsson
Vieri = Shearer

Still can't decide. This is a draw for me, 2-2

 

[antohan]

It looks primed for a diamond midfield but instead we've got Scholes sitting deep and Forlan wide of an attacking midfield trio.

It was indeed a bit weird as I had a setup aimed at playing a very different team!

Who are on both your benches?

Seedorf is the one in mine who could get on. Very tempted to play him on the left and bring Scholes centrally. Would work better in possession, but I don't want to push my luck defensively and I'm happy as a camper having Pirlo matched up with Scholes. Scholes will show you how much better it is not to be lazy even if you are a genius.

 

[antohan]

I think you overestimate how many people look beyond the OP, or even just the two images.

I agree most will just look at the images. I originally suggested the "version control" primarily because I joined a game thread late and the entire first page made no sense whatsoever. It was only on the second page I realised it was because the teamsheets had changed after.

Most other managers weren't around last night when this started and it would be a shame if they can't make sense of the initial exchanges. It is also interesting to see what responses different approaches get. From what you say the original ran up to 10-4, then you switched and we went to 11-5 before I switched and... hopefully the first number grows more

 

[Rood]

BTW Brwned's change of formation was a good idea - way better than what went before as Tacchinardi was a massive weak link IMO, I was suprised that a team with such an average player in midfield got past me!

 

[kps88]

How are Rivlado and Larsson supposed to be playing? Barcelona style forwards? Attacking midfielders?

 

[antohan]

Player for player...

Barthez > Rüstü
Candela < Zambrotta
Montero < Rio ----
Nesta > Ayala
Zanetti > Sagnol
Scholes = Pirlo
Simeone < Davids
Zidane > Valeron
Forlan < Rivaldo
Luis Enrique = Larsson
Vieri = Shearer

Still can't decide. This is a draw for me, 2-2

Firstly I would say it depends on who you decide to match up (is it Montero vs. Rio or Ayala?).

Second I would say you need to consider the game at hand and the opposing player.

My keeper is better.

The defensive lines are very even but Ayala's lack of pace is only bettered by his lack of sprint from a standing start, which will be a liability and will condition his play when facing a pacy striker.

Scholes is not = to Pirlo, he shits on him as far as goals, defensive contribution and workrate are concerned.

Simeone is holding and keeping tabs on Valerón, which he will do comfortably.

Davids and Luis Enrique is the killer matchup. On a static basis, Davids would win that, once you factor in movement and Luis Enrique's versatility to operate all over the pitch you have to wonder if Davids is not entirely taken out of the game having to stay on him.

Zidane and Forlán are operating in acres of space as Brwned can't push up and there's no one on them.

He can't push up as a result of Vieri's pace vs. Ayala, Brwned can't due to Shearer's lack of it vs. my CBs. Brwned could push up and leave Ayala at the back but that is asking for trouble really. Vieri will be more familiar with the formation, Shearer is not used to operate in such a central/through-the-middle setup. Vieri will have the better game.

 

[Red-Indian]

From what I can see, Brwned's new formation seems to have set Scholes utterly free. He'll wreak havoc - pinging balls all over the place.

Though Antohan also seems to have decided not to have a man on Rivaldo which is a mistake I think.