70s Fantasy Draft - kps88 v Cal?

Who will win based on players in their prime, team tactics, balance & bench strength?

  • Total voters
    23
  • Poll closed .

Brwned

Have you ever been in love before?
Joined
Apr 18, 2008
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Important note: For the purpose of this competition, these players are considered at the level when they were in their prime.

Team Cal?

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"THIS IS HOW THE GAME STARTED. TACTICS HAVE CHANGED SINCE AT <4-3>, SEE BELOW"

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Sub: Nicky Butt

kps88 said:
Tactics: A fluid 4-4-2. Scholes controls the tempo and pings it around at will. He is protected by Gattuso who runs his socks off, launches into tackles and intimidates the opposition midfield. Ljunberg provides width and pace in behind. Okocha starts off on the left, but can drift around and cut inside on his right foot, similar to the way Zidane played on the left for Madrid. This gives more space for Jankulovski to burst forward and make use of his crossing ability. Cole and Yorke, do what they do best - combination play and getting on the end of things.

Brad Friedel: Safe and reliable on a normal day, unbeatable on his best days (usually against United). A fantastic last line of defense.

Albert Ferrer: Represented Barcelona for almost a decade. Part of the famous Barcelona dream team that won 5 league titles and the European Cup, amongnst others. Was a pacy, tough tackling full back who could get forward.

Marek Jankulovski: Champions League and Serie A winner with over 100 caps for Ac Milan. A fantastic crosser of the ball.

Sol Campbell: Quality, hard defender. Made it into 3 PFA, a World Cup and a Champions League team of the year.

Ivan Cordoba: One of the quickest defenders around to compliment Campbell's strength. Over 300 caps for Inter and has won it all.

Freddy Ljunberg: Fantastic, pacy winger with a knack of scoring goals. Was named in the EPL Overseas Team of the Decade.

Paul Scholes: Ginger Prince. Legend. Will control the pace of the game in midfield and run the show.

Gennaro Gattuso: Fierce, hard working midfielder who never stops running. A fantastic tackler of the ball, he will do the dirty work in midfield and allow Scholes to flourish.

Jay Jay Okocha: Magical at his best and a joy to watch. Has been given a sort of free role on the left where he can drift infield and use that right foot his to thread in Cole and Yorke. Set piece specialist as well.

Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke: The telepathic, unstoppable partnership that won United the treble will be leading the line. Defenders beware.

Nicky Butt (Sub): An often underrated component of the hugely successful United team of the 90s. Can come on to provide a bit of steel and legs to the midfield if needed.
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Already out of the competition. :(

Anyway, I'm going to sub on Duff for Guti and move Beckham next to Keane, seems everyone hates Guti.
 
So who plays on the left? Pires and Duff were both at their best on the left hand side of midfield. One of them's going to have to play out of position, along with Beckham whose at his best on the right.

Think Yorke and Cole will cause Panucci and Melberg all sorts of problems here.
 
kps88 said:
So who plays on the left? Pires and Duff were both at their best on the left hand side of midfield. One of them's going to have to play out of position, along with Beckham whose at his best on the right.

Think Yorke and Cole will cause Panucci and Melberg all sorts of problems here.
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Going 4-3-3.

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I reckon in prime Beckham and Keane with Pires right and Duff left would be pretty good. Certainly Duff and Pires were both better wide men in their primes than Okocha and Ljunberg were
 
There's no way I would say Duff was "certainly" a better winger than Ljunberg.
 
Anyway, I've gone for the more attacking formation and will rely on Keano to run the midfield on his own, with Becks & Duff helping out.
 
It's wierd, both sides seem to have players out of position to an extent. Kps you might be right about Duff and Ljunberg - I was talking about them as pairs and Pires-Duff is much more balanced. I still think the presence of an in-prime Keane and Beckham makes Cal?s side stronger
 
Duff playing behind Pires is completely bemusing, Duff being an out and out winger who played right up the pitch because of his pace and dribbling and Pires being a floaty attacking midfielder who was devastating in central areas with his creative passing and close control...I can't see the logic.
 
If I was Cal I'd bring Guti back and have a flat 4 with Solskjaer and Crespo operating as a two. Ole circa 2000 and Crespo pre-Chelsea would be a lethal partnership and Keane is the only midfielder in this competition who is capable of dragging a 4-4-2 to victory. With Beckham and Pires on the flanks he'd be able attack kps pretty effectively
 
Based on the starting formations, I'd have gone for Cal with three of his most attacking four better than Kps' equivalents. Not sure at the moment, Keane looks completely stranded in midfield.
 
Crustanoid said:
If I was Cal I'd bring Guti back and have a flat 4 with Solskjaer and Crespo operating as a two. Ole circa 2000 and Crespo pre-Chelsea would be a lethal partnership and Keane is the only midfielder in this competition who is capable of dragging a 4-4-2 to victory. With Beckham and Pires on the flanks he'd be able attack kps pretty effectively
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Shame is you can't sub people off and on again. I agree, Cal was getting slaughtered for Guti making no contribution in a midfield two. This was the one game where he could possibly get away with it on the back of his much more impressive wide players

Now I'm stuck. I don't like Duff there AT ALL. I wouldn't half mind him going flat with Pires on the right and Beckham centrally at this stage (I actually thought that wasn't too bad an option in one of the prior games).

It's amazing how much one misfit can completely screw you up. If he had the chance to get two new players he would actually take some beating...

Will sit this for a while.
 
Cal's had another tactical nightmare - that xmas tree is horrific!

amazing that a team with so many United greats in it can look so wrong
 
Rood said:
Cal's had another tactical nightmare - that xmas tree is horrific!

amazing that a team with so many United greats in it can look so wrong
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And a "great" subliminal message to boot: Andorra :lol:
 
Bump. Vote difference could play a part so I'm not letting up. Cal seems to have 4 wide players out there and Keane in midfield all on his own. Don't think I've ever seen that sort of a personnel/formation combo used in a game of football and I'm certain Scholes - Gattuso would be running the game by now.
 
Voted kps in the end. Sorry Cal - you've got some great players in there and I really liked the look of that original line up, but I can't really see a weakness in kps' team. I'm guessing there are a fair few teams competing, but there surely can't be many better than that one. Quality all over.
 
FFS Cal hasn't even voted for himself and he could put Beckham in central midfield and go for a 4-4-2 again.

Cal should be banned from all further drafts tbh for being so useless.
 
Cold_Boy said:
FFS Cal hasn't even voted for himself and he could put Beckham in central midfield and go for a 4-4-2 again.

Cal should be banned from all further drafts tbh for being so useless.
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:rolleyes: I put Guti in midfield and people complain, I change to Duff and people complain...

Anyway, thought we're not supposed to vote for ourselves anyway.
 
I think it was just antohan and KM who complained about Guti and all they said was he was your weak link - every team has a weak link, not everyone takes three players out of position to hide that weak link. That 442 was the well balanced team you've had, even if Guti is a bit lightweight.
 
Brwned said:
I think it was just antohan and KM who complained about Guti and all they said was he was your weak link - every team has a weak link, not everyone takes three players out of position to hide that weak link. That 442 was the well balanced team you've had, even if Guti is a bit lightweight.
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Indeed. I was musing about what Guti-related tagline would be appropraite for Cal? and noticed he is in the match-fixing department. With kps needing a mauling, you have to wonder...

I'm not being serious, but it's such a ludicrous tactical switch... Total brainfart :lol:
 
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