All Time Chain Draft - SF: The Stain vs MJJ/crappy

With players at career peak, who will win the match?


  • Total voters
    28
  • Poll closed .
Team Comparison:-

Neuer> Preudhomme ( Lets just get this out of the way first).

The midfield I would say are on par, its basically schweign and robson vs vieira and tigana. I would say thats pretty much equal with neither having an edge.

Laudrup would be engaged in a fine battle with sammer, which again I consider par with neither having a clear edge advantage.

Where our side wins it is in attack. Romario is a far better striker than RVN, Giggs is a united legend but he has never really had the peak where he was terrorizing defenses day in and day out ala ronaldo or henry. And Figo is slightly better than robben for me, and has had a more illustrious career in terms of awards.

Out of the fullback duo, I would say lahm is the best then cole with lizarazu and gerets on par. Gerets is against Henry though, which is probably the worse match up on the pitch.

In my very biased opinion, our attack is better than his at creating and finishing chances which will lead to a victory for us but a close one, probably 2-1.
No mention of central defence? I wonder why :nono:
 
I've gone for MJJ/Crappy. On the basis that both defences and midfields are about the same, but one team has a superior attack.
 
Argh lost my post.

Going for the Stain 2-1 as he has a more sustained goal threat and MJJ's front three isn't creative enough to consistently cause problems for that defense on the counter (the Stain would have more possession overall)

That said I do think Beckham over Robben would make more tactical sense for the Atain- an extra body in midfield making a perfectly balanced midfield four plus a quality route to goal- crosses to Ruud. It would also allow Robson more freedom.
 
Argh lost my post.

Going for the Stain 2-1 as he has a more sustained goal threat and MJJ's front three isn't creative enough to consistently cause problems for that defense on the counter (the Stain would have more possession overall)

That said I do think Beckham over Robben would make more tactical sense for the Atain- an extra body in midfield making a perfectly balanced midfield four plus a quality route to goal- crosses to Ruud. It would also allow Robson more freedom.

I was desperately trying to shoehorn Beckham somewhere in there too, with what could be a great 4-4-1-1 - Beckham-Schweinsteiger-Robson-Giggs being nothing short of dreamy and with the United personnel in The Stain's team playing its part too. However in the end, The Stain went with the right personnel. Laudrup wasn't that great a goalscoring presence and it will all be overly dependent on RvN to conjure something up, which is one heck of a task, given he is directly up against Kohler. Robson would be a legitimate goalscoring threat too in a more liberal 4-4-2, but it isn't a surefire route as he is up against a steely midfield.

If it had been Baggio or a more goalscoring #10/second-striker behind Ruud then Beckham could have been great imo. As it stands, Robben would be the better choice and Laudrup would much rather play with and thread his passes to a 'runner' in Robben to than a more cultured wide player in Beckham. A real shame that Beckham misses out though.
 
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I was desperately trying to shoehorn Beckham somewhere in there too, with what could be a great 4-4-1-1 - Beckham-Schweinsteiger-Robson-Giggs being nothing short of dreamy and with the United personnel in The Stain's team playing its part too. However in the end, The Stain went with the right personnel. Laudrup wasn't that great a goalscoring presence and it will all be overly dependent on RvN to conjure something up, which is one heck of a task, given he is directly up against Kohler. Robson would be a legitimate goalscoring threat too in a more liberal 4-4-2, but it isn't a surefire route as he is up against a steely midfield.

If it had been Baggio or a more goalscoring #10/second-striker behind Ruud then Beckham could have been great imo. As it stands, Robben would be the better choice and Laudrup would much rather play with and thread his passes to a 'runner' in Robben to than a more cultured wide player in Beckham. A real shame that Beckham misses out though.
I think he also have kaka. Kaka -RVN, with Beckham on right would be great imo.

Edit: not to say his current setup is not awesome.
 
Argh lost my post.

Going for the Stain 2-1 as he has a more sustained goal threat and MJJ's front three isn't creative enough to consistently cause problems for that defense on the counter (the Stain would have more possession overall)

That said I do think Beckham over Robben would make more tactical sense for the Atain- an extra body in midfield making a perfectly balanced midfield four plus a quality route to goal- crosses to Ruud. It would also allow Robson more freedom.

How does he have a more sustained goal threat? Henry has more assists and goals than Giggs, ditto romario and rvn. Figo is more creative than robben who is more of a scorer to which I will agree.
 
Our midfield is also more physically impressive and has a much higher work rate. He will be out fought in midfield and won't nearly have enough time on the ball to create opportunities for his inferior forwards.
 


Henry still holds the record for the most assist in a season in the PL, his goals,assists stats per game far eclipses gigg's. Figo has the second most assists in la liga history behind messi while robben obviously is a better goal scorer. There is no comparision between both the strikers as RVN and Romario, the former is far more reliant on service and has never been thought of as amongst the best strikers in history.
 
I was desperately trying to shoehorn Beckham somewhere in there too, with what could be a great 4-4-1-1 - Beckham-Schweinsteiger-Robson-Giggs being nothing short of dreamy and with the United personnel in The Stain's team playing its part too. However in the end, The Stain went with the right personnel. Laudrup wasn't that great a goalscoring presence and it will all be overly dependent on RvN to conjure something up, which is one heck of a task, given he is directly up against Kohler. Robson would be a legitimate goalscoring threat too in a more liberal 4-4-2, but it isn't a surefire route as he is up against a steely midfield.

If it had been Baggio or a more goalscoring #10/second-striker behind Ruud then Beckham could have been great imo. As it stands, Robben would be the better choice and Laudrup would much rather play with and thread his passes to a 'runner' in Robben to than a more cultured wide player in Beckham. A real shame that Beckham misses out though.

Good point about Robben's goalscoring ability and Laudrup's lack of goals. The Stain has the right setup.
 
How does he have a more sustained goal threat? Henry has more assists and goals than Giggs, ditto romario and rvn. Figo is more creative than robben who is more of a scorer to which I will agree.

He'll have more possession and has the keys in the centre to open up your defense. On the counter you'll have chances but he has an awesome defense and only really Figo is a creative outlet. Henry has loads of assists but so does Suarez- it doesn't mean he's hugely creative.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong,was Gerets more attack minded RB, whose contribution was more at the attacking side than the defensive side?
 
He'll have more possession and has the keys in the centre to open up your defense. On the counter you'll have chances but he has an awesome defense and only really Figo is a creative outlet. Henry has loads of assists but so does Suarez- it doesn't mean he's hugely creative.

It does actually, if Henry has more assists and goals than his opposite number here in Giggs it's obvious that he is more creative and clinical. Similarly if saurez has more assists and goals than Rooney, I would say Suarez is more creative.

I don't think he will have more possession, the mid fields are even with him having luadrup as a ten but that's countered by having sammer as a DM. None of his players will have the time to thread through balls through the centre due to my midfield being more physical and stronger defensively. The game is going to be won on the wings and attack. Am not buying for one moment that luadrup will be able to dominate a sammer who has specifically be tasked to neutralize the area between our midfield and defense. His defense is superior but his attack is also easier to stop.

He has only Giggs as a creative outlet who isn't that creative anyway and is up against the best fullback on either side.
 
Furthermore robben has never been about assists, it's always been about goal scoring for him. Both sides have a winger who is more of a wing forward and a traditional winger. If you compare Henry with robben and Figo with Giggs my duo again comes up on top. Specially if you factor in rvn and romario into the equation.
 
I'll respond in a bit. Funny how you completely disregard Laudrup who is the most creative player on the park. It's rather 4 attackers against your 3.
 
I'll respond in a bit. Funny how you completely disregard Laudrup who is the most creative player on the park. It's rather 4 attackers against your 3.

Because I have sammer right in that area tasked specially with stopping Laudrup? You can't just say it's four attackers against three while I have five defenders against four. It balances out. Sammer is just as good in his position as Laudrup is in his.

Both Vieira and tigana are better defensively than Robson and shweign too. You won't dominate the midfield and neither will I. As I keep saying the game will be won by either sides front three where there is a clear gap in my favour.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong,was Gerets more attack minded RB, whose contribution was more at the attacking side than the defensive side?
He wasn't a specialist rather well balanced in both defence and attack. Known for his over-lapping runs, man-marking and deep cover. The bravery, courage and heart he offered on the pitch earned him a nickname: “The Lion (of Flanders)”. His beard along with his energetic playing style intimidated his opponents.

He captained the PSV side who won the 87/88 European Cup (CL). Part of the Belgian teams (captain 82'-90') that finished runner up in EURO 80' and 4th in the WC 86.
 
Thanks @The Stain
I think the match here is won by better attacking threat with other areas are evenly matched.
 
Henry still holds the record for the most assist in a season in the PL, his goals,assists stats per game far eclipses gigg's.

Not sure how fair it is to compare a winger to a striker, Robben would be more apt but he's still a wing forward. Henry was the focal point of the Arsenal attacks.

Anyway, i looked at Giggs v Henry in terms of assists in the seasons Henry played at Arsenal. Statbunker only has assist stats beginning at the 99/00 season, it's possible they only started counting assists then. That's 8 seasons of assists unaccounted for re Giggs (who has the most assists in PL history).

99-07:

Giggs: 82 assists in 206 starts.
Henry: 80 assists in 235 starts.

Not sure about the far eclipses here.
He has only Giggs as a creative outlet

Robben:

CL: 39 starts 8 sub appearances: 18 goals - 12 assists cl bayern

Bundesliga: 104 starts and 34 subs - 74 goals 39 assists

Yes, he's mainly about goals but you can't tell me Robben isn't creative.

Bastian is an excellent passer and will create from deeper.

Then there is Laudrup. Hard to find assist stats but it's well known he had the most assists most seasons at all his clubs. To say he will be nullified by Sammer is over the top.

Romário: "The best player I have ever played with and the 4th best in the history of the game."
Luis Figo: "I think maybe Laudrup was the best player I ever played against."
Franz Beckenbauer: "Pelé was the best in the 60s, Cruyff in the 70s, Maradona in the 80s and Laudrup in the 90s."
Lionel Messi: "I fully understand why he is considered one of the best players in Barcelona's history and even the world."


Assists and passing:


You know what they say, it's easier to defend than attack. I simply have more creative players and better passers in my team. Both our strikers will put away their chances but i'm certain my team would create more than yours.
 
Not sure how fair it is to compare a winger to a striker, Robben would be more apt but he's still a wing forward. Henry was the focal point of the Arsenal attacks.

Anyway, i looked at Giggs v Henry in terms of assists in the seasons Henry played at Arsenal. Statbunker only has assist stats beginning at the 99/00 season, it's possible they only started counting assists then. That's 8 seasons of assists unaccounted for re Giggs (who has the most assists in PL history).

99-07:

Giggs: 82 assists in 206 starts.
Henry: 80 assists in 235 starts.

Not sure about the far eclipses here.


Robben:

CL: 39 starts 8 sub appearances: 18 goals - 12 assists cl bayern

Bundesliga: 104 starts and 34 subs - 74 goals 39 assists

Yes, he's mainly about goals but you can't tell me Robben isn't creative.

From 99-07,

Bastian is an excellent passer and will create from deeper.

Then there is Laudrup. Hard to find assist stats but it's well known he had the most assists most seasons at all his clubs. To say he will be nullified by Sammer is over the top.




Assists and passing:


You know what they say, it's easier to defend than attack. I simply have more creative players and better passers in my team. Both our strikers will put away their chances but i'm certain my team would create more than yours.


Which makes it even more impressive that he has so many assists while being the furthest forward tasked with the goal scoring for the team. Compare Henry to Robben and Figo to Giggs if you must, my duo is still better. Both those stats are impressive but again, my players have better stats. You cant just discount the goals either since in this match RVN isnt going to get a lot of opportunities so you are heavily reliant on both of your wingers to score.

And its not over the top in the slightest if you aware of sammer. He is the best libero germany(and probably the world) ever had since beckenbauer. He is more than a match for laudrup and will ensure that the latter doesnt get to enjoy a good game here. I can search for some quotes proclaiming him as the greatest if that will set your mind to ease? :p

Schweignsteiger will have his hands full in midfield with both tigana and vieira breathing down his and robson neck. As I keep saying the game will be won by either sides front trio and mine is simply superior.
 
Playing from out the back; Scirea will have permission to bring the ball out from defence. His tactical intelligence will surely set up Giggs and Robben down the wings. Robson/RvN will benefit from the odd through-/long-ball. Ashley Cole will be focused more on defence, just like he thrived in. Same with Gerets but it doesn't mean they won't join in attack. Just that they will take the "defend-first" approach.

When defending; Gerets will be on Henry like a plaster. Gerets was a man marker with high mentality/tenacity who provided deep cover. He could run all day, his stamina was superb. He was also known for his over-lapping runs. Cole consistently went up against Cristiano Ronaldo and won. Figo was a tricky player, like Ronaldo, but slower. I can see Figo struggling here. Stam/Scirea is a well balanced central defence. Stam's athleticism, pace and aggression suits his stopper role. Scirea's world class tactical ability and vision will suit his covering role.


I found these parts funn given that scirea is playing as a libero here I can see you conceding atleast once on the counter given that gerets is man-marking henry and only cole/stam are defending positionally at that time. Would fancy romario against stam every single time.

Figo was also nothing like Ronaldo, the only thing they share is their nationality.

Romario- Fifa World Player of the Year 1994, World Cup Golden Boot winner
Figo- Ballon D'or 2000
Henry- Back to back world footballer of the year runner up.

The records simply speak for themselves, my front three is superior to yours.

Edit- Not to mention that sammer won the Ballon D'or in 96 as well.
 
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I found these parts funn given that scirea is playing as a libero here I can see you conceding atleast once on the counter given that gerets is man-marking henry and only cole/stam are defending positionally at that time. Would fancy romario against stam every single time.
Scirea played in a back 4 for both Italy and Juventus. He can bring the ball out of defence to distribute from deep, just like Rio or more recently Pique, as i don't see Romario pressing him. He had excellent ball controll and tactical ability, he isn't going to be caught losing the ball.
 
Scirea played in a back 4 for both Italy and Juventus. He can bring the ball out of defence to distribute from deep, just like Rio or more recently Pique, as i don't see Romario pressing him. He had excellent ball controll and tactical ability, he isn't going to be caught losing the ball.

Ah so he isnt playing as a libero( The position he is remembered as a GOAT for)? Rather you are just saying he is a defender with good ball playing skills.
 
Ah so he isnt playing as a libero( The position he is remembered as a GOAT for)? Rather you are just saying he is a defender with good ball playing skills.
He's arguably the most tactically intelligent player on the pitch. If he deems it safe to push forward, of course he will. I have Bastian to cover for him. The reason i said he'll bring it out of defence is, you have no player to press him.

It's a fluid system. Players will cover eachothers positions. We're defending as a unit. This means players behind the ball. We're minimizing the space behind our defence for Henry and Romario to run in to. Cole won't give Figo the time he needs to create for them. Who will open up our defence with a great pass? Henry and Romario are great players but you're asking a lot from them here.

I will win this because of my creativity in midfield.
 
You know what they say, it's easier to defend than attack.

brendan_rodgers-465065.jpg


Am also not convinced if scirea in a back four with no dm is actually better than Kohler

Scirea did play in a back 4 and for my money, he was more about the build-up play and aiding the midfield as opposed to being like a Passarella/Beckenbauer who were way more adventurous. Also if you are comparing defenders you should compare Scirea against Thiago Silva (ball playing/covering defenders) and Stam against Kohler (the stoppers).
 
And if your looking for goals from central midfield; Robson alone scored 53 more goals during his club career than Tigana and Vieira theirs combined (wiki).
 
brendan_rodgers-465065.jpg




Scirea did play in a back 4 and for my money, he was more about the build-up play and aiding the midfield as opposed to being like a Passarella/Beckenbauer who were way more adventurous. Also if you are comparing defenders you should compare Scirea against Thiago Silva (ball playing/covering defenders) and Stam against Kohler (the stoppers).
. Fair enough, in that case Kohler > Stam and scirea > Silva.

@The Stain if Robson is being as adventurous as his United days that's going to suit me even more since you have only svhweign defending while I have tigana and sammer.
 
. Fair enough, in that case Kohler > Stam and scirea > Silva.

@The Stain if Robson is being as adventurous as his United days that's going to suit me even more since you have only svhweign defending while I have tigana and sammer.
I hope we can agree on that the gap between Kohler and Stam isn't nearly as big as Scirea and Silva.



Was just pointing out fachhhts. Robson's playing his normal role. Equally good going forward as he was tackling and intercepting the ball. Just an added attacking threat. With the array of midfielders and attackers at my disposal; your team will be pinned back in it's own penalty area defending. That's a long way from my goal. As soon as you regain possession we'll fall back in to our own half.
 
I hope we can agree on that the gap between Kohler and Stam isn't nearly as big as Scirea and Silva.



Was just pointing out fachhhts. Robson's playing his normal role. Equally good going forward as he was tackling and intercepting the ball. Just an added attacking threat. With the array of midfielders and attackers at my disposal; your team will be pinned back in it's own penalty area defending. That's a long way from my goal. As soon as you regain possession we'll fall back in to our own half.

Yeah I will go with that, stam is closer to Kohler than Thiago is to scirea although rvn would hate to face someone like Kohler. Kohler strengths match up very well with rvn weaknesses.

:lol: a team with sammer, tigana and Vieira in midfield will never be pinned back in their own penalty box. If you try to play through the middle you will lose the ball and we will counter given that you aren't playing with a dedicated dm. If you pass the ball out wide then you can't retain possession and would have to rely on quick transitions which suits us more.

And as mentioned before, you are relying very heavily on rvn to score who in all likelihood is going to have a poor game here.
 
Two great teams here and a wide open match. Epic game.

What is the actual definition of libero? Does it indicate any player having a free role?

I was thinking similar when reading the write ups - Crappy/MJJ have described Sammer as both 'playing his natural libero role' and as a 'dedicated DM'. For me they're two distinct roles, albeit with overlapping responsibilities. As far as a set definition, I don't think there really is one, but I like this small excerpt about the evolution of the role:

The origin of the sweeper came with the catenaccio philosophy and in that they were very much a fifth defender, who would then send the ball out wide for his side to claim their slim, but well-planned victory. The libero grew from this, sharing the same duties in defence but with far more importance placed on their attacking duties. The best in the position would be roaming across the pitch, being seen as a team’s hub, performing as a combination of primary playmaker and defensive organiser, with his positioning being vital to the rest of the team.

Personally I think of a libero as being nominally part of the defensive line, with the best exponents having considerable freedom to step into midfield and even join the attack as Sammer did frequently. DM is a considerably more positionally restricted role IMO.
 
After reading the conversation decided to change my vote.
 
What changed from gios comment in the morning when you originally voted?
tbh it was your countless comparisons. And Scirea - I found it hard to vote against him originally but when I saw that you don't know what kind of player he was (or don't want to acknowledge it at least) I counted it as a tactical advantage for Stain

And I don't think that Sammer = Laudrup logic works, it's not a math.
 
tbh it was your countless comparisons. And Scirea - I found it hard to vote against him originally but when I saw that you don't know what kind of player he was (or don't want to acknowledge it at least) I counted it as a tactical advantage for Stain

And I don't think that Sammer = Laudrup logic works, it's not a math.
Damn you :(