This is tight. Anto must have a sweat on
All-time Fantasy Draft - Gio v antohan
- Thread starter Brwned
- Start date
It doesn't stack up to say Moreno is helping in defence to nullify Facchetti's threat, yet he is also on the other side of the pitch exploiting Facchetti's absence.
I'm not in any way significantly exposed on the counter, unless of course you are leaving all of Moreno, Platini, Rivaldo and Nordahl upfront (that leaves 4 vs. 4), which brings me back to how you would actually get the ball back.
Effenberg is not just a rugged ball winner, his passing is exceptionally good. I have emphasised that throughout but obviously it is hard to get people to look past "German Panzer".
You are citing a '99 team which did not particularly control games, yet everyone's workrate and discipline was just about enough. Giggs works ten times harder than Rivaldo, and let's not get started on Beckham...
Then you pick the one exceptional team ever in the history of the game which managed to play in a certain way (Barca/Spain) when your side looks NOTHING like it. There's not enough workrate upfront for the required pressing, you don't have an attacking fullback on the right (unless you fancy Gentile as Dani Alves), and apparently now Nordahl isn't Vieri on steroids but Messi.
I'm talking about the composition of a midfield three where clearly if Rijkaard is cancelling out Platini (a massive 'if'), then Xavi and Davids are a stronger combination than Iniesta and Effenberg.
Your point about Gentile/Alves is moot. Up until this season Barcelona, like most good sides, have played with one attacking full-back in Alves and a more defensive pivot on the other flank in Abidal (or see Spain with Alba and Arbeloa, United with Evra/Brown, Real with Carlos/Salgado). Demyanenko spent the entire 1980s dominating flanks throughout Europe for Dynamo Kiev and Soviet Union, thanks to his exceptional stamina and rounded skillset to operate as a left winger. In contrast Gentile remains disciplined, closing out any threat emerging from Rivelino or others. That's how a complementary pair of full-backs work.
Yours on the other hand are careering forward and then getting stranded on the edge of my box, hopelessly out of the game and surrendering the real opportunity on the flanks to me.
Your point about Gentile/Alves is moot. Up until this season Barcelona, like most good sides, have played with one attacking full-back in Alves and a more defensive pivot on the other flank in Abidal (or see Spain with Alba and Arbeloa, United with Evra/Brown, Real with Carlos/Salgado). Demyanenko spent the entire 1980s dominating flanks throughout Europe for Dynamo Kiev and Soviet Union, thanks to his exceptional stamina and rounded skillset to operate as a left winger. In contrast Gentile remains disciplined, closing out any threat emerging from Rivelino or others. That's how a complementary pair of full-backs work.
Yours on the other hand are careering forward and then getting stranded on the edge of my box, hopelessly out of the game and surrendering the real opportunity on the flanks to me.
TBH, I don't. I'm losing interest very quickly since it is quite clear having a solid team, with a sound defensive setup, a fluid attack and a better bench counts for nothing unless you have a pair of fancy names.
I went into this knowing I would have a tough ride against some great household names that would be instant vote winners, yet somehow my attempts to put certain players into perspective are construed as biased and grating. Further, everyone seems to have made it their mission to question my side and my players while blissfully ignoring Gio's weaknesses and some completely random stuff he has setup out there.
If Rijkaard can't stop Platini, what was the point then of carrying on once all those names were gone?
Brwned was having trouble yesterday with a striker who is every bit as good as Eusebio. I picked one who isn't 20th but 8th in South America's all-time best players, Di Stéfano has him as the best he has seen, but he is as good as shot. I might as well have picked up Hugo Sanchez.
Rivelino was a better player than Rivaldo. He was the last piece of the jigsaw for Brazil in 1970, he inherited Pelé's No. 10. No one, and I mean no one, could get the ball of him, yet he is probably as good as playing Arjen Robben.
Laudrup, while not having Platini's scoring record, was the ultimate orchestrator. Never ever before and never again will one player switching clubs result in them swapping league positions between 1st and 4th, overturning a 30 goal advantage for one side and turning it into an advantage for the other, let alone Barca win el Clasico 5-0 only to lose it 5-0 once one single player switched sides. Yet it seems I'm playing Michu.
Apparently Rijkaard, arguably the best and most successful defensive midfielder ever, playing alongside another midfielder who captained his side to CL glory (and it should have been twice), is not enough to stop fancy names. Yet Davids can single-handedly recover the ball and shield a defence that looks every bit a late-drafting car-crash.
Gentile's World Cup exploits were as a fifth defender free to roam around man-marking his prey. As a right back he contributes jack going forward and when I have Facchetti, Rivelino, Iniesta and Henry, all comfortable srifting to the left side and interlinking, he would be chasing shadows.
Franklin apparently is Rio. Never heard of him. No one has. No one cares. Kohler "stopped Van Basten" yet never stopped his side winning the league or the Euros, but somehow he stopped him. Demyanenko...
It's simple, you need to get the star names to win this because no one cares if your entire creative engine and attack very much share the same football philosophy and have been schooled in the same playing style. No, just chuck players from different eras randomly and so long as they are big names you are onto a winner. feck sound defending.
It's ridiculous, and even if I got an early shot at a reinforcement, that would only give me one name to bang on about and clearly it wouldn't be enough.
That's not how midfields work, and you know it. But you seem to have liked that illusory idiotic point, which I already went into but you decide to ignore and keep repeating it. Go ahead, knock yourself out.
This is full of contradictions. I've got the household names yet Franklin shouldn't be winning votes because he's a nobody. You're banging on "woe is me" as if you're 25-2 down here, not one vote ahead (last time I checked). And anyway household names? You've got two players from pre-TV/1960s in your squad, I've got five!
Players evidently have not been thrown together randomnly. There's clear complementarity between my pairs of full-backs, centre-halves and central midfielders. The synergy of Xavi playing alongside Platini is clear, as it is with Rivaldo and Moreno: it's a distinctive midfield five playing to a shared identity. I've never criticised your midfield for not being on the same wavelength, yet you've been relentless in damning my own despite the glaring lack of evidence.
Meltdown alert.
The only reason I was questioning yours so much is because you had such a big lead. It's not as clear cut as you are trying to make out.
The only reason I was questioning yours so much is because you had such a big lead. It's not as clear cut as you are trying to make out.
Quality rant by Anto - you need managerial meltdowns to add to the realism. FWIW I rate your side, but chose Gio because I instinctively perceived that his team have slightly more bite and guile. Make of that what you will! Both teams look pretty damn good tbh.
Well, he's got 6 in a row with no reply. I guess with transfer deadline day on there will be a lot of transfer muppets drooling over the fancy names and not really putting any thinking into whether it works or not.
Screw it, time to bring on Roberto!
Should've gone with this from the start.
At the moment I'm thinking Laudrup will have some joy up against Demyanenko, and providing Rijkaard can pull off Platini every now and then and provide his attackers with quality service then I can see a goal there. Some quick interplay between he, Iniesta and Henry and it's a goal - though Henry sneaking away from Kohler's marking isn't going to be a frequent occurence.
At the other end I do see Nordahl having some joy up against those two. I don't remember Vasovic being weak in any way but at the same time he's not going to dominate aerially. Generally when we've played Rio with the likes of Silvestre, Evans, Brown etc. we've looked solid 90% of the time but somehow shipped a couple of goals a game. Vasovic is of course several levels above those players but I see the same issue arising. Up against Nordahl you need a battering ram at centre half. Platini won't be finding it easy to provide Nordahl with quality service up against a hard-working midfield and Rijkaard in particular, so you're looking to Moreno and Rivaldo to find some space and (perhaps uncharacteristically) provide inch-perfect crossing. I can see that happening a few times just like I can see Henry losing his marker a few times but there's really nothing in it.
Much depends on the fullbacks for me. With 4 inside-forwards on show you'd expect they'll be well supported by their fullbacks but are they willing to take the risk, leaving top quality attackers in acres of space if they're caught out? I suspect Facchetti will given that's the most notable aspect of his game and Rivelino is the least comfortable out wide, but at the same time I don't see Moreno taking advantage of all that space because he'll be worried about Facchetti running free. Rivaldo's not tracking back so it's up to Andrade to try and overload Demyanenko's flank or play it cautious and keep the Brazilian under wraps. Likewise are Gio's fullbacks taking advantage of two relatively lazy, passive inside forwards and galloping forward or is he going for the tight game with just one goal in it? Could be what tips it either way.
I preferred the original setup FWIW antohan. I liked that blend of winger/striker and playmaker/winger on either side with Laudrup and Henry offering the full range of qualities you're wanting from your wide players whereas I'm not sure Rivelino is offering a whole lot more to the side. Quality footballer no question and of course that wand of a left foot will do some damage, but I thought Erico was having more joy up top than Henry is at the moment and I thought Henry was causing more problems than the Brazilian. It's all a bit narrow on both ends now, that pace and width gave antohan's side something different.
At the other end I do see Nordahl having some joy up against those two. I don't remember Vasovic being weak in any way but at the same time he's not going to dominate aerially. Generally when we've played Rio with the likes of Silvestre, Evans, Brown etc. we've looked solid 90% of the time but somehow shipped a couple of goals a game. Vasovic is of course several levels above those players but I see the same issue arising. Up against Nordahl you need a battering ram at centre half. Platini won't be finding it easy to provide Nordahl with quality service up against a hard-working midfield and Rijkaard in particular, so you're looking to Moreno and Rivaldo to find some space and (perhaps uncharacteristically) provide inch-perfect crossing. I can see that happening a few times just like I can see Henry losing his marker a few times but there's really nothing in it.
Much depends on the fullbacks for me. With 4 inside-forwards on show you'd expect they'll be well supported by their fullbacks but are they willing to take the risk, leaving top quality attackers in acres of space if they're caught out? I suspect Facchetti will given that's the most notable aspect of his game and Rivelino is the least comfortable out wide, but at the same time I don't see Moreno taking advantage of all that space because he'll be worried about Facchetti running free. Rivaldo's not tracking back so it's up to Andrade to try and overload Demyanenko's flank or play it cautious and keep the Brazilian under wraps. Likewise are Gio's fullbacks taking advantage of two relatively lazy, passive inside forwards and galloping forward or is he going for the tight game with just one goal in it? Could be what tips it either way.
I preferred the original setup FWIW antohan. I liked that blend of winger/striker and playmaker/winger on either side with Laudrup and Henry offering the full range of qualities you're wanting from your wide players whereas I'm not sure Rivelino is offering a whole lot more to the side. Quality footballer no question and of course that wand of a left foot will do some damage, but I thought Erico was having more joy up top than Henry is at the moment and I thought Henry was causing more problems than the Brazilian. It's all a bit narrow on both ends now, that pace and width gave antohan's side something different.
I think it is abundantly clear that Laudrup is not being rated anywhere near as highly as either Platini or Rivaldo when, as an orchestrator, he is up there with the very best in the draft.
As I mentioned in the thread, no other player has ever provided such a stunning basis for assessing his impact on making an attacking unit work.
To this day is the only player to have won La Liga five seasons in a row with different teams.
- Four consecutive titles with Barca, winning his last Clasico 5-0.
- The next year Real get the league and win El Clasico 5-0.
- In his last season at Barca they won, Real was 4th and the goal difference between them >30
- The next year Real won, Barca where 4th and the goal difference was >30, but in the opposite direction
I think both teams are quite even but having thought about it, sorry anto, I am voting against you this time
No, just having teething problems with the go live we had a couple of days ago. It's very simple, they have a crap internet connection and their ancient modem hangs up. I keep telling them to buy a new modem and check their cables/installations but they are banging on about wanting everything to work via phone lines.
Nutters. And what is my rest/distraction? Having to argue ridiculous and deliberately one-sided points on fantastic players.
BTW, Gio still hasn't answered how on earth Davids will be enough to stop my men and get the ball back.
It was written in the tactics from the outset that I would be switching to this later. Bench strength and all that... In the meantime, Gio's tired legs can be made up for with a new rightback and a left winger, neither of which offers an improvement or a much needed fresh pair of legs in the middle of the park.
Some refreshingly measured points Brwned, I'll pick a couple out for debate.
Laudrup's obviously a class act and one of the reasons Edgar Davids is operating left-centre is to cut supply, interplay and provide any support as and when required. I'm not overly concerned about the crossing/aerial threat given Kohler/Franklin/Jennings supremacy in the air and the corresponding lack of heading ability from Henry, Iniesta or Rivelino.
We've acknowledged Nordahl's strength in the air, but perhaps the likeliest route for a goal will be in his capacity to hold up the ball for Platini / Rivaldo / Moreno - all devastating in and around the edge of the box.
Rivaldo's crossing in the late 1990s was a striking feature of his game and probably only Beckham showed the same verve for it. The video I posted earlier showed how capable he was in driving from inside-left to outside-left then finding Ronaldo/Kluivert from the resulting, perfectly delivered cross.
Laudrup's obviously a class act and one of the reasons Edgar Davids is operating left-centre is to cut supply, interplay and provide any support as and when required. I'm not overly concerned about the crossing/aerial threat given Kohler/Franklin/Jennings supremacy in the air and the corresponding lack of heading ability from Henry, Iniesta or Rivelino.
We've acknowledged Nordahl's strength in the air, but perhaps the likeliest route for a goal will be in his capacity to hold up the ball for Platini / Rivaldo / Moreno - all devastating in and around the edge of the box.
Rivaldo's crossing in the late 1990s was a striking feature of his game and probably only Beckham showed the same verve for it. The video I posted earlier showed how capable he was in driving from inside-left to outside-left then finding Ronaldo/Kluivert from the resulting, perfectly delivered cross.
Which is the reason I reckon it is mostly set pieces were he could be an issue and I can put Rijkaard on him then. In the meantime, that CB pairing is well suited to cover for my attacking fullbacks, with Rijkaard able to drop back for cover if needs be.
The key to that is also how well suited the CBs are to cover and the midfield to support those CBs when going out to cover. Look at Gio's options there and mine, which is seamless and which makes no sense?
As said, Andrade would not bomb all the way up though, would usually pass/cross from deep and stick around to provide a latent threat for a raid on Demyanenko, but would not do a Facchetti all the way up the pitch on a regular basis.
Same here, but it went from 15-5 to 15-11 and people were writing about them not buying into "Enrico". The starting side was better IMO, this was the one I planned (and said it beforehand) for the second half to hold on to a lead and take advantage of tired legs. My initial front players have a high tempo, and Rivelino could keep up with it, but also do the cool head Scholes role when you need things to calm the feck down. Yeah, Xavi, you go get the ball off Rivelino...
One thing that might be getting underrated here is the fact that Anto has gone for players who come from similar schools of footballing philosophy and styles. Xavi and Platini, while being great players have excelled in different environments while on the other hand Rijkaard, Laudrup, Iniesta and Henry all have worked in the same. That should surely improve the likelihood of them combining better and putting a crafty move much effortlessly. In a tight situation like this coherence and chemistry can play a big part.
You spent the entire first half facing the most deadly striker for those crosses.
Crosses need not be high balls though, have you seen us play recently? How many goals does Own Goal get for us every season off the back of crosses across the face of goal?
Don't bother Aldo, despite going into great pains to form a unit that had exactly that, it doesn't seem to matter one bit. Just chuck in four players from different eras and playing styles into something as sensitive as the creative engine and they'll get on like a house on fire.
Apparently.
Close one but Antohan just for me. Fancy him to nudge the midfield battle and with Iniesta being the link man from midfield to attack and supplying Laudraup and Henry they should creativity to pick Gio's defence.
Bit of a stretch to join those players up when Rijkaard was manager at Barcelona (he's not the manager in this game is he?) and only Iniesta and Henry have played together.
Especially when Xavi, Rivaldo and Davids have all played for Barcelona, while Platini and Moreno are cut from the same cloth: that's clear as day. Xavi and Davids have played together, as have Xavi and Rivaldo, so I'm not seeing the uncoherent mess Antohan's been banging on about.
A further point about balance/coherence. Of the 10 outfield players I started the match with, 5 are left-footed, 5 are right-footed (Demyanenko excels with both). A subtle yet important point. Antohan's 10? 9 right-footed, 1 left-footed. And I'm the one who's thrown it all together!
The way I see it Effenberg is a couple of rungs below the rest of the midfielders on the park, all of whom have been best in the world material in their position at one point or another. Effenberg on the other hand was never on that level and, having to deal with a Rivaldo / Platini axis, would surely get found out at these heady heights.
Still, as you say a close one - anyone pretending it's anything other than marginal either way is clearly agenda driven.
The point about Rijkaard comes from the fact that he is from Ajax's academy, and hence has followed the same ethics as Cruyff installed in Barca which have been followed since then. These players value possession, technique and accurate passing which has been taught to all of them at a young level. Davids played for 6 months(?) at Barca, and his peak was at Juve which clearly did not follow the same. There is a reason Yaya Toure who would be similar to Davids was shown the door for Busquets.
I would like you to elaborate a bit further on the coherence of Platini and Moreno. Apart from that, Xavi and Platini, who are clearly the core of your team don't play at the same wavelength which would surely be a factor.
Henry when played up front in that system looked a bit lost, Rijkaard never played in anything like a Barcelona-esque system or playing style (the Ajax link is tenuous in my view) and that for me only really leaves you with Laudrup and Iniesta - and of course you'd see some sumptuous link up play here. I think anyone here who is trying to suggest high levels of synergy is stretching things a bit, personally. It's not possible with the nationality rules unless you were to go for something like Giggs-Keane-Scholes-Ronaldo.
Laudrup and Rijkaard played in the same era but in completely different teams - there's limited understanding there, you're just relying on supremely intelligent players working out how to play together. Iniesta and Henry linked up fantastically well in 08/09 and while he was on that left wing you absolutely have to give props to Antohan for bringing those two together. Even now it's a nice little partnership. Looking for a link between Laudrup and Iniesta that goes deeper than their basic footballing style is reaching for me though - it'd be like saying Cantona and van Persie would link up perfectly because they excelled in similar setups. I don't see it.
There are of course numerous similarities between Barcelona in the early 90s and Barcelona in the early 10s but in the end they are still fundamentally different sides. Xavi and Platini I can see linking up perfectly, they're only missing a Giresse/Iniesta in there to tie them together perfectly but again that's where the nationality draft's hindered you. There's so little room for genuine understanding throughout the team or even throughout the midfield. All you can do is decide on one way of playing and fill it with complementary players who have the intelligence and mentality to make it work - I see that in both these teams to a far greater degree than most others in the draft.
I don't agree with Antohan's assertion that one defensive setup is full of seamless transitions while the other is hopelessly unbalanced, and I think if you're going to be highlighting synergies in attack then you should be highlighting them in defence too. You've got Kohler and Gentile's ability to communicate together, you've got their steely presence combining with the class of Franklin and Demyanenko to provide a nice blend of styles and you've got 3 defenders that played in mid-80s. Antohan has Facchetti and Vasovic who I can see linking up very well in fairness, but then you've got a player who excelled at the beginning of this century alongside a defender who excelled at the beginning of last century...not that I don't see it working, I do, but you can't just look at one aspect of the game in just one area of the pitch that happens to suit Antohan perfectly. I see Gentile/Demyanenko as a fairly well balanced fullback duo and they'll be capable of performing the full range of fullback duties including playing the covering role. Gentile's perfect for that. Not quite as well-versed in the role as Facchetti but still, he knows the job and he can do it perfectly.
The thing I keep coming back to is I see Demyanenko as a bit of a weak link. A real force going forward and for me a very well-rounded fullback but he's up against a sensational player and I don't see him coping. Davids has the engine to help out in midfield and cover that flank but I think it's just going to lead to Effenberg, Rijkaard or Iniesta getting free again and again and I just don't think it's worth the risk. I see the left flank as being exposed. Will Laudrup utilise that to opening to its full potential in the way a Garrincha would? No, but I see him using that opening to twist Demyanenko inside-out, gain a bit of space in a key area and pick out a delicate defense-splitting ball in a crowded area to create a goal.
I can see Gio's route to goal but I can't see the same obvious weakness to exploit. The direct route up to Nordahl with Platini sniffing around and Moreno and Rivaldo coming together in one attacking onslaught could be enough to overpower that defensive setup but there are some terrific defensive players in there. Not sure.
Rijkaard = Ajax school. Ajax school = Cruyff. Cruyff = Barca school.
Unless you have been living under a rock over the last 20-30 years, you would know Barca's platform for success was laid out mirroring the Ajax model. Their first European Cup was a direct result of that, then it got full of Dutchies who couldn't defend for toffee and they had a bit of a lull, only to re-emerge again once they realised they couldn't just try to outscore everyone.
Successfully? They merely coincided. Just about and none of them reached their peaks playing with one another.
And there I was worrying that I had too many players attacking the left flank... Facchetti owned the left flank. Iniesta has shot defences to pieces from the left. Henry is notorious for drifting left and starting one-twos from there. Rivelino has the most deadly left foot in the entire draft.
But no, effectiveness on the left doesn't matter. Natural footedness does. Of course.
:Clutching.at.straws:
Barcelona were languishing in 9th midway through the season when Davids arrived in 2003/04. They ended up 2nd, transformed and unbeaten in 18 of their 21 games with Davids and Xavi controlling midfield. And that was, as you say, a post-peak Davids - imagine the impact when they were both at their peaks?
Platini's probably the greatest passer of all-time, whether it's short-and-long and he has the busy, give-and-go style to complement Xavi. He's one player from previous eras who would fit like a glove into modern Barcelona. As for Moreno, everything I hear is more of the same: he's on the top 5 players South American players of all time and he's not a rampant individualist like Garrincha, but a modern, flexible and expert mover of the ball.
It's all a bit tenuous though. You may as well stick Rinus Michels up top and claim he'll link up like he's been playing with Henry and Iniesta for years.
Clearly there is a difference between Iniesta and Platini in terms of the amount of the time they occupy the ball for and going for the killer ball to the wing or the striker. We have seen Platini countless times slip it through the defense for someone like Boniek to run at it from deep, now that is a 30 yard through ball which I doubt Iniesta would ever attempt and Xavi would appreciate at all. The point here is that Iniesta compliments Xavi because he would never take the slightest risk with possession, just like every single Barca player while Platini might, just might, bank on his ability to do that a tad more than Xavi would enjoy, as he has excelled in a system with heavy possession and would like to continue that. Moreover, Platini played with 5 at the back, so he was always less worried about losing the ball than Xavi was, since the defense at Barca was not something that would be okay with the opposition coming to attack them time and time and again, while Juve's 80s defense could obviously absorb whatever was thrown at them, having Scirea marshalling it all.
And the greatest passer of all time is Maradona, just so we are clear on this.
The fact Platini is a rangier passer than anyone in the modern game shouldn't necessarily be held against him. Fundamentally that level of Xavi/Iniesta synergy you're looking for is likely to be impossible within the constraints of this draft, it's certainly something your team does not possess, aside from a tenuous link to Cruyff. And equally I wouldn't be so naive to claim that level of coherence for my team, but there's clear synergies and complementarities throughout the XI, whether that's the balance of left-and-right footed players, the complementarity of Gentile/Demyanenko, Kohler/Franklin, and the partial benefits of those who have played together such as Davids/Xavi, Xavi/Rivaldo, Gentile/Platini, as well as the shared era/ethos in different areas of the park through Gentile/Demyanenko/Kohler, Davids/Xavi/Rivaldo, Moreno/Nordahl.
I'm not holding it against him, but that is why rating the current Barca players among the rest becomes so tricky because we have never ever seen them out of that one system. Messi is the only one who has played in a different system for Argentina and given the issues with that team over the last 5 years, it's not fair to judge him based on that. The rest have always enjoyed insane levels of possession and also players who keep the ball for long periods without getting tempted to go for the kill unless it is absolutely necessary and has minimum risk that is very tough to say how they will do in a system where they want to keep the ball but can't as their teammates have other ideas.
At the ouset I was planning on Laudrup-Rijkaard-Stoichkov-Romario as my first four picks. Thought it was doable, but then MBR (I think) picked Stoichkov in the 2nd round and shot it to pieces.
I do think schools and playing styles you have been brought up in are entirely relevant. I would expect a certain degree of synergy from United players from different eras, even if they didn't play together.
Yes, I wouldn't claim those two have a prior understanding, but the elements are there for it to form. If I stuck, say, Francescoli where Henry was, while a great player he would be a complete misfit, there's nothing indicating him Laudrup and Iniesta would have worked, except the fact they are all great players.
In any case, it was Laudrup-Iniesta-Henry I was more focused on as a unit that would naturally and quite clearly work.
Laudrup was the player Iniesta looked up to as a kid. Throughout his formation years, Laudrup's influence on the club as an example of how football should be played obviously seeps through. Of course, if it were me it wouldn't matter, but someone as talented as Iniesta growing up trying to be like Laudrup and studying how he played would obviously make their understanding almost telepathic.
Somewhat the same I would expect from a Ryan Giggs playing with George Best, or Scholes with Charlton (although that pair would be unlikely to end up on the same teamsheet).
I don't see any link between Cantona and van Persie though, unless I have missed something.
I was primarily focusing on the ability to support the attack. With my fullbacks moving upfield, Vasovic and Ferdinand, with Rijkaard ready to fall back and support (since Platini is apparently man-marking Iniesta into submission). Both flanks would be well covered, and the defence well set, with Effenberg shielding. That is, I CAN send my fullbacks forward.
Gentile won't go forward, so let's not bother with that. Then you have Demyanenko whose only point in being there is as an attacking fullback, but that leaves Kohler to cover him. Kohler covering a flank? Against Laudrup? I don't see that working TBH.
It also leaves Henry one on one vs. Franklin. As I said, I know nothing about him. Gio keeps getting pissed off at it, but all he has contributed to enlighten me is he is like Ferdinand (which he would say) and a quote where they say he failed in Colombia. Maybe he couldn't live with the trickery of South American footballers compared to English centreforwards?. How would that work vs. Henry, Rivelino, Iniesta...?
We weren't referring to Rijkaard as a manager but as an Ajax-schooled player.
Do you guys ever like, work?
The entire reason I abstained from this tournament was because I didn't think I had enough time, and even when I have done, I've not been able to make such detailed defences / arguments for my team set up
The entire reason I abstained from this tournament was because I didn't think I had enough time, and even when I have done, I've not been able to make such detailed defences / arguments for my team set up
Good game, Gio.
That's very true and, albeit a seperate debate, will apply to any discussion around the role of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi in the all-time draft.
It took me a while to pick trust me. You have a cracking team and it seems ridiculous that a team with Rivaldo, Platini, Xavi etc is going out already but I think Anto's was maybe slightly more balanced, with a solid defence. Good match up though
The quotes in the player profiles were fairly self-explanatory in terms of his status and style so ignorance is no excuse, but here's the Stanley Matthews one in full.
Do you guys ever like, work?
The entire reason I abstained from this tournament was because I didn't think I had enough time, and even when I have done, I've not been able to make such detailed defences / arguments for my team set up
Well, I kicked this off because I had my latest project wrapped up and sorted with weeks to spare... only to find two random stores (out of 25) in the countryside have internet issues.
Doesn't really help me work out if he can deal with an Henry/Rivelino/Iniesta. Can't think of any English centreforwards I have heard of who were in that mould (probably none).